Chapter 48

Kena ended up staying at the Crof residence for two nights. This was the number of days allocated for rest and preparation after they had completed a long-term request. Of course, Kena's brother, who had brought her back, was severely reprimanded by his sister. He cut her off with a stern look and a sharp rebuke, explaining Kena's current situation, which had become difficult due to Crophia. Kena felt apologetic towards her brother, who had forcefully nodded in agreement, even under threat.

Their home, located in a corner of the capital, was a treehouse, slightly larger than the average civilian residence. It seemed that Crof and his companions rented out one of the rooms to others. Kena, who rented a room about four and a half tatami mats in size, placed a temporary base item and returned to the village once during the night.

Noticing the presence of the owner, Rokusirius and the others woke up and listened to the process. Kena organized the items she had moved from the Guardian Tower to her home for dungeon use. After thoroughly enjoying the sleeping face of the quietly sleeping Ruka, she jumped back to Outarokus. At that time, a minor incident occurred where Kena inadvertently retaliated against Crophia, who had intruded to harass her, by crushing her without realizing it.

Due to this, Crophia, harboring resentment, came to retaliate again on the second night. This time, she was driven out of the house by the automatic defense system's lightning beast, but Kena thought it was a trivial matter and decided to omit it.

The distance from the capital of Outarokus to the dungeon village was about five days. The official name of the village was Rekutei, but Kena, thinking she would only visit once, only half-listened to the name. On the way, they were attacked by a pack of Gauru wolves, but the beasts fled at the sight of Kena's [Intimidation].

During the journey, Kena listened to various useless trivia about Outarokus from Crof. It seemed that, within the country of Outarokus, only the capital practiced tree-dwelling, while the rest did not. The capital was a gathering place for those who insisted on tree-dwelling. The queen, surprisingly, was a reasonable person who occasionally wandered around the town as a break from her duties. Crophia, overhearing this, became agitated, shouting, "You shouldn't be telling such important state secrets to others!" From her reaction, Kena deduced that Crophia was not yet aware that she was related to the queen.

"Why do you want to be so much like a monkey? I find it very questionable."

"Being a tree-dweller doesn't make us monkeys! Those who stick to the ground should be called something appropriate, like crabs!"

"Then, I guess we'll have to throw persimmons at each other later?"

"What kind of interpretation is that!?"

Crophia, who reacted to Kena's casual remarks, was followed by Crof, who smiled happily and entered the entrance of the dungeon village. The village, like the past White Country's border village, was mostly occupied by inns. The rest were essential shops for adventurers, such as equipment stores, weapon shops, taverns, and a brothel as a bonus. As soon as they passed through the gate, the gazes of the adventurers around them focused on the trio, or rather, on the Crof siblings, who were stunned.

"Hey, hey, ... those two..."

"Yeah, they're the Crof siblings... Why are they here?"

"Is the Adventurer's Guild getting fed up with the strategy here?"

"Hey, if that happens, we won't be able to earn a living..."

Whispers of disdain and suspicion could be heard from various places. Glancing at the whispering adventurers, Crophia laughed derisively.

Crof, without reprimanding his sister, called out to Kena, "This way," and led her to a well-built inn. They rented a spacious room where they could relax, and Crophia, after placing her luggage, leaned against the wall by the window with a bored expression. The room had only a small locked box built into the wall, no bed, and no chairs. Crof explained that it was a room for communal sleeping.

"Hmm."

"Would you like to rent a private room, Lady Kena?"

"Eh, why? We're sleeping in a communal room like a school trip. It seems like a good way to build camaraderie."

"......S, School Trip?"

Kena, who had no experience with school trips, was looking forward to the situation she had seen in novels and dramas. She smiled meaningfully at Crof, who was puzzled by the term and the small number of people.

Pulling out a few materials from her item box and arranging them on the floor, Kena used [Technical Skill]. This was to increase the survival rate of Crof and the others. While she didn't intend to intervene in any self-inflicted mistakes that could lead to death, she planned to give useful items to those who listened to her advice. Crophia, who was eager to get started, seemed to sense the impending disaster.

Fortunately, there were no events where Crophia disturbed Kena's sleep, and the night passed without incident.

After checking out of the inn and inspecting their equipment and items at the entrance to the dungeon, the trio was met with the hostile gazes of the adventurers who earned a living in the area. The entrance to the dungeon, illuminated by the morning sun, was a golden corridor.

Incidentally, the golden corridor only extended to the third floor. This was due to the fact that during the construction, the price of gold skyrocketed in the auctions because it was bought up in all seven countries. Even a skilled master's abilities and business acumen did not always align.

"Here, put this on. It's a hair accessory."

"This is a bit too rugged for a hair accessory, isn't it?"

Kena handed the items she had made the previous day to Crof and Crophia. The accessory, which could be attached to the hair like a hair clip, had a pen-like part attached to it. It was actually an equipment item with a magic rune stone embedded to serve as a light projector. The activation keyword was "Oh God, illuminate our path." The grandiose phrasing was to prevent it from being accidentally activated by normal conversation or finger snapping. She also pushed a few potions on them, having warned Crof in advance about the potential danger and ensuring that Crophia had been properly briefed by her brother. Crophia accepted the potions without complaint.

The first thirteen floors passed without incident. The corridor was wide enough for three people to walk side by side, but despite claiming to be experienced, Crophia led the way, followed by Crof, with Kena bringing up the rear. All the "Invitation Boards" set up on each floor had been smashed, and there were even traces of attempts to peel off the wall materials. Kena, who had helped with the construction, sighed continuously.

