Chapter 34

The next day, Kuren and I met up and started our journey to Sapporo by car.

Kurei was in the driver's seat, Kuren in the passenger seat, and Rea was sitting in the back.

If the contents spill out, it could be fatal.

Worried about this, I securely tied Rea's planter to the seat.

"From the 6th to the 8th floor of 'Chikaho,' it seems we can search without any problems if the enemies are Silver Wolves."

"Yeah, but the atmosphere changes a bit from the 6th floor."

"Huh? The dungeon's interior changes at the 10th floor, not the middle layers, right?"

"No, that's true... but traps start to appear."

As we prepare to start the rescue, what Haruki is worried about is the existence of traps that didn't appear on the first five floors.

Traps that can cause instant death just by touching them rarely appear in the upper floors.

However, traps like pitfalls and bear traps, which can be fatal if encountered during battle, start to appear.

The difficulty changes even if the monsters that appear are the same, depending on whether it's up to the 5th floor or from the 6th floor onward.

"It's like a tutorial..."

"Maybe it is."

We still don't know why the dungeon appeared or how it is structured.

But it's easy to imagine that maintaining the dungeon requires a vast amount of energy.

How is that energy supplied?

Perhaps it feeds on living beings to generate energy?

The deeper into the dungeon, the more efficient it is at capturing humans?

Such speculations often circulate on the bulletin boards.

Of course, speculations are just speculations.

But it's a fact that the dungeon is designed to be kind to humans.

A dungeon that creates monsters to kill people is being kind to humans.

There must be a catch.

"I want to proceed with the search, but first, we need to get used to the terrain on the 6th floor."

"......How long will it take?"

"Hmm, a month for ordinary adventurers?"

"Will we make it in time?"

"We'll make it somehow."

Though his answer was vague, Haruki already had a plan for dealing with the traps.

According to the WIKI, the traps set in the dungeon can be detected if one's senses are sharp enough.

From this, Haruki deduced that raising the detection skill would allow him to avoid traps.

Skill Points: 4 → 3

- Intuition

Detection 0 → 1

The other night, Haruki tried allocating one point to the detection skill.

Suddenly, the dungeon, which had been slightly dim, seemed to brighten up.

It felt as if the lights had been turned on.

The difference wasn't just visual.

His entire body could sense the space around him.

He could grasp the slight indentations on the ground and the unevenness of the walls, even with his eyes closed, as long as he focused.

Though he couldn't see it, he predicted that with the detection skill at level 1, he could probably detect traps without any problems.

We parked the car at the hotel we had reserved and checked in at the counter.

Currently, no adventurer has successfully tamed a monster except for Haruki.

As a precaution, Haruki pushed Rea into the magic bag.

Items that can fit into the magic bag are up to 20 cm in diameter.

The planter is slightly smaller than the opening, and Rea could fold her body to fit into the bag.

Currently, Rea is inside the magic bag that Kuren is wearing.

Rea mischievously poked her leaf out of the pouch.

Kuren, flustered, whispered, "No, that's not okay!" and pressed the lid of the pouch with her hand.

After checking into the hotel, Haruki headed to a shop for adventurers' supplies.

The shop stocks various tools that are "believed" to have different effects.

It looks like a village cart.

It's cluttered, and that's why it's exciting.

The shop is part of the Village Cart network.

The selection is generally niche, with many items that have no apparent demand.

Most of the items and potions sold in the shop are occult.

Holding this, monsters might not come near!

Drinking this might restore stamina!

You might be able to sense approaching monsters!

Such descriptions are posted everywhere.

None of them are definitive.

They are speculations.

Before the dungeon appeared, a certain kind of scientific faith was mainstream in the world, including Japan.

Drinkable detergents.

Pots to improve luck.

Bracelets to get a girlfriend.

Gold blocks to cure cancer.

Such things that deviated from science were all classified as occult.

But after the dungeon appeared, scientific faith rapidly declined.

The reason was that science could hardly compete with the items produced from the dungeon.

It's not surprising that such items from the dungeon have these effects.

I don't really understand, but...

Such dungeon faith emerged.

There is no scientific proof.

However, the expected effects somehow manifest.

That's why it's occult.

Perhaps one day, the items in this shop will have scientific explanations for their effects, but that future is still far away.

The descriptions are often phrased as questions or end with "!!", but it's safe to assume that the effects generally work.

Haruki looked around the shop and threw a drink-type recovery potion into his basket.

The price was a whopping 1 million yen!

He wouldn't normally buy it, but if the branch manager, Oi Sozuka, is injured and can't move, it will definitely be useful.

The description on the potion reads, "Broken bones and other major injuries will heal in one day!!"

So it should have that level of effect.

He searched the store for anything else that might be useful.

Then, in the monster repellent corner, Haruki found a slug-like object.

[Slime Eel]

"Thanks to this, I survived unscathed even when surrounded by upper-floor monsters!" (Adventurer's testimony)

Main body: Monster (live)

Production area: Kushiro Wetland Dungeon middle layer

Effect duration: 1 day after opening

The description is quite suspicious.

It looks like a slug eel or a tentacle.

It might even make humans run away.

Haruki put his hand to his chin and glared at the description.

Since it's labeled "upper floor," it might not be effective against stronger monsters or only against monsters of his level.

It might not have a dramatic effect.

Considering this, Haruki compared several items.

On other shelves, there were items like "It feels like my smell and sound disappear! *Strictly no misuse*" or "My presence might become fainter! *Peeping is a crime*."

There were rows of items that delay detection by monsters, but their effects would be fatal for Haruki.

He must never touch them.

