CH 72

Chapter 72 A Scream That Goes Unnoticed

A few minutes later, after passing through a delicious barbecue and being grilled until carbonized, Orc General… Elliot was absorbed into the labyrinth, leaving only his testicle in place.

「…… I was told that the drop rate of the testicle has increased, but I didn’t expect it to drop immediately.」

If Elliot’s soul was mixed in, it’s not strange that it’s strengthened in that way….

「It’s not that we’re going to eat Orc General’s meat, but getting this after smelling such a delicious smell is torture~」

「Nina, the purchase price is high, so it’s more or less a jackpot….」

「Somehow… this vulgar material looks filthy…」

Nina, Ian, and Esther said bad things about it.

…… I agree with them, though.

It’s a high-quality material that Mona-san would hug happily if I give it to her, but I don’t feel happy at all….

「It’s filthy and smelly, but it’s worth the money. If you pick it with tongs, you don’t even have to touch it with your hands.」

Thinking that it’s Elliot’s stuff makes it feel even more filthy… but since this filth can turn into money, I have no choice but to give up and collect it.

Let’s finish the unpleasant things quickly and go down to the 16th floor.

Hearing Jink and his party’s conversation, Elliot, who had become a soul, was furious.

「(My testicle, which carries noble blood, is filthy you said!? You’re just a failure who’s disinherited, how dare you said that disrespectful thing! Also, how can you use Fire Magic!? What kind of dirty trick did you use!? …… Hey, give back my body! Did you not hear my order!? Listen to me!)」

Of course, souls don’t have a mouth… and no one in Jink’s party has the ability to sense the supernatural.

Therefore, Elliot’s words couldn’t reach them even if he shouted….

A while after Jink’s party went down to the 16th floor, Elliot’s soul continued his soundless scream until his memory was erased and he was revived.

Immediately after descending to the 16th floor, I saw a sight that was like a cave in the depths of an unexplored region.

It’s a fantastic sight, truly fantasy… it screams dungeon.

The temperature is just right, but the humidity is extremely high.

Thinking about it calmly… it might be a tough environment to move around for a long time while wearing armor.

「According to the map… the 16th to 20th floors are a cave area, and it seems that the same floors as this one continues until then.」

「We’re wearing shoes exclusively for the labyrinth, but this area looks so slippery that we might fall if we’re not careful.」

It’s as slippery as a skating rink right after it’s been sprinkled with water.

It’s more dangerous than expected….

With normal shoes without spikes, you won’t be able to go further.

「Yes. In addition, we need to be careful of pitfalls and arrow traps. Master, what should we do?」

「I have a countermeasure for that. I hope it works…」

I knew about the traps in the cave area when I bought the map.

I don’t know if it works until I actually try it, but I’ve already worked out a countermeasure.

「Okay… one more…」

「Onii-sama? That’s…」

「It’s a golem. I’ll use earth magic to move the golem and make it walk in front. It can be used as a shield and a countermeasure against pitfalls, so I made a lot of them when I had time. …… For now, I’ll try to move five of them.」

My Earth Magic skill level is 16.

By buffing it with misanga bracelets, it is possible to manipulate the golem to a level that can be used in actual combat.

But… it consumes MP all the time while it’s being manipulated, so the fuel consumption is the worst.

It would be difficult even for Ian to move the golem during the exploration.

「I see! With this, we can move without worrying about traps!」

「Probably. For now, let’s walk for a while and see if it works.」

If it’s no good, then I and Ian will just become a meat shield and brute force our way with recovery magic.

I don’t want to do it because it’ll hurt, though….

In conclusion… the golem strategy I thought went well.

The golems I prepared this time are cheap ones made from normal dirt, so they can’t stand against monsters.

But they will fall into the pitfall first, so we’re able to minimize the amount of caution of our footing.

Also, most of the arrows stop when they hit the golems, so there’s almost no attack that we need to deal with.

「But in exchange, I have my hands full with operating the golems. As a result, I can’t participate in the battle….」

I’m not used to using Earth Magic and I’m moving five golems at once, so I don’t have time to use other magic.

I also don’t want to use swordsmanship because the footing is too bad….

The bats that attack frequently come from above, so it’s more efficient for the other three to blow them away with magic.

「I am sorry. If I had more power, I could play a supporting role instead of Onii-sama….」

No, Esther, your job right now is to focus on raising your level.

You should prioritize your own growth.

「Should I take over? I am not as good as Master, but I have more MP than the two of them….」

I was thinking that, too.

Ian’s maximum MP is more than half of mine, so I’m sure he can handle it for a short time.

But for now, our unparalleled state still continues.

Besides, I think it’s better to give priority to raising their levels instead of mine since it’ll make the exploration easier later.

「…… Let’s continue like this for the time being. When Ian’s MP grows a little more, we’ll do it by turns.」

「Understood.」