Chapter 71: Exploring Shinjuku Dungeon Together ②
“Um, I’m a fan of Ko-chan-san! Please shake my hand!”
“Ah… yes.”
“Kyaaaa! Th-thank you very much!”
As we were walking through the first floor, an unfamiliar female Explorer asked for a handshake.
I was once again reminded of how famous I’d become.
“So you’re known even in Tokyo, huh?”
“Hmph… Good for you, being so popular.”
“Natsume-kun, fan service is fine, but don’t let your guard down too much, okay?”
“Ah, yeah…”
Somehow, Otama-chan and Shi-chan seemed a bit harsh…
Was I making such a careless-looking face?
“Kehkeh, it’s tough being popular, huh?”
“That’s not really what I meant…”
“Ah, the person inside Hermit-sama! Your blog is always a great help.”
“Ah… th-thanks… Fuhuhu…”
“…Manamin, you should probably get a little more used to fans…”
“…Let’s hurry to the lower floors.”
The first floor seemed to have many beginners and Explorers who were in a touristy mood.
Fan service is nice, but we need to accomplish our original goal.
“Manamin, do you know the way?”
“Hmph… A foolish question.”
Before I knew it, Manamin had 《Dress Change》d into her Moonbow Hermit form.
“I am the Moonbow Hermit. You should not worry whether I know the way, but whether you can keep up with me.”
“…If only she’d stay in this form outside the dungeon too.”
She was so reliable at Shinjuku Station, too.
“Now, follow me. This way.”
“Ah, Harmin-sama! A goblin is coming…”
“Hmph…”
Hermit-sama parried the goblin’s charge with 【Aikijutsu】 and threw it.
“Kishaaa…”
The goblin was slammed onto its back on the floor and returned to a mist of magical essence.
“A mere goblin isn’t even worth using magic on. Now, let’s go.”
“…She’s really reliable.”
It just highlights how disappointing she usually is.
☆★☆
And so, we made our way down to the 10th basement floor.
We were in front of the so-called boss room.
“The 10th-floor boss is a Huge Rat, right?”
“Yeah, as long as we watch out for its 《Poison Fangs》 and 《Paralyzing Fangs》, it shouldn’t be that strong.”
The boss floors in Shinjuku Dungeon have a system where one party at a time challenges the boss, and if they win, the path to the next floor opens.
“Should we have a strategy meeting before entering the boss room? Who’s going to be the main attacker to take it down?”
I don’t think we’ll lose to a boss of this level, but from the perspective of long-term MP management, it’s better to share our tactics.
Just as I was thinking my 【Godspeed】 and 【Aerial Swordsmanship】 would be about right, Shi-chan spoke up.
“Hey, hey, if it’s a rat, I’d like to defeat it. There’s a technique I want to try. I’ll need Tama-chan’s and Hermit-san’s cooperation, though…”
“Eh, mine? I don’t really get it, but okay!”
“Hmph… As if I would refuse a request from Shi.”
And so, we opened the door to the boss room.
☆★☆
“Ki, Kiiiiiiiiiiihh!!”
Upon entering the boss room, a rat about the size of an elephant bared its fangs and intimidated us.
It’s quite imposing.
“Shi-chan, can you do it?”
“Yep, leave it to me! Okay, here I go! 【Fable Magic】《The Restaurant of Many Orders》!”
With the activation of the magic, the inorganic metal floor of Shinjuku Dungeon’s 10th floor transformed into the scenery inside a wooden house.
The floor became wooden planks, and a door with a large keyhole appeared on the wall.
The following was written on the door in red letters:
『Dear Guests:
□ Please wash the mud off with water.
□ Please leave your weapons here.
□ Please remove your armor here.』
Shi-chan’s 【Fable Magic】 is a spell that deploys a special field within the dungeon.
The effect of 《The Restaurant of Many Orders》 is, if I recall correctly…
“Well then, here I go. 【Dark Magic】Corruption!”
When Hermit-sama activated her magic, black smoke emerged and coiled around the Huge Rat.
“Kiiii!?”
This smoke also has an offensive and defensive debuff effect.
Then.
『Dear Guests:
□ Please wash the mud off with water.
✓ Please leave your weapons here.
