212 - - 二百十話 七十六層

Gina and Mel are sent into the labyrinth, and I go on alone. I'm going on alone, but I'm still going with Sylphy and Belle and the others. I'm sure I'll get lonely and turn back at the 16th level if I'm completely on my own.

............"

"Yeah, it's all white."

Fourth day in the labyrinth. We arrived at the 70th layer on the first day and stayed overnight. Over the next two days, we passed through the caves on levels 70 through 75. The heroes must have explored the caves well, because they were quite disappointed not to find any treasure chests.

Considering that there were many treasure chests in the 60th to 65th layers because they were flooded with water and the heroes didn't search much, there must have been many treasure chests in the 70th to 75th layers. I wished they had left at least one.

With a sense of regret, I went down to the 76th level and found ...... a blank world. Strange, the information in the book of heroes said that this phenomenon rarely happened, but I had encountered it from the first day.

"Yuta, it's snowing!"

"Yes, I was imagining a land of ice just like in the book, but I didn't expect a blizzard."

I thought the landscape would be like the Arctic or Antarctica, but it was a whiteout. What?　Was whiteout a mountain phenomenon?　Let's call it a blizzard.

What should we do in this case, though, ......?

"Sylphy, for example, can you stop the winds of a blizzard?"

"Yes, I can stop it. Stop?"

When I asked her, she simply said she could do it. It sounds like a piece of cake. The question is, can we get him to stop this blizzard? I know it's a little late for that, since they flew all the way here to bring us here, but is it too much to ask them to stop the blizzard?　......Well, the belles are getting excited, and since we're here, let's experience the world of blizzards.

I'm going to give it a try. If we can't make it, you can help us.

"Hmm, okay. I won't hurt you. Oh, what about the layer of wind covering Yuta?　If you take it off, it will be very cold indeed."

Come to think of it, I'm in the middle of a blizzard and I don't see any snow coming in around me. I had Sylphy keeping the area around me at a comfortable temperature. If I don't touch it, I'm going to lose my comfort zone too.

"Hey, can Belle keep my perimeter at a comfortable temperature?"

"I can do it!"

Perhaps because of Bell's mention, Bell, who had been listening next to me, raised his hand and joined in. She looks very confident.

"Yes, even Belle can do it. But a little cold won't be a problem, but in this blizzard it might be a bit difficult.

Sylphy says softly as she nuzzles Belle's cheek. I love it. Monuments to Belle's cheeks sound like fun. Next time I'm going to fondle Belle's cheek, too.

Not ....... I wonder if it's going to be a bit of a challenge for Bell to keep me comfortable in this blizzard. On second thought, it's a constant load, so no wonder it's hard work.

"I'm sorry, but I'll leave it to Sylphy to keep the temperature around me. But just in case, I would like to experience the temperature when nothing is going on.

"Fine, but it's going to be like when you stop by the river of magma, isn't it?"

...... come to think of it, that was a bad time. I thought I was going to get burned. I don't want to see the same pattern as that time, but I'd like to experience it just to see something scary.

"Um, just a little bit, please. Call me back as soon as you ask."

"Hmm, okay. I'll untie you then."

"Yes."

Sylphy waves her hand lightly, and the white world comes at once. I knew this was a bad idea. The air hurts. It's not like I'm wearing winter clothes, so my body heat is instantly drained from me, and my ears hurt like they're going to tear into a thousand pieces. I don't care if I can't see.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, please!"

A warm breeze envelops me and the blizzard is pushed away as I ask Sylphy to help me, my teeth chattering.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm sure I'll be okay in a little while, but not right now.

"I'm afraid so."

When Sylphy waved her hand, I felt the density of the air around me increase, and my body began to feel warm around me as if I were in front of a stove. It was very warm.

"Oh, thank you. I feel much warmer now."

As I settle in, I hear voices all around me.

"That was amazing!" "Coo-coo!" "Silent!" "Coo-coo!" "This is not the sun!" "......"

Apparently, the Belles enjoyed the blizzard. If they don't feel the cold, the blizzard might be a fun event.

"Anyway, Sylphy. Thank you so much."

For the first time, I realized how much I appreciate something only after I've lost it. I should thank them properly. ...... No, I felt things like seasonings and amusements in Japan so much after I lost them.

You're welcome.

"Well then, let's get started. It's going to be hard to find treasure chests in this weather, so let's look for stairs while defeating the demons. Belle, you take care of the wind wall. I'll take down the demons I've never seen before. Just tell me where they are.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay..." ......"

Unlike the sea, there will be few treasure chests left, so if the weather is nice when we come back, we can go treasure hunting with Belle and the others. We take out our magic hammers and set out in the blizzard with them on our shoulders to defeat the demons for the first time in a long time.

