Tier V Seeker ⑦
How on earth did things end up like this?
Was it because the moment I gripped the steering column, it bent sideways, becoming just like motorcycle grips?
And was it because I have memories of riding a motorcycle from my past life?
Was it because even though the grips were like a bike’s, the accelerator and brake were down below like a car’s?
And then, was it because I mistook the brake for the accelerator?
Was it because when I grabbed the grips, the boat shot off at full throttle from the start and destroyed the shrine?
Was it because I kept tearing down the Great River, felt like this was bad, and tried to hit the brakes?
Only to realize that was the accelerator?
Was it because even when I realized and frantically slammed on the brakes with all my might, they somehow didn’t work at all?
In fact, it only made the boat speed up even more.
Was it because I went on a rampage down the Great River at unbelievable speed, sending every water Monster flying?
From the outside, it must look just like a black bullet, I thought nonchalantly. Just simple escapism.
Or was it because of that yellow light? I feel like nothing good ever comes from that.
And then, the Black Boat soared through the air.
When I came to, I was lying sprawled on the ground.
Something was tapping my face. Pat, pat, pat, pat. Who is it?
“Na!”
Dagaa was staring at me, his red eyes wide.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“Na!”
“…You saved me. But, where is this…?”
I pushed myself up.
“Haaah… haah… Ah, ugh, I-I thought I was gonna die…!”
Looking toward the voice, I saw Bid-san lying on her side a short distance away.
Since she yelled, she seemed unharmed.
“…An island?”
The smell of earth filled the air. Only islands have soil in the Great River.
Bid-san pushed her upper body up. She stretched, her small chest jiggling, and looked at me.
“Woff-kun. Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes. Somehow.”
“Glad we’re both alive… What about that boat?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
“Well then, let’s look for it!”
Bid-san stood up.
“We’re going to look for it?”
I was a little surprised.
“Of course! Such an amazing Legendary Relic. You don’t see those every day. It’s a chance to strike it rich!”
“That’s true, but…”
I felt uneasy. The brakes on that thing were completely shot.
Not only that, but both pedals had become accelerators.
Something like that is way too dangerous.
As if sensing my thoughts, Bid-san spoke.
“It’ll be fine! We’re not gonna ride it, just investigate. Besides, you’re curious too, right Woff-kun?”
“Well, yes, but…”
There were many things I was curious about.
“Then let the search begin!”
“Um, by the way, do you know where this island is?”
Bid-san looked around.
She grinned confidently.
“Nope!”
“I see.”
Well, if that’s the case, I guess we search.
And so, we began searching for the Black Boat.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
Suddenly, an explosion powerful enough to shake the island erupted, and the blast wave hit us.
“Gk!?”
My body lifted off the ground, slammed back down, and I tumbled across the earth.
Pain stole my breath.
“Woff-kun!”
“Na!”
Extremely thick smoke enveloped the area before being carried away by the wind.
What on earth happened now…?
“Woff-kun. Are you okay?”
“S-Somehow… Bid-san?”
“Somehow.”
“Na!”
“You’re okay too?”
Well, he’s probably fine. I slowly got to my feet.
My joints ached all over. But it didn’t seem like I was badly injured.
No bruises or sprains either.
“What… was that?”
Bid-san gestured with her head.
Billowing black smoke was steadily rising into the air. Plume, plume, plume.
Nearby trees had been knocked down, and several had been blown away, landing in the Great River.
“…Should we go check it out?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
Probably. Most likely, that thing exploded.
It felt like the only explanation.
Reaching the site was easy. We encountered some Monsters on the way, but nothing major.
A Water-Spitting Lizard. An Aqua Edge Wolf. And three Undine Soldiers.
“Amazing. Those Undine Soldiers were sliced up like meat.”
“But… the feeling was strange.”
That’s how it felt when I dodged their attacks and cut them down diagonally.
It was like slicing through heavy jelly.
The Undine Soldier is part of the Water Nymph series. A soldier made entirely of water.
“Na!”
“—Don’t hit my head just because you didn’t get a turn…”
He’s been like this for a while now. Perching on my head and tapping my forehead. Pat, pat.
“Ahaha, looks like he’s quite upset.”
“Na!”
“I told you, stop hitting me.”
It doesn’t hurt, but it’s annoying.
