Chapter 27: [Association POV] The Nascent Floor
“Ms. Omogawa!!”
I rushed over to where Ms. Omogawa had fallen.
I was careless.
Now that an irregular situation had occurred, I shouldn’t have let my guard down until the very end.
I ran my hand along the dungeon floor.
The pitfall trap had already vanished, leaving no trace.
Pitfall traps disappear once they’re activated.
They probably possess a nature closer to magic than to a device.
How many of our colleagues have been separated from their parties and ended up in a predicament like this?
“Ms. Omogawa!! Ms. Omogawa!!”
No reply.
“It’s a long shot, but…!”
I took a communication magic stone from my pouch and poured mana into it.
It was the same black, slate-like device that each examiner had during the Explorer Exam.
“This is Yamada from the Tochigi Prefecture Explorer Association! Ms. Omogawa, can you hear me!? Please respond!!”
…Still no reply.
This tool is designed so that it can only communicate within the same floor, to prevent interference.
It can’t communicate across floors.
I know that.
I know, but there’s nothing else I can do.
…There are no stairs leading down on this floor.
Furthermore, the characteristic indentation in the ground from a pitfall trap is also gone.
Right now, there’s no way to access the floor below.
(What on earth should I do…?)
“Yamada-san, let me try something.”
Just then, Jonuma-san, holding a hammer, was standing nearby.
“…What are you planning to do?”
“I’m going to see if I can break through the floor.”
“…Understood.”
…I swallowed the words “It’s useless” and moved aside.
In the past, dungeon walls have been broken, but never a floor.
“Tatara, I need your support.”
“Understood. Ms. Omogawa… you mustn’t die in a place like this! Offense Up!!”
“Nuuuugh, Hraaaagh!!!”
GAKOOOOOON…!
“–!”
Ah…
That sound made me realize.
Probably…
“…No good, huh? Not even a scratch.”
“We have no choice but to request a rescue from headquarters…”
“But if we don’t understand the situation…”
“–Jonuma-san.”
To confirm my earlier realization, I made a suggestion to Jonuma-san.
“Could you hit this wall, please?”
“The wall…? …No, it’s fine. If you’re the one saying it, Yamada-san, I’ll give it a shot.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
“Nuuuugh, Draaaagh!!”
GAKON…!
“…”
I strained my ears, picking up the reverberating sound.
Then, using my 【Spatial Awareness】 skill to its fullest, I made a rough assessment.
“…Sorry. Doesn’t look like I can break it with my strength.”
“No… I think I have a rough idea of the situation now.”
“Really!? What is it…?”
I conveyed my speculation.
“Most likely, this Ota Dungeon is still in the process of growing. Below this point, it seems to be developing into an 11th floor, possibly reaching a maximum of around 15 floors.”
“What…! How did you figure that out?”
“It’s from the reverberation of your hammer, Jonuma-san. There’s a cavity below. The spatial ratio between the upper and lower sections is 2 for the upper to 1 for the lower… In other words, it’s estimated that five floors are extending downwards from this 10th floor.”
“So it’s getting huge like the Shinjuku Dungeon, huh…”
“Yes. Considering that a return gate still hasn’t appeared on this floor, it’s natural to assume a second boss room has manifested.”
“So, if we wait, stairs will appear on this floor, right?”
“Yes, I believe so. However… whether those stairs will appear in an hour, a week, or perhaps even a year… no one can say.”
“Damn it!! At this rate, Omogawa-jouchan…!! …No, sorry, I got too worked up. Tatara, send out a rescue request!! Get ready!!”
“I’m already on it!! Association Headquarters! You must be watching the stream, right? Respond!”
Tatara-san stared at the drone monitor used for checking the stream, following the scrolling comments.
《Tama-chan…》
《This is bad.》
《It’s 2 hours by car from Tokyo to Ota. If they go via Haneda, it’ll take nearly a day, right?》
《I can’t watch this anymore.》
At that moment.
The monitor screen split in two, the right side turning completely black.
“Ah…”
Then, an image quickly appeared.
《Tama-chan!》
《Are you okay!?》
Ms. Omogawa was displayed there.
“The spare drone…!”
For this investigation, considering the possibility of trouble with the main drone on the Gunma Prefecture side, we had brought a foldable spare.
Ms. Omogawa activated it, so we could now communicate with each other.
“Ms. Omogawa, this is Yamada! Please tell us your situation!”
Ms. Omogawa replied through the screen.
『…It seems I’m currently on the 11th floor of Ota Dungeon. The surroundings aren’t much different from the upper floors. I encountered two monsters when I fell. It looks like Poison Lizards appear on this floor…』
“Poison Lizards…!”
《That’s a C-rank monster.》
《The ones that appear on Shibuya’s 8th floor?》
《Their poison mist is nasty.》
“Ms. Omogawa… you look pale, could it be…”
『Ahaha, I knew you’d notice, Yamada-san… I’ve been poisoned… I was caught between two of them after I fell, so I couldn’t avoid it…』
“You have an antidote, right?”
I asked, as if to dispel a bad feeling.
Then, Ms. Omogawa said.
『…I had one, you know. But the container broke when a Poison Lizard rammed into me… I managed to protect the drone on the other side, though… All I have left are two healing potions…』
☆★☆【Side: Omogawa Tamaki】☆★☆
After explaining the situation to Yamada-san, I felt a renewed sense of despair.
