Chapter 43

Crunching through the dungeon, they reached the entrance to the 5th floor. Up until now, the entrances to the previous floors were like large plazas, bright and open, with vast fields of mushrooms visible in the distance.

However, the 5th floor was completely different. The entrance was a large plaza, but it was only about 3 meters wide and 3 meters high. The passage quickly curved and branched off into several paths. Incidentally, there were 7 paths leading from the plaza. Furthermore, it was pitch black, and without a torch or some other light source, it was impossible to see ahead.

"This floor has a very different atmosphere from the others..."

"Yeah... This is a maze floor. It's going to be troublesome."

"Huh?"

Leonis scratched his head and began to explain.

Apparently, maze-like floors occasionally appear in dungeons. There are traps, but generally, no monsters appear... However, there might be a Monster House at the end of a trap, so it's important to avoid getting caught in traps. However, due to the darkness, it's difficult to spot traps... It's not good at all.

"Well, if you think of it as a modern large maze attraction, it makes sense. This place might even have hidden passages like a haunted house... Ah, it seems like there might be. By the way, there are still some mushroom elements. There are mushrooms planted at the bottom of the branching paths, and sometimes large mushrooms are embedded in the passages."

"It's often difficult to find the entrance to the next floor, and as time passes, your stamina decreases, so people tend to dislike it..."

"Yeah, I can see why. Getting lost in a maze like this for a long time could be mentally draining. It usually takes a few hours... Hmm? We need to reach the 10th floor today, so if it takes a few hours, we'll end up spending the night on this floor."

"Troublesome... I'm sorry, but on this floor, you'll need to be careful of traps and such."

"Brother? What's wrong?"

"Well, it's hard to see in the dark... I might not be able to spot the traps in this darkness. Combat might also be a bit difficult."

"Huh? Really?"

"Let me explain first."

I knew that Brother had the ability called 'Bird Vision.' In bright places, his vision is quite sharp, but in the dark, it's hard for him to see. The difference in his vision is quite significant, so trying to see in the dark is stressful and tiring for him.

"Anyway... Light. This will make the area around Brother bright."

"Wow! I'm glowing!"

"Anyway... This will make the area around Brother bright... In this passage, a 2-meter radius should be enough to serve as a torch, right? I can't improve the fact that we can't see far ahead, though."

"That's true... Not having to carry a torch is a good thing, I think. But... Is your MP okay?"

"MP consumption at this level... It's about the same as natural recovery. If there are no monsters, this should be fine... Is it not?"

Why do Leonis and Lord Laz have such subtle expressions? Forl is wearing his usual suspicious smile... Did I do something strange? But, I wonder if it's okay to light a torch in such a narrow space... Ventilation and carbon monoxide poisoning are concerns. I think it's better to use magic to light up the area.

"Hey, just making me glow won't make me see in the dark. It would be better if the person in front is lit up and I stay behind, right?"

"Oh, right? Then..."

"Would it be okay to cast this spell on this glass? I'll attach it to this stick and use it as a torch. On this floor, I'll take the lead to spot traps. Would you like to come with me, Crane-sama?"

"Understood."

Casting the spell on the glass, making it glow, and attaching it to the end of the stick, we created a makeshift lantern. The stick was quite long, so we used it to check the path ahead as we moved forward.

Brother was behind me, followed by Naga. Leonis and Lord Laz brought up the rear.

"Well, which way should we go?"

"Hmm. Let's go this way, please."

Standing at the entrances to the maze, which had 3 paths straight ahead and 2 on each side, we chose the best-looking path. I wondered why I was the one to choose, but apparently, there's a superstition that the person with the best luck should make the choice. Everyone agreed that I had the highest LUK... I believe in my 'Intuition' ability, and I think it's quite useful in this dungeon.

Conversely, it means that without 'Intuition,' there are many dangers... Your level is insufficient.

It seems that the others also have a high level of trust in 'Intuition,' but since I can't clearly sense it myself, I'm quite worried. Will it be okay?

"It's a maze..."

"Yeah. Naga, mark the branching paths, but be careful as the marks can disappear over time."

"Huh? How long does it take?"

"About 5 to 6 hours at the earliest, and 2 to 3 days at the latest. In such mazes, it's sometimes necessary to break through walls to force your way through."

The reason dungeons are said to be 'alive' is that they can repair themselves even if you destroy them inside. In the case of a maze, it's better to change the shape of the marks every few hours. So far, there's no sign that we've returned to the same place... I hadn't even considered the marks.

"Huh? ...What did you say just now?"

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No... I just noticed... Can you break walls?"

"Yeah... Well, you might find it difficult to break walls at your current level... Some floors are dangerous because the ceiling can collapse if you break all the walls... In the case of a maze, there are many pillars, so the ceiling won't collapse. ...Unless it's a large area. But it's a last resort. Be careful not to cause trouble for other parties."

I see.

There's no one else in this dungeon right now... If we go up a few more floors, there might be more people... I guess they were checking the number of people entering at the entrance for that reason.

