Chapter 28: Frog of the Lake

Chapter 28: Frog of the Lake

“Ah, that’s—“

After Futaba-san hunted that snake, we ended our break, and have been advancing for a while now. And all of a sudden, the trees cleared up, and our field of view widened.

“Wow, it’s a lake”

Just as Futaba-san expressed kind of like a tourist, over there, was a lake right in the middle of the forest.

“From closer, it must be really pretty”

Reflecting white light, the glittering water surface was calm, and the pristine water was so clear you could see the bottom, I could tell that much standing back here. From up close, it should be even more illustrious. It’s a sight I could honestly compare to a tourist spot.

“I’d prefer to not get too close though. We haven’t got a clue as to what kind of aquatic Monsters are in there.”

As we’ve secured a practically infinite supply of potable water in the Fairy Square, there’s no reason for us to approach the lake.

“Let’s keep away from the lake, and go around”

There’s no other choice. With Futaba-san as vanguard, and keeping the lake to our right, we make towards circling around it.

“...Huh?”

The problem, appears all too soon.

“What happened, Momokawa-kun?”

“The Compass, it’s still pointing to the lake”

After going around the perimeter quite a bit, I nonchalantly check on the Magic Compass, to find this happening.

“Probably a coincidence. Let’s go, a bit more”

But, my naive hopes are shot down fast. The Compass continues to point to the center of the lake.

I’d have thought it was telling us to go to the opposite bank, but no matter how far we advance, it keeps pointing at the lake. Even though I can’t see any path there.

“The Note Circle going haywire... isn’t, possible right...”

Futaba-san can’t be blamed for saying that. In fact, I thought the same thing at first.

“I don’t know if the Note Circle is bugging out or not, and right now, we’ve got no way of confirming that either”

If this compass function of the Note Circle is really going funky, then our dungeon capture will come at a complete standstill right here.

“I guess, we need to steel ourselves and look into the lake after all”

This isn’t the great outdoors but a mysterious dungeon chock full of crazy gimmicks. That being the case, there’s no reason for there not to be a hidden path inside the lake. If possible I’d like there not to be some annoying mechanism that tells us to bring back a key, or a stone tablet, or Key Item, or some bullshit puzzle or riddle to find the password or something.

“Let’s look in the water, see if you find something”

And so, we put on our vigilance, and with caution, bring ourselves closer to the lake. Looking at it anew, it just looks like a beautiful lake. In the clear water, I could find schools of fish swimming around.

For a time, as if tracing back our path, we slowly circle along the lakeside.

“How is it, Futaba-san, see anything?”

“Hmm, No, not rea— Ah”

Looking as if she found something already, Futaba-san raised her voice and pointed.

“There, something like a building is under the water!”

I focus at the pointed direction... but yeah, can’t see anything. It’s not as bad that I’d need glasses, but seems like Futaba-san has me beat in the eyesight department. Or maybe it’s Berserk Body strengthening her vision.

“Kay, let’s go”

Of course, I don’t mean inside the water. We’re relocating to a place where I’ll be able to see the structure Futaba-san saw. Fortunately, it’s not too far. Or more like, it’s right where we started from, came out of the forest and arrived at the lake.

“Woah, how did I not notice something like this...”

That thing appeared so clearly inside the lake that I unconsciously leaked out such an impression.T/his chapter is updated by nov(ê(l)biin.co/m

At a glance, it looked to be a bridge sunken in the lake. I say sunken, but the depth to the path was only around 30 cm. If I can afford for these flimsy school-designated indoor shoes to get soaked inside out, then it’s an easy walk across.

The width is around that of a 1-car lane, so there’s plenty of breathing room. If we walk along normally, as long as the bridge itself doesn’t collapse, we won’t miss our footing.

To no surprise, my Blackhair Bind had no restrictive effect at all. Or more like, can frogs even do back jumps, structurally speaking?

The hell is this, fuck! I cursed internally with various grievances, but then,

“Uwah!?”

In front of me, a wet, revoltingly pink mass of meat was closing in.

When I realized that, that was the long tongue of the giant frog that flew out from its gaping large mouth, my feeble body had already been wrapped up and captured.

“Momokawa-kun!?”

Without being able to make any form of resistance, the moment I tried to swing my spear, I was getting dragged towards the frog’s mouth. That strength reeling me in, forget someone like me, it wasn’t something a mere human could resist.

Being pulled in with what can be appropriately called monstrous strength, I cut through the air leaving being my scream, and the scenery.

There wasn’t any revolving lantern like effect with the memories of my life flashing by, just thinking “Ah, I’m dead”, I simply stared at the frog’s gaping mouth like a fool.

The large mouth was glistening with sputum, it somehow looked glowing red. As if, it were the entrance to Hell— I was about to think, when the lid on that Hell closed shut. The red, was dyed in black.

“BuwaAAAAAAA!?”

I experience the split-second feeling of slamming into cold water, and at the same time, the shock of being thrown down rolling from a bike roaring down a hill slope. Which translates as, I fell onto the Waterline with the same inertia I had while being reeled in by the frog’s tongue, and rolled around a bunch of times.

Falling in water meant that it didn’t hurt so much, but I almost drowned a bit. Slamming in there like that, I was made to understand that humans really can drown in a mere 30 cm of water, as I anguished in the stinging feeling of water invading my nostrils.

“Momokawa-kun, are you ok?”

“S-somehow...”

As I shake my drenched long-haired head like a dog, I look around the vicinity to find Futaba-san vigilantly holding her axe. And crying, Ogheghee!, the figure of Great Frog looked to be in pain, splashing out green blood from the tip of its tongue. [2]

It appeared, that Futaba-san barely made it as she severed its tongue, and prevented me from being swallowed whole. I see the logic behind it, but this girl who was a normal highschooler just a few days ago, performing such a masterful display of superhuman technique, is certainly worth merit. I don’t know what’s scarier, the vocation Berserker or her own talent.

Anyway, that saved me. That I could carefreely declare so, isn’t so surprising, since in the next moment, the battle came to a quick conclusion.

The first to move was, having recovered from the pain of its tongue severing, the Great Frog. It flew into a mad rage, and hoarsely crying out like a genuine frog, spitting saliva everywhere, it charged.

With its folded up hind legs, its jump, the identity of a frog, was not to be seen, as it stomped along on the Waterline on all 4 limbs without the slightest care.

Facing that, Futaba-san stood strong waiting, her wide back seemed as if it was declaring it would protect me. But no matter how much Futaba-san completely obliterates the average young woman’s height x mass, there’s a clear difference from the true monster class size of the Great Frog.

A scene replicating a traffic accident involving a truck crashing head on, right before the moment of such an impact, the battle-axe shone.

“Hmph!”

Exactly what kind of event that surmised, someone like me with my totally average eyesight wouldn’t catch any sight of. Truly, a speed surpassing the limits of vision.

However, I clearly witnessed the resulted attained by such an event.

The Great Frog that was rushing, was pitifully sent flying.

Looking at that frog-kun, I get a sense of pity.

“It’s the Knight’s Skill Repel!”

That’s right, it’s that very same ability we tested out when I had just made Futaba-san my ally, I tasted this same Repel. The result: it was the same as mine, as the Great Frog was now pitifully struggling belly up, lying on top of the Waterline.

Still, even against a Great Frog, it invoked at such pinpoint timing... no, that it sent the creature flying in a full-frontal attack, would be the most surprising aspect.

“YaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

And then, Futaba-san, not missing that massive opening of an animal overturned and madly flailing away, this time truly, dealt the fatal blow.

The large axe blade pierced into the soft-looking white skin covering frog’s neck, ruining the nice scenery with a shower of green blood.

“Uwah, sorry Momokawa-kun, looks like, we maybe won’t be eating this frog after all”

Tahaha, Futaba-san laughed wryly after her complete victory, and with that, the duel over the Waterline came to its end.

________________________

[1] Waterline = underwater path, a uselessly coined term cos it makes things nicer.

[2] The frog is described multiple ways, until it settles at this line as Great Frog — Dai Kaeru.