CH 233

Now that I think about it, there was something strange about me during that mock battle too.

“…Ouch…”

As I think about why I was able to do that, my body starts hurting more and more.

“Are you all right? Did that thing actually hit you?”

Asks Taula, looking worried. And then Hipopo approaches me with the same expression, while being careful with its step, before tilting its head to look at my face.

“Ah… I even worried Hipopo.”

I then respond to Taula while petting Hipopo.

“No, I didn’t get hit by anything. But what is this?”

It’s a type of pain I normally almost never feel. It’s a dull pain on the back of my neck, under my arms, and in the front of my feet.

“…Are these muscular pains?”

I take out a potion from my backpack and drink it.

That immediately takes away the pain. I guess my muscles really were hurting.

“Isn’t it because you moved your untrained body past its limit? But that makes it even stranger, Rust. It’s like a seasoned warrior is inside the body of a shut-in researcher.”

I can only smile awkwardly at the shut-in researcher part, but she has a point.

I didn’t realize it before, but the shaman improved his combat abilities over the course of many years.

That’s a lot of memories of battles. And that vast combat experience is slowly being reflected in me.

But of course, my body is still the same, and the pain from before was recoil from the way I moved.

“But does that mean I can fight physically too if I have potions?”

I whisper as this new possibility tickles my researcher curiosity.

“Bumoh!”

I hear Hipopo, who is standing in front of the dent in the ground from where the enemy appeared.

The rubble piled up next to it, and left a hole.

I get near and peek inside, and see what looks like a white plate not too far down.

“Well done Hipopo! That’s the entrance. Of course, the enemy came from the dungeon, so there has to be an entrance.”

Hipopo proudly wags its tail.

But Taula, who is also peeking down the hole, looks a little unsure.

“Rust, don’t you think this is a little too convenient? It’s like the enemy popped out specifically to show us the entrance…”

“I see, that is true. They could be intentionally luring us in. If that’s the case, it’s probably a trap.”

“Of course, from the point of view of the enemy, that attack was pretty unlucky. If you didn’t move the way you did, it was the best opportunity they could have asked for.”

“So it could be that they risked revealing the entrance just for that. Hm…”

Taula and I look at each other, with the hole between us.

I guess she’s leaving the decision to me, and she’s waiting for my response.

I take out a scroll, and 『Return』 Hipopo.

“Let’s go. In any case, we have to go in if we want to keep everyone safe.”

I decide, and Taula nods.

I lay down on the ground slowly, and reach towards the hole with the magic crystal key in my hand.