Chapter 173:

Chapter 173:

Review And Rest Break Time

Well, today I'm diving into the dungeon alone.

And as soon as I descended to the first basement, a giant crab emerged from the Polybucket Dungeon. However, seeming displeased, it spat foam from its mouth after attacking the slime, turning it into smoke and disappearing, perhaps because it was still hungry.

"What's wrong, feeling hungry? Here."

I tossed a fake smoked meat to the giant crab, which was spitting foam from its mouth, and it skillfully began to eat the smoked meat using its claws.

"Hmm, even monsters get hungry after all."

Observing such behavior, I pondered for a while.

Monsters in the dungeon are generally hostile towards humans. While there are monsters like slimes and giant cockroaches that won't attack unless provoked, most will immediately attack upon noticing you.

On the other hand, monsters overflowing from the dungeon seem to exhibit behaviors specific to them.

A prominent example is goblins.

Goblins appearing on the surface often engage in mischief, setting fires around and attempting to abduct women, or even fleeing upon noticing you.

People never observed such behaviors in goblins encountered within the dungeon. Thinking about this, it seems almost certain that monsters are entities dominated by the dungeon.

Yeah, if you ask, "So what?" Well, that's it.

However, deepening one's understanding and analysis of the dungeon is crucial. Because nobody knows the answer to the question, "Why did dungeons appear?" yet.

The key to that secret seems to lie in the status that anyone who dives into the dungeon can recognize. But even this seems to vary greatly in expression and content depending on the person. Even something as simple as the attribute of strength varies, expressed as muscle strength,' arm strength,' or just strength.' And even the categories vary from person to person.

Maybe it's because of my gaming brain, but it's all vague.

Agility' remains elusive, and the inexplicable frustration' continues to persist as an ability value. I really want to know what's going on with that.

Still, despite its ambiguity, having some understanding is better than nothing at all.

It would be great if there were system messages or skills like [Appraisal] that explain everything, just like in games or novels. But unfortunately, I haven't come across such information yet.

So, the current situation feels like playing a game without a manual.

What I understand is that if you fail and make a mistake, you die. But if you manage to defeat monsters and survive, you become stronger. That's the most important rule I've learned in the dungeon. Therefore, it's always better to proceed cautiously and steadily to become stronger.

Let's stick to my rules and do our best today.

..

Exiting the second basement filled with giant cockroaches, I descend to the third basement.

Oh, by the way, after the training the other day, Shark returned home exhausted. Since it seemed dangerous, I even escorted it to the station. Perhaps I was a bit too harsh on it. But it's all for becoming stronger, so there won't be any changes in my educational policy.

"Hmm it's troublesome if a bunch of plague rats gather. Should I leave it here quickly, or maybe that!"

Concentrating my mind, I produce mucus-soled shoes.

Slippery and very easy to slide. Mucus, literally, is a viscous liquid, but the slimy liquid produced by eels to protect their bodies is also mucus. Therefore, with the skill [Mucus], if I can produce sticky mucus-like glue, I can also produce slippery mucus like this.

"Hmm whoa! Oops! Balancing is quite tricky. Okay, let's use a Mucus Rope here, and whoa!"

I tried to catapult myself by creating mucus ropes from both arms and adhering them to the wall. However, I didn't have brakes, so I lost my balance and fell dramatically.

"Ouch Am I stupid?"

I should have realized if I had thought about it properly, but I was too preoccupied with this and that. Oh well. Also, with slippery mucus soles on both feet and mucus ropes on both arms, magic manipulation is unreliable. It seems I've pushed myself a bit too hard.

"Hmm, this seems to be the safest after all."

[Zweee~]

It was safest to produce slippery mucus only on the sole of my left foot and kick the floor with my right foot to advance.

That's not much different from skateboarding. Unlike skate shoes, which slip in all directions with slippery mucus soles, it was very dangerous to have both feet slide simultaneously.

"Oh, by the way, Pixie Queen, could you create some wind to push me Just a little, please, I'm counting on you."

Since she entered my heart, Pixie Queen seemed to be as comfortable as a cat in a kotatsu, never moving, so I asked her to create wind to push me while standing there.

[Whooooosh~!]

If this dungeon pops bosses like a net game, then when the stampede occurs, boss-level monsters like King Cockroach might come flying out of the dungeon.

One might naturally question, Can't such a huge guy get out from the pitch-black of the refrigerator?' But since the very premise of my refrigerator turned into a dungeon' is already abnormal, I can't afford to be complacent.

