CH 61

As originally planned, or rather, we proceeded toward the center of the floor.

“… damn it…” (Shuu)

I muttered while kicking the pebbles at my feet as we were walking.

(A golem stronger than that scorpion, come out!) (Shuu)

Even if I want to cry out, I still have enough brains to keep it to myself. I’d be scared to death if one actually came out.

“…Shuu-san, you should be happier. It’s two Parasite Gems, you know? That’s a great harvest, you know?” (Noa)

“How many acorns is it, squeak?” (Tamiko)

“An acorn calculation.” (Shuu)

“How clever.” (Noa)

I knock out the Metro Beasts that are approaching us with [Beast Repellent] and through blasting them with bullets. Take this, take that.

“That guy is probably the boss of this floor, right?” (Shuu)

“Probably a Mature or mutant individual. If it was packed with so many valuables, it might be the former.” (Noa)

“That’s right. If that’s the case, if that guy doesn’t have Mithril, I’m starting to suspect that we won’t be able to have a chance with a gacha anymore. Where is the Consumer Affairs Agency of the Metro Labyrinth, squeak?! Pigyaa!!!” (Shuu)

“Please calm yourself.” (Noa)

“Abeshuu has lost it, squeak!” (Tamiko)

I cry in outrage at the unreasonableness of the random numbers of the Mithrilgar, while beside me Noa and Tamiko flinch.

“Shishikaba-san said that mithril was mined quite a bit. If the guy from earlier lived on this floor for a long time… That doesn’t mean it has mithril either…” (Noa)

“No! Pigyaa!” (Shuu)

I screamed until my ears pop. The most dreaded development. The thought that they had run out of mithril.

My head hanging down in shock, I draw x’s and o’s on the ground with my [Katana] covered with a [Light Blade]. The o’s wins.

“*Sigh*… This my first adventure after becoming a hunter? …I’m not being naive… I just thought I was pretty good at drawing or something.” (Shuu)

“Cheer up. Look, I have dried meat.” (Noa)

“*Nom, nom*” (Shuu)

“Here, an acorn, squeak.” (Tamiko)

“*Crunch*” (Shuu)

So bitter. I have to spit out the shell.

“I’ve got the other thing I wanted, the Parasite item.” (Shuu)

“Your level has also increased.” (Noa)

“Well… it’s true, but you know…” (Shuu)

I had heard that it was equivalent to 55, so I didn’t have high expectations, but maybe the things the things that accumulated to this point have finally come to fruition, or maybe it’s because of the high quality of the Mature Metro Beast.

Now I was at level 69, near level 70. I was honestly happy. At that moment, I forgot myself and was overjoyed. I was so happy that I forgot about myself for that moment and screamed, “Pigya! Pigya!”

“Now all the party members got to a higher level, it was well worth the trip. Let’s search this floor some more. Oh, and let us be careful of golems.” (Shuu)

“Really?” (Noa)

“Squeak?” (Shuu)

This is the end of the depressed Abeshuu.

I pull myself together, spit out the acorn shell caught in my teeth, and begin to lead the way.

The normal golem her is around 45, which is even much stronger than the ones on the twenty-ninth floor.

Still, compared to the scorpion golem, they are not a big deal. It’s not a difficult opponent if I lift my ban on [Ashura] and [Light Blade].

“This is some kind of bluish iron or steel? …steel? It’s kind of shiny. It’s not the same as other steel, right?” (Shuu)

“Maybe it is in the guidebook? …Oh, this, this is Obsidian Steel! It is not as good as Mithril, but it’s suitable for making good quality armor.” (Noa)

“Seriously!? Is that true?! I got a Super Rare just below Ultra Rare! Next time is going to be Mithril!” (Shuu)

And so we continue to hunt two more golems.

And again, Noa’s level went up. I was not only pleased, and also disappointed at the short time it took her to reach the next level.

“Oh my… Soon, I’m going to have a body that can’t live without Shuu-san…” (Noa)

It would be sexual harassment if I told her to tell me about it on the surface, so I wouldn’t say it.

At the same time, we collect gray stones containing sporangium. This is the third Parasite item. However—still no mithril drops.

During the short break, I check the results of the past week.

Rare metals in the Ore Fungus (Obsidian Steel, Blood Iron, Slime Lead, etc.). Gold, silver, crystals, and other colorful gems. And three Parasite Gems. Bulky biomaterials such as large aluminum- horns have already been released.

“I’m not Obuchi-san, so I can’t evaluate it correctly, but from my amateur guess, it might be over 2 million.” (Noa)

“Really?” (Shuu)

“Abeshuu your nose is bleeding, squeak.” (Tamiko)

“I was honestly worried until we reached the 20th floor, but the three Parasite items are huge. It’s a ridiculous achievement even without mithril. This is the income of first-class hunters, you know?” (Shuu)

Aside from the harvest, Tamiko and I improved by one level, and Noa gained two levels. In addition, Noa has also acquired the Fungal Skill [Mucus].

When you look at it this way, it’s certainly more than enough. If I had wished for more, I would have been punished by the Metro Gods.

“Yeah, that’s right… but I still want more…” (Shuu)

I wanted it. I really wanted mithril. I wanted to make a chuunibyou weapon. Darn.

The deepest level of Ouji Metro has attracted the attention of hunters in the past for the mining of rare minerals.

Certainly, we made wonderful achievements so far, there is no doubt about that, but… is this our limit in Ouji?

At the 30th floor, the map becomes quite hard to follow. We still made progress while taking a break now and then, and we are probably approaching the middle of the circular floor.

Noa checks her watch. Night is about to fall. We decided to look for a safe place to rest.

“–Hmm?” (Shuu)

My [Sensory Spores] is the ability to scatter ultra-microscopic spores emitted from my body into the air, and to sense objects they attached to in three dimensions.

Outdoors, its effective range is reduced to less than half due to the wind. However, in enclosed spaces such as Metros where air flow is weak, it can be used to its fullest extent. The range of effect, which was about 30 meters in radius at the time I got it, has been improved through repeated level-ups and now exceeds 50 meters.

A very small number of spores that have left my body are providing sensory feedback from unexpected places.

“…here?” (Shuu)

There is a small crack in the rock wall. The crack is only a few centimeters wide.

The [Sensory Spores] have penetrated deep into it. It is about one meter deep. How did it reach that far?

It occurred to me to lick my fingertip and hold it up.

“…just a little bit of air flowing through it, huh?” (Shuu)

I put my finger close to the crack and I could finally feel it. If I were told it was just my imagination, I’d be convinced.

“Shuu-san, what’s the matter?” (Noa)

“Well… I was just wondering if there was something behind this.” (Shuu)

Noa holds up her [Light Sphere], but I can’t see beyond because the crack curved inside.

“Mugyuu… It’s impossible, squeak, impenetrable, squeak.” (Tamiko)

The Kunoichi Squirrel puts her nose into the hole, and she can’t pull it out and makes a squeaking fuss.

“The map shows that there is nothing at this end. I thought it was just a series of rock formations leading to a passageway on the other side.” (Noa)

“…is there some kind of hidden treasure, or a hidden room?” (Shuu)

“… the possibility is not zero.” (Noa)

The three of us look at each other. The division of roles is completed by eye contact alone.

The first thing to do is to be aware of our surroundings, Tamiko is in charge of that. And then, I took off my cloak and jacket and went into serious mode. Noa supports the two of us.

While protecting myself with my [Great Shield], I start digging with my arm’s while my hypha arms have [War Hammers] clad in [Light Blade]. Crushed rocks scatter, and the sound of explosions, is scattered about in the tunnel.

Naturally, it attracts metro beasts. Those that can be affected by the [Beast Repellent] makes a U-turn and run away, but those that can’t will have to be dealt with. It’s not a bad idea, because the sporangium will replenish my strength, although it will cost us extra time.

“Damn! It’s super hard!” (Shuu)

The rock wall is tough, maybe tougher than a golem. The walls here are clearly different from the others.

As expected, my hands are chafed, but thanks to [Immortality], they heal after a short pause. Then I resume our work.

“Shuu-san, would you like to switch?”  (Noa)

“No, I’m fine.” (Shuu)

“Abeshuu, do your best, squeak!” (Tamiko)

Tamiko herself is doing a fine job, but her attitude of lying down and scratching her buttocks is inexcusable, so I took a break. “No, no… no more wor, squeak…!”

I dug about a meter deeper and sent [Sensory Spores] directly into the crack at the back of it. And then—

“…I knew it, there was truly a cavity on the other side.” (Shuu)

It is not clear what it is like inside, but it seems certain that there is a space of a reasonable size.

I was no longer worried that it would be a waste of time, but curious about what was out there, and afraid of what awaited us. With all these mixed up in his mind, I continued to swing my [War Hammer].

Eventually, the [War Hammer] pierced through the rock. A hole opened. The surrounding area is scraped away, and the hole widens to a size where a single person can pass through.

While desperately calming my racing heart, I quietly peek deep into the hole. It was almost completely dark due to the lack of firefly moss.

“Noa, [Lightball] please.” (Shuu)

I take the glowing mycelium ball from her and shine it inside.

“…haha, this can’t be real…” (Shuu)

I suspect a mistake on the part of the management. Far from seeing Mithril, I feel like I’ve found something outrageous.

I can’t help but laugh. The first thing I did was go back, beckoning Noa and Tamiko to come in.

It is a small, cozy room. It is dusty, musty, and dark.

And then—it goes deeper. Or, to be more precise, even deeper.

“…This wasn’t the deepest floor…” (Shuu)

Beyond that is a staircase leading down.