CH 263

Episode 263 – Sandstorm

Rosalie had been gradually getting used to the desert area, so we had managed to reach the 27th layer on our second day. The pace at which we were clearing was pretty fast. Aruna had run out of Magic Arrows and had switched back to regular arrows, so her hit rate returned to normal. Because of that, we had been able to reach this point without ever having to struggle against any monsters.

As known from the beginning, the heat and the lack of any firm footing posed quite a challenge to us. We’d managed to get by with Cold Mint Herb as well as Arecales Fruits, which held a lot of water, but these two plants didn’t taste good and did nothing to help with fatigue.

It would’ve been nice if a large amount of Medical Herbs could’ve been used to relieve fatigue, but unfortunately they were only effective for wounds and injuries.

“Wuu, it’s so hot. My whole body feels so sweaty and gross.” (Aruna)

“For real. Then sweat makes the sand stick to your skin, so it makes it even worse.” (Rosalie)

“We’ll turn back after we arrive at the 28th layer, so hang in there. I can hand you guys Cold Mint Herb or Arecales Fruits any time, so just let me know.” (Lewin)

“Ugh… I don’t want to chew anymore Cold Mint Herb… The cool, refreshing feeling you get when you chew is nice, but if you have too much, your tongue becomes numb.” (Rosalie)

“Same. It just tastes awful.” (Aruna)

Arecales Fruits were salty and bitter, so they were incredibly difficult to drink. The fact that you didn’t really want to drink from them even if your body was craving water spoke volumes about how unappetizing they were. Though it’d be nice to find a method of preparing them to make them taste good, I didn’t have the time to search for this solution.

“Even if it’s nasty, you need to replenish your body’s hydration to deal with the heat. Please take it even if you have to force yourself.” (Lewin)

“I know that, but… Let’s just think of ways to better deal with the water and heat problems once we return to the surface.” (Rosalie)

“Yeah. I don’t think I could put up with this if we have to endure this much of a struggle every time we enter the desert area.” (Aruna)

“That’s true. We can consult Arthur-san and take our time to think of various things, but please bear with it for now and take these plants.” (Lewin)

After I’d managed to convince the other two, we chewed Cold Mint Herb and drank Arecales Fruits as we continued through the 27th layer. In the desert area, the winds swept harder the deeper we progressed through the layers, making it extremely difficult to see with all the sand swirling about in the skies. In the midst of such terrible weather, we finally found the stairs leading to the 28th layer, which was our goal for the day.

“Just as I’d thought, the staircase was there the whole time, but we had passed by it. It was so hard to see because of the sand.” (Aruna)

“It’s possible to find the monsters because they leave signs, but the staircase doesn’t have any sort of presence. Looks like it was the right decision to turn back around.” (Lewin)

I had a simple cloth tied around my face to withstand the forces of the buffeting sandstorm, but sand still continued to get into my eyes, nose, and mouth, which was extremely uncomfortable. We needed to come up with some kind of countermeasure for this problem, just like we had used Cold Mint Herb and Arecales Fruit as measures to deal with heat and hydration.

“Ahhh. It’s nice to be able to sit down. It’s been a while since my feet were this swollen.” (Rosalie)

“It’s hot, and I’m tired. This area is the worst.” (Aruna)

“But in regard to the monsters, it’s an easier area isn’t it? I can defeat them easily, without even putting myself at risk.” (Lewin)

“Hmm, I wonder. Isn’t it because of the effectiveness of your Sticky Bombs that the monsters here aren’t a problem? After all, Rosalie’s party got destroyed here, right?” (Aruna)

“What is this sound? I hear the sound of heavy footsteps.” (Lewin)

“―Some kind of monster. It’s getting closer.” (Aruna)

“Here? Isn’t the staircase safe…?” (Rosalie)

I also thought that we were safe on the staircase, but the footsteps were clearly approaching our location.

The heavy footsteps stopped right above us, and in the next moment―I knew right away from the sound that something was charging right down the staircase.

“Go down! We’ll go down to the 28th layer and fight it in an open area!” (Lewin)

“Roger that.” (Aruna)

“Got it!” (Rosalie)

We would be at a disadvantage if we were to fight it in this tight space, so we hurriedly ran down to the 28th layer. I hadn’t seen its figure yet, but I knew from the large, heavy footsteps that it was a giant monster of some sort. And there was only one type of giant monster in the desert area.

It was none other than the hidden boss. The Big Desert Mole, which had been the topic of our conversation just moments ago. As we dashed down the stairs, I inwardly let out a big sigh at our encounter with yet another hidden boss.