Honestly, he seems to have developed a strange sense of pride as a blade recently.
Bid-san took Dagaa off my head and held him to her chest.
With the large landmark, finding the place was easy.
A small crater had formed halfway up the island’s slope.
Black smoke rose from it.
Scattered in the center was familiar black wreckage.
I could see the broken grip. Fragments of the crystal orb, too.
Bid-san seemed to realize and started to rush over, but I stopped her.
“Wh-What is it?”
“You’ll die if you go there.”
“Wha-!? Why would you… A Relic?”
“Yes.”
Just to be sure, I had used the Relic [ Danger Detection ].
That crater was pitch black. Black = Death.
“Let’s get away. This area is dangerous too.”
“…Got it.”
This area was red. Red means danger. Injury. Taking damage.
Unsure if it was gas or something else, we left the area.
Afterward, we found a boat on the opposite side of the island.
It was an ordinary white boat, propelled by oars.
We boarded the boat. We rowed out onto the Great River.
We sat facing each other. Bid-san rowed carefully.
She seemed somewhat dejected. I spoke to her.
“…That explosion was probably the boat we were riding.”
The wreckage was definitive proof.
Bid-san sighed.
“So you think so too…”
“Yes.”
“Haaah, striking it rich…”
“There’ll be other chances.”
I tried to console the crestfallen Bid-san.
I’m not good at this. Head down, she muttered under her breath.
“Chances like that don’t come often. Haaah, with ‘Zan Brave’ disbanding, I’m really unlucky. And the dried meat I ate yesterday was spoiled, my stomach went through hell.”
Does that have anything to do with it?
But still, hmm. Well, it is my fault.
“Bid-san.”
“What is it, Miss Bad Luck Charm?”
“Bad luck… Do you know about the ‘Eye of Fortune’?”
“Of course, I know about it. What about it?”
“Well, I have a Relic that’s an upgraded version of it.”
Bid-san looked up, her expression surprised.
“Ah, so that’s how you knew about that weird boat. I thought maybe deep in the woods…”
“Thought maybe?”
Deep in the woods?
“N-Nothing! But why tell me that?”
“As an apology, I guess. I caused trouble with the Water Fairy Dancer too, so, um, maybe I can help find some treasure of similar value or something.”
“Really!? Um, are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“…………In that case, actually, I… I found something in this Dungeon.”
“Found something?”
“—But first, the Fountain of Healing.”
Fufu, Bid-san smiled.
“Ah.”
It hit me. I’d forgotten.
“The rest can wait until after we finish your first request, Woff-kun.”
“…Understood.”
Checking the map, the island with the Fountain of Healing was about two islands away from here.
Though much slower than before, we encountered few Monsters and safely reached our destination island.
The fountain wasn’t much different from the one on the 1st Floor.
I used the investigation kit just like before. There were no abnormalities.
“It’s a rest stop, but there’s no one here.”
It was deserted. Come to think of it, only Bid-san was at the one on the 1st Floor too.
“Well, it’s not used very often.”
“Is that so?”
“Even though it’s called ‘Healing,’ it’s just a spring. Plus, it’s not like Monsters don’t show up here.”
“So not many people use it.”
“And there’s plenty of water everywhere else.”
Yeah, there’s water as far as the eye can see.
“Well, not saying my request is pointless, though.”
“Woff-kun, why did you take this request?”
“Because it involved exploration, and it seemed interesting.”
“Seemed interesting, huh. It certainly was interesting in many ways…”
Bid-san got a faraway look in her eyes. I gave a wry smile.
“It’s not over yet. Let’s go to the 6th Floor. There’s an island that connects to the 6th Floor from here, right?”
“There is. That’s how I got back to the 3rd Floor.”
“Does that mean you went to the 6th Floor?”
“A bit lower than that. Going down to the 40th floor or so is impossible for me solo.”
Well, I guess things like the Water Fairy Dancer are common down there.
We once again boarded the white boat and rowed across the Great River.
We encountered minor water Monsters, fighting our way past them. No need to defeat them all.
We arrived at the island with the shortcut to the 6th Floor.
On that island stood a stone shrine.
It was clearly different from the shrine destroyed earlier, a more familiar kind of shrine.
Inside the shrine was… I see.
“A Teleportation Array?”
“That’s right.”
There was a Teleportation Array, glowing white and green.