“Alright, this is the ‘Black Dungeon,’ the ‘Abyss’,” Aisha said with a fearless smile, almost playfully.
” ‘Abyss’? Is that a named Dungeon?” Yuma asked.
Deep Dungeons sometimes have names, but he hadn’t heard of any in Japan.
“I named it. Makes you feel attached, right?”
Watching Aisha descend the stairs with a giggle, the president and Yuma sighed, foreseeing trouble.
◇◇◇
“President, you’ve been here a few times, right?”
“Hmm? Ah, about three times.”
The president, Yuma, and Aisha were walking through the first level of the Black Dungeon.
The cave had rugged, rocky walls. It was dimly lit, just enough to make out the surroundings.
It was supposed to be a Deep Dungeon, but there were no “Labyrinth Mirage” phenomena.
“Come on, you two! Walk faster, or it’ll be dark before we know it!”
Aisha marched ahead cheerfully, leaving Yuma bewildered.
“Is it really okay? Aisha-san isn’t a Seeker, but she’s leading the way in a Dungeon.”
“Well, it’s still a shallow level. There aren’t many dangerous Monsters, but…”
The president carried his thick Hexagonal Rod over his shoulder, grumbling with a fed-up expression. Yuma also held his usual Pickel, cautiously looking around.
All they saw were Pill Bug-like Monsters scuttling across the ground.
They were fairly large, but didn’t seem too strong.
“How many levels are we planning to go down today?”
“Hmm, Aisha said she wants to go to the tenth level.”
“Are the Monsters there strong?”
“Not so much strong, but the Monsters in this Black Dungeon are mostly tough. Like their bodies are made of rock or Iron.”
The president grimaced, looking annoyed.
“Normally, ‘White Dungeon’ rules apply, so ‘Fire’ and ‘Lightning’ magic should work. But some Monsters are resistant to those spells. Their bodies are hard, magic doesn’t work, and the Demon Ore they drop doesn’t sell for much, doesn’t give you great abilities, and the drop rate itself is low. It’s really the worst Dungeon!”
“So that’s why it’s unpopular.”
–I understand why no one wants to enter. But then, why is Aisha-san so fixated on the Black Dungeon?
“Aisha-san only researches the Black Dungeon, right?”
“She’s an oddball. She’s the only one researching the Black Dungeon. Look around!”
Yuma looked around as the president told him to, but there wasn’t a soul in sight besides the three of them.
“There’s no one here.”
“Of course not! We’re probably the only weirdos who would come to a place like this. I wish she wouldn’t drag me along.”
The president grumbled irritably, but looked at Aisha with a resigned expression.
“Well, even so, it seems she’s world-renowned for her research on the Black Dungeon.”
“Eh? Really?”
“If a weirdo goes far enough, they become something else. The government even gives her subsidies, so she must be getting some results.”
Listening to the president’s grumbling, they continued walking and reached the eighth level in about two hours.
“Alright, let’s start here.”
Aisha stopped abruptly, turning to face Yuma and the president.
“This level has many different types of weak Monsters. I want Yuma-kun to defeat them.”
“Me!?”
Yuma was surprised by the sudden request.
“Yes! I want to confirm if your drop rate is really 100%. Kotaro, I’m counting on you for support.”
“Aye aye, got it.”
Yuma reluctantly looked around for Monsters. There were definitely more Monsters wandering around than on the first level.
There were large Pill Bugs, things wriggling like earthworms, and Monsters resembling Armadillos. Yuma decided to start by defeating a Pill Bug.
He raised the Pickel he was holding.
“Here goes!”
He swung it down with all his might. A high-pitched metallic sound rang out, and the Pickel was deflected.
“Eh!? It’s this hard!”
Yuma was dumbfounded. It wasn’t as hard as a Metal Slime, but it was much harder than he expected. It was truly an Ironclad Pill Bug.
“What’s with that wobbly stance, Yuma! Put some spirit into it!!”
The president’s shout echoed. Even if you tell me that, Yuma thought, as he repeatedly struck with the Pickel.
But he couldn’t defeat it, and the Pill Bug scurried around.
It wasn’t that fast, but sometimes the swung Pickel missed.
“Damn it!”
“Ugh, seriously! Get out of the way, Yuma, I’ll do it!!”
The president approached the Pill Bug and mercilessly slammed down the Hexagonal Rod he had raised.
The Pill Bug was crushed with a splat, and eventually turned into sand and disappeared.
“How about that? Not a big deal, right?”
“Y-yeah…”
As expected, his strength is on a different level, Yuma thought, impressed. Aisha strode over from the other side.
“Hey!”
She grabbed the president by the collar and glared at him.
“Why did you defeat it! It’s meaningless unless Yuma-kun defeats it!!”
“Ah… that’s right…”
The president apologized with a distant look.