"...Understood. Um... Can I burn the mushrooms?"

"Huh?"

"..."

"Are you talking about the mushrooms in front of us? Is there something wrong?"

Yes, it's not a branching path, but right in front of us, there was a large mushroom embedded in the passage, about 1 meter thick. The paths in front and behind were blocked by mushrooms, so I thought it would be a good idea to destroy this mushroom.

"Probably burning it will create a path... Is there a problem?"

"No, it's fine..."

"Fire Burst! ...Look, a path has been created."

"..."

"You sometimes take sudden actions, don't you?"

The mushroom burned quite easily when hit with a fire spell. I don't think there were any toxic gases... I kept a safe distance and used wind magic to disperse the smoke. It connected to a room that was not as large as the entrance plaza but seemed big enough for a rest. There was also a treasure chest.

"I never thought of that."

"Yeah. Well, there's a treasure chest, so it's good, isn't it? It seems to connect to the deeper areas."

"Please let me know in advance if you're going to burn something in the future."

"Okay."

It seems that Leonis and Lord Laz have been to this dungeon before, but they never burned mushrooms to create paths. It might be dangerous if the fire continues to burn due to the low ceiling, but since it burned out quickly, it doesn't seem to be a problem. We gratefully took the treasure chest. Forl's smile was a bit shadowed, which was a bit scary.

The contents of the treasure chest were an 'Earth Pendant' that increases HP and a 'Silver Bracelet' that increases MP. We decided to give the Earth Pendant to Naga and the Silver Bracelet to me. Brother said he would take the next good item that comes along.

Incidentally, other treasure chests in the dungeon might contain equipment or items from people who died inside. ...So, are they second-hand? But apparently, weapons and armor are like new. It's strange how used weapons become new... What kind of principle is this?

Well, we'll use what we've obtained... I thought they might be recovered as mementos, but since they are treated as new items, it's okay to use them.

By burning mushrooms in various places, we were able to find the entrance to the next floor in about 20 minutes. There were occasional treasure chests, but they contained potions and materials, not equipment. The maze was quite interesting. However, it usually takes a few hours, so people tend to dislike it. This time, we managed to get through in a short time, but walking aimlessly can lead to the same place, causing mental stress and discomfort. When coming with others in the future, we might need to be careful about our approach. Additionally, since there were few traps, we still need to practice identifying them.

From the 6th floor onwards, monsters reappeared. Moreover, unlike the monsters on floors 1 to 4, there were more insect-type monsters. They seemed to be trying to blend in with the mushrooms, and there were many strangely colored insects, about the size of a large dog, which were quite disgusting. Honestly, I don't want to be splattered with strange liquids when I attack them, so I'd rather avoid them if possible.

"Um, can I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"Will there be more insects?"

Well, we've been fighting insect-type monsters so far... But I think all the insects on this floor are poisonous. Not only in color... When I disassemble them, I get items like poison and paralysis powder. It's disgusting, but I have to disassemble them for the materials. I do it quickly and efficiently, but sometimes the body fluids can cause paralysis when I cut them...

Honestly... Disassembling them is still okay. The moving ones are really disgusting.

"Yeah... That's right. The monsters in the dungeon can change a bit..."

"Rather, I think there will be more insect and plant-type monsters."

"...If you're not good with them, stay back."

Naga said this with concern, but the others looked like they were giving up. Well, if I say I don't want to fight and get left behind, it would be a problem, so I'll fight... But I'll have to rely more on magic than swords... I don't want to, so I'll stop being the front-line fighter.

Insect-type monsters are not particularly fast, but they come in large numbers. Especially ants, bees, and caterpillars are numerous. We need to be careful as we move forward.

There's a possibility of status effects, so I cast the holy magic 'Resist' on Brother and Naga to increase their resistance. Leonis instructed us to cast it on everyone if there's a boss. The use of holy magic was accepted with a "It's convenient, so it's fine."

"Actually, unlike other magic, it's hard to distinguish between light magic and holy magic, so only healers can tell the difference."

"Is that so?"

"With wind magic and lightning magic, the effects are different, so it's easier to tell."

Healers might be able to tell, but since they are rare, it's uncommon for them to team up. Also, it's not common for other adventurers to spread information. People don't want to team up with those who spread information, as they fear their own information might be spread. If their information is spread, they can report it to the guild, and the guild will consider it.

If you can use it, it's better to use and train it. Holy magic, being a higher form of light magic, is excellent for healing. It's too late to start if something happens.

"If you get involved with the Holy Kingdom, I'll handle it, so don't try to deal with it yourself."

"Okay..."

Communication is important, so it's better to report. Since permission has been given, I'll use holy magic to train.

By the way, Forl whispered to me, "Make sure to report properly to Lord Laz." Scary... It seems that my plan to report to Leonis was discovered.

Up to the 10th floor, no particularly tough enemies appeared. We were unharmed, and our levels have increased. The 10th floor is a boss battle. We need to be ready.