Episode 33.5

A group of people are walking down the stairway onto floor 120.

As the passages here aren't straight, with protruding rocks here and there, each sides can't see each other from their current locations.

"One, two... Fumu. It's 16 people. Five mana bearers. Pretty impressive mana."

"Oh, a group of 16 sounds familiar."

"Yeah?"

"I believe it was a bit before the 40th. If I recall right Lecan-dono mentioned how there were 16 people fighting magic beasts on floor 116."

"Oh yeah, I did."

It's said that 10 persons are the the average party size of adventurers who tackle floor 100 and below.

And yet they rarely ever came across anyone ever since they got on floor 100 below.

So far there were only three sightings.

And since one of those three was a huge group of 16 individuals, naturally it left a lasting impression.

The 16 people are heading straight to a room near them.

Lecan and Arios can just go left or right if they don't want to meet this group.

(I'd prefer not bumping into other adventurers in the dungeon depths.)

(But either is trying to avoid them is a good idea.)

That'd make it look like they're running away.

(If they got someone with a scouting ability.)

(They'd wonder why we were sneaking around.)

As such Lecan headed straight for the stairway.

Eventually the two groups run into each other in the center of the passage.

The one leading them is a swordsman whose red hair looks like it's burning. It's a member of <Gwyntir Era Slupiner>. This swordsman is likely their leader.

He's got a leather armor without an undershirt on his upper half, and an armored headband wrapped around his forehead. His stature is about equal Lecan's. His lower half has got short trousers furnished with leather armor. His boots are very short. There's a greatsword on his back. It looks quite heavy and yet his steps are light and firm like he didn't feel a thing.

(That's a lot of exposures.)

(You see guys like this among battle freaks every once in a while.)

As they were approaching Lecan and Arios, the red-haired swordsman slid to the right, opening a path. The people behind him followed, inching more to the right. Judging from that flow of event, the red-haired swordsman is not only the leader of the entire pack, but he's also quite revered, so guessed Lecan.

The muscles on his body have been honed toward extreme practicality. There's absolutely no excess flab on him, and coupled with his long nose, his face gives off an overall razor sharp impression. Sharp chin, and his thin yet well groomed beard and moustache. Dude must be pretty popular with women.

As they passed by each other, the red-haired swordsman called out to Lecan.

"You, I met you before."

"Maybe."

"Yea. We did. On the day Dreitz died. We met at the dungeon's entrance."

Come to think of it, the big man who broke Nikos's head on that day is missing. Is that big man the same Dreitz who died.

"Your party name?"

"<Willard>."

"Hou?"

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"And yours?"

"<Gwyntir Era Slupiner>."

"Too long."

The red-haired swordsman frowned for an instance like he was offended but then he burst out laughing. With his eyes still wide open.

"Kukukukuku. Damn right it is. I thought so too. Seems us two will get along just fine."

"Yeah? I wonder about that."

"I'm Vangard."

Vangard's eyes beamed as he glared hard at Lecan's eye.

"I'm Lecan."

"Lecan. Lecan eh. Noted. Shame 'bout your friends. Well, just count yourself lucky you're getting more loot. See ya."

He suddenly stopped short just as he walked off, then he lowered his posture and squinted at Arios like it was hard to see him.

"And yer' name?"

"Oh, it's Arios."

"Yer' pretty damn good yerself eh."

"Yes."

Vangard left after glaring dagger at Arios without laughing. Lecan and Arios walked to the stairway.

"What is he on about with that shame."

"Perhaps he believed we have lost our companions."

"Aa. I see now. But he should find out right away that's not the case once he's in the room and see no bodies or leftover items."

"Now then, I'm not sure myself."

"Even if we got the items in our <Box>, bodies wouldn't just disappear right away."

"What if we waited around for the bodies to get absorbed by the dungeon?"

"Hou."

Perhaps that's what Vangard believed they did.

"Hang on. Can't dead bodies get in a <Box>?"

"Apparently they can once several days have elapsed since the time of death."

"Hou?"

"It cannot be done moments after death."

"Really now."

"Yes. That's what I'm told."

"How long a dead body last in a dungeon?"

"Wouldn't it not take even half a day in a dungeon?"

"Hmph."

<Storage> cannot store dead bodies either. Magic beasts' bodies can once they've been dismantled into materials. This applies to any and all living beings. That is to say <Storage> cannot keep living beings. Plants that have been put inside <Storage> can be replanted just fine, but birds, insects and fish cannot get in if they're not dead.

Lecan has never tried leaving a dead body for days and then putting it in <Storage>, nor has he ever heard someone doing that either in his previous world. The thought of testing it out never crossed his mind either.

"We're heading for the trade facility."

"Eh? Are you selling something?"

"I ain't."