CH 168

It takes us five days to get back to the dungeon.

The day after our last dungeon exploration, Bloody Rose dropped by, so I cooked lunch and we talked about all sorts of things.

They’re training in the dungeon as part of their school curriculum, so we’re probably going to meet each other there more often. Also, even though they’re there to practice, students have to volunteer to go to the dungeon.

I figured they’d be accompanied by teachers, but apparently the academy is more lax than that. It’s normal for people with reservations to put out quests with adventurers instead of going there themselves, and the people who do challenge the dungeon have to sign an agreement beforehand, saying whatever happens in the dungeon is their responsibility.

Still, a lot of students participate, because it will help with their careers after they graduate. To be honest, I wasn’t that interested in all that, so I didn’t really listen.

Leila says this time they explored the twenty first and twenty second floors. It had been a while since they were in the dungeon, so they were mostly getting used to it again.

And the people with them were people that often team with them when they explore the dungeon.

It sounds like Bloody Rose is popular for some reason, and a lot of people want to join them when they go to the dungeon.

◇ ◇ ◇

Kobolds appear here on the sixteenth floor. Regular ones, kobold fighters, kobold archers, and kobold chiefs.

They all look the same as regular kobolds, but their sharp claws have sort of devolved, probably so they can use weapons more easily. I guess evolved is more like it.

In any case, it’d be hard to hold weapons with those claws.

As for the way they fight, regular kobolds try to disturb their enemies, fighters go in front, archers in the back, and they coordinate their attacks.

And chiefs? Chiefs’ main weapon is a dagger, and for some reason they’re smaller than the others. They’re surprisingly weak if fought alone, but they’re the trickiest kobolds.

Chiefs activate the traps in the dungeon during battles, which means they’re at their best when there are traps around.

But what makes them really frightening is how they operate those traps. They care as much about their friends as their foes, and activate those traps indiscriminately.

I get the feeling that chiefs’ allies get angry when it hits one of them, but the whole thing just looks like a bad sketch. I can’t actually understand what they say to each other, but that’s the feeling I get.

They also run away when their allies are down, so they really are monsters that like to do as they please.

Their unique characteristics make them kind of funny, but they’re really annoying.

“Geez Chris! Burn them all together!”

Rurika sounds annoyed.

Chris was aiming with her magic, but it sensed that and hid behind an ally’s shield.

I guess we could ignore the chiefs and go after the others, but this party we came across clearly has too many of them. These are probably chiefs that ran away after their other parties were wiped out.

“It’d be easier if they just came at us…”

Sera doesn’t hide her surprise, as today was also her first time seeing these monsters.

They’re surprisingly weak once you actually fight them. We manage to stop one from running away, and then Sera easily takes it down when it valiantly lunges at her.

Is Sera too strong? Are chiefs just weak? Why did it even lunge at Sera when she’s the strongest?

Anyway, we manage to take them all down, and then take a break.

It’s important to rest when we manage to not leave any monsters standing, because chiefs come back with more friends when they manage to run away.

“Is it normal in these cases to cover party members that can disarm traps and take care of them first?”

“That’s the most reliable way. But there are archers too, so I don’t know if we can do that.”

Archers can target the two in the back, so it’s dangerous. I can’t just move away from the others either.

Magic barriers might do the trick, but they’re not at all cost effective in terms of magic energy.

I’ve been using Intimidate to hinder the monsters’ movements, but I’ve been noticing that it burns through my SP pretty quickly when I keep using it. I never noticed before because I only used it here and there.

Actually, I haven’t been using a lot of SP lately anyway.

“Should we prioritize the archers?”

“That’s probably the best way. But I’m sure it’s hard for you to keep using magic, Chris, so we’ll take turns. And are you sure I shouldn’t use that?”

By that, I mean my gun.

There are other adventurers on this floor, and I can see a few groups on Map.

I think it’d be easier if I used the gun when they’re not near us, but the others are against it.

The girls insist that we’re not going to get real combat experience like that, and say that even if it would make things easier, we shouldn’t rely on it from the upper floors.

What they say reminds me of when I first started learning skills. Skills allowed me to swing my sword fast, but I was easily beaten when I actually went against another person. I’m not forgetting any time soon what the difference between my experience and Rurika’s felt like back then.

“All right, but make sure you tell me if you’re having trouble.”

It’s not worth losing your life over it. I don’t actually say that part.

I don’t care if they don’t like it, if I feel like they’re in danger, I’m using it anyway.

I need to keep an eye on the adventurers around here too. If possible, I don’t want anyone to see the gun before we reach the twentieth floor.

That’s kind of a weird thing to think about actually. I’m thinking about protecting their lives, and at the same time I can’t not worry about other people seeing the gun.

Is it because it stands out so much? Because guns are just dangerous in general?

I mean, people walk around with swords in this world, and no one cares. There’s magic too. This world is already dangerous, even without guns.

“Are you all right, Sora?”

I got lost in thought again. It’s a bad habit.

“Yes, I’m fine. Let’s decide the order of attack. I haven’t really used any magic, so I’ll attack next.”

“Very well, I’m counting on you.”

Fire magic is powerful, but speed is important this time, so I’m going to focus on wind magic. Maybe water and earth could also work when I’m targeting chiefs. I guess I can try different things depending on the situation.

And so, we take turns using magic until we clear this floor.

Things are going pretty smoothly, even if sometimes I hear complaints because I get carried away and create some gruesome sights.

It helps that as we get closer to our goal, the staircase, we also get closer to the other adventurers after it, meaning other parties are taking care of kobolds around this area too.

We see some chiefs alone here and there, looking lost. It gives me a kind of weird feeling.

There’s this air of sorrow around them, and although I can’t tell their expressions, it feels like they’re despairing when they see us.

When we reach the staircase, we bump into two other parties on their way there too. They’re pretty large parties too.

It’s rare, but it’s not unheard of for parties to attack other parties in the dungeon, so this is a little worrying. Especially since we’re newcomers and don’t know about other parties and their members.

Then again, the same goes for them. They’re not even trying to hide the fact that they’re wary of us.

“What now, master?”

Asks Sera.

“We’ll camp on this floor for the night, and put some space between us.”

We register the next floor, and come back to look for a place to set up camp.

The other two parties see us go back, and disappear into the seventeenth floor.