Chapter 32: The Decisive Battle Begins
The 14th basement floor was a desolate, empty space.
There were no monsters or branching paths, just a large room with thick, stone-built pillars scattered here and there.
At the far end, stairs leading down were visible.
To the left and right of the stairs, braziers glowed with a purple light.
“…It really has that ‘this is it’ kind of feel, doesn’t it?”
It seemed a powerful monster lurked below.
This had to be it, the second boss floor.
“…Ko-chan, thank you.”
“What’s wrong? So suddenly…”
Otama-chan spoke with a demure air.
“…When I was all alone on the 11th floor, I thought I was going to die just like that. I wondered if it was okay to give up, and I didn’t even have the strength to grip my sword…”
“…So that’s how it was.”
Right before I entered the Private Dungeon, the last thing I saw on the stream screen was Otama-chan, slumped down and looking like she was about to cry any moment.
An expression that said she no longer expected anything, that she didn’t even care about herself anymore…
I’d never seen Otama-chan make a face like that before.
“I never even dreamed you’d come for me, Ko-chan. So, when you showed up, I was surprised, but I was truly happy…”
“I see…”
“Ms. Omogawa, are you alright?”
Yamada-san’s voice reached us through the drone’s video feed.
“Ah, yes, Yamada-san. I’m fine.”
“Were you watching the comments?”
“Comments?”
I peered at the screen along with her.
《Ko-chan: “I… if I can beat this boss, I’m gonna get married.”》
《Aren’t you two dating?》
《Hey, Tamama, at least give Ko-chin a kiss, lol.》
“Wh-What!? As I thought, it’s just a bunch of good-for-nothings here!”
“Ms. Omogawa! Honestly… From the looks of it, you haven’t been keeping up with the comments, have you?”
“Could it be, the rescue came earlier or something…?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s about the boss monster.”
《Is that a comment from Gekkou no Hermit-san?!》
《As expected of an A-rank.》
《Does Yamada-san have the same assessment?》
《I’m in the “Hermit doesn’t actually exist” faction.》
《I’m in the ‘little girl’ faction.》
“There are Explorers among the listeners as well, and there’s an opinion that the next floor boss is a Green Dragon.”
“A dragon…!”
Even I, with my limited dungeon knowledge, knew about them.
They were one of the species that could be called the strongest, and regardless of the color of the individual, they posed a major threat to Explorers…
“I also cannot deny the possibility that a dragon is the boss. What will you do? If it’s that floor, staying for a long time shouldn’t be a problem. Will you wait for rescue?”
“Let’s see… Ko-chan, what should we do? Wait?”
“Right… Status, open.”
Name: Natsume Kouichi
Level: 31
Experience: 132/2977
HP: 277/295
MP: 101/125
Attack: 133 (including bonus +23)
Defense: 109 (ditto +13)
Speed: 181 (ditto +17)
Intelligence: 84 (ditto +2)
Skills: 【Childish】, 【Item Drop Enhancement】, 【Water Resistance (Small)】, 【Sleep Skill Nullification】, 【Water Walking】, 【Slash Enhancement (Small)】, 【Butterfly Dance】, 【Vigilance】, 【Poison Absorption】
Special Abilities: Monster Creature Encyclopedia, Mass Assault, Monster Capture Net (Lv1), Bug Sumo: Stag Beetle, Cheering, Wormhole, Thread (Lv1 ※Rental)
《Can’t see.》
《Drone, change the angle!》
《Can’t see.》
《Can’t s》
《Can’t s》
“Honestly, I still have some strength left. I have unused skills too, and I also feel like I want to test how far my own power can reach. Besides…”
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
“Kyaa…!”
At that moment, an earthquake-like vibration occurred within the dungeon.
And then.
“Eh…?”
A little ahead of us, between the pillars, a new wall had appeared.
《The dungeon changed!?》
《Is this that “growth” thing!?》
《This is valuable footage!》
《But hey, isn’t that dangerous?》
《Is there a chance of getting caught in the wall?》
《What would happen if you were where the wall appeared?》
《This is bad!》
“Natsume-san, that floor is…!”
“Yes. It seems to be growing…”
This was unexpected.
However.
“…It’s not out of the question that monsters could spawn here too. I don’t think we can say for sure that any floor is safe.”
“…I see, understood. Ms. Omogawa, are you aware of the weaknesses of dragon species?”
“Yes, if I recall correctly, in Japanese dungeons, they have a scale on their throat called a Gekirin, and that’s supposedly their weak spot…”
“That’s correct. Very good. Now, Ms. Omogawa, if a dragon actually appears, what kind of tactics will you use to fight it?”
“Let’s see…”
Otama-chan thought for a moment.
“I’ll be the vanguard, aiming for the Gekirin while creating an opening. Ko-chan will take advantage of that opening and attack with bugs… Something like that, I suppose?”
“Excellent.”
Yamada-san said with a smile.
“All that’s left is to win. I believe the two of you can do it. Good luck.”
“Yes!”
“Ah, Ms. Omogawa. Not just for dragons, but I imagine the vanguard won’t have much leeway to heal, so please heal up now.”
“Understood!”
Otama-chan drank a healing potion and a magic potion, getting into perfect condition.
“Ko-chan, hold onto this. Use it if things get dangerous.”
Otama-chan handed me a bag containing healing potions and such.
“Got it. …Ah, this is…”
Inside the bag, besides the potion vials, there was a ring.
“The 10th floor boss dropped it; it’s the ring that grants a poison attack… I’m sorry, I gave it to you thinking it might be useful for something, but it seems there wasn’t much use for it, was there?”
“I’m fine since I’ll wear the speed ring… What about you, Ko-chan?”
“Is a poison attack effective against bosses…?”
“Most bosses nullify poison. Though there are some bosses it works on… However, it’s only the additional poison effect that gets nullified; the physical damage itself goes through normally.”
“I see…”
In short, it’s often meaningless against bosses.
“By the way, Green Dragons do nullify it.”
“Well, I guess I’ll put it on just in case. It probably won’t be a detriment.”
I put the ring on the middle finger of my left hand.
“…Alright.”
I didn’t feel any change.
Oh well.
“Alright, shall we go? The exploration isn’t over until we get home.”
“Mhmm!”
Otama-chan and I descended the stairs to the 15th basement floor.
…Otama-chan.
You said “thank you” to me earlier, didn’t you?
But I’m the one who wants to thank you too.
It’s true that the reason I was able to obtain the power to help Otama-chan is thanks to that Private Dungeon.
However…
–Thanks to whom did that Private Dungeon appear, I wonder?
“It was just good luck.” That’s one way to think about it, I suppose.
–But.
If it had been ordinary land, would a dungeon where you could catch bugs and play in the water like that have been born?
It would have been stone-built like the one here in Oota, with low-level monsters like goblins inside… and even if there were bugs, it would have only been things like centipedes and spiders.
Of course, I, who was thought to have the lowest stats and skills, probably wouldn’t have even been able to enter it.
…While I was feeding the Imomushi in the Private Dungeon, I realized it anew.
The reason I was able to obtain the power to help Otama-chan was–
–because of the memories of the Secret Base the four of us—me, Otama-chan, Manamin, and Shi-chan—spent time in.
Those precious memories remained in the mountain and gave birth to the Private Dungeon.
The feelings of all of us crystallized.
Even if we’re apart, we’re connected by our memories.
Because everyone, starting with Otama-chan, was there, I’m standing in this place.
–I can’t say something like this out loud, it’s too embarrassing, but.
“Ko-chan, let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
We descended to the 15th basement floor.
And then, there was.
“GYAOOOOOOOOOO!!”
A deep green colored dragon, about the size of a two-story house, was there.
“…Alright. Let’s do this…”
At that moment, Yamada-san’s voice echoed through the stream.
“Natsume-san, Ms. Omogawa!! That’s a Green Dragon Variant!! That individual doesn’t have the Gekirin weak spot!!”