Chapter 44

After seeing off the three adventurers, Seiki headed towards the prefab.

When he opened the door, a stifling heat rushed out.

It's hot.

Unbearably hot!

Suzune's shop is just a prefab.

It has no insulation or air conditioning.

Due to the direct sunlight of midsummer, the inside had become like a sauna.

However, despite the heat, Suzune's face was full of determination.

But in the next moment,

the life seemed to drain from her expression, and she looked out the window.

Perhaps because it was Seiki who opened the door, she had shed her thick facade.

The change in her attitude was drastic.

"Hey."

"What is it? If you have no business, can't you just get out? This prefab is already hot enough. Entering for no reason just raises the temperature unnecessarily."

"Shouldn't you have something to say to me as a customer first?"

Seiki suppressed his frustration.

"...I was worried."

"Huh?"

"I thought you had really become like air! Ah, sorry! You've already become air. Hehe!"

"......I see. Well, if you were worried, I should thank you."

Seiki received a magic bag from Kuren and began to roughly take out its contents.

--- Ten minutes later.

"Aha-ha-ha! Why? Why is the air so cruel to me?!"

Faced with the materials that nearly filled the prefab, Suzune burst into tears.

The materials were from the Silver Wolves he had hunted on the 8th floor.

(He also defeated the owner, but there were no sellable materials from that.)

"How many are there?!"

"About 5,000 in total."

"Aha-ha-ha! My shop will be crushed by the air!"

"Haha, I'm glad you're so happy."

"I'm crying!"

Grinding her molars, Suzune continued with the appraisals.

Even so, it would take time for even Suzune to appraise about 5,000 worth of materials.

Seiki left the prefab once.

He put his clothes and other items at home and gave the Sapporo souvenirs to Kito.

When he returned, the appraisals were nearing the end.

"That's fast."

"I'm doing it quickly!"

Suzune quickly handled the materials, stacking them according to their condition.

It was so fast that one might wonder if she was really appraising them.

As expected, she has strong skills.

Even while crying and with a runny nose, her work quality doesn't drop.

"By the way, why do you have so many materials? Didn't you sell them in Sapporo?"

"I have regular customers."

Suzune wanted to sell them in her shop.

When he hinted at this, her work speed increased.

"I was curious to see what kind of crying face you'd make if I collected materials for a month and sold them all at once."

"Sniff..."

Suzune's work speed slightly decreased.

When the appraisals were done, Suzune stared at the register screen with a pale face.

"Add 5% to this... ze... all together... mumble mumble"

"Say it clearly."

"It's 3,055,500 yen!! Take it, thief! Aha-ha-ha!"

She started crying again.

Seiki paled at the unexpected amount.

Kuren, standing next to him, swayed as if she were dizzy.

"Three... hundred... Did you mean two hundred?"

"I wish it was a mistake!"

"Look at this!" Suzune pointed around the shop, shouting.

The shop was filled with about 5,000 pelts, sorted by whether they had damage or not.

They were piled up like the snow walls of Tateyama Murodo.

The number of fangs was unknown.

There was no place to stand or rest.

Ignoring Suzune's intense glare, Seiki waved his IC card.

Even after splitting with Kuren, it was 1,520,000 yen each.

"1,520,000 yen each..."

I've never seen such a large amount, even as a bonus!

With this, I can buy strong equipment!

Ah, no, maybe I can't equip it...

But what should I do?

As a goal for leveling up, maybe I'll buy a high-end 'Ichi' series?!

Seiki was flustered by the large sum of money.

"Hey, Suzune."

"What is it?"

She was probably imagining a life surrounded by pelts.

Suzune's eyes were blank.

"Get us some equipment."

Due to the conflict with the four cauldrons, Kuren's equipment was destroyed.

Currently, Kuren is just using a leather chest plate.

Kuren-specific equipment would be very desirable.

Moreover, Seiki and his group are aiming for the middle layers.

Seiki's equipment also needs an upgrade where possible.

"Any preferences?"

"I want to go to the middle layers by the end of the year. I want everything but the chest plate to be 'Ichi'. Kuren, please get a full set."

Is that okay? Seiki asked Kuren with his eyes.

Although he had proceeded without consulting her, Kuren nodded solemnly, showing no signs of concern. She seemed to be filled with motivation after hearing about the middle layers.

Suzune sniffed and waved her finger in the air like a conductor.

She knows that Seiki and his group can hunt on the 8th floor of 'Chikaho'.

She is probably estimating their strength and imagining the necessary equipment.

"...Alright. I'll get back the money I paid you with all my might!"

"Alright, bring it on. But if the equipment is half-hearted, I'll reject it."

"Hmph. Are you saying that to me? ...I'll show you something!"

"Try your best."

