Volume 11 - CH 11

The ninth layer was indeed the lowest layer, and the small fry enemies were tough as nails.

"Chimera, two of them! Two headless knights!"

"This guy again. I'm not very good with these knights. Even when I slash at them! Damn it, its parrying me by. What the hell is this thing doing with its eyes?"

Jouga complains about Dullahan, but it's the head it's holding in its left hand.

It's supposed to be its own head.

In here, I could copy unusual skills such as [W Bite Lv3] and [Raw Head Lv4], and the point reductions were delicious.　

But they are strong.

"But their skills are similar, so once you get the hang of it, you're good to go, Jouga-san."

Ione, like a swordsmanship teacher, demonstrated how to deflect Dullahan's sword and slash it away.

"Round it up like this. Or like this. Oh, there you go!"

You've got a good head on your shoulders.

"Kkuhh!"

"Hannah! Are you okay?"

Luka was worried about Hannah when she was bitten by the chimera's tail, but Hannah waved her hand as if she was fine and cleared the chimera away by herself.

"Clear! Don't worry about me."

"That's not going to happen."

"But I'm a vampire, so a little poison won't be a problem."

"Still, come on."

"I'm really okay. But still, the enemies are so strong."

Hannah shrugged her shoulders, but even she, who had been soloing on the eighth layer, did this.

We all took a moment to catch our breaths before moving on.

"Master, the path ahead is ......"

Meena, who was in the lead, stopped when she saw the passage.

"Yeah, it's pitch black. So this is the dark zone."

I remember this from the game, so I'm not too surprised.

"Wow, what's this, what's this. It's interesting!"

"What's going on?"

Lily and the others are wondering, well, if you think about the logic, it would be strange.

The passage was so dark that it looked as if it was filled with black smoke, and except for the floor of the passage, which was barely visible, they couldn't even see the wall on the other side.

"Serina, Ione, Meena. Come in for a minute."

"I understand"

"" Okay.""

All three of them are somewhat nervous, but not that afraid.

I guess it's because they trust that I won't let them do anything strange.

I've chosen people who have no problems with their abilities.

"How it is?"

"It's a normal passage. But I can't see the walls, so it's hard to walk through. I can see the floor, though, strangely enough."

"There are no enemies nearby, but I can smell them coming."

Will there be enemies?

"Serina, how's the auto-mapping working?"

"I can't see it here."

"Come back."

I checked, and it looks like the auto-mapping is properly filled in once we're out of the dark zone.

"Fumu. Then I'll take the lead here."

"Ehh?"

"Oooh!"

You guys were probably secretly thinking, "Alec is definitely in the safest place."

Of course, you're right!

But there are also back attacks and other dangers in the back.

Besides, running into enemies in the Dark Zone can be quite troublesome.

"It's not good to have you guys always leading the way."

"Stop it! When Alec says something like that with a smile on your face, it looks like you're up to something!"

"Shut up, Lily, I thought I'd give you a favor once in a while, but that's it!"

"Fine, then."

"But it's dangerous, Master."

"No problem. If you think the enemy is approaching, tell me."

"Yes, sir."

I groped my way through the dark zone.

It's still hard to walk.

"Master, I can smell the Chimera."

"Alright. Jajaja jajaja jajaja jajaja javelin!"

The ice javelin is spread around like a machine gun to wipe out the enemy.

"Aun, I was killed before I could do anything!"

Okay, I can go. By the way, that was Nene's 【Empathy】.

"I'm impressed. But, Alec, is your magic power going to last?"

Serina is worried, but I was able to copy the [Magic Power Generation] skill from the main boss of that eighth layer, so I can handle it.

I would have liked to have gotten [Sleep Paralysis Eyes] or [Magic Canceller] anyway, but those are probably rare skills.

So, in this dark zone, I'll take the lead.

"No problem."

"That's amazing.. ......"

"That's great, Master."

"Kkuh, that's ridiculous, Alec's so cool. This must be a dream."

"You're noisy, Letty."

I proceed with caution.

But just when I thought there was nothing there, I took a step forward and felt something click.

A button.

"Everybody, get back!"

I said quickly and moved back, but immediately I was hit by a sharp spear-like object from below.

There were many of them.

"It's hurts!" "Kyaa!" "Kkughh!"

It's a trap.

Tsk, If it's just me, I can handle it, but with this scream, I'm guessing a few others took damage.

"Who took the damage?"

I'll confirm immediately.

"I-It was me, Master."

"And me."

Meena and Serina, huh?

Since it was dark, it was hard to see how much damage they've taken. However, the status window opened properly, so I could check their HP. Serina took over 100 damage, but Meena was already recovering automatically. Maybe, it's not all bad to be a vampire.

"Fianna, give recovery magic to Serina."

"I understand. ――Goddess Eir, grant my wish. Heal!"

"Thank you, Fianna."

"No, are you all right, Serina-san?"

"Hmmm... I need to pull this out first, that's all."

"You don't have to move, Serina. I'll take care of it."

I'll use [Levitate] to pull Serina from the spear. Then Meena, too.

"Thank you, I'm fine now, the wound is already healed."

"Alright."

"Hmm, but that was a pretty bad trap. Alec stepped on the switch, didn't you?"

Saki confirm..

"Yes, I am."

"Then, even though you were walking at the front of the party, the whole party behind you was designed to get caught in a ranged attack. It's an egregious trap."

"I should be able to deal with it if I get further away."

N-no, you can't Master. It's too dangerous."

"No problem. It'll hurt more if you guys get hit."

"But ......"

Meena doesn't seem convinced, though.

"Well, let's leave this to Alec. If the enemy comes out, we can all fight together."

Serina also said in a divided manner.

"Yes, if the enemy comes out, I will come running at any time."

Ione also said.

"Well, I guess brother won't die right away."

Jouga says, and he's right.

The best way would be for the lead Thief to spy on the enemy, detect the trap, and disarm it cleanly and brilliantly with no damage. That would be the theory. But in the more difficult layers, things don't always go as planned. You just have to be able to move forward, no matter how awkward it is.

If no one has died, then there's always next time. That's what's important.

If you beat a strong enemy in style, and then get wiped out by a trap when you're in a good mood, it's over for you.

The path is there for the sake of progress.

It is only by moving forward that it is a path.

That's why you have to keep your eyes on the traps. It's all about stealth.

"All right, let's go. You guys follow me a little farther."

I said, and resumed my search.