Chapter 48

While being a personal project, the game "NAROU Fantasy" has been fixing player-favorable bugs at a speed that surpasses even the gods, and it also fixes player-disadvantageous bugs when the mood strikes. It is currently available on Furiium! (Sudden advertisement)

Oh, and the game "Mitsumitakeru" posted on Atsumaru is rumored to be a super easy and heartwarming dating game that can be cleared in five minutes, so I recommend it!

As they progressed, the difficulty of the dungeon increased.

The disguises of the skeletons became more sophisticated, and the number of them appearing at once increased from four to eight.

However, the rewards were also greater...

"Ah, I've <grown>!"

"Me too!"

By the time they reached the midpoint of the dungeon, everyone had leveled up.

"Seriously? We haven't even been in the dungeon for an hour..."

"I told you. The enemies here are weak but give a lot of experience."

Of course, this is under the premise that they have methods to deal with ambushes and advantageous ways to attack the skeletons, but the monsters here are suitable for leveling up.

While not as much as the initial exploration, thanks to the recovery from growth, they were able to advance deeper without their MP running out.

At first, I also participated in battles, but after the others got the hang of it, I no longer needed to.

So far, everything has been going smoothly.

However, this game, Burebure, is known for setting traps when you get too comfortable.

"...Stop. It's an ambush."

"Huh?"

In response to my sudden halt in an apparently empty area, the others looked puzzled but obediently stopped.

The room we had entered was slightly larger but contained nothing.

The others looked around but found no abnormalities.

"Is it a mistake? There's nothing here..."

"No... look up."

Everyone followed my gaze upward.

"Whoa!"

A scream erupted from the others. Several skeletons were clinging to the ceiling of the room, which was quite high.

"Probably, they'll fall when someone is directly below them."

"Are there really traps like this..."

We had been focused on the ground up until now.

Given the dim lighting in the dungeon, it would be easy to overlook this trap during normal exploration.

However, once you notice it, this situation can actually be an advantage.

"Calm down. It's easier to deal with when we're all in one place. Take them out from a distance, and finish them off as they fall."

"O-Okay."

They were still shaken, but now the others were seasoned adventurers.

They efficiently shot down the skeletons and finished them off one by one.

"Got it!"

With a final swing of his sword, Rad dispatched the last skeleton writhing on the ground.

Despite the victory, sweat still lingered on his forehead.

"Old man, how did you notice that?"

"Like this."

I pointed to the Decoy Gun.

The device, which I had not used yet, now glowed blue, indicating it was "usable."

"But when we stepped into this room, the light turned red."

The Decoy Gun, like the Return Feather, is an item that "cannot be used during combat."

Thus, I use its restriction to my advantage.

By keeping it out, if it becomes unusable, it means "enemies are nearby."

To me, the Decoy Gun isn't just an item that can distract enemies once every thirty minutes.

It's an excellent "scouting item" that can be used infinitely in any dungeon.

Rad looked at me with a mix of disbelief and awe.

"Your head, what's wrong with it...!"

"I just use whatever works."

And it's because this game, Burebure, allows for such creativity and playfulness that it is my "god game" in this world.

And...

"...The real surprise is yet to come."

"Huh?"

I shook my head at Rad's question and hurried forward.

Then,

"...We're here. This is our destination."

Soon, we finally reached our target location.

※ ※ ※

This place was clearly different from the other rooms.

It was larger than any other room, and at the very back, a large door stood.

"That door. Is this a puzzle?"

As Rad murmured, the door was adorned with meaningful patterns, and a lever was conspicuously placed in front of it.

Next to the lever, four rotating reliefs were embedded, two on each side.

"A typical trap door. I think the door opens when the four reliefs are set to a specific combination... but the problem is, there's no hint for the combination..."

Nuek analyzed the situation with a troubled expression, but I moved forward without hesitation.

"Hey, old man?"

"You stay there."

I stopped Rad from following and approached the lever.

"I said, stay there."

"I'll wait by your side, brother."

Sighing at Resilia's unreasonable request, I grabbed the lever without hesitation.

"W-Wait, old man! The trap isn't...!"

"Yeah, but this is right."

I ignored Rad's warning and pulled the lever with all my might.

Immediately, a shrill alarm sounded throughout the room.

And the changes didn't stop there.

"J-Just bones...!"

Bones sprouted from the ground all over the room.

The bones used the protruding parts as footholds, gradually pulling themselves up and revealing their forms.

"Skeletons! But this many..."

As Prana warned, skeletons emerged.

There were "sixteen" in total.

"Can you just stand there? We need to reduce their numbers before they fully appear, or it'll get messy."

"Damn it! Everyone! Start with area attacks! Weaken them as much as possible before they fully appear, then reduce their numbers!"

Rad snapped out of his shock and shouted, and the battle began.

※ ※ ※

"Damn. There were way too many."

Breathing heavily, Rad and the others had managed to repel the large group of skeletons on their own.

While I and Resilia had helped a little, most of the work was done by Rad and the others, a commendable effort.

"You did well. Honestly, I thought you'd struggle more at first."

I clapped my hands, and Rad seemed irritated by my attitude.

"Old man! When you do something like this, you should properly warn us beforehand..."

"Sorry. But it's better to get used to it. We have a long way to go."

As I said this, I moved back to the center of the room.

Seeing this, Rad's face turned pale.

"Hey, old man! You can't be serious..."

"That's exactly what I'm doing."

This room's "trap" is what changed the strategy for conquering the "Labyrinth of the Undying."

Normally, once defeated, monsters do not respawn unless the date changes.

Adventurers typically plan to defeat a limited number of monsters and grow accordingly.

However, in this world...

A miraculous device that endlessly spawns monsters with a single switch exists.

In games, it's common for monsters to attack as a penalty for failing to disable a trap.

And it's also common for the same trap to activate repeatedly if the player keeps making mistakes.

But the combination of these two elements led to an unprecedented situation in Burebure.

By intentionally choosing incorrect answers to the puzzle, the trap continuously generates an infinite number of monsters.

As a result, players can obtain "infinite experience points"!

Even in Burebure, where strategies were not widely discussed, this technique was quickly shared on internet forums and game cheat sites, spreading rapidly among Burebure players.

Thus, the trap in the "Labyrinth of the Undying" became known as the "most famous leveling spot in Burebure" history.

"Let's go."

I said casually and grabbed the lever.

"W-Wait, old man!"

"Rex! That's..."

Despite the anxious voices of Rad and Mana, I pulled the lever with a whistling tune.

Immediately, a shrill alarm sounded throughout the room, and then...

And then...

"......Huh?"

Nothing happened.

No matter how long we waited, no bones sprouted from the ground, and the reliefs just stared at me accusingly.

In the deep, deep silence,

"...Well, of course."

Rad's muttered words cut into my heart.

This is a W〇rp-type I TUEEEE novel!