CH 67

“There’s a Chihuahua over there! There’s a chihuahua standing there! Ya-hoo! Hehehe.” (Shuu)

Noa clearing her throat brings me back to reality.

“Calm down, please. What is where?” (Noa)

“Sorry. There’s a Chihuahua over there…?” (Shuu)

In front of where my finger was pointing—there was nothing. I can’t even feel any presence in the area within [Sensory Spores].

“You saw it too Tamiko, right? I wasn’t mistaken, right?” (Shuu)

I was worried that I might have seen a hallucination. That there was a chihuahua.

“There was something there, squeak, but I didn’t know what it was, squeak.” (Tamiko)

“I guess it ran away when Mr. Shuu suddenly screamed at it.” (Noa)

“I see…” (Shuu)

There was no doubt that there was something there, but I seemed to have alarmed them.

am a cat person by my own admission, and dogs are the counterpart of them. However, I am not the kind of person who believes dogs are unlikable.

Both fluffs are the perpetual peacemakers and the universal happiness creator of mankind. I will never forget the debt of gratitude I owe to the cats, Shiba Inus, and Chihuahuas I watched before going to bed, as they provided a small comfort to my tired body and soul after working overtime.

“Well, Little Shuu, what is a Chihuahua?” (Kure)

“This is my first time hearing about it too, is it a Metro Beast?” (Noa)

Neither of them had ever heard of a Chihuahua. I guess they have missed out on a percentage of their life.

“They are tiny dogs. It’s about this big, fluffy, with short legs, and big eyes. They are very popular as pet dogs all over the world. They are friendly, but they are easily scared and don’t like the cold, so they wear clothes when they go for a walk during winter.” (Shuu)

“Mr. Shuu.” (Noa)

“I-I’m sorry. There might not even be dogs anymore.”

“What kind of dog is it?” asked Kure. “There is a breed of dog called the Senju Inu. They are big and strong, perfect as guard dogs and popular as hunting partners.” (Kure)

They are a breed that did not exist in the original world. So, taking a hunting dog with you was a natural choice. I was blindsided.

“We have pet dogs at Ikebukuro, but I’ve never heard of a Chihuahua. Maybe other tribes have pet dogs. I mean, Mr. Shuu is surprisingly fond of animals, aren’t you? You even kept glancing at Ms. Yui.” (Noa)

I was found out.

“Abeshuu is just some virgin, but still quite the manwh*re, squeak. Such a cheater, squeak.” (Tamiko)

Tamiko puffs up her cheek pouches cutely. I had no intention of ignoring her, so I apologized for making her feel that way. “Even if you do this, squeak… I won’t be deceived… Squeak…!” I completely ignore Kure’s gaze full of envy.

“But there can’t be any ordinary dogs in these depths, can there? A Metro Beast, perhaps.” (Noa)

Is it a coincidence that there is a Chihuahua on this floor that resembles the ancient Mayan civilization, or is it a coincidental prank by the Metro?

The fearful look in its eyes as it peeks out from behind the trees, the timidity with which it runs away at the slightest disturbance, these are the not characteristics of a ferocious and dangerous animal. However, it would be reckless to expect it to be friendly to people like a pet.

“Well, we may run into them again if we continue our search. Mr. Shuu, please don’t let your guard down and don’t try to play with them, okay?” (Noa)

“…Yeah, I’ll keep it in mind.” (Shuu)

The relationship between the beast and the hunter, the hunter and the hunted. That never changes no matter what the opponent looks like.

Of course. Of course… but…

If I see that fluffy fur in front of me.

If they look up at you with those big round eyes.

Or even if they were to make a mewling sound as if pleading for their life.

Would I still be able to swing my blade down mercilessly?

“Ugh… I can do it, I’m a hunter… even if my opponent is a Chihuahua…!” (Shuu)

I made up my mind even if I have to vomit blood, but clearly Noa and Tamiko’s eyes show distrust from their expressions.

The Abeshuu Expedition Team is ready to start over again.

The goal is to find the next structure.

“I don’t think we’ll have much trouble finding anything, zombie or alive, maybe more of the gremlins we saw earlier.” (Noa)

“I have a feeling it won’t work out that way. It’s a hidden floor.” (Shuu)

Just as Noa had foreseen, a new monster appears before the group’s eyes.

Thud! With a heavy crash, a large tree falls.

The tree creaks and swings down, its branches creaking. The force of the swing is so powerful that the ground explodes. Our party scatters and regains our positions, but the heavy sound of falling trees continues to echo around us. A total of five.

“Those are Treants! And they are huge!” (Noa)

Are they the tree monsters from the video games? It is true that at a glance they look like moving trees, but in reality they are giant insects—stick insects, to be exact. Even the branches and leaves have been perfectly reproduced.

“Ha!” (Shuu)

Without a moment’s hesitation, I threw a [Fireball]. Fire is the standard weakness of  the wood element when it comes to games.

However, although the fireball exploded after the direct hit, the surface was only slightly scorched. It was not a one-hit kill as the fire spread to the entire body. It is indeed a living creature with blood and water in it, and it does not burn up easily.

“Mr. Shuu, just saving one is fine, let’s defeat it without burning it! It will be a good souvenir!” (Noa)

“Seriously!? Let us do our best!” (Shuu)

I was feeling quite enthused, but even so, it was not easy.

It is more than 10 meters tall. The limbs that swing down are like those of a pendulum in an amusement park. Behind its tree-like outer skin, it has an exoskeleton that a bare [Katana] would not be able to cut down in a single swing.

