Chapter 32

"Is this... a dungeon?"

A dungeon is supposed to be an underground labyrinth where monsters appear. It’s not just any space; it should be a place close to another world, with a core boss monster, items, and sorcerers.

"It’s normal to think so if monsters appear in a place like this."

"Hmm... I see. This is my first time in a dungeon."

Saying that, I sat down on the ground. Amu looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"What are you doing?"

" Sitting."

"Why?"

"It’s pointless to wander around aimlessly. It would just drain our energy. It’s better to stay here and wait for help. The smell of the monster’s corpse will also mask our scent..."

"There’s no way help will come."

I frowned at Amu’s decisive words.

"Why not?"

"No one goes to rescue those who don’t return from a dungeon. More people are dead from monster attacks than those who are still alive and lost."

"But that’s talking about adventurers, right? We’re students who ended up here by accident."

"It’s even worse. We didn’t enter through the entrance; we were suddenly teleported to an unknown dungeon. Even if the teachers found the magic circle, do you think they would follow us through a teleportation? It would just increase the number of victims."

"But they could figure out where we were teleported to, right?"

"Even if they knew, it wouldn’t change anything. I think... this isn’t a dungeon managed by the guild. Naturally, it hasn’t been mapped. Searching for lost people in such a place is something even professional adventurers wouldn’t take on."

"Then what do we do?"

"There’s only one thing to do when you’re lost in a dungeon. Walk."

Amu extended her hand to me.

"Walk and walk until your energy and strength are exhausted, and find another party or a way out on your own. That’s the only way."

"Haha, that sounds hopeless."

I took Amu’s hand and stood up, brushing the dirt off my pants.

Actually, I wanted to observe the situation on the surface for a couple of hours using my shiki, but... oh well.

Let’s decide on a plan.

Moving forward is good. I’m not worried about running out of energy.

What’s scary in a place like this is dying from hunger, thirst, or suffocation. But I can provide food, water, and air with my curses. I should be able to survive for a few months without any problems.

If it comes to it, I can use a large number of shiki to search the entire dungeon for an exit to the surface. But I don’t really want to do that because it would be wasteful.

So, I want to conserve my shiki as much as possible.

There’s also something else I want to try.

"Yuki"

I called out to Yuki in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I don’t want to use too many shiki. Can you do the scouting for me?"

"!! I’ll do it, Seika-sama!"

Yuki replied happily.

Monsters aren’t much of a threat. Yuki’s spiritual power isn’t particularly strong, but it’s sufficient for this situation.

Besides, in such darkness, I can only use snakes or bats, which are difficult to handle.

Speaking of darkness, there’s one more thing.

"Amu, wait a moment."

I stopped Amu, who was about to start walking.

"You can turn off the light from your sword. I’ll take care of the lighting."

Saying that, I sent out a few shiki and lit them up.

In the now much brighter underground passage, Amu said in surprise:

"Is this a curse symbol? And you can use light magic too?"

"Sure. I told you, I’m pretty good at this."

Amu let out a small breath.

"The chances of survival have increased. Just a little, but it’s some comfort."

Looking at her profile, I couldn’t help but say:

"Amu, you seem really calm. Even in this situation."

Amu’s eyes widened slightly, then she turned away.

"…No, I’m not."

*Shiki (Snakes, Bats)*

Shiki used in complete darkness. They can detect heat sources using the pit organs of pit vipers and garter snakes, and use echolocation with bats to explore the terrain and other living beings. However, the human brain lacks the ability to process this information, making them quite difficult to use.