Volume 13 - CH 2

Heading to the ninth layer, we stepped into the hall where we had defeated that dark dragon again, but no enemy seemed to appear.

Unlike last time, the magic of the lights could shine light far and wide, and I could see the hall clearly.

「There's a passage over there.」

「Yeah, let's go.」

We found a passage on the left side of the hall on the north side, and headed that way.

As we went down the passage, we found it.

「This is ......」

「Ehh?」

「It's a lie right ......」

「Whee, brother, what are you going to do? this」

We all gulped for a moment. From the moment they saw it, they were filled with tension.

No, it's not a nervousness.

This is a shiver.

In a way, this is scarier than the back boss.

――It's a staircase to the bottom.

Is there more to the bottom?

I turn around and say.　

「Let's hear what you guys think. Raise your hand if you think it's better not to go down. If you're ready to move on, stay put.」

「Yes, yeeees, yes! I think it's better to stop.」

Lily was the first to raise her hand.

Then, Hannah raised her hand as well.

「Alec, you've got enough treasure and honor already. I think it's really dangerous down here.」

「I don't think we should go any further, either. ......」

Fianna also raised her hand cautiously. Even if there's a resurrection spell ahead? I was tempted to ask her in a mean way, but I think the answer would be the same as it is for the current Fianna: no.

Even if there really is a resurrection spell, no one can bring us back to life once we're dead.

「As for the rest, are you willing to proceed?」

「Yeah! I'm going to follow you all the way!」

Jouga made a fist and said with a smile. He doesn't seem to have much of a plan for the future, but that's okay.

「I'll go with you, too.」

Serina smiles.

「Me too.」

Ione too.

「Me three.」

Luka said with a smile.

「I can't leave you alone, darling.」

Saki too.

「I'm just going to follow my master.」

Meena said with pride.

「I'd like to know what's out there. Noo, but...」

Letty peeked at the bottom of the stairs in annoyance. Well, there's no way you're not going to follow me when you see this, right?

「Hmm. Hmm」

Mare nodded, but I think she was trying to say she was ready.

「Hawawa, Come on, welcome, adventurers. Auh-auh....」

Nene seems to sense something down there, though. she's scared.

「All right, then let's go! Those who don't want to go can set up camp here and wait. And even if the tenth layer isn't the lowest, our adventure ends here at the tenth layer. Our last floor.」

I declared.

As expected, I don't want to die either. This dungeon seems to have an infinite number of stairs, but with our level and strength, the tenth layer is probably our limit.

「I understand. In that case, I'll go with you.」

「I'll go with you too.」

Fianna and Hannah agreed.　

「Ehh? So you want me to wait here by myself? I don't want to do that. I'll go with you.」

「Sorry, Lily.」

「But you'll have to buy me dumplings later, right, Alec?」

「Yeah, sure. Okay, everyone, check your gear and items. Let's assume we're going to face some tough enemies. Make sure you're ready when the back boss comes out of nowhere.」

「「「 Undestood 」」」

After carefully inspecting our equipment and deciding on this place as a refuge, we nodded to each other and went down the stairs, step by step.

The stairs of the tenth layer.

【The Labyrinth of No Return】

◇　◆　◇　◆　◇

After the stairs, there was an even wider staircase leading down. It's like a big underground temple.

There are no passages here.

There is only a gentle staircase below us.

The staircase was very long and wide, spreading downward like a mortar, like a stadium seat.

The stairs on the other side of the room were too hazy to see.

Inevitably, there was a vast, empty space in the horizontal direction.

It was so wide that I thought I was looking at a gray sky.

「So this place has a white floor.」

「It's not a floor, but rather a staircase. I can't see the enemy, but ......」

「I wonder if this place is like an entire atrium.」

「Maybe so.」

Auto-mapping only recognizes the space without dividers.

I can't see the edges, but a ten-kilometer square atrium would be a big deal.

「Yoo-hoo!」

Letty suddenly shouted loudly. I and everyone else were on edge. We were all in a panic.

「Wha!」

「Ehh?」

「You're an idiot, Letty!」

「Muga-muga」

Saki quickly covered Letty's mouth with her hand, but her voice had already echoed.

Shit.

「If you have a reason, I'll listen. Letty. But do it in a low voice!」

I asked in a slightly pissed off tone. I can feel myself twitching under my left eye.

「No, because if it's this big, you'll want to try it, right?」

「Die.」

I snatch the pointy hat from Letty and angrily squeeze it like a rag.

「Gyaaa―!」

Hmmm? Why the voice coming out from the hat. That's disgusting.

「Ah, wait, Alec, that's the main body of the Evil God, stop it!」

Letty hurriedly took the hat back, but that's the evil god? I felt that touching it was not a good idea, so I quickly returned it to her.

「Letty, listen to me seriously. What are you going to do when the enemy comes by? If they concentrate on you at the level of the enemies here, you'll die.」

Serina also warned with a straight face.

「Ah, Okay-okay, I'm sorry. That's why I'm apologizing.」

「You know what?」

「You've got a bad attitude. You're not usually like that, but when you apologize, your annoyance level rises.」

Saki's face is twisted, but she seems to be really angry.

「Letty, apologize to everyone with a serious bow. That was an act of endangering your friends, just like Serina said, okay?」

I say.

「Yes, I'm sorry.」

I'd like to see a little more seriousness, but demanding more apologies from this guy is only going to frustrate the party.

「All right, I'll make Letty cry with my cowgirl and [Machine Gun Vibe Lv5] later. Let's call it good.」

「「「 Okay 」」」

「Eeeh?　I think lvl 5 is too much.」

「That's why it's good. It's enough of a penalty to make her never want to do it again.」

「Uehh.」

「But, brother, isn't it weird?」

「Hmm? What is it, Jouga?」

This guy doesn't really get into the whole sex thing. He's just a guy who blushing and listens.

「That was Letty's voice just now! Isn't it strange that the enemy didn't come close to us even though we were so loud?」

「Murhh, you're right.」

「Speaking of which, nothing is coming.」

「Indeed, ......」

We all look around, but no enemies are coming.

「See? You're making me look bad all by myself, but now we know from the experiment that there are no enemies whos responds by voice, right? Right?」

「Yeah, but don't brag about it, Letty. One wrong move and we'll end up bad ending.」

「A bad end. Dead end?」

「Come on, we're alive.」

Letty squirms and whines in her little voice, but she's a little bitch.

「Wait! Something's coming.」

At the sound of Hannah's voice, everyone became tense at once.