Sevens (LN) Volume 3 Chapter 40

Chapter 40 -Versus Giant Worm I took a deep breath.

I lifted my right hand slowly and imagined a great sword. The silver metal changed into something fluid. Its aggregate amount swelled and formed the shape of a great sword.

I felt the weight and tightly held its handle with both hands while taking a stance of shouldering the great sword.

If my hands let go, it felt like it would rampage right away. The great sword is like a raging horse that doesn't recognize me as its user, even so I forcefully gripped it.

I tried subduing it with the First's Art, but it made a sound and my mana is taken away.

The Second's voice came to me.

『Lyle, just one attack is fine! Think what you can do right now without doing anything reckless.』

Even if the third stage of the First's Art, Full Burst is impossible, if it's the first stage Full Over then I can use it. I got that hunch.

「……Full……Over……-!!」

I can feel my strength is increasing. When I lifted up the great sword high, the great sword is starting to rampage as though it disliked getting wielded by me.

「This stubborn thing!」

I yelled and swung down the great sword to hit the door with it forcefully.

「Be useful at least, ORAAAAA!!」

The blade that I forcefully swung down easily cut apart the trees blocking the door. Shockwave blew away the surrounding tree. Wood pieces flew everywhere.

When the tip of the blade hit the ground, dust flew up and even I got blown away. When I let go of the great sword, it immediately returned into the shape of jewel──into a pendant that floated in the air.

Right after that, I felt a large vibration as inside the dungeon. The shockwave echoed inside the dungeon like a shout.

It's good and all that I blew the obstacle, but my body felt powerless. I can't even hear the voices of the ancestors anymore.

While I'm feeling uneasy whether I'll be able to fall safely, Arisan caught me and also collected the Jewel.

「That was too much!」

It seemed she accelerated to catch me, so I didn't need to fall and roll on the ground.

「Ahaha, thank you for the help.」

When I looked at the door, it's greatly gouged from upper right to the lower left. I can see inside. Zelphy-san and Rondo-san's party already rushed inside.

However, the trees are already starting to regenerate to close the door again.

When Arisan landed, she used her Art to accelerate while carrying me.

She passed through the gap of the door that is narrowing from the regeneration of the trees while carrying me on her shoulder. I coughed from the impact.

「Kahah! This is, harsh isn't it?」

I said that while Arisan is lowering me slowly and placing the Jewel around my neck. She then spoke nonchalantly.

「Is that so? I'm alright though.」

I saw Novem immediately rushing toward me and then I looked around inside the room. There are three people with their gaze casted down at the center of the room.

I cannot find anyone else.

「Novem, take care of those three first──」

「Ye, yes!」

Novem immediately turned around in respond and dashed toward the three who are our rescue target. But, the three of them are only looking up with vacant expression.

I can hear the Fifth's voice faintly.

『You are holding on your consciousness. Good work. I want to tell you to take command right away but……』

The Sixth continued.

『It's better that you ask Sophia to carry you. It looks like the enemy is underground. It'll be bad if you can't move.』

In other words, you guys are telling me to ask Sophisan to carry me in her arms?

It's no use even if I complain.

「Sophisan, my bad but can you carry me? It seems the boss monster is underground.」

It's pathetic but, I can't say any complain right now. My body felt terribly languid. Sophisan rushed to me and lifted me up.

She seemed to lighten my weight with Art. Her left hand lifted me up and she put me on her left shoulder. I was in a really sloppy posture.

「I can't believe that you forced yourself until you're this exhausted. You're too reckless.」

Sophisan told me, but from my position this is just too pathetic.

「I'm sorry. If a bit more time passed, then I'll be able to at least move I think.」

Like that, we looked at the three people at the center of the room.

Novem checked their injury while talking to them.

「Are you three alright? Just what happened here?」

Novem is a bit flustered because she is worried about me, but she still tried to hear the story of the three. The three people looked down expressionlessly.

A male with brown hair is shedding tears.

「……They died. Because, because of me……we are simply surviving because, after the monster got full eating, it……」

I felt depressed hearing his words.

We can only save three of them. But, the Sixth said to me.

『Lyle, think of it as you "succeed" in saving three of them. You've done the best you can in this situation. Be proud.』

There is nothing that I can be proud of while getting carried by a girl like this.

While I'm thinking that, there is a sign of something moving underground.

「Search……」

I used Art and looked underground. Something is moving. The monster underground started to move because the dungeon was stimulated.

「This is bad, Map and Search──」

When I prepared to use the Fifth and the Sixth's Arts, the Fifth raised his voice.

『Idiot, that's not the Art that you should use! If the distance is this close, then rather than our Arts』

The Second slowly explained to me.

『Calm down Lyle. Use the Art I taught you. In the first place it's time like this that my Art will shine. It doesn't matter even if it's underground, you'll be able to sense it perfectly so don't worry.』

I gasped. The Arts of the Fifth and the Sixth are too useful that I completely relied on them until now. When I used Field right away, I'm able to confirm the monster moving underground.

「Below! We'll be targeted if we don't move around!」

Everyone looked below and started moving from my shout. Then, a snake──no, something disgusting that looked slimy with black body and white spots jumped out from where Ralph-san was standing.

Novem readied her staff and yelled while firing a fire ball.

「It's giant worm! Please be careful, it's moving underground and targeting us from below!」

The torn apart ground is the proof that the giant worm had repeatedly gone in and out of the ground. The ground that originally should return back to normal immediately is recovering terribly slowly. The holes aren't all closed up, there are also a lot of parts that are soft. It's completely different from the entrance of the deepest room. It can be felt that the dungeon is favoring the giant worm.

Sophisan also got her foot caught at the soft ground while running.

Zelphy-san is moving while explaining the method to deal with this by shouting.

「Hit at the place where it jumped out with everyone! Lyle, give instruction when you detect the enemy's location. Where will it come out next──」

But, the giant worm is already going to jump out.

「You three there, it's targeting you!」

Even when I shouted that the three we came to save are being targeted, they don't try to move. Or rather, it looked like their heart is already dead and they're only waiting for death.

Zelphy-san dashed toward those three to save them.

「Arisan!」

「Leave it to me!」

I called at Arisan. She seemed to have guessed what I wanted to say and accelerated with her Art to forcefully send the three flying from that spot.

Without pause she also collected Zelphy-san. There the giant worm jumped out from the ground with its large mouth opened.

Arisan scowled.

「Uwaa, there are a lot of teeth inside its mouth.」

Teeth are lined up in multiple layers ring shape. It's really ghastly.

Then, Rachel-san lifted her staff and fired her magic.

「I got you. Sand Arm!」

An arm that is made from sand stretched from the ground to catch the giant worm, but using the sliminess and the softness of its body, it slipped out easily.

Novem yelled.

「It's hard to catch it, please burn it! Fire Cannon!」

A large fire ball is powerfully fired, hitting the flank of the giant worm. Flame spread out at that spot. But it immediately escaped into underground.

It felt like we'll be able to defeat it even at this rate, but the problem is──.

「It feels like, the surrounding is becoming noisy since some time ago.」

It's just as Sophisan said. The dungeon itself is starting to become active, as though it's switching over to a rampaging state…….

「There is no time. If we waste time like this……let's take the treasure first!」

Then the Third corrected my thinking.

『The master of the deepest room, nowadays it's called boss isn't it? The treasure won't come out without defeating it first. Even so this is troublesome.』

The Third said that it's troublesome, so could it be that this boss is actually really strong?

『We……don't really have experience of fighting giant worm.』

All the other ancestors also said similar thing.

……What to do now?

──After Zelphy got saved by Aria, she immediately headed toward the three who were sent flying.

Seeing the three's face that had no spirit in it, she gritted her teeth and punched the three hard.

「Cut it out. We have gone through a lot of trouble because of you guys.」

Rex cut his mouth from the punch and it was bleeding.

「……You should just leave us alone. Look, the dungeon might rampage because you all acted recklessly. You should just leave someone like us alone!」

That was what he said to the people who came to save them. But, Zelphy had no intention to abandon them.

「You guys are really pathetic bunch huh. Old man Dalel's praise to you guys was mistaken. Listen to me, adventurer are those who unsightly struggle to live! Move already!」

This time she kicked them flying, and then she readied her weapon.

Rex and the other two slowly stood up after hearing Dalel's name and began to run away.

(That's right, like that. What's left is to do something about this monster──)

When Zelphy fell into thought, the giant worm leaped out from the ground.

She immediately swung her shield, firing several small fire balls that hit the giant worm.

It was Zelphy's Art, Fire Shot. But its firepower was lacking and only singed the surface of the giant worm's body before it quickly vanished.

「Damn it! So my Art is useless.」

At that time, Aria rushed out from behind Zelphy and stabbed at the giant worm with her spear. Zelphy looked at Aria's figure and could only chase after her.

「This thing, it's disgustingly slimy!」

When she pulled out her spear, the mucus on the giant worm's skin and the body liquid got stuck on Aria's spear. She yelled out her honest opinion.

(Ojou-sama……)

Zelphy's family served Lockwarde family in the past. Aria was a daughter of that Lockwarde family. For Zelphy she was like a cute little sister she played with when they were small.

That Aria had grown and used her spear to deeply stab a monster that Zelphy couldn't injure. It felt like she was shown that Aria already wasn't someone that she had to protect.

(I see, Ojou-sama already doesn't need me……)

Zelphy fixed her grip on her weapon and encouraged the three survivors.

「Keep moving if you don't want to die! We'll deal with the rest somehow!」

When she looked around, Rondo's party was also moving well.

And even more than that was Lyle. Right now he was exposing a pathetic sight with his body getting carried by Sophia, but he was accurately sensing the movement of the giant worm underground.

Above all else, Lyle was strong when he decided to do something.

Zelphy felt a bit lonely realizing that Lyle and others had surpassed her──.

No good, the ancestors are useless.

After going "Let's do this" in high spirit like that, now they said that they had never fought giant worm before.

Think. I have to think of a way to defeat it somehow!

During the time I'm thinking that while being carried by Sophisan, Rondo-san and Ralph-san went around the giant worm that jumped out from the ground so that the monster is between the two of them. Then they nodded to each other and slashed simultaneously.

The sword Rondo-san is holding used an Art that caused it to make a low sound.

「Ralph, cut deep!」

「You got it!」

Ralph-san also swung his spear horizontally, cutting apart the giant worm. The slippery secretion on its skin and its body fluid scattered. The giant worm opened its large mouth and shouted.

It began to roll around on the ground, looking like it's writhing in pain.

「Now, Rachel-san!」

「Leave it to me!」

Novem matched Rachel-san and launched fire from her staff to burn the giant worm. Then, the giant worm headed toward Sophisan who is carrying me while getting burned.

「Sophisan, run a──」

「No, I can do it!」

Sophisan lowered me to the ground and held her battle axe with both hands before largely rotating it around. One rotation, two rotation, and then she threw the battle axe to the giant worm. It rotated while heading toward the monster, and tore into a part of its large mouth.

The battle axe kept moving and crashed on the wall, thrusting deep into it.

「……Amazing」

But, the giant worm is still moving. As expected from a boss, it's tough.

While its movement is weak, the giant worm is moving into underground. If it managed to dive here, there would be no way to defeat it──there is also no time.

Rondo-san and Ralph-san wiped their weapon. Because they cut deeply into the giant worm, sticky liquid got stuck on their weapon, making them unusable.

「Shit-!」

「It's sticky, I can't thrust with it!」

Zelphy-san's weapon is also getting useless. Rachel-san is exhausted from firing magic consecutively, and Arisan, perhaps when she charged at the giant worm with her spear, her hand was slippery and she let go of her spear.

It's only Novem who is attacking the giant worm with flame, but there is no sign that the giant worm will be defeated.

Sophisan also threw the hand axe she carried, but it only stabbed at the giant worm and doesn't look like it dealt great damage.

「Just a bit more……even though it's just a bit more!」

The Art of the Second, Field is detecting that the giant worm is weakening. But, it will take time until it's completely defeated.

It's simple to defeat it. But it will take time. And yet, I'm sensing that it won't be long until the dungeon is going on rampage from its reaction.

Then the Second said.

『……If you're going to finish this fight in one go, the best way against this kind of monster is by doing it from the inside.』

I gulped. Sophisan who is nearby doesn't seem to notice, but I think it was careless of me.

The Third also started to think.

『You can throw fire when it open its mouth, or attack with lightning……』

The Fourth is the same.

『Even so there is no guarantee that it will definitely get defeated with that. If you're going to do it, you'll have to at least bite and tear from inside its body.』

The Fifth seemed to be in agreement.

『In that case, you will need to leap into the stomach of the giant worm. But, simply getting eaten is no good. Those sharp teeth will get you. Jump at the moment it opened its large mouth and hammer it from inside.』

The Sixth sounded a bit excited.

『But, in that case the difficulty will be a bit high. It will be impossible for Novem but……』

As expected even Novem would find it difficult to leap into the giant worm's stomach and casted magic inside there.

Then, the Seventh said to me.

『But, it's possible if it's Lyle. The Second's Art will make it possible.』

I tightly grasped the Jewel. The Second talked to me with a gentle voice.

『Believe it. You can do it with my Art. The problem is, in your state right now you will need help.』

I resolved myself and called Sophisan and Arisan. Rather than thinking whether it's possible or not, right now I should carry it out as fast as possible instead.

A way to leap into the stomach of that giant worm. The best way is when its mouth is opened as large as possible.

「The timing when it jump out from the ground. Or perhaps when it's facing up!」

I immediately explained to Arisan and Sophisan, then the two doubted my sanity. Even I don't know if it will go well but, at this rate the dungeon will rampage.

Arisan yelled.

「You, you have a screw loose! Lyle will be in most danger like that!」

Sophisan is also of the same opinion.

「I'm objecting. Something like jumping in by your own initiative……besides, even the slightest mistake will turn it as mere suicide!」

I felt a bit moved at the two who are worried for me. Then the Second laughed.

『It's great that they're worried about you, Lyle. But, no need to worry……even your tactic will be possible using my Art.』

The Second's Art, Field. Certainly it's convenient. It's more reliable than even the Arts of the Fifth and the Sixth at this kind of time. It's suited for battle.

「There is no time. Please prepare quickly.」

I forcefully made them agreed with my words and we immediately began acting. Sophisan lifted me up and lightened my weight along with her own. Arisan carried up both of us.

「Geez! I won't care anymore what happens!」

The giant worm dived into the ground, and then it slowly moved. While the others are moving around, we are the only one staying still on the spot.

Rondo-san yelled.

「You three, what are you──」

The giant worm is coming right below us who aren't moving. I ascertained the timing and yelled to Arisan.

「Now!」

Arisan crouched, and then she leaped to right above. I and Sophisan can't keep up with the accelerated rapid movement.

A sense of floating. The scenery before our eyes instantly switched. For a moment I can't grasp where I am.

Right after that, the giant worm leaped out from the ground vertically with its mouth opened largely. The giant worm is opening its ghastly mouth with the sinister sharp teeth lined up inside to the widest degree──is really clear to me through the Second's Art, Field. I yelled to Sophisan.

「Right below! Just throw me there!」

Sophisan immediately took a stance to throw me.

「Please absolutely stay safe!」

Rather than throwing me, it's more like she increased my weight drastically to put force behind my falling. Even though I felt light until now, now I felt like getting pulled strongly toward the ground by the sudden weight.

When Sophisan threw me toward the giant worm, I pulled my saber and held it with both hands.

I twisted my body midair in a minute adjustment, then entered into the giant worm's mouth like that.

I sensed Novem looking my way with a surprised face. The Second's Art is clearly conveying to me the situation around me.

「Lyle-sama!」

I hardened my resolve.

「I'll settle it in one go like thisss!」

The giant worm largely opened its mouth that was cut by the battle axe. Although the fangs inside cannot rotate, they're waiting to devour me. Its timing to eat me is off and I entered into its mouth.

The Second raised his voice.

『Lyle, it's not just the distance between you and your opponent. Grasping everything like this is a kind of deepest level of mastery. Consider yourself as being in the domain of master.』

The Art of the Second is said to be plain but, this Art along with its secondary effect are something that I'm grateful to have. After all depending on how it is used, strength that is many times the original can be displayed when in group.

「The spot where the blade can slip easily……is there!」

Inside the giant worm's mouth. I thrust the saber's blade and descended to inside the stomach while cutting apart flesh.

Even though I entered inside at the timing when the mouth was opened at its widest, the flesh wall is sandwiching me and it's hard to move.

I felt a disgusting smell after entering inside its body. It's terribly smelly.

My left hand separated from the handle and I spread open my hand. I can feel the giant worm's body twisting. It might be raging outside. I gripped the saber tightly with my right hand and used magic while maintaining my posture.

「Its outside is tough but, what about the inside……I'll rip and tear your apart from inside! Ice Needle!」

A bit away from my left hand. From there an ice thorn is generated. It immediately became big and stabbed the worm from the inside. The ice thorn became like a pillar and pierced through the flesh wall until outside. It then started freezing flesh from the stabbed part.

「Not yet. Still not yettt!!」

I forcefully squeezed out mana. The ice thorn got even bigger and cut apart the giant worm from the inside, ripping and tearing it.

The giant worm rampaged.

It felt like I'm going to get crushed by the flesh wall.

Even its sticky secretion is freezing, and then inside the cramped space even my breathing became white. It's then the raging giant worm stopped moving.

Right after that, a blade is stabbed from outside and light shone in.

「Lyle-kun!」

It's Rondo-san. He cut apart the giant worm, and then Ralph-san reached out his hand to me.

「Grab it!」

「Thank you.」

I used up all my mana. I can't even hear the ancestors' voice anymore. I reached out my hand and let myself got pulled. I'm rescued from inside the giant worm's stomach.

Rondo-san scolded me.

「You were too reckless. I'm getting cold sweat just from watching.」

Ralph-san is laughing. When I looked at the giant worm, it's half frozen with its stomach split by the ice jutting out from inside.

「He's right. But Lyle, you have more guts than how you look huh. I'll treat you to cake at Ciel next time so look forward to it.」

While I'm smiling wryly listening to the two, Novem came running toward me. Thinking that she is worried, I smiled at Novem──.

「Water!」

Novem splashed water to us three with a strong force. The water pressure made me unable to stand.

「Nove, Novem!? Wait a se──」

I'm flustered from receiving the sudden water attack, thinking that perhaps I've angered her. Then Zelphy-san also approached.

「Wash off the giant worm's fluid for now. Novem, I'll leave him to you.」

After Zelphy-san said that, Novem nodded strongly.

「Lyle-sama, please endure it for a bit. I'll wash off the fluid immediately.」

This water attack is slightly harsh to my body that got slightly chilled from using magic just now.

「A, at least use hot water to wash……」

My voice got drowned out by the water's flow.

──Rex was watching Lyle and his party won against the giant worm.

Seeing Lyle defeating an opponent that they couldn't win against, furthermore in a time this short made him felt frustrated somewhere inside──no, he was feeling pathetic.

「……We were too different from the beginning. There is no way we can win.」

It was clear even just looking at Lyle alone, but the strength of the other individuals was also extremely high. There was the excellent magician Novem, and in addition there was Aria and Sophia who manifested Art.

In regard to Lyle, he was high leveled whether in sword skill or magic. There was no area in which they could win against him.

He was showing a pathetic appearance with his soaked look, but his strength was the real deal.

(I got led astray by rumor, thinking he's just a womanizer……I'm the stupid one.)

He felt pathetic and crouched on the spot, shedding tears.

(Because of someone like me's fault, my important comrades died. Dalel-san also died……so why am I alive huh)

Rex's two comrades couldn't talk to him with him leaking out tears like this.

Then Zelphy approached them.

「You guys, you understand what you've done right?」

Rex lifted his head and looked at Zelphy's face. Her face didn't look indignant or looking down on them.

She was simply talking indifferently. It was painful for Rex.

He thought that it would be better if she insulted him more.

「……Everything is my fault. That's why, if you're going to blame someone blame me.」

「Don't misunderstand. What you have done broke the rule that the guild decided that we got dispatched. Rather, it might be us who had done something outrageous.」

They greatly stimulated the dungeon. A rampage might occur if they made the wrong decision. At the end no rampage occurred, but what Lyle and his group did was still terrible.

But, when it came to Rex and his group, they broke the rule which troubled the guild and other adventurers.

「Other than you guys, there is one more adventurer who accompanied Dalel here who died. Apologize for it later. Well, just prepare to get punched then.」

Rex stood up.

「You're not blaming us? Even though Dalel-san died because of me──」

When he talked until there, Zelphy grabbed Rex's collar. He brought his face close to her where he could see the anger dwelling inside her eyes.

「I'll be lying if I say I'm not irritated. But even this is what old man Dalel chose. An adventurer gotta take responsibility for his own choice. That's natural. It's just obvious that he died because he made the wrong decision.」

Rex shed tears.

A lot of lives were lost because of his mistaken decision.

「……Even though I want to apologize to Dalel-san, he isn't here anymore……I, we」

When Zelphy's hand let go, Rex fell on the spot. And then, he broke crying──.

While I'm feeling a bit cold after getting sprayed with water, a large fruit is lowering down from the ceiling. It seemed that it descended unnoticed. The ripe fruit has yellow color.

I thought that it's ripe because a sweet smell is enveloping the room.

Speaking of its size, it won't be strange if a person can enter inside it. It's a really large fruit.

Zelphy-san drew out her sword and steadily thrust the yellow fruit. The fruit's skin looked solid. When a vertical crack is slowly made on it, it then split into two and dumped its content outside. It looked ripe, but the inside isn't fruit flesh or juice. Lumps of metal fell one after another.

No, there is a bit of fruit juice slightly mixed in, wetting the metals. Black metals the size of a palm that are more than an armful are falling down. When all the metals have fallen down, the fruit became wrinkled and shrunk. It then fell on the ground.

Zelphy-san whistled, then she looked at the treasure and said 「Jackpot」.

「It's a really troublesome dungeon but, in return the payback is good. Everyone gather up. Look carefully, these are rare metals.」

The lump of black iron doesn't feel like simple metal. When I tried taking it on my hand, I felt a slight mana. The metal itself is emitting mana.

Arisan took it into her hand and said.

「It's heavy. Can we carried them with our number?」

It won't be a problem if it's just one, but it will be difficult to carry them all. It might be possible if it's Sophisan but……when my thought reached that point, Zelphy-san laughed slightly.

「There isn't any problem. Look around.」

When I looked around like I'm told, it's really silent. No, it wasn't like there was always sound ringing around but, suddenly the place felt different from before.

It seemed we managed to stop the dungeon's rampage. Zelphy-san pointed at the entrance.

「Try going out from there.」

It will be great if I can confirm with my Arts, but right now I don't have any leeway for that. I can't even hear the voices of the ancestors, so there is no one to explain it to me.

Unable to hear any voice like this……made me felt lonely, just for a bit.

Ralph-san shouldered his spear and headed toward the entrance. He carefully got out and walked forward, then after a while he came back running.

His face is filled with shock.

「Rondo! We ran really far to reach this room right!?」

「Ye, yeah. What's wrong Ralph?」

Ralph-san talked about the situation outside excitedly.

「There is a path. There are several rooms along the way. The other adventurers also showed up from there, and when we walked ahead it was outside right away. The campsite was right there!」

Ralph-san spoke as though the vast dungeon had shrunken.

「I see, it "withered".」

We experienced subjugating a dungeon and the withering of a dungeon for the first time. Novem took out cloth for wiping from the luggage and handed it to me.

「Yes. With this the dungeon subjugation is over. Great work Lyle-sama.」

Not everything was gone as planned. But, at the end we obtained a lot of treasures and rare iron metals.

The light shining from the ceiling isn't the unnatural light of the dungeon anymore. When I thought that everything is over, my waist lost strength and I sat down on the spot.

「Lyle-sama!」

When Novem hugged me, I felt warm.

「Sorry. When I relaxed my consciousness suddenly……」

Rachel-san walked to me.

「Lyle, your complexion is bad.」

Sophisan also approached.

「That's because you forced yourself. Even so, how does this much metals──」

Everyone's voice sounded far away. I felt the familiar sensation of my consciousness receding. Being used to this is scary.

Aa, so I'm going to faint again. Even I myself understood it. Even when I'm trying to hold on to my awareness, I can't resist it with my feeling relaxing thinking that it's over.

「……Take care, of the rest.」

I said that at the end and let go of my consciousness.