Seiki waved and left the prefab.

If Seiki provokes her, Suzune will do her best to get good equipment.

Most of the money he earned today might be taken away.

But Seiki was fine with that.

Even if he had a large sum of money, it would be pointless to die without using it.

---

The next day, after resting for a day, Seiki resumed exploring the garage dungeon.

He went down to the 5th floor at the gate and aimed for the 6th floor.

The 5th floor boss was a large Silver Wolf, which he had seen before in 'Chikaho'.

He quickly defeated it.

Thanks to his level up, he could defeat it with ease.

When he defeated the boss, the dungeon glowed for the first time.

The drops were a large claw and a red-black stone.

He understood the claw, but not the stone.

He would have Suzune appraise it later.

He stored it in the magic bag.

He went down to the 6th floor and immediately activated the gate.

From the 6th floor, like 'Chikaho', the garage dungeon also had traps.

However, unlike 'Chikaho', there were no plants.

Thanks to this, there was no worry about missing the traps.

"Are the monsters here also Silver Wolves?"

"Maybe."

This dungeon is different from 'Chikaho'.

In 'Chikaho', the monsters gradually get stronger.

In contrast, here, the strength alternates between strong and weak on each floor.

Based on the pattern so far, the next floor should have weak monsters.

"Weak...?"

Kuren raised a question at Seiki's guess.

"Like onions or potatoes, they were weak, right?"

The mention of weak potatoes made the rare on Seiki's back react, hitting his head with leaves.

Sorry, sorry.

"Your senses are really strange, Seiki."

"Huh?"

"First, about onions."

Kuren raised her finger like a teacher.

Kuren as a teacher...

It makes me nervous.

Ah, she's glaring at me.

"When attacked, onions release a gas that cannot be avoided. If you get even a little of the gas in your eyes, you can't stop crying. In other words, your vision is taken away. Can you fight without vision?"

"I can't."

When cutting onions, tears come out because the dispersed components are strong.

If they touch the eye's mucous membrane, tears naturally come out.

But onions can also stimulate the eyes through the nasal mucous membrane.

Even with goggles, you can't prevent it.

However, there are several ways to deal with it.

"Next, about potatoes—"

Kuren didn't give Seiki a chance to make excuses.

"You can't see them unless you get very close. If you don't notice the potatoes, you'll be shot and that's it."

"Hmm."

Seiki had noticed this while hunting with Kuren.

"They're not weak at all. While the individuals may be weak, they can render you helpless depending on the situation."

"......I see."

Kuren's point was becoming clear.

The monsters on even-numbered floors are not weak.

They are special.

Depending on the situation, they can render you helpless.

But if the situation is favorable or you take countermeasures, they become like common monsters.

"Because—"

Absolutely don't let your guard down.

Kuren was pleading.

"You're right. Sorry."

Seiki reprimanded himself.

He had let his guard down a little.

Just a little.

He had leveled up in 'Chikaho' and become stronger.

Seiki was undoubtedly stronger than before.

But he wasn't strong enough to let his guard down in an unknown floor.

There might be monsters here that don't match his strengths.

He almost made a mistake.

Reinvigorated, Seiki resumed his exploration.

After advancing a bit, Seiki lowered his stance.

"..."

He signaled Kuren to stop behind him.

Without letting his guard down, he focused on the front.

What appeared was a purple mass.

Green leaves with purple veins.

A large, plump fruit.

It walked on the ground by skillfully manipulating its roots.

Its appearance was—

"—an eggplant!"

Instantly,

Seiki's eyes blazed with fire.

The fire of a farmer during the harvest season.

He felt a light impact on his buttocks and came to his senses.

In front of him was a fine eggplant and a broken stem.

"Who did this?!"

"It was you, Seiki."

Seiki received a stern look from Kuren.

No, no.

I don't remember doing that at all?

"Are you that happy about eggplants?"

"They're vegetables! Valuable polyphenols!"

Even before the Stampede, Hokkaido's eggplant production was the lowest in Japan.

After the Stampede, they became extremely rare ingredients.

"Of course I'm happy!"

Seiki was annoyed by Kuren's uninterested attitude.

Pickled, simmered, grilled on an iron plate.

Fried, tempura, cutlet.

Eggplants are delicious no matter how you cook them.

Desecrating this delicious vegetable is unforgivable!

"Alright, I get it. Let's move on, shall we?"

"Let's hunt properly and move on!"

"Wait!"

Kuren reached for the eggplant to store it in the magic bag.

Seiki quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Huh... Hya fu?!"

"Don't touch the eggplant carelessly."

Eggplants have thorns on their stems.

These thorns are incredibly sharp.

They can easily pierce you upon contact.

And when they pierce you, they hurt.

