Monolith -4-
“Rohan. I've got a canteen with about a sip left in it. Not restocking water before heading back to Academy City was careless—something I need to feel ashamed about and reflect on...”
This was a place where food and water were uncertain.
So, with their bodies still healthy and not yet dehydrated, they should collect urine.
That was what Sion meant.
'As expected.'
Normally, given the situation, he'd have to wring out whatever shallow knowledge he had and think it over seriously.
But Rohan was fine.
'Because I have the Shop.'
In Abyss City, it would have been a skill that ended at replenishing consumables you didn't even use, depending on proficiency and control. But in this real dungeon, it shone brilliantly.
The monsters they'd already taken down on the way here were enough to provide food and water for the girls.
Having the Shop skill made him the true human rights character in a dungeon. The drinking water Sion was worried about could be bought for 2P.
As soon as Sion finished speaking, a hand tugged at his collar.
“O-oppa...”
Clara, who'd gathered her lower body into a squat, was trembling with a face like she might burst into tears.
Even this reaction showed she was ready to move based on his decision—commendable.
In truth, her reaction was so cute and amusing that he considered watching a bit longer.
But he had a gut feeling that joking about this would spell trouble. Rohan made a quick call.
“Sion. Water's fine, so take Clara and go. I've got a way.”
“Understood.”
“O-okay... I'll be back...!”
Sion accepted without argument, glanced around for a safe spot, and started moving.
Clara followed, shooting shy glances back at Rohan, her face flushed red.
“If anything happens, shoot your gun or yell!”
The two girls signaled their okay in their own big and small ways.
Rohan turned away, opened the Shop, scrolled all the way down, and bought the item at the bottom.
Bottled Water
He reached into the rippling air and pulled out a cool bottle of water.
The first bottled water he'd bought was plain plastic without a label, 500ml in size.
Rohan felt relieved and satisfied that the Shop skill was working perfectly.
'Can't go starving for days.'
It wasn't like he had a huge group to take care of in the dungeon. Nor was the expected escape time stretching into months.
Keeping the two girls in top condition was to his benefit too.
'A light hint should convince them. And they're both tight-lipped anyway.'
Besides, he couldn't hide it from Clara and Sion forever.
Not if he thought about the future.
Amid his deliberations, Rohan let out a hollow chuckle at the rising alert windows.
'How far did they go?'
A faint noise he wouldn't have caught without focusing. Just that, and he'd gotten points—must've been from catching a monster.
It easily covered the resources the absent girls had used.
How long had Rohan stood in the shade, out of the sun?
Sion and Clara returned looking unscathed.
“No issues?”
“There were monsters, but weak ones—no problem.”
“...”
Clara's silent expression mixed refreshment with an indescribable embarrassment.
He wanted to comfort her that it was natural, but figured that might poison her feelings instead. Rohan handed the water in his hand to Sion.
“Here, water.”
“We were gone just a few minutes... impressive. No impurities or debris visible to the naked eye.”
To Sion's eyes, it was clean water. Opening the cap revealed no odd smells.
As she went through her checks, Rohan came clean.
“It's my skill. No shortages of food or water till we escape.”
“!”
“...An incredible ability.”
“Can't pull it out infinitely, though. It costs something.”
“Makes sense. Still, thanks for revealing your skill like this.”
“O-oppa... thank you...”
For Clara, it was a lifesaver. Just thinking about it had made her dizzy—thank goodness.
Anything but Rohan drinking her urine. How could she endure the shame?
Rohan urged them onward, adding one more thing.
“Still, we're not so thirsty we need to ration. Keep your conditions at peak.”
“Got it!”
“Noted.”
Sion and Clara were quick on the uptake with this stuff.
They wouldn't pry into the cost unless Rohan brought it up first.
Whether he created the water or pulled from a stockpile—they wouldn't ask.
They knew digging into someone's skill was bad manners.
...
...
They'd considered blasting straight to the goal to save time.
But shaking off these monsters only to get swarmed by dozens or hundreds? Even these two couldn't guarantee a clean win. Rejected.
The group moved steadily and swiftly.
As they pressed on, the monsters gradually grew stronger.
And their numbers increased.
“Hup!”
───BOOM!!! A refrigerator walking on vine legs shattered against Sion's three-section staff and tumbled away.
At some point, point gains had bumped from 1 to 2.
Likely tied to the monsters' levels.
“Look at this. The parasitic form is blatant.”
Sion called them over to the stopped monster. The fridge door had flown off, exposing the inside.
Vines stretched through it like blood vessels. Invisible internals were probably the same.
Activating without power and launching bizarre attacks—nothing fit but "monster."
"It's not ordinary plants—it's a type of monster."
Rohan knew for a fact.
This plant monster was called Parasitic Ivy. True to the name, parasitic vines.
Strength varied by host object, but limits existed, of course.
Sion finished observing, wiped sweat from the heat with her rod sheathed, and voiced her hunch.
“And personally, it feels like they're trying to block this direction.”
“Yeah, feels like we're blatantly heading for the center.”
“O-oh, so the place oppa picked first was right...!”
Rohan affirmed her full-of-holes guess without batting an eye.
Boosting morale and mood positively mattered in times like this.
Plus, this path was correct.
“...”
“...”
It had been over five hours since dropping into the dungeon.
The space still blazed with intense heat. Temps had surely topped 40 degrees at some point.
Step. Step. Step.
The three pressed on relentlessly.
From repeated fights, sweat dripped from the ends of Rohan and Sion's hair.
Even heat-resistant Clara started sweating a little.
“O-oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“J-just in case...”
“Speak freely.”
It was rare for Clara to voice an opinion.
Rohan listened with a smile despite his sweat. Clara hesitated, glancing at the sky.
“Here... the sun doesn't seem to be moving...”
“Now that you mention it. Hasn't quite some time passed?”
Sion sensed the oddity too and looked up.
'No time display, and she figures it out. Sharp.'
Rohan wiped beaded sweat with his sleeve and gazed