Chapter 60

Kanako and I left the guild headquarters and hurried towards the lake. It took us 30 minutes to arrive by her car, speeding all the way.

The lake, one of the largest in the country and a highlight of our prefecture, spread out before us. It was almost like the sea, but it was a lake.

There was no time to relax this time, and we hurried to the dungeon described in the documents. Already, dozens of guild staff were there, creating a lockdown while keeping watch around the area.

The situation was tense. After a brief greeting to the staff, we immediately began the dungeon exploration.

A hole opened up along the lakeshore, strangely not swallowing the waves but existing just as a hole. According to the documents, it had two floors and ten rooms. The explorers were probably hiding at the farthest point. We had to hurry.

"Support... you might not need it, but I will handle the protection and guidance of the explorers if they are still alive. Please use your power to the fullest, Kōhei."

"Thank you, Kanako."

I expressed my gratitude to Kanako, who was ready to provide complete support, considering my solo combat skills. It was truly a blessing. She understood the situation and offered her cooperation without hesitation. She was the best supporter I could ask for.

"But please promise me not to overdo it. The goal is to protect the explorers. If they are, unfortunately, already beyond help, we will immediately withdraw. If we judge that we are in danger, even if we can't protect them, we will abandon them. It may seem harsh, but that's the reality."

"That's a sound judgment. Bringing back information is also our duty."

"...Understood. Let's go."

She even used a cold tone to caution me against overexertion. I nodded sincerely to her, and we descended into the underground.

This time, I wasn't just holding my smartphone. For her, this exploration was that dangerous.

Let's call it the lakeshore dungeon. Because it was near the lake, the dungeon was a bit different from the usual ones, with the floor and walls being damp and muddy. When I touched the wall with my fingertips, a sticky sensation and some mud adhered to them. The same went for the ground.

It didn't seem to affect our footing, but there might be some differences from usual. We had to be careful as we moved forward.

We entered the first room. There were already several undead monsters there.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter!"

"Out of the way!!"

I punched the skeletal figures coming towards me in quick succession. Ribs, shoulders, heads. Each time I hit them, the bones shattered. They were fragile.

E-rank monsters, skeletons.

I easily defeated them and moved to the next room. There were more skeletons. In the next room, there were even more skeletons, and I crushed them all with my fists.

"Just skeletons..."

"Probably because the refuge was E-rank. They couldn't create ghouls or zombies as their pawns."

"Their forces are weak. A fortunate misfortune."

Unfortunately, the explorers who were attacked and had to hide here were likely E-rank or higher. If so, there might still be a chance of survival if they were only facing skeletons.

In any case, we had to move forward. We descended to the second floor, the fourth room.

There, my title effect, presence detection, worked. It must have been within a 1km range, as I sensed human presence.

In total, there were six. Six human presences.

"...Six?"

"Kōhei, what's wrong?"

"I detected the presence of the explorers. There are six... According to Aizawa, there were supposed to be five in the party."

Kanako pondered, sensing the oddity in my words.

I don't think the information from Aizawa or the guild is wrong. Explorers always report the number of people and the dungeon they are entering before and after the exploration. It's hard to imagine any discrepancies.

But then, who is this extra person?

The presences were concentrated in one spot. The presence of monsters nearby suggested they were already in battle.

...There's no time to worry, we have to move!

"We'll talk about it when we meet up! They are already in battle, let's go!"

"Understood!"

First, we had to reach them, then we could think!

We rushed towards the deepest part with a torrent of momentum. The fifth room, the sixth room, the seventh room, the eighth room... the more we advanced, the more skeletons there were, but I blew them away with shockwaves.

The ninth room – I could see the explorers!

I poured all my strength into a series of punches. The shockwaves I released shattered the wave-like crowd of skeletons, clearing the path.

We connected! Kanako and I ran at full speed and finally reached the explorers.

"We've come to save you! Are you all right?"

"You came!! We're saved!!"

A young man who seemed to be the leader shouted with tears in his eyes. The other members were barely holding back the skeletons, but with my shockwaves, the army was reduced, and they managed to regroup.

This was... a close call. The other explorers were exhausted and in poor condition.

Also, they were all women. Was it the leader's preference? There were even some who looked younger than me.

"......Wait, Aizawa!?"

"A... Ah, Kōhei?!"

Of all places, the F-rank explorer, Aizawa Miharu, who had returned dejectedly, was there.

At the time of posting this story, it has received the following rankings:

- 1st place in the Low Fantasy category for daily, weekly, and monthly, and 6th place for quarterly

- 9th place in the overall daily, 3rd place in the weekly, and 17th place in the monthly

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