They cause a pain that is hard to imagine from their appearance.

In his vague memory, the eggplant monster used the eggplant as a shield and charged at Seiki.

It seemed to use a shield bash.

If he received a shield bash, the thorns would definitely pierce him.

"The thorns might have the ability to cause intense pain."

"Ha, ha. I'll be careful."

Kuren's cheeks were red.

Her speech was completely mangled.

Maybe he was a bit too intimidating?

For some reason, Rare was repeatedly hitting Seiki's head.

Please stop.

My head is going to cave in.

While hunting eggplants, they aimed for the 7th floor.

Several times, Kuren's magic hit Seiki's buttocks due to his enthusiasm.

...It hurts.

"Only hunt what we need to eat."

"...Okay, sorry."

Thanks to Kuren, they safely reached the boss room.

If Seiki had gone alone, he would have spent the whole day hunting eggplants.

The 6th floor boss was a large eggplant.

It had three eggplant shields, increasing its defense in all directions.

It was also quite fast.

If you stopped moving, you would easily receive a shield bash.

Seizing an opportunity, Seiki attacked the eggplant.

He was about to hit the vine.

Before that,

"—!"

His dagger was blocked by the eggplant shield.

It was fast.

The shield's coverage was high.

The dagger touched the eggplant.

Instantly,

"—What!?"

Thorns shot out from the eggplant's stem.

Conical thorns approached Seiki.

The thorns shot out when the eggplant was hit!

Seiki immediately dodged.

At the same time, Rare fired a potato stone, breaking the thorns.

Her reaction and counter were incredible.

Rare had leveled up significantly from hunting with Seiki in 'Chikaho'.

Her performance as a fixed cannon had improved even more.

"—Go!"

A large mass passed in front of Seiki, who had dodged.

It hit the eggplant shield.

—It was Kuren's magic.

The boss used the shield to deflect the magic.

But halfway through, there was a crack, and the eggplant shield flew off.

Kuren's magic was too powerful for the vine to withstand.

"Alright!"

Seizing the opportunity, Seiki closed the distance.

He slashed, stabbed, and tore with both daggers.

The boss quickly lost its leaves and became naked.

He cut into the remaining trunk.

Instantly,

Flashing.

The boss was absorbed by the dungeon before the flashing ended, and two items floated up.

"An eggplant?"

An eggplant-like stone.

A milky white stone with purple mixed in.

It looked like the Jadeite Cabbage in the National Palace Museum.

Seiki was captivated by its beauty.

"Is this a gem? —Ah!"

As he was admiring it, Rare snatched the stone from behind.

Rare immediately buried it in the ground.

It seemed she liked it so much that she wanted to put it in her treasure vault.

"...Rare, you need to ask before taking things."

"(Tsk)"

I don't know.

My body moved on its own.

She moved as if making an excuse and turned away.

Seiki patiently glared at Rare.

After a while, Rare, who had given up, slightly bowed her head.

"Alright."

It was fine between Seiki and Rare.

Even if Rare took the beautiful stone, Seiki didn't mind.

But Kuren was also there.

Even among close friends, there are manners.

Since they all fought the boss, if anyone wanted something, they should ask everyone.

"Sorry, Kuren. Was it okay to take the eggplant stone?"

"Yes, it's fine."

After getting Kuren's permission, Seiki stroked Rare's slightly sulking leaves and picked up the other drop.

"...A vine?"

"A vine, yes."

It was a vine coiled up.

It looked more like a hemp rope than a vine.

But it was much finer than a hemp rope.

And it was smooth to the touch.

He had no idea what it could be used for.

He would have Suzune appraise it later.

"This eggplant monster seems to be well-suited for ranged attacks."

"Indeed. It's tough for a front-liner."

The thorns shot out from the shield in response to Seiki's attack.

Although unconfirmed, it was likely that they would also shoot out during a shield bash.

The eggplant could defend and attack simultaneously. It was a troublesome opponent.

It was a poor match for a front-liner.

However,

"Defeating it with ranged attacks is also challenging."

"Is that so?"

"Kuren might think it's easy with magic, but other adventurers' ranged attacks are with bows."

Hitting the stem with an arrow is extremely difficult.

Moreover, the eggplant's stem is harder than a potato's.

If the arrow doesn't hit the center, it will be deflected easily.

Being a ranged weapon doesn't necessarily mean an advantage.

Perhaps this place is well-suited for mages?

But that would limit the number of people who can easily clear it...

"There might be a good strategy to clear it."

"...Yes."

For Seiki, the only troublesome opponent was the boss with three shields.

The rest were just common monsters.

There was no need to think about a strategy for the boss.

---

Thank you for reading my work.

Next time, Seiki... Kamen's equipment will drop.

Stay tuned.