In the end, Haruki decided to buy the Slime Eel.

The effect lasts for one day. As a precaution, Haruki put four in his basket.

"For now, this should be enough."

If we go down to the 6th floor and find we need more, we can buy them later.

Before checking out, Haruki looked for Kuren.

She might want something too.

Using the detection skill he just acquired, Haruki quickly found Kuren.

"......What are you doing?"

"Ah!"

Kuren's shoulders trembled, and a "Piyoko" sound came from her hand.

[Piyoko]

"Be careful, monsters might notice you in the dungeon, so don't use it there! Absolutely don't use it!!"

Main body: Monster (taxidermy)

Production area: Nakagami Dungeon middle layer

Effect duration: None

The description was written in neat handwriting on a speech bubble.

The description suggests a punchline: "That's an ostrich!"

Such a surreal sense of humor is charming.

Thinking about how it would be warmly ignored by various people, Haruki couldn't help but chuckle.

Kuren was holding the taxidermy of a "Piyoko."

Though it's a dead body, unlike the Slime Eel, it is properly preserved. (That one is alive)

The price was 200,000 yen per piece.

The effect is quite alarming, as it can attract monsters.

I wonder where the demand is...

"This, this is not a hobby of mine, but I thought it might be useful somewhere!"

The Piyoko in her hand was chirping repeatedly.

It seems she likes the texture of its abdomen.

"That's definitely not an expense that will be covered."

"......Yes."

Kuren, reluctant to part with the Piyoko that chirps when pressed, kept looking back as she left the item behind.

Since it was still daytime, Haruki and the others decided to increase the number of floors they could access via the gate for the next day.

They descended to the 4th floor via the gate and aimed for the 5th floor.

For Haruki and the others, who had grown by hunting many Silver Wolves, the Kill Rabbits were now insignificant monsters.

"The first time was quite tough..."

Haruki, recalling the first battle, broke the neck bones of the Kill Rabbits with kicks alone.

The boss was a monster twice the size of a Kill Rabbit.

Haruki launched a special attack and continued to dodge for a while.

Its agility was lower than that of the Silver Wolf.

He cleanly decapitated the boss with his magic sword, and Kuren's expression slightly darkened.

Did she want to experience a boss battle?

"......By the way, Kuren hasn't fought a boss yet."

"Yes, but... Can I fight the next one?"

"Understood. But depending on the boss's strength, I might have to join in."

"Yes, please."

They activated the gate as soon as they descended to the 5th floor and proceeded without leveling up or gathering materials.

Only Kill Rabbits appeared on the 5th floor.

However, unlike the 4th floor, they always appeared in groups of 3 or 4.

The difficulty seems to increase gradually with each floor, unlike the garage dungeon.

However, even if the Kill Rabbits grouped up, they weren't a significant obstacle for Haruki.

The boss was the same size as the one on the 4th floor but had a darker color.

The muscle build was also more pronounced.

The difficulty might have increased slightly.

"Kuren, go ahead. I'll help if it gets dangerous."

"Please, help me."

Kuren, her voice tense, stepped forward.

She seemed quite nervous.

At a distance where the boss hadn't reacted yet, Kuren raised her staff and began to concentrate.

(......Yeah, she seems fine.)

Kuren's magic changes in power depending on the amount of magic power she puts into it.

When she uses a lot of time to cast, like now, the single attack is more powerful than Haruki's.

Haruki, confident in Kuren's victory, secretly brought up the skill board.

He swiped the screen to display Kuren's.

"......And, too much... huh?"

Haruki tilted his head in confusion.

Rea (0) Gender: Female

Skill Points: 8

Evaluation: Leaf Demon

+ Vitality

+ Strength

+ Agility

+ Technique

+ Intuition

+ Special

Rea... Why are you here!?

Is it because she was tamed? She's less than a year old.

And female!? No way!

Haruki's confusion deepened as he looked at the skill board.

...I want to verify.

The appearance of unknown information sparked Haruki's curiosity.

His body tingled with a sweet sensation, urging him to investigate.

But he didn't have the time for that now.

Kuren would cast her spell as soon as she was ready. He needed to prepare!

Haruki, reluctantly, brought up Kuren's skill board and touched the Intuition skill to open the tree.

With Haruki leading the way, they wouldn't encounter traps.

But if they deviate from his guidance, for example, if they need to flee from a monster, Kuren might easily step on a trap.

Considering the worst-case scenario, it would be better if Kuren could detect traps too.

However, even just one point in detection can significantly change one's senses.

If her senses suddenly became more acute without any reason, she would notice.

If the boss is defeated and she levels up, and her senses change, it would be reasonable to assume that the change was due to leveling up.

With this in mind, Haruki decided to allocate one point to Kuren's detection skill at the same time as her attack.

Skill Points: 3 → 2

- Intuition

Detection 0 → 1

"......Huh? What?"

She seems to have noticed the change in her senses.

Kuren's eyes were wide.

The boss, hit by the spell, had its head explode and died.

...Even with only level 1 in all skills except for the operation, the spell's power is terrifying.

"Good job. What's wrong?"

"Ah, no... My senses feel different."

"Maybe your senses became more acute when you leveled up?"

"......Maybe."

Though his guidance wasn't very skillful, Kuren accepted Haruki's explanation.

With this, the problem is resolved.

However, raising a skill that drastically changes one's senses will eventually reach a limit.

If they are in a dangerous situation and still hesitating, they might fail to save a life.

Before that happens, Haruki needs to find the answer.

The setup is complete.

Next time, the main heroine will finally go into action.

Stay tuned!!

The next update is on Wednesday.