Volume 6 - CH 8

We descended to the third layer.

The Labyrinth of No Return is a vast dungeon that stretches for ten kilometers in every direction, and it takes time to conquer it.

Even if we took the shortest route to the lower layer, it would take two hours, and if we had to go back and forth, we would have to camp in the dungeon for the night.

"A bed? Ha, that might be a good idea."

During the break, I mentioned to Luka that we should bring in a cot, and she verbally agreed.

"What's wrong with that?"

It bothered me that she seemed to be making fun of me.

"No, it just didn't occur to me to bring something like that all the way in. I think it's a good idea."

Luka shrugs her shoulders. She's using a bikini armor, so her cleavage moves with it. It's a nice view.

"I see. Actually, I've already ordered the parts for the bed from the toolmaker. Serina, I can pay my debt after that."

"Okay, but have you decided on a place yet?"

"No, I'm thinking of somewhere on this floor."

"Then I know a good place for you. It's a small room where the door closes. It's a safe zone."

Luka says.

"Alright, then, take me there."

"All right. This way."

We go down a little long single pathway.

There were no enemies in sight.

But that bothered me the other way.

"Is it really over here?"

I checked with Luka, who was leading the way.

"Ah, yes. Why?"

"No, this feels like ......."

In a normal game, this is the boss room. It's a feeling I know only because I've played a lot of games.

So it's hard to explain.

Even if I tell Meena and Lily, who live in this world, about computer games, they won't understand a word of it.

"It looks like there's a boss, doesn't it?"

Serina seems to have sensed this and says that.

"No, there isn't. I use this place when our party takes a break. There are no enemies here."

Luka waved her hand and laughed, as if we were worrying too much.

"Okay. I get it."

I looked at Meena, but she shook her head lightly and said she didn't smell any monsters.

"Here we are."

Opened the door and Luka went in first.

"Oh, there's nothing here."

Then Jouga. Then Meena entered, but then something strange happened.

Smoke the size of a basketball began to swirl around the center of the supposedly empty room.

It looked just like a small galaxy. The color was not white, but purple.

The vortex in the air is wriggling.

"Whoa, what's this?"

"Oh, no, T-this is not good!"

Luka seemed to recognize the purple vortex and pulled out her sword in a panic.

"Combat ready! Everyone, get inside!"

I didn't want the group to get separated, so I urged everyone to get inside the room and pulled out sword as well.

"It's Killer bees! Morerover, it's red!?"

Luka shouted in surprise, but instead of the purple swirl disappearing, a large bee appeared there.

The bee, nearly a meter long, flapped its wings and moved its long stinger like a tail to intimidate us.

If this thing stings me, I'm going to be in trouble.

A red bee.

"Oryaa! Damn it, this thing is fast!"

Jouga slashed at it with his broadsword, but the killer bee quickly dodged.

The sound of its wings buzzed like the engine of a large motorcycle.

"Out of my way! ――I shall be redeemed. I seek to redeem myself in a pact not of master and servant. Efreet, god of rage, destroy the enemy with your sharp fire!　Flame Spear!"

Letty sent a flaming spear from behind, but the bee dodged that magic attack as well.

It was quite fast, and there were several of them, and they were also homing, but would they dodge them all?

"Aah! No way!"

"Letty, use the wall system!"

I instructed, looking around me.

This room is not that big. The killer bees can move quickly through the air, but if you build a Flame Wall first, they won't be able to escape.

"All right!"

Letty also immediately starts casting another spell.

"Ione, that way, hold your position."

"Yeah, I've got it."

Serina cut in, planning to drive the bee toward Ione, but the bee ran up instead of sideways, missing her guess.

"Oryaaa!"

Jouga jumped up to attack the bee near the ceiling, but the heavy broadsword was easily dodged.

Also, his posture collapsed when he landed.

"Guhh!"

"Jouga!"

The bee, which had been running for cover, saw its chance and swooped down at full speed.

"I won't let you! Circle Wave!"

Although Luka was far away, he used his skills to send out a kind of shockwave to check the bees in the nick of time.

There, Letty's spell was completed, and a wall of flames began to move in from both ends of the ceiling as if to trap it. What a clever use of magic.

"Alright! Now there's no place for them to run!"

When all the vanguards were waiting below with their swords at the ready., the bee darted straight at me as if it had a clear shot.

"Uoohh, shit, it's this way!"

