Book 1: Chapter 6: (2)

The giant centipede was long and flat, and the width of its body was about the same as a telephone pole. About a meter of the monster was already coming from underneath the iron gate, and it looked like he had a lot more coming. With how things were now, I had no doubt we couldn’t win against this beast, but then the iron gate finally started to lower down, catching and cutting off the rest of the giant centipede from coming inside. Luckily for us, he was now pinned between the gate and the stone floor. As the iron gate tried shutting completely over the giant centipede, it shrieked in agony.

「By some crazy luck, we did it! 」

When I started to celebrate, the female wizard shouted out.

「This thing won’t die from just that. Move away! Inferno! 」

The giant centipede that was being crushed between the gate was suddenly engulfed by hellish fire. And then it turned crisp black and almost completely burned up. I had thought stuff like this existed in this other world, but to actually see magic upfront, it was amazing. But even with that, the charred black giant centipede started to weakly move around and coil together. It made some more painful shrieks and squishing noises, signs that it was still alive. The female wizard had used an amazing fire spell, but she looked completely spent after that. So, I took my ice axe and started to strike the head of the giant centipede.

「Take this, you bastard! Die! 」

If this thing still had energy left over, this would be way too dangerous. I bashed its head until it completely stopped moving. After a while, power suddenly welled up inside of me. The thought hadn’t even been in my head, but from defeating this giant centipede, I had finally gained the level ups that I had desired. In other words, the centipede was finally dead.

I was really happy that I leveled up and I wanted to immediately check my status, but this wasn’t the time to be celebrating. The wizard that had just unleashed that amazing magic looked pretty messed up from the fight. I can’t waste time and check my own status right now. I turned around so that I could see how she was doing. But when I did, she was completely passed out on the floor.

「A-Are you okay? 」

I called out to the wizard that was on the floor facing upwards towards the ceiling.

「… I got hit by the poison used by the giant centipede. 」

「Poison? Paralyzing poison? 」

「The giant centipede doesn’t use paralyzing poison. It’s a deadly poison. If you have any kind of high-level poison cleansing magic, I’d be really happy right now. 」

Of course, I couldn’t do any high-level poison cleansing magic. It looked like my face was enough to tell her I couldn’t do that. The wizard girl laughed.

「From that rough display of an attack you did a minute ago, you can’t do anything like high-level poison cleansing magic, can you? Ahhh …. It was a lonely life. 」

When the female wizard sadly closed her eyes, it looks like she lost all the ability to speak. She kept her eyes closed shut and a cold sweat came over her. She could only make out a tiny, sad groan. It looked like the poison was acting fast. I needed to do something and quick. But for an ordinary Japanese guy like me, what could I do? … Wait… Japanese! That’s it!

「It’s crazy, but maybe some cola will–!」

Just in case, I quickly took out the cola I had placed in my rucksack in advance. Cola worked against the poison that paralyzed Ria. Maybe it would also work against the deadly poison the giant centipede uses.

「Please drink this, and do it quick! 」

Even when I called out to her, there was no response. I turned the cap of my bottle and tried pouring the cola onto her mouth from the tip, but it wasn’t working.

「It’s no good. She doesn’t have the ability to drink anything right now. I have to try that then! 」

I had no choice but to put some of the cola into my mouth and then force the cola into hers. I took a big gulp of cola and looked at her lips. This is what they call mouth to mouth, I’ll push the cola into hers. There’s a chance that it might get into her air tract, and it might not have any effect on the poison, but if I do nothing, then she will certainly die. This was no time to falter. Speaking of which, this was the first time I’ve ever kissed a girl in my life, and I could taste the blood on her lips. After a few moments, it seemed like I was able to somehow get the cola to flow down her throat.

「Cough cough, Uhhg… No way…my body is…」

The female wizard was able to talk. For now, it seems like she’s recovered a bit.

「I made you drink some cure-all medicine. Don’t talk too much, drink some more. 」

I really wouldn’t call cola a cure-all medicine though. But at times like this, it was important to talk confidently. Plus, it really did seem to work. Maybe it’s because I said it really confidently, but the female wizard drank up the rest of the cola with only a bit of hesitation.

「It seems like this black liquid really helped clear the poison away. It has a weird taste like medicine, but is it actually medicine? It’s sweet and has this stimulating effect… and even more so, I’ve never heard of a magical poison clearing medicine like this… 」

After a while, the female wizard was able to stand up shakily. Even when she was standing, she wavered on her feet.

「Thank god it worked, but even if the poison is removed, the injuries you sustained are still there. There’s a safe place we can rest nearby, I’ll show you the way so follow me. 」

As I said it, the female wizard just looked at me with skeptical eyes and didn’t move an inch. I guess that’s a normal reaction in this kind of situation. She’s from the other world, and she’s probably never seen a person this deep inside a dungeon wearing a jersey, a headlamp on their hand, and equipped with an ice axe. Not to mention I just gave her mouth to mouth with some suspicious wonder medicine.

「If you’re planning to assault me, just get it over with here. 」

「Huh? What are you talking about? 」

「Rather than it being done by an entire group, at least with you there’s only one person, it’s infinitely better. You probably prefer it that way as well, correct? 」

「W-What is this conversation about? 」

「I don’t have any kind of food or valuables left, so that’s what your goal is, right? 」

The female wizard flashed her thigh from under her black cloak. It looked like she was also wearing a black, dyed leather leotard under all that. Her thigh was oddly seductive. I wondered if the people from the dungeon’s world had a habit of flashing their thighs to people. What a wonderful custom.

Getting a good look at her, even though she was just attacked by a giant centipede, almost died to poison, and her clothing is almost shredded and ripped to pieces, she’s quite beautiful. Ria is beautiful too, but more of the cutesy type. This female wizard gave off a stronger feeling, but she was definitely a beauty. And I just stole a kiss from her seductive lips as well. Speaking of the kiss, I now remember I just gave her my first, in my entire life. That was it. The first one. I dropped to my hands and knees on the ground.

「Ahhhhh …it was my first! Why couldn’t it have been a more normal first kiss… Ria, grandma, it’s not what it looks like… Er, wait, Ria has nothing to do with this. But that was totally wrong! 」

While I was telling myself excuses and rationalizing everything, the female wizard just stared at me with her mouth wide open, totally confused.

「What was wrong? That mouth to mouth stuff earlier? You’re worried about it that much? 」

I was startled. This is bad. That time. She was conscious. She knows. That person knows.

「I-I apologize. That was to remove the poison from your body. 」

「Huh? Uhm? What are you talking about? Weren’t you going to assault me after you saved me, because it would be boring if I was already dead? 」

「What do you mean by assault?? 」

The female wizard’s face turned bright red and she spoke.

「Aren’t you a fugitive from above ground who’s living down here to escape punishment? Seeing someone live on this floor deep in the dungeon is really rare. 」

「W-what are you talking about? You’ve got it wrong! 」

「Then what exactly are you? And with such a strange appearance! 」

It was no use. I was accidentally mistaken for someone weird and suspicious again. Rather than talk about me, this person should just get some rest already.

「I-I-I-I-I grew tired of living the life of a commoner, so I came and hid myself here as a great sage and… 」

After some deliberating, I went and decided to use the theory that Ria used and misunderstood so that I could explain everything. After a while, it looked like the skeptical eyes that the female wizard had been looking at me with turned to a more tentative trust. She extended out her hand toward me.

「What’s with your arm? 」

「You’re going to take me to a safe area where I can rest, right? I can’t walk well yet, so lend me your shoulder. 」

「Oh, uh yeah okay. 」

With that, the two of us turned towards my apartment and started to walk.