Furthermore, considering the abnormal situation where monsters are already coming out of the dungeon if we continue with such a low level of vigilance like could that really happen?', we might not survive what's to come.

In addition, if King Cockroach were to respawn, I'd like to challenge it for real.

It's speculation, but my current ability values are probably the same as King Cockroach's.

Considering the ability values that increased from absorbing life energy when defeating it. So, to gain confidence, I want to fight King Cockroach once more and confirm my own strength. I could put up a better fight now than before.

And its drops are super delicious, too.

The large quantity of exoskeletons is high quality, perfect for armor when processed with magic. They're light, durable, and extremely resistant to fire and acid, like resin. But they naturally wear out with use, and lately, the soles of my feet have been wearing out particularly fast. Well, it's inevitable since I'm exerting several times the force of an average person, so, naturally, they'd wear out from friction.

Because of that, I've been thinking about using mucus for movement to try to reduce wear on the soles of my shoes.

But even today, there was no sign of King Cockroach.

So, instead of changing my mood and going down to the sixth floor, I'm thinking of investigating the Polybucket Lid, also known as the Crab Dungeon. Because, you know, I still don't want to go down to the sixth floor much. After all, the monsters that attack you there are monkeys that throw poop.

When they see beautiful things, humans' hearts get cleansed, and when they see dirty things, their hearts become tainted.

Regarding the sense of beauty and ugliness, opinions diverge greatly among individuals. But even for cockroaches that most people would find ugly and dirty, there exists a beautiful side.

For example, their streamlined form evolved for aerodynamic efficiency to acquire low resistance. So, there's a functional beauty there. They staked their survival on forward dashes and evolved to prioritize speed only.

So, even cockroaches have a beautiful side.

However, only the poop-throwing monkeys on the 6th floor are just endlessly ugly and dirty. First, their appearance is naturally arrogant, reminiscent of mischievous children getting carried away. Furthermore, when such monkeys forcibly eject poop from their butts and happily throw it, it's an incredibly unsanitary attack. If scratched by their claws, it would undoubtedly lead to infection.

Hmm, but the only thing about those poop monkeys is that their skill is exceptionally excellent.

They have the skill [Space]. By expanding the capacity of their stomachs with it, they store up a ton of poop. They then freely retrieve it and use it to attack enemies. It's such an unhygienic attack. If scratched by those claws, it would undoubtedly lead to infection.

Hmm, but I really want to level up the skill [Space] even more It's a very worrisome matter.

"I'm home. Huh, why the serious face? What's wrong?"

As I replenish my fluids while still in my suit in the room, Nina-san returns from the university. As Nina-san enters the room and takes off her coat, a faintly pleasant scent wafts in, naturally calming my mind.

"Welcome back. Oh, I was thinking about the dungeon exploration schedule."

Since I can't say, "There's a monkey in our refrigerator dungeon throwing poop, and it's troublesome.". I put aside the matter of the poop monkeys and talk about dungeon exploration.

"Really? If that's the case, you shouldn't do anything reckless again"

Sitting down on the chair at the computer desk and taking the mug from my hand, Nina-san places it on the desk and then climbs onto my lap. Then she wraps her arms around me, enclosing my head against her chest.

(Ah. This is so soothing.)

Through the fluffy white sweater, I can hear Nina-san's heart beating. The built-up tension when I was diving into the dungeon. It feels like it's being warmly loosened

It seems Serai-san has returned to her apartment, as Nina-san is generally cool in front of Ruu and Serai-san, and doesn't get clingy except when they're alone.

With slow breaths, I bury my face in Nina-san's chest, finding solace in her warmth and heartbeat.

Even though she understands men's feelings so well, she claims to dislike men or show no interest at all, which is quite surprising. Somehow, she opened up to me, who had become somewhat feminized or half-hearted, but I can't help but be grateful for that.

"Hehe, feeling good like that?"

"Thank you. It's very comforting"

While I'm burying my face in Nina-san's chest, Nina-san is also petting my hair and rubbing her cheek against mine, enjoying herself.

Nina-san and I aren't lovers to the extent of being lovers.

But it's a strange relationship where we've opened up our hearts and bodies. And as someone we can vent to, we both feel relaxed and comfortable, as if a piece of our hearts has clicked into place.

"If you haven't taken off your suit yet, does that mean you'll dive again?"

"Yeah, I'll investigate the Crab Dungeon after this."

"Is that so? Then I'll come with you. (Smooch)"

When she lifts my face, Nina-san's face is right there, so close that our noses almost touch, and then she kisses me. Hmm, does this mean it's time for another break before diving back into the dungeon again.