I had hoped that the bee targeting the more skilled Serina or Ione not to my direction.

But what's done is done. I'm a swordsman myself, so I set up my sword and slash at the right time.

"""Ah, the bee avoided it! """

The bee moved diagonally faster than my sword cut, ducked under the blade, and attacked me with its stinger.

"Ouch!"

I was stung in the neck.

"Master! You bastard!"

Meena knocked the bee off with her shortsword from behind, and then Ione and Serina slashed at it, clearing it up.

"Get those wounds tended to now! Get me the antidote!!"

Luka says in a panic, but I signal that I'm fine.

"No problem. Fianna, just take care of the healing."

"Ah, yes."

"But this blue liquid is poison, no matter how you look at it."

"Don't worry, the poison won't work on me."

I checked my status, but there's nothing wrong.

I've raised the poison resistance skill to its maximum level, and it came in handy here.

I was beginning to think that I had wasted a lot of points on resistance.

In this case, it was lucky that I was attacked.

A few of the other members have taken poison resistance, but not to the max.

The scariest part of this monster seemed to be the poison, but it didn't matter since we had already defeated it.

The dropped items were a 20cm needle and a ring.

As I was about to appraise the ring, Jouga yelled.

"Hey, Luka! I thought you said there were no enemies here."

"Y-Yes, there are enemies here, but ......"

"Wait, don't worry about that either. The last time you, Luka came here, there were no enemies, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"So it looks like we're the only ones who get bossed around. I don't know why."

That's what Serina says, but that's it.

I guess the enemies on the previous higher levels were bosses too. The skeletal heroes of the first layer, and the quick creeping zombies of the second layer.

"What's that? If that's the case, it's a big loss."

Jouga says, but considering the drop items, it's not just a loss.

Besides.

"Ah, shit, the poison needle is a rare skill?"

Excitedly, I checked my skill list, but Professor Skill Copy hadn't done its important job.

There's probably a probability, but well, it's usually a unique skill exclusive to the boss.

【Death Needle ☆】 Or something like that ☆, is attached.

My [Skill Copy] is limited to copying normal skills.

Hmm, it can't be helped.

"So no one else got stabbed?"

"Yeah, no one."

"All right, let's take a break."

"Alec, I need those poison needles we just got. Just give it to me."

Letty puts out her hand as if it were natural, and I slap her hand.

"Hey!"

"It's a party loot right now, and one that I've put my body on the line to defeat it."

"That's true, but I'm part of the party, and I really want it."

"Tell me first, what you use it for."

"I'm going to stab Alec from behind."

Lily, from behind Letty, said with a grinning face.

"No, no. It's for concoction, a concoction. It can be used in medicine, I'm sure."

"Who else wants it? Raise your hand."

"Uoohh!"

"Me, sir."

"Ah, me too. ......"

Three people raised their hands.

Jouga, Serina, and Nene.

"Why do you want it, Jouga?"

Letty asks.

"Hmm? Well, it'll be worth some money if I sells it, and even if I'm not sell it, it'll be a memento! It's the boss of the third layer you know. I can show it off to everyone!"

Some people buy wooden swords and big pennants for school trips and get pissed off at their teachers, that's the idea.

"Oh, yeah. You too, Serina?"

"Hmm, I'm just here for cash. I just want to buy new equipment."

"What about you, Nene-chan?"

"Uhm, That thing on your butt, it's like you're uncomfortable without it."

The petite Nene said, fidgeting.

"Ha?"

"I guess she's in the same state of mind as the boss."

I guessed and told them.

"Ahh, the empathy skill. ...... What are you going to do with empathy like that!? You're going to stick a needle in your butt!?"

"No, uh... uh... haha..."

"Okay, let's say Nene don't need it, and you three play rock-paper-scissors."

"Eeehhh!? No, no, no, no. I've never won a rock-paper-scissors game."

Letty says with a wave of her hand.

"I don't care."

"It's for the future!"

Why are you crying?

"Letty, you don't really need that much medicine, do you?"

You're a magician.

"I need it. Letty, the alchemist of the azure blue, my blue bloods are boiling because ...... my third eye is screaming, "This is it! , this is it!". there, you heard it."

"Noisy. That's enough. I'll give it to you for being a pain in the ass. I'll give you the other two some other time."

"Well, if that's brother decision, then I'm fine!"

"I'll give it to Letty this time, too."

It looks like there won't be any trouble with the distribution this time.