Episode 232: Conversations Inside the Tent
Dvarapala, 183rd Stratum.
The strategy led by Kaira and her Seekers was proceeding as planned. However, they had already suffered dozens of casualties and lost a significant amount of their fighting force.
Although this was anticipated, the mental burden on the Seekers continuing the strategy was immeasurable.
And, even more problematic was—
“Blow awayyyyyy!!”
Akito’s swung Lightning Spear mowed down a giant pill bug.
“This thing is tough! It’s consuming a lot of my Magical Power just to defeat it!!”
Beside the irritated Akito, Rui was fighting a three-headed centipede. He sliced off one of its heads and tried to slash at its long body.
Then, the centipede spat green liquid from its two remaining heads.
“Watch out!”
Rui hurriedly jumped back.
“Be careful, Rui! If you touch that “Venom,” you’re dead instantly.”
“Yeah, a centipede “Persephone” that spits deadly poison from its sturdy “Adamas” armor… it’s quite a strong monster, so I can’t let my guard down.”
Rui and Akito used Fire and Lightning Magic to intercept the attacking monsters.
The same went for Kaira and Anik, and they ended up fighting in a shallower stratum than planned.
The group advanced further, reaching the 197th Stratum. There, they found Seekers with exhausted expressions.
“We’ll set up tents here for today! The higher-ranked Seekers get priority for rest!”
Kaira shouted. Even resting meant being in a dimly lit forest.
Monsters could attack from anywhere. Kaira’s battle suit and face were covered in mud, and she was visibly fatigued.
Even so, she gave precise instructions to her subordinates.
Ignoring Kaira, Anik entered a slightly larger tent, switched on an LED lantern, and lay down, saying, “Well, well,” as he tried to take a nap.
The members of the Peacock King (Mahamayuri) entered after him.
Everyone sat down inside the tent, and everyone took a breath. One of them, a large man named Rudra, spoke up.
“It seems that ten more Seekers died just coming down from the 180th Stratum to the 190th Stratum. Some of the supplies were lost too… is this going to be alright?”
Anik listened while lying on his back. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
“It’s a tough battle indeed. At this rate, it will be difficult to even reach the lowest stratum.”
A brown-skinned woman with a red dot “Bindi” on her forehead, Charitari, leaned forward.
“Anik-sama, shouldn’t we retreat for now!? At this rate, the strategy will fail, and we’ll be annihilated. We should reorganize and try again…”
“Retreat and do what?”
Anik, raising his upper body, showed a displeased expression.
“Even if we return, there’s no longer enough fighting power to reorganize anywhere. This strategy group, gathered from various places, is India’s last hope… there won’t be a next time.”
The members of the Peacock King (Mahamayuri) fell silent.
It was something everyone knew. But being confronted with the reality in front of them, it was only natural to be mentally cornered.
Seeing his subordinates like that, Anik smiled.
“Well, don’t be discouraged. It’s not all bad. The Seekers who came from Japan are doing quite a good job, aren’t they?”
Hearing Anik’s words, a childlike girl, Rashi, smiled.
“That’s right! That Amasawa and Tennoji… they’re incredibly strong! They’re even more amazing than the rumors said, it surprised me.”
The large man, Rudra, also nodded.
“Ah, the Fire Magic and Thunder Magic from the Second Stratum. They were easily defeating monsters that would have given even us trouble. It’s a big help that they came.”
The four nodded in unison, but Anik alone raised an eyebrow.
“What about the other one? Does he seem promising?”
“The other one?”
Rudra looked puzzled.
“That unremarkable, somewhat dazed-looking young man.”
“Ah, he was there. I think his name was Mitaka or something… are you interested in him?”
To Rudra’s question, Anik laughed cheerfully.
“He has the air of someone important. I have a feeling that the man named Mitaka is more suited to being a Seeker than the other two.”
“Is that so?”
With a bewildered face, Rudra looked at the other three.
“Ehh~ I didn’t think so… That person was just defeating the weakest caterpillars the whole time. What do you think, Charitari?”
The childlike girl, Rashi, turned to the brown-skinned woman, Charitari.
“I only glanced at him, but he didn’t seem like a very strong Seeker. He seems to be using Wind Magic, but it didn’t seem to have much power.”
The four agreed. Of the Japanese, two were excellent, and the other one, they didn’t know why he had come this far.
Anik watched his subordinates with amusement.
“Hyah hyah hyah, I see… certainly. But, if that’s the case, doesn’t it bother you? That man’s clothes were torn and tattered all over.”
“Yes, I saw that.”
Rudra looked perplexed. He didn’t understand what Anik was trying to say.
“Even though his clothes were torn so much… why doesn’t he have a single wound? I saw him up close earlier, and he didn’t even have a scratch.”
The four were taken aback. Certainly, he didn’t seem injured.
Even if he was only defeating weak monsters, it was hard to believe that he was completely unharmed in this monster-filled environment.
As the group was bewildered, the young man who had been silent until now, Arsh, spoke up.
“In other words… Anik-sama, are you saying that the Japanese man… Mitaka, is narrowly avoiding the monsters’ attacks?”
Asked by Arsh, Anik closed his eyes.
“I don’t know. There might be some other reason… well, in any case, I heard that Amasawa and Tennoji insisted on bringing him along. Eventually, we’ll understand what that means.”
Anik laughed, saying, “Well, we should rest now,” and urged the four to sleep.
In the middle of the Dungeon where monsters roamed, the lights of Anik and the Peacock King’s (Mahamayuri) tent went out.
And around that time—
“Oooooh, it’s healing more and more! This is great.”
In the tent where Yuma and the others were, Yuma was using Recovery Magic to heal Akito’s injured arm.
The large wound on his arm completely disappeared in about two minutes.
“As expected, it makes a difference having a Messiah in the group. It’s super efficient!”
“I’m not a Messiah. I’m a proper Seeker.”
“Even though you’re just defeating caterpillars?”
“…………”
Rui called out to Yuma, who had fallen silent with a bitter expression.
“Yuma, you’re healing while fighting, right? Only your clothes are getting tattered…”
“You bet! I can heal no matter how injured I get. With this power, I can keep fighting forever!”
As Yuma puffed out his chest and said proudly, Akito said, “Yeah, yeah,” while lying down on the ground and covering himself with a blanket.
“If you don’t go to bed early and recover your stamina, you won’t be able to. I’m going to sleep. Good night.”
Akito closed his eyes and really fell asleep. Rui said, “Then, let’s do it too,” and blew out the lamp inside the tent.
Yuma, thinking, “Can I sleep in a place like this?” lay down and closed his eyelids.