When they reached the fourteenth floor, Crophia, noticing something, fired an arrow into the depths of the corridor. The arrow hit a hard surface and sparks flew in the darkness. A silver beetle, about a meter in size, emerged sluggishly from the illuminated corridor, followed by two more. The arrows Crophia fired in quick succession were all deflected by the hard exoskeleton. It was only then that the silver beetles, recognizing the intruders as enemies, increased their speed and charged at the trio.

Crophia, who had switched places with Crof as the vanguard, swung her sword at the leading beetle, but it was stopped with a high-pitched sound by the exoskeleton.

The silver beetles, despite being only around level forty, had a hardness that surpassed level eighty monsters, and they provided little experience, making them a troublesome enemy for beginners. In the game, players would use items like paralysis orbs to immobilize them and beat them up, or retreat from the active area and launch a surprise attack from behind. Kena had expected them to use such tactics but sighed when she saw them struggling in a direct confrontation. The monsters targeted Crof and the others first due to the vast level difference.

Dark magic was effective against insect-type monsters with low magic resistance, so Kena chose [Magic Skill: Shadow Needle Shot]. Hundreds of shadow needles pierced the three silver beetles, tearing their souls apart and causing them to die. Only their intact corpses remained, which then disappeared in a noise after a short while.

Kena, looking a bit bored, decided to move ahead, passing by the two who were still in shock. They were surprised because ordinary monsters did not disappear in such a manner. The sound of their footsteps caught up with her from a distance. One of them was muttering complaints, or perhaps even challenging her.

"Hey! Why are you leading the way!?"

"Well, it's because you couldn't even scratch those things. What would you do if they came at you in a large group?"

"! I, I was just observing! I'll show you by eliminating them with magic before you have to get involved!"

Crophia, who was about to lose her temper, managed to control herself. Her face, which was turning red, made Kena narrow her eyes and say, "Oh?" She then let Crophia take the lead. Crophia, nodding in satisfaction, began to move forward cautiously. Crof, passing by Kena with a slightly apologetic look, moved to support his sister.

'You're a troublesome companion.'

'Be honest.'

'You're a hindrance.'

Kena, amused by Key's blunt opinion, shrugged and followed the two. Before entering, they had agreed to ignore treasure chests and small rooms to avoid attracting the resentment of other adventurers. This was a condition for the two to follow Kena, and they ignored the doors, advancing only through the corridors. Occasionally, Crophia would sigh at the sight of doors and small rooms. This condition was added by Kena after observing the attitudes of the adventurers on the surface, and she had mentioned that she might withdraw it if it became too troublesome. Crophia was exasperated, but those who knew Kena, like Ops, might have understood with a sigh, "Well, that's Kena for you..."

── Floor 15.

Kena had forgotten something important up to this point. In the game system of Ria Deil, traps were basically mechanisms that could be purchased for a few hundred yen. The mechanism was such that "if someone steps into this area, a certain mechanism will activate." To avoid this, one could use [Common Skill: Intuition] or [Danger Sense] to avoid the trap or trigger it and avoid the threat. In other words, there was no need to press or step on hidden switches to activate the trap.

So, having the most skilled thief (or so she thought) Crophia lead the way was essentially suicidal.

This became apparent when they reached a T-intersection in a very straight maze. The paths to the left and right were one thing, but there was an unnatural switch attached to the wall in front of them. It looked like a computer on/off switch. As Kena, who was at the back, approached the location, a loud alarm went off in her head due to [Danger Sense]. The mistake was assuming that the two in front would also feel the same sense of danger. Of course, the two, who did not have such skills, continued forward and were suddenly hit by a falling stone (30 cm square, 2 cm thick) from the ceiling without any warning.

... It was Crophia at the front.

The stone, which made a good sound on the top of her head, slid off her body and fell to the floor, creating a loud noise that echoed through the dungeon. Crophia, who was not wearing a full helmet, managed to maintain consciousness. She fell to the floor, clutching her head and stifling a scream, trembling uncontrollably. A normal person would have had their skull cracked. Crof hurriedly rushed to her aid, while Kena, picking up the stone, looked up at the ceiling. There was no sign of where the stone had fallen from, just a seamless ceiling.

"I see, if we stay here, the second wave will come. Crof, if you're going to treat her, move a bit further down. If you dawdle, the next one will come."

"R, right..."

Crof, carrying his sister in a princess carry, moved down the left corridor. The switch was just a raised carving, and the stone had fallen two steps before it, a perfect position for observing whether it was safe to proceed, showing Ops' malicious intent.

── Floor 16.

On this floor, Crof and Crophia fell into a pit trap. After descending the stairs, they entered a room about ten meters square, followed by a straight path. As they passed through half of the room, the floor beneath their feet suddenly disappeared, not in the form of a trap door that opened downward but as an automatic door that opened to the sides.

Without time to jump back, both were instantly out of Kena's sight. From inside, there were fine sounds like something dry being broken or crushed, and dust rose to Kena's waist. Kena, who had noticed the danger signals in her head while descending the stairs, found it odd that the two in front did not. She had assumed they had a way to avoid it. Using [Air Purification Magic], she cleared the dust and cast [Light] on the ceiling to help them. This revealed the source of the dust.

"Ah, aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh