Chapter 156: Dyne Does Her Best

Leave a Comment / Spirits' paradise and ideal life in another world / By IX

Leaving the Labyrinth’s Wings and Muscle Star behind, I emerged victorious from the battle with a large horde of orcs in the boss room of the 60th floor. My repeated attempts at charging directly at the group of orcs didn’t work, so I knew I had to come up with a new strategy.

However, swinging the hammer and launching a frontal assault seemed to be the only battle tactic I could think of. Though Silphy could easily dominate with her wind spirit, I wanted to actively participate in the fights too, so it was a dilemma. “I’ll think about it later,” I decided.

Now, I contemplated whether to proceed to the next floor. According to the hero’s book, the next floor was a challenge specifically meant for Dyne. “Hey, Silphy, if we have you fly us to the next floor, do you think we can clear it normally?” he asked.

Silphy pondered for a moment and replied, “Hmm, according to the book, we can reach the next floor, but fighting the monsters there will be tough, and we won’t be able to find treasure chests easily. Besides, Dyne might get sulky.”

“You think so?” I wondered.

Though I thought it would be easier to fly there, I realized that if I didn’t call upon Dyne despite asking her to come, she would probably get angry. Moreover, according to the book, the hero’s party faced the most challenges from the 61st to the 70th floor, with a smaller exploration area, making it likely that treasure chests remained unopened.

“Yeah, leaving her alone after she was so excited before would be troublesome,” I added.

It was true; Dyne was in high spirits. I didn’t want to take the easy way out and then regret it later. So, I decided to rely on Dyne.

“That’s right. Okay, I’ll summon Dyne now,” I said.

“Dyne!” “Kyu!” “Be strong!” “Kuku!”

Upon hearing this, Bell and the others became joyful. Dyne was quite popular among them. While I worried that Bell and the others might learn strange things from her and cause a ruckus, seeing them together now was kind of like Dyne.

For Bell and the others, Dyne was like a friendly elder sister, while Silphy played the role of a mother figure. The division of roles among them was interesting. I considered myself the dependable older brother, and Nomos, well, he could be seen as the strict, old-fashioned father type. It seemed to fit Nomos, who gave off a Showa-era stubborn old man vibe.

“Dyne, from now on, we’ll be dealing with a water-based floor. I’ll be counting on you,” I said.

“Sure thing! You can rely on your Oneechan!” Dyne replied, hugging Bell and the others. While I would normally be worried, I knew that it would be fine with Dyne in a water environment. Probably.

“Thank you. Alright, let’s go,” I said.

As I descended the stairs to the 61st floor, I found myself in a cave filled with water from the middle of the staircase. Initially, the hero had attempted to make a raft and conquer the floor, but the monsters destroyed it, nearly killing them.

Eventually, he had to leave the labyrinth to prepare for dealing with the seawater. He recruited expensive magical tools and specialized water mages, then went back to defeat the Fire Dragon once more. I thought their perseverance was incredible. I doubted I would be able to endure such hardships.

The Labyrinth’s Wings and Muscle Star were likely chosen because they either had strong water magic or were equipped with magical tools. But just like the hero, I believed my advantage remained unaffected because both magic and magical tools were inconvenient to use.

“Yuta-chan, what’s your plan this time? Are you going to breathe underwater like before?” Dyne asked.

“Huh? Oh, wait a second. I’m thinking about it now.”

Hmm, breathing underwater in a dimly lit cave doesn’t sound very appealing. I might feel like I’m failing as an adventurer, but let’s give up on a conventional approach.

“Dyne, can you move the seawater away as I walk?” he asked.

“Sure thing!” Dyne replied.

As soon as Dyne spoke, the seawater in the cave receded like a rushing tide, pushing back the water to the back of the cave. Bell and the others were overjoyed, especially Rain, who seemed to be asking Dyne about something. Maybe she was seeking some tips? She’s certainly eager to learn.

However, I couldn’t help feeling a little sorry as I watched the fish-like monsters struggling on the exposed stone pavement. Those monsters were probably Swordfish that nearly killed the hero. Their bodies resembled swords, their faces were sharp and pointed, and their dorsal fins were like blades. According to the book, the hero’s party, with their strong defenses, managed to avoid fatal injuries, but they couldn’t keep up with the constant cuts in the water, risking death from blood loss. The hero himself said he wouldn’t have made it back alive if the raft had been a bit further ahead.

Several Swordfish, which had all the advantage were now floundering helplessly. Their dorsal fins sliced the labyrinth’s stone pavement, sparking as they did so, creating a terrifying sight.

“Fishies! Yuta, are they delicious?” Bell asked with great interest, a hint of drool forming at the corner of her mouth. It seemed she associated seeing fish with the idea of eating them. Bell really loved food.

“The book mentioned that the fish that come out in the cave are not only scarce but also not very tasty,” I replied.

“Aw, what a shame,” Bell and the others, Rain, Turu, and Tamamo, all sounded disappointed. It seemed they had become quite the gourmands. Apparently, Swordfish scales and dorsal fins contained trace amounts of Orichalcum, making them highly valuable in trade. Even a tiny speck of Orichalcum fetched a high price. However, Swordfish were scarce, and their scales were challenging to obtain. As a result, Orichalcum had become a sort of dream material for blacksmiths. It would make an excellent souvenir for Mel.

Furthermore, just adding a tiny amount of Orichalcum to other metals improved their performance, boosting their value significantly. The high demand for Orichalcum had even led to scams in the market.

Orichalcum, huh… it sounded so cool just from its name. I wondered if I might stumble upon an Orichalcum vein as I progressed deeper into the labyrinth. Orichalcum swords or armor sounded so aspirational. But then again, I hadn’t even obtained a Mithril sword yet.

“Thank you, Dyne. Alright, everyone, let’s go,” I said, expressing my gratitude to the triumphant Dyne before I continued on the path that had been cleared of seawater. As I walked, I quickly beheaded the fish I encountered with my saw, and soon the number exceeded a thousand.

Aside from the Swordfish, there were other fish-like monsters, but they were all floundering on land, making them easy to handle. The only challenging one was the Sea Serpent, which had potent poison, but it wasn’t much of a threat on land and was dealt with quickly.

I asked Silphy if they were the offspring of Sea Serpents, but it turned out they were classified differently. According to Silphy, Sea Serpents would appear on the 66th floor, so I had mistaken these ones for their children.

Using my cheat ability, I spent two days carefully exploring every nook and cranny from the 61st to the 65th floor. The magic bag was now filled with fish monsters that had failed to escape. The Swordfish, which traveled in groups, often charged at me, which was why there were so many.

I also discovered numerous treasure chests, containing gold and silver treasures, magical swords, Mithril armor, a magic staff that released thunder, and another that spewed flames. Due to the difficulties of exploring in the water, many treasure chests had been left untouched, making me all the more excited for the 66th floor.

I had been thrilled when I obtained the magic staff, but as someone who had only used life magic, I couldn’t figure out how to use it properly. I didn’t even know how to channel magic into it.

Using just a small amount of magic, one can convert it to an attribute and increase its power several times. It’s a rare item, and if I can learn to use it properly, it could be fantastic. I might be able to defeat a monster like a Lich on my own with it.

“Phew, finally out of the cave. Thanks, Dyne,” he said.

“Hehe, have you realized how amazing your Oneechan is?” Dyne replied.

Dyne was beaming with pride, and in this case, it was completely warranted. She had practically rendered this cave, which had been a challenge for the hero’s party, powerless just by draining the seawater.

Even the boss on the 65th floor, the Golden Great Swordfish, along with its army of Swordfish, were merely floundering in the boss room. Apparently, the Golden Great Swordfish was an incredible creature that could yield Orichalcum the size of a bean.

“Oh yes, it’s all thanks to you, Dyne. You’re amazing,” I said, expressing my gratitude to Dyne. I had relied entirely on her to avoid battling the monsters in the water. But starting from the 66th floor, I needed to fight on my own; otherwise, I’d become entirely dependent on her.

“Hehe, that’s right, that’s right. Yuta-chan, it’s okay to rely on your Oneechan a lot,” Dyne said with an exaggeratedly long nose. Bell and the others followed suit and started praising Dyne innocently, and her nose kept extending.

I had felt a little suspicious of Dyne’s overly enthusiastic attitude these past three days. When I asked Silphy about it, she explained that it was because it was the first time I had relied on Dyne in a battle. It was true; this was my first time fighting in the water. I remembered that when I called Dyne in the forest, she sulked a little, so I should have been more considerate.

“Right, I trust you. But from now on, I want to fight as well, so I’ll rely on you for support,” I said.

“Mu-hu, understood. Leave it to your Oneechan,” Dyne replied.

“Leave it to me~,” “Kyuuu~,” “…,” “Kuku~,” Bell and the others mimicked Dyne. Should I scold them for this? But would it be right to scold them for mimicking Dyne? Probably not. So what should I do? I sought help from Silphy, who just shook her head as if telling him to give up.

Dyne’s influence was quite strong, and it scared me a bit. When Dyne passionately spoke to Bell and the others about love, They kept saying “ainee” for a while. It made me feel a bit melancholic when they said “ainee” while joyfully praising my skill in preparing dried fish. I had a feeling that if Bell and the others learned from Dyne’s high energy, things could get troublesome.

…Hmm, it’s a relief that Turu seems embarrassed and is keeping quiet. Scolding them in their current state would be cruel, and they’ll probably calm down with time. I’ll casually remind Bell and the others later. Parenting is tough.

“Okay, shall we head to the 66th floor?” he asked.

“Yes, we’re ready to go~,” “Yeah~,” “Kyuuu~,” “Let’s go~,” “Kuku~,” with Dyne’s enthusiasm leading the way, Bell and the others chattered excitedly as I descended the stairs. It was a heartwarming scene with a cheerful beauty, a young girl, a dolphin, a boy, and a young fox. But it also made him a little uneasy.

“…Silphy, are you okay?” I asked.

“Well, it might get a little noisier, but it’s no problem. It’s already late today, so we’ll explore the 66th floor a bit and then rest. Hopefully, they’ll calm down during that time…probably,” Silphy replied.

The “probably” she said at the end made me even more anxious. Once I descended to the 66th floor, the exit had become a small island, and a vast ocean lay ahead of us. It was astonishing to see it in person, even though I had read about it in the hero’s book. I couldn’t understand what this labyrinth was all about. I could still grasp grasslands, but having a volcano, mountains, and now the sea, it just didn’t make sense.

“Yuta, can I get rid of the seawater here too?” Dyne asked, her radiant smile shining brightly. She seemed a bit overexcited, and it might be best to call it a day and rest. The underwater exploration could wait until tomorrow.

“No, it’s already late today, so let’s rest. Tomorrow, I’d like to explore with underwater breathing, so please help me then,” he said.

“Oh, already this late? Okay, I understand~,” she said.

Dyne seemed a bit disappointed, but since she understood, I decided to prepare dinner. Maybe I could bring out some wine too. It might increase her excitement even more, and after a little drink and some rest, she might calm down and put a stop to her overexcitement.