It's very easy for me to move around in the non-blizzardy space when I move, but I feel like I should ask them to put the blizzard to rest if they're going to let me do this. ......I'll just say it's a matter of feeling and keep trying. It's important to feel like you're doing your best.

But it's hard to walk on the ground because there is ice under the snow. It would be useful if we have shoes like crampons,...... but it's a flat terrain, not a mountain terrain, so it's either way. What we need are boots. I've never seen rubber boots.

What's that?　If you put giant toad skins on the soles of your shoes, wouldn't you be in business?　...... This continent is so hot, it doesn't snow. So far I'm the only one who has reached the seventy-sixth layer, and it doesn't seem to be good for business.

"Yuta, the natural armor?

As I was pondering this, a killer pass came from Bell.

"...... I don't think I'll need nature's armor. I'll ask for it when I'm up against stronger enemies."

"Bosu?"

Excited eyes of Bell stare at me.

"Well, yes. I'll ask you when we fight the boss."

"Yessir."

The little girl has made me say something. It's pathetic. And the words "natural armor" got Flare and Moon hooked. I guess the next armor of nature will be an upgraded version.

"Hmmm, I'm looking forward to fighting the boss.

Sylphy says to me happily. You like nature's armor, don't you? I don't like it because it makes me feel like I'm appealing to the kitchen at all costs. I don't want my old mind to come back and say that the sealed ...... is ....... Let's make "tingle" a banned word.

"Well, well, well. Oh, Sylphy. Blizzards can't come in, but demons can't come in either, right?"

"That part's okay. It's been properly adjusted, so as long as the mass is above a certain level, they can get in."

Okay, thank you.

Sylphy's doing a great job of hiding it. That's the Great Spirit. At least we can move on. The space Sylphy is making for us is a circular space with a radius of about 10 meters.

Belle and her friends seem to be enjoying the boundary between the snowstorm and the space, and are playing happily in and out of the space. Even if demons come, they are so absorbed in playing that they don't go through with it, right?　Since they can only see about 10 meters and the ground is ice, they walk more slowly than usual.

"Yuta, lots of monsters are coming!

"Roger that!　What kind of demon?"

"Inu!"

Bell reports the discovery of a demon. Belle points a tiny finger in the direction of the magic hammer. It seems that the demons in this layer are basically Ice Wolf, White Ape, Ice Golem, and Emperor Bird, but this time it's Ice Wolf.

While I was concentrating on the task at hand, a number of shadows came flying into the room at a great speed. Not surprised at the fact that the blizzard was clearing only around the area, they attacked at once. The Ice Wolves come at us from three different directions at once, and we use our hammers to reap them all off.

With a "bang" scream, icicles scatter. The second group jumps to the side instead of running into me, and together with the third group, they surround me.

The ice wolves are ready to pounce on me at any moment, saying "Guru Guru". I'd read about the general characteristics of these guys, but they really do wear ice on their bodies. It looks cold, but I guess it doesn't matter since it lives in a place like this.

The sides and the front are fine, but the back is a bit of a problem. On normal ground, I'd be fine, but on snow, if I turn around too fast, I might slip and fall.

"Ooooh!"

The largest of the ice wolves in the back barks, and all the ice wolves surrounding me produce ice spears and fire them at once. The ice spears coming from the front and sides are knocked down with hammers, and the ice spears coming from behind are left to the wind wall.

You want to run and smash them with the hammer while you can, but if you rush, you will fall. I close the distance carefully so as not to fall, but the ice wolf keeps his distance from me and does not come close to me.

...... I feel like I'm all alone in this situation. The lack of long range attacks is fatal. Throwing a magic hammer?　Or fight with a lightning magic wand?　Either one is going to be tough. I've been practicing with the magic wand often, but I'm still not at all ...... worried about it.

I can't help it. The next time a magic attack comes, we should jump in at once. If that doesn't work, we'll have to ask Bell and the others. As I'm thinking about it, the leader, Ice Wolf, barks again and the ice spear is fired, so I jump in at once. I manage to control my slipping body and crush one ice wolf.

"Whoa!"

The swing of the hammer knocked him off his feet, and he rolled on the snow. The ice wolves attack all at once. He swings his hammer at the Ice Wolves who jumped into the snow while rolling. The magic hammer feels no weight, so it does what it does best.

They jumped at me and I was able to kill them all at once, but it's a hassle if it's like this every time. Next time I'll get Bell and the others to help me out.

"Yuta, it's a monster!"

Bell reports again. A gurgling or a jarring sound is approaching. What's that sound?　...... sound came so close that it pierced through the blizzard, and a huge demon landed with a thud in front of me.

It was either an ...... emperor bird or a ...... book that said it was a giant bird, but it was a ...... penguin!　No, penguins are birds too.　I think as I look up at the giant penguin. Something doesn't add up.