CH 122

Dungeons are a very mysterious thing. It could be an alien invasion, a fusion with another world, or a military weapon from another country. Ever since the dungeon first appeared, there have been many speculations.

There have been books that claimed to reveal the true nature of dungeons, and small religious groups have been born. This is because the true nature of dungeons is still unknown, and because they are completely outside the laws of physics.

Unique monsters and stampede outbreaks that we don’t even know the exact mechanism of. Someday, the idea that dungeons are mysterious will seep into people’s deep psychology, and they won’t notice anything unusual. Oh, it’s always the same.

In Japan, there have been few deaths, though few. However, worldwide, a large number of explorers have lost their lives in dungeons and not even their bodies have been found. There are times when people suddenly go into a dungeon and don’t come back. People perceive it as an accident.

They must have been killed by a monster. That’s what dungeons are for. That’s how it is with all explorers. Maybe it was a serious incident, maybe something unforeseen happened. It is always those who have never been in a dungeon who say such words, and such voices are often ignored.

After all, these are the words of people who have never been in a dungeon.

For some reason, there are so many people who have stopped thinking about dungeons because they keep thinking that they are outside the realm of the human imagination. That’s why they don’t recognize it. That’s why they don’t realize the malice that lies deep within the dungeon.

“Brother, a unique one again.” (Haru)

“Oh, not again. I see it too.” (Kei)

It’s been a month since we met that maid, and we’ve been exploring the dungeon as usual without any word from my dad. We’ve been exploring the ruins little by little and raising our levels.

However, there were many times when things didn’t go as usual in the dungeon, and we had to drink potions because we got injured.

The monsters that appear in the ruins generally have special abilities. If it is a slime, it is a splitter, if it is a goblin, it is a sword wielder. Wolves called their pack mates, wild boars sent rocks flying. However, monsters with special abilities that surpass even these, unique monsters, rarely appear in dungeons. Well, rarely.

“Today it was lizards, yesterday it was moles. What was it the day before yesterday?” (Haru)

“There was none the day before yesterday, and before that was bats. The day before that, a snake?” (Kei)

“Oh, that’s right. A fire-breathing snake.” (Kei)

A unique monster was appearing in front of us about once every two times. The strength of the monster was also strange. Unique monsters are usually of varying strength and appearance. Some are not much different from the monsters that can be found in the area, and some are like the Black Knight that hunted down the Hero Party.

And the one we met was like the Black Knight. It was so strong that it was difficult for me or Haru to win alone. However, it’s possible to do so if both of us use our Treasure Tools and fight with all our might. There were enemies that felt strange, but not so strange that we had to retreat.

The unique monsters that appeared didn’t drop any items for some reason, but we were able to raise our levels.

One more thing. Whenever a unique monster appeared, the ring on the treasure trove would glow. It glowed as if it was telling us to use it quickly. Once the Treasure Tool ring was activated, it would continue to work for the duration of the fight as if there was no time limit.

What was unfortunate was that the activation of the Treasure Tool in that state was also counted as a full day. Once the battle was over, it was impossible to reactivate the Treasure Tool back from being a ring again.

“We can’t afford to deal with unique monsters right now. We have to go now.” (Kei)

“Okay. Now that we have the treasure at our disposal, it’s convenient, isn’t it?” (Haru)

And now we were on the 15th floor of the ruins. We were standing in front of the gate of the boss room. It was more than a year ago that we first entered the 15th floor of the cave. Inside was a Minotaur that I don’t know how many times we’ve beaten it. It kept providing us with delicious meat. Even now, we serve it once every two days for dinner.

“Okay, ready to go?” (Kei)

“Let’s go!” (Haru)

The door leads to a large room as usual. However, standing at the end of it was the maid from that time.

“Yahoo! Haruka-chan and Touka-kun. It’s been a while.” (Burlando)

The maid waved widely with a smile on her face, no different from a month ago.

Haru and I stood at the entrance of the room and raised our weapons. We know that she can move at a speed that we can’t even perceive. We also know that resistance will be pointless if she really tries to attack us.

But it was only after we met her that the frequency of the appearance of unique monsters became strange. It’s hard not to be wary.

“Did we tell you our name?” (Kei)

“Hmmm, I can tell from your status. You’re both level 99. Let’s see your skills.” (Burlando)

She nodded her head with a finger to her chin while looking at us. As usual, there is no movement of magic while she peeks at our status. Perhaps she is using [Resonance] or the ability of as someone on the Side of Dungeon Management.

“Well, I’m here to see how well you guys can fight. Well, don’t worry, you won’t be fighting me.” (Burlando)

The maid then pointed her left hand straight at the corner of the room.

“He’s the one you’ll be fighting. Let me introduce him to you. He is Mino-tan!” (Burlando)

At the end of where she is pointing, a monster that looks like a larger version of a Minotaur with armor covering its entire body. Its horns are sharper and longer, and beside it lies an ax and shield larger than my body.

Yes, it was lying down.

“Why is it in such a state?” (Kei)

“Because it was being noisy.” (Burlando)

Mino-tan, as she called it, had been wrapped in chains and rolled into a corner of the room.