Chapter 267: An Unexpected Invitation
According to the scanned terrain, there are no forks in the road ahead; it’s a straight path leading to a dead end. Along the way, there are only about three areas that resemble rooms. One of them seems to be filled with monsters.
“Alright, let’s check it out.”
With excitement bubbling within me, I cast a soundproof barrier before breaking through the wall. From what I’ve heard, the walls of the Dungeon repair themselves within a few days, even if they are destroyed. If monsters are left defeated, they are absorbed back into the Dungeon or simply vanish. Adventurers who die within the Dungeon also eventually disappear. This is likely why crimes like newcomer hunting are so rampant.
“The atmosphere hasn’t changed much,” Rio remarked, peering into the area that had become visible.
“There’s nothing here, right?”
Phonia, who was also peering in, turned back with a puzzled tilt of her head.
“It seems like they’re all huddled in the room at the very back. I wonder why they’re not coming out into the corridor?”
“…Who knows?”
I muttered my curiosity, but no one had the answer.
“Don’t step here.”
“Huh?”
As I pointed to the ground and tapped it with my foot, the floor crumbled away, revealing a pitfall. There hadn’t been any traps up until now, but it’s nice that scanning can reveal them easily.
“Wow, big brother, you’re amazing!”
“Of course I am.”
While basking in Phonia’s admiration, I peeked into the first room we passed.
“Nothing here.”
“Yeah.”
“Woof…”
The space was just an empty area about the size of half a classroom. Nil let out a disappointed sound. As we moved to the next room, I noticed something.
“Oh, there’s something over there?”
“Really? What is it?”
Without a hint of caution, Phonia stepped into the room and dashed straight toward a square object at the back. Knowing there were no traps, I didn’t stop her on impulse, but I’d have to give her a little lecture later.
“Hey, Phonia-chan?”
Rio hurriedly chased after her, calling out, and Phonia came to a sudden halt just a few meters in front of the square object. By the time she slowly turned around, her ears, tail, and brows drooped in a dejected manner.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Hehe. It’s fine as long as you understand. Let’s be more careful next time, okay?”
“Yeah.”
We cautiously surveyed the surroundings as we approached the square object. It looked like a concrete box sprouting from the ground, with no lid. It was about five centimeters thick, twenty centimeters tall, and surrounded by walls of the same height and length.
“What is this?”
Peering inside, I found an opaque, gray, pottery-like container. When I identified it, it turned out to be a potion. It was a basic potion, with a quality rating of D. I had seen elixirs at the auction, but this was my first time encountering a potion. I had never seen one for sale in town either; I wondered if it was possible to create a medicine that could heal injuries just by drinking or sprinkling it.
“Wow. So this is what items found in a Dungeon look like.”
“It’s a potion.”
“Po-shun?”
I had expected something like a treasure chest, but it seemed I was mistaken. Phonia squatted in front of the box and looked back at me.
“It’s a medicine that heals injuries when you drink it or sprinkle it. You can take it.”
Her eager expression brightened immediately upon receiving permission. She reached out, grasped it firmly, and lifted it up.
“There’s something inside.”
After observing the sealed container for a while to ensure it wouldn’t spill, she handed it to me with a cheerful, “Here.”
“Thanks. I’ll put it away.”
“Okay.”
“Well, I guess the only thing left is the monster room.”
I scanned again, but it still seemed like only monsters were present. There were no traps, and it didn’t look like there were any items like before. When I conveyed this, we quickly decided to wipe them out.
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Just as we were about to check the monster room, I sensed a presence approaching from the corridor.
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone is coming this way.”
“Oh? Maybe a passing adventurer noticed a new path?”
“Could it be a newcomer hunter?”
The three of us turned our gazes back toward the path we had come from, but their figures were still out of sight.
“Who knows? It looks like a party of five, but it all depends on how they approach.”
While I was curious about the monster room at the back, it was fine to leave it alone for now since they hadn’t shown themselves yet. I turned my attention to the approaching party while keeping an eye on the monster room.
And then, it happened.
The ground began to glow faintly, and in the next moment, a magic circle spread out around me.
“What!?”
“Eh!?”
“Huh?”
“Woof!?”
The magic circle expanded to a radius of about ten meters, and I recognized it.
“This is!”
I could sense the familiar magic power. Nil was growling, alert and on guard.
“Without a doubt, it’s the Majin Tribe Summoning Circle!”
I quickly moved to the back of the corridor to avoid dragging the others into this. Just like last time, the magic circle followed me as I moved. However, ahead was just the monster room.
“I’ll handle this! You two take care of the ones coming toward us!”
What a troublesome situation! An unexpected encounter with what might be the perpetrators of newcomer hunting coincided with this chaotic turn of events, and I had to think quickly about what to do.