According to the [Risk Counter], it is level 45, which is stronger than a golem on the 30th floor. Then five of them at the same time.

“Kure, take one! Tamiko and Noa, you are supporting!” (Shuu)

With a [Katana] in my right hand and a [Great Shield] in my left, looking up at them are four giant insects that look like something out of a monster movie.

I can’t help but feel a little uneasy, in the end this is normal, everyday life. It’s far better than when I was fighting with the swarm of Demon Centipedes before learning [Light Blade] and [Ashura] in Outsuka Metro.

It makes me laugh a little when I think about it.

Sometimes I still wonder what I am doing.

In a world a hundred years in the future, in a mysterious labyrinth spreading underground, I am wielding a sword that grew out of my hand against a monster. Even after five years have passed and “this is normal, everyday life,” such thoughts sometimes pop into my mind.

(However, this is the reality.) (Shuu)

(I live in such a reality.) (Shuu)

With my usual line, I announced my intention to take their, and leaped with the shining sword on my shoulder.

After knocking down all five bodies and confirming the safety of the area, we will start the dismantling work according to Noa’s instructions. Torrent’s epidermis and skeleton are said to be good materials for clothing and armor.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Treant this big. It looks like it’s going to give good materials.” (Noa)

The most beautiful material to be used was one that had its joints broken and neck twisted by Kure. It is a little frustrating for me as a person, but I should praise him for killing a giant insect by submission. I won’t say it out loud, though, because I’ll get jumped.

“It looks like they are not zombies, so let’s take their sporangium.” (Noa)

“I’m afraid of zombies. But this one’s fine, right?” (Shuu)

“I don’t know, but a Metro Beast with sporangium could still be a zombie.” (Noa)

Carnival pendulum rides-like attacks, oblivious to pain and fear. It is indeed horrifying to imagine.

It takes rather a long time to dismantle and collect them. We had lunch on the spot and resume our search.

From my perspective, the unchanging scenery of the jungle continues, but according to Noa, it seems to be a “treasury of natural resources.”

Herbs that can be used to heal wounds, cherry tomatoes that have a tear-gas effect when smashed, and mushrooms that taste like marbled beef when sauteed. Golden cocoons made by golden spiders, black grapes (extremely sour) that are a powerful anti-drowsy medicine, caterpillars and leaves that can be used as seasonings, and so on. We also got some Pearl Peas, which me and my companions found at the Outsuka Metro. They are quite lucrative and easy to sell.

“Pearl peas grow densely, but only one or two can be harvested. They are said to be lumps of fungus that transferred nutrients to other plants and the pods. These things are quite valuable.” (Noa)

“These are fungus? What the hell, we’ll take them back.” (Shuu)

“I’ll boil the other ones in salt and we’ll have them for today’s dinner.” (Noa)

“We’ll have to find a place for them to sleep today. I hope we can find someplace safe.” (Shuu)

The level range of the Metro Beasts that appear in the area is about the same as that of the 50th floor of the Outsuka Metro.

The strongest enemies above level 40 include Treants, Minotaurs (bipedal cattle, but there are black-and-white ones mixed in, which is surreal), Basilisks (chameleons that spit a fluid that hardens when exposed to air), Mandrakes (giant moles with flower crowns on their heads), and the Wraiths, I’m still harboring some trauma. The strongest we met was a minotaur covered in wounds all over its body that was level 55.

The level of the beasts are so high that even [Beast Repellent] doesn’t work, and for some reason, these guys seem to be hungrier than normal. The encounter is an immediate attack, so we inevitably have to fight back. I take the lead in dealing with them. “Dinner is getting more and more sumptuous,” Noa says, hed eyes shining.

“Whoa! I leveled up! I am now 51!” (Kure)

Kure quickly takes off his clothes and poses flexing his muscles. It seems to be his own ritual when he levels up.

“It’s been less than two weeks since my last one… but thankfully, I seem to level up faster with Little Shuu.” (Kure)

“The leftover children has increased again, squeak.” (Tamiko)

An unchanging landscape, an environment where you can’t even use a compass. After climbing trees several times and checking out the structures peeking out of the trees, we finally reached the second structure around 3:00 pm.

In the open space, we saw a stone pillar similar to the first one and several stone buildings. There is also a fountain in the corner of the square. Noa’s suggestion, “If it’s safe enough, I guess this is our campsite for tonight,” is unanimously agreed upon.

We rummage around inside the buildings. As in the first building, there are hay, mushrooms, and other supplies left behind. And in the loft, there is a space that looks like a sleeping area made of straw.

“Little Shuu, this is—” (Kure)

What Kure picked up was a piece of cloth. It was about the size of a handkerchief, and looked like a tattered, frayed animal skin or something. In addition, from another building, we found what looks like a stone knife and the remnants of a clay water bottle. It was hard to believe that the decorations had been prepared by Metro.

“As expected, there was someone who used to live here.” (Shuu)

“But it looks like it’s been abandoned for a long time. It could have been a Magic Beast that lived here, or it could have been a human being…” (Noa)

The image of the chihuahua flashed through my mind.

I haven’t seen it since then, but maybe it’s not a Metro Beast, but a Magic Beast.

This place may have been used by them as a home.

If that is the case, it might be possible for us to communicate with each other.

“Abeshuu, your face is so weird, squeak.” (Tamiko)

“I bet you’re thinking of something strange, aren’t you?” (Noa)