As we navigated through the crossroads, encountering dead ends time and again, we managed to obtain some items from a treasure chest we found along the way. Most of them were healing potions, though.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? I wonder who places these treasure chests.”
It seemed to be one of the Seven Mysteries of Adventurers. In dungeons, some adventurers find chests that are completely empty, while others discover weapons or even something disgusting like monster droppings from the same spot. When were they set up, and by whom? Why do the contents differ from one adventurer to another? Despite these curiosities, it seemed that very few adventurers bothered to delve too deeply into the matter, as they mostly came out ahead.
【A Ghost Bat has appeared! HP 13】
【A Killer Mole has appeared! HP 21】
We were ambushed by monsters along the way. Perhaps the encouragement from earlier had worked, as Roel properly cast Heal on me. I didn’t say anything cruel like it wasn’t necessary since I wasn’t hurt at all. I felt a bit sorry for the monsters, but drawing my sword seemed like a hassle, so I dealt with them using my bare hands.
“Ah, is that it?”
Beyond a narrow path was a round cavern, with clear water bubbling up in the center. There was another cave path leading to the left, but since we had no business there, I ignored it.
“This water is beautiful.”
Roel scooped some water with her hands and drank it.
“It’s cold and delicious! I wonder why it’s so chilled?”
“Let me try…”
When I took a sip, I found it surprisingly refreshing and tasty. I decided to fill up some water. Just then, I heard a hissing sound coming from the left. As I caught sight of two glowing eyes in the darkness, a long, sinuous body slithered toward us.
【A Gluttonous Great Cobra has appeared! HP 212】
“W-Wow! Lua-chan, what should we do?!”
Roel, who had been engrossed in drinking, spat out the water and began waving her staff around. It was immediately clear that this monster was on a whole different level compared to the ones we had faced before. I wasn’t sure what the standard for a beginner adventurer was, but if we were attacked by this creature, it would surely be tough. It seemed to be trying to intimidate us, stretching its body upward to appear larger than us. It was taller than I was.
“Roel, don’t move from there.”
The cobra smoothly aimed for my neck and lunged to bite. I wouldn’t let that happen, so I tried to intercept it. However, the cobra’s true target was Roel, who stood behind me. It twisted its body and darted straight toward her, perhaps sensing that it couldn’t win against me and executing a feint.
But I wouldn’t let it succeed. I promised to protect Roel.
【Lua’s Attack!】
I sliced the cobra from behind. Its head flew up, and its long body writhed as it fell to the ground.
【Gluttonous Great Cobra HP 0/212】
【You dealt 312297 damage to the Gluttonous Great Cobra!】
【You have defeated the Gluttonous Great Cobra!】
“…Ha!”
There was no time to be shaken by the situation, but Roel finally grasped what had happened and, for some reason, tapped the rolling head of the cobra with her staff.
“Thank you, Lua-chan.”
“That was a bit surprising. I never expected it to have such intelligence.”
“This monster might be the boss of this floor. Boss monsters can be incredibly strong and possess high intelligence. Moreover, they somehow resurrect after a certain period, which is also one of the Seven Mysteries of Adventurers.”
So, this monster might have been defeated by someone before. Could it be learning? No, that seemed unlikely. Still, I wondered if this cobra had venom. If so, the water from this spring might be dangerous.
“Um, I wonder which parts of this monster sell for a high price.”
It seemed that parts of monsters, like the Poison Salamander, were traded at high prices. I had given the whiskers from the last one to the Guild, so I had no idea how much they would sell for, but I wondered how much this one would fetch.
“I’ll just take some fangs and scales.”
Roel skillfully began processing the monster. As I watched in admiration, she seemed to pick up on my curiosity.
“You know, I always ended up doing this kind of thing because I wasn’t much help in the party. So I’m good at it. Hehe… even though I’m a healer.”
She said this shyly while continuing her work. Once she finished, she stared at the remains for a moment before her expression darkened.
“I’m sorry for being a burden… I’ll do my best next time.”
“Roel, you’re still level three, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
Everyone starts off not being able to do things well. When I first arrived at the Abyss Cave, I couldn’t even defeat the Cave Rabbits we fought earlier. Back then, I was battered all over and bleeding profusely… Wait, what happened after that?
“I’ll work hard to get stronger and make sure to put Lua-chan at ease.”
Roel rubbed her eyes, which were on the verge of tears, and struck a triumphant pose with her left hand. I wondered what my level was. I hoped the machine was fixed; I’d have to try it again when we got back.
///
After the two adventurers left, a shadow emerged from the left tunnel.
“Hey, no way… What was that?”
Removing the cap he wore, the figure praised Lua. As he clenched his right hand, the corpse of the cobra transformed into light and was absorbed into his grasp.
“To think it would react to that feint… It might become a nuisance for us later. Should I eliminate it now?”
After pondering for a moment in that position, the figure reconsidered and slowly melted into the background, vanishing from sight.