Chapter 64: Unseen Threats

"The official deepest floor of the Hachioji Dungeon... If I remember right, it's somewhere around the 60th floor. The progress stops right where it borders the deep layers, and no one bothers to go further because the dungeon isn't profitable. So, the deepest floor never gets updated, and people just use the excuse that it's not an important dungeon to avoid further exploration.

Well, it really isn't important, to be fair."

Asakawa probably got interested in Hachioji Dungeon because I've been here a few times for streams and missions, so this might be the last time we dive into this place.

"We've made it to the 45th floor... This is your first time here too, right?"

"Yeah, for the past few floors. But... the monsters are few, and even when they show up, they're weak, so it's not fun at all."

: Complaining about no monsters like a real battle maniac, huh?

: But it really is boring, though.

: It's the truth.

: Can't help it.

: It's Hachioji Dungeon, after all.

: Stop using Hachioji Dungeon as a synonym for boring.

: Don't talk trash about my local dungeon!

: You should just take a train to Shibuya Dungeon, bro. Read today on m,v,l,e,mpyr

Looks like the viewers are treating today's stream as more of a casual chat session. Seriously, though, there's nothing here in Hachioji Dungeon. Honestly, I'm a bit impressed someone made it to the 60th floor. They must be someone who lives just for the thrill of updating the deepest floor.

I enjoy exploring unknown floors, but with a dungeon that stays this bland all the way down, I can't bring myself to care enough to reach the bottom. Maybe if I run out of stream ideas, I'll tackle the deepest floor.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Uh... there's a monster ahead, but..."

A monster? I can't see anything at all... What is Asakawa seeing?

"It's all hazy and hard to make out... It's almost like it's transparent?"

: Asagao-chan, finally seeing ghosts?

: Well, it is a dungeon.

: Dungeons do have a high death count.

: Haven't heard of any ghost stories in dungeons, though.

: People are too busy risking their lives to worry about ghosts in a dungeon.

: True.

: Has anyone even died in the lower floors of Hachioji Dungeon?

: Probably not.

: Lol.

: This place is too much of a ghost town.

"No, I'm serious, I can see it... for real."

"Hmm."

Now that I think about it, Asakawa has that unique ability to visually perceive magic. She described my magic as "serene" when we first met, so I have no idea what it looks like to her. But maybe there's a being made entirely of magic out there.

"Try attacking it."

"O-Okay."

Asakawa nods at my suggestion and conjures a small fireball in her hand, tossing it forward. It should've just hit the floor since nothing's there... But before it could land, it looked like it hit an invisible wall and exploded mid-air.

"It hit something!"

Using the remnants of the flames as a guide, I immediately gather my magic and fire it like a flick. The magic projectile, packed with power, obliterates the ground of Hachioji Dungeon and reaches the edge of the floor in the blink of an eye.

"...What?"

: Huh?

: I didn't see a thing.

: What just happened?

: Did you just flick the air?

: Was that a condensed magic blast?

: It looked like an energy ball, similar to what EX Salaryman used but way more powerful.

: The damage is a bit ridiculous, though.

: Well, he is an EX.

"So, how was that?"

"I-It's gone..."

"So I guess we defeated it? No problems, then."

"Only problems! That's a big problem!"

If the attack landed, then there's no issue, right?

It seems like the fireball hit something, leaving some sparks clinging to it. So, even if it's a creature made of magic, physical interference is possible. That means it can be attacked—and defeated.

End of story.

"This is why people call you an EX, you know?!"

"Ehh..."

Sure, an invisible enemy can be a threat, but is it really something to get worked up over?

Or maybe Asakawa's freaking out about how casually I fired off that magic blast. It's just another form of magic manipulation—concentrating internal magic and launching it. It's a pretty simple attack, even for people who aren't great at magic... though it does require decent control of magic flow.

: Asagao-chan is clearly one of us now. Sёarᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

: Thank goodness for Asagao-chan's common sense.

: She's our safety net.

: Kisaragi, could you show some more concern?

: An invisible enemy is a big deal!

"I suppose so. But you wouldn't die just from having your heart ripped out."

"You'd die, right?"

"No, you wouldn't. You just have to put it back."

"You... you can't just put it back."

"You can, though."

If you don't, you'll die, so you just have to focus and put it back. Once it's back, heal the wound, and you'll be fine. I haven't done it on myself, but I've done it for someone else, so it's no big deal.

: ???

: What?

: Magic really can do anything, huh? (brain shuts down)

: That's not human behavior.

"...Is that what the deep floors are like?"

"That's pretty much it. Didn't it seem like that in my stream?"

"Well... It just looked like you and Kamishiro-san were steamrolling through everything."

"Really? Both of us were being extra careful during that stream."

: That was careful?

: Wasn't that basically a casual chat stream?

: It felt more like a walk in the park.

: I don't get it.

: My brain refuses to comprehend this.

: Don't even try to understand... or your brain will go EX on you.

: Lol.

: Is EX some kind of virus?

We were being careful. Usually, Kamishiro doesn't hold back and tears through dungeons, collapsing them as she goes. The nickname "Dungeon Disaster" wasn't for nothing.

"...Anyway, this is the first time you've encountered this type of monster, right?"

"Well, I didn't see it, but yeah."

"Don't give me that."

"Yeah, yeah... but it's the first I've heard of such a monster."

: First time hearing about this for me too.

: How do you even fight something you can't see?

: Why could Asagao-chan see it?

: Weird monster.

: What did it look like?

"It looked humanoid... About the size of a child, I guess."

"Asagao-san can see magic itself, which is a rare trait... So, she can see things that you and I can't. I'm not sure if it showed up on screen for the viewers, though."

If a magic blast is enough to obliterate it, it's not too dangerous, but an invisible enemy is still a pain to deal with. I guess I'll report this to the association... Aizawa just lectured me the other day, after all.