How much longer can I live like this, poisoned?
Maybe about three hours? If I stay still, perhaps I’ll last a little longer.
And that’s assuming no more monsters show up.
If more Poison Lizards come and I take more damage, my remaining time will just keep dwindling.
My body doesn’t move well because of the poison.
How long can I hold out in this condition?
『You idiot! You’re far more important than some drone…! No, I’m sorry, Ms. Omogawa. …Is there anywhere nearby you can hide?』
Yamada-san is unusually flustered.
If you make a face like that, even I can tell, Yamada-san.
…It really is a hopeless situation, isn’t it?
As if confirming my despair, I answered the question.
“There’s nowhere to hide nearby… In fact, perhaps because the dungeon is still forming, there are many unusually wide passages, and I can see into the rooms on both sides. I’ll share it via the drone.”
《What is this?》
《There are three passages to the next room.》
《Three on the other side too.》
《They’re all straight lines, so everything’s completely visible.》
《【¥3,000】 Yamada-san, do something, pleeeease!!》
『…!』
Yamada-san was at a loss for words too.
I know.
The floor I’m on is a place no one has ever entered before.
There’s no way anyone would know what to do.
《【Official: Explorer Association】 Rescue request received.》
《It’s here!》
《We’re counting on you!》
《Please! Save her somehow!!》
『This is Yamada from the Tochigi Prefecture Explorer Association. Is a rescue response possible?』
《【Official: Explorer Association】 No skill holders capable of inter-floor movement are available for dispatch. As an alternative, there is a 【Trapper】 skill holder in Shizuoka.》
《Trapper?》
《Is that relevant?》
《You guys, hold back on the comments. Don’t flood the chat.》
『Manually set a pitfall trap, and someone falls down to help… is that the idea? And then defeat the boss that should be on the lowest floor and return… Understood. If that’s the only way, I’ll go. So… how long will it take?』
《【Official: Explorer Association】 Estimated fastest arrival on site is in 7 hours. The holder is currently inside Hamamatsu Dungeon and cannot be contacted. Based on past activity logs, they explore until around 17:00. Even using a helicopter after that, it will take about that long…》
『–!!』
Yamada-san’s face flushed with anger for a moment, and she looked like she was about to say something.
But Yamada-san closed her eyes and swallowed her words.
『…Understood. Please proceed with the rescue. Contact me if there are any developments.』
《【Official: Explorer Association】 Acknowledged. We will keep this line open, so please contact us if anything occurs.》
『Ms. Omogawa, did you hear that? I’ve requested a rescue. Please hang in there a little longer. Stairs to the lower floor might appear, so I’ll stay here too.』
“…Understood.”
But, from Yamada-san’s demeanor, I understood.
–I’m not going to make it.
Yamada-san must have wanted to yell at the Explorer Association, “That’s too late!”
But she swallowed her words for my sake.
So as not to make me anxious.
So as not to break my spirit.
But you know, Yamada-san…
“I get it. What you’re thinking, Yamada-san… Because… we’re partners…”
I’m scared.
I’m so scared.
The brilliant Yamada-san.
Yamada-san, who’s never made a wrong judgment.
That same Yamada-san thinks I won’t be saved.
It’s precisely because we were partners that I understood.
“Ahaha…”
My strength drained, and I collapsed to the ground, sitting.
Yamada-san taught me that “Explorers must survive by any means necessary,” and yet…
Now, my spirit is broken.
I’m a failure as an Explorer.
Tears dripped down, plip plop.
“Ko-chan…”
Even though I finally reunited with Ko-chan, and we promised to form a party…
I even thought the good luck the helmet was supposed to bring would come true…
This is the end for me.
“It was fun…”
When I close my eyes, the scenery of that summer comes to mind.
An endlessly blue sky.
White, towering cumulonimbus clouds.
The clear flow of the river.
Summer light filtering through the gaps in the trees.
“Omoikawa-san!! Stand up and take your sword!!”
Hearing Yamada-san’s voice, I opened my eyes to see a Poison Lizard entering the room.
It lumbered towards me like a crocodile.
“Haha…”
No matter how hard I try, I’ll die anyway.
Thinking that, I couldn’t muster any strength.
“Ko-chan…”
I still want to be in that dream.
I want to die, enveloped in that summer scenery.
See, if I close my eyes, I can hear the chirping of cicadas again.
Miiiin min min min min…
Crunch, crunch…
Miiiin min min min min…
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch…
“Huh…?”
I heard a strange sound, so I opened my eyes.
And then,
Beside me, at eye level, a mysterious hole had opened up.
Inside the hole, I could see a rice paddy, and the chirping of cicadas echoed from it.
And then.
“Kyuuuiii!!”
—An Imomushi, looking like it had come straight out of a picture book, poked its head out of the hole.
“Eh…? What… is this…?”
My mind couldn’t process it.
“Kyui, kyui!”
The Imomushi was crunchingly eating through space itself.
As it did, the hole gradually grew larger.
And there,
“…Oi, Otama-chan. We promised to form a party, didn’t we? Don’t you go breaking it on your own.”
—stood my beloved childhood friend.