✓ Please remove your armor here.』
Two of the “orders” written on the door now had checkmarks.
“I’m going too! 【Water User】 Skill: Water Gun!”
Splat!!
“Ki, Kiiiiihhh!!”
“Wah, it’s kinda angry!!”
The damage to the Huge Rat so far was almost zero.
Having received what seemed like taunting attacks, the rat bared its fangs and entered a battle stance.
—However.
『Dear Guests:
✓ Please wash the mud off with water.
✓ Please leave your weapons here.
✓ Please remove your armor here.』
The three “orders” demanded by the fable space Shi-chan had created were now marked as conditions fulfilled.
“Shi-chan… this is going to be okay, right?”
“Sorry, Natsume-kun. It’s my first time too, so I don’t really know…”
“Eh…!?”
“But, surely, with this…”
“Ko-chan, Shi-chan!! The rat’s coming!”
“—!”
“Kiiiiiiiiiiihh!!”
Just as the rat, with a jump unbefitting its massive frame, lunged to attack us.
“Chuuuuhh!?”
Something even larger grabbed the rat by its tail and dangled it in mid-air.
“Welcome-nyaa. Today, we’ll have rat steak-nyaa.”
It was a giant wildcat wearing a chef’s hat.
This was the effect of Shi-chan’s magic, 《The Restaurant of Many Orders》.
“Kyaaah! The kitty is so cute! But scary! I wonder if my face is all crumpled up like in the original story? Am I okay!?”
“Shi-chan…”
Shi-chan was incredibly hyper, frolicking as she watched the cat.
I’d never seen Shi-chan like this before.
She must really love this story.
The giant cat lifted the Huge Rat to eye level and muttered.
“The salad is ready, so all that’s left is to grill it-nyaa.”
Bwon!!
At that moment, a giant frying pan and oven appeared before the cat’s eyes.
“Chuu, chuu…!”
It put the boss, the Huge Rat, over the fire.
“Chuu…”
Soon, the rat fell silent.
“Aaalright, it’s done-nyaa.”
Bwon!
After the cooking utensils disappeared, what remained was a single dish: the roasted rat, served with a side of salad.
“—Time to eat-nyaa.”
And then, the giant wildcat tilted the plate in front of its face and swallowed the entire meal whole.
“Munch munch… munch munch…”
“Kyaaah!”
Shi-chan was excited, though I didn’t quite understand why.
“The kitty is so cute! I want it to eat more! I want to give it seconds!”
“Shi. For the same party, the boss won’t respawn on the same day…”
Even Hermit-sama seemed slightly exasperated.
It was a rare sight.
And then.
“That was a delicious meal-nyaa. It was quite tasty-nyaa.”
“Kyaa! You’re welcome!”
“Munch munch… Ptui!”
Clank, clank!
From the wildcat’s mouth, a rather large magic stone and silver coins were spat out.
At that moment, the wooden interior vanished, and the original inorganic dungeon scenery returned.
Shi-chan’s 《The Restaurant of Many Orders》 had been dispelled.
“Kyaaah! Ah…”
Shi-chan looked around restlessly.
“Shi-chan, you looked like you were having fun.”
“Hmph… It was worth cooperating, then.”
“S-sorry…”
Shi-chan blushed and looked down.
“I just got carried away having fun… I was tired from work too…”
Shi-chan made excuses while twiddling her fingers.
“Natsume-kun, I’m sorry too. For using a magic spell whose effects I didn’t fully know in a boss battle…”
“No, it’s totally fine. After all, Team Secret Base is a team that aims for the top while having fun. Let’s keep playing around more and more.”
“…Y-yeah!”
Shi-chan smiled happily.
“Thanks to the skill I received from Natsume-kun, every day is fun for me. I might be like this, but please continue to look after me, okay?”
“Ah, yeah…”
“Well then, let us proceed.”
“The 11th floor of Shinjuku Dungeon has Goblin General magic types and swordsman types, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Let’s not let our guard down, everyone… though I guess you wouldn’t want to hear that from someone who just had a blast during the boss fight…”
“No, that’s that, and this is this. Ten floors remaining, let’s buckle down!”
“Yeah!”
And so, we descended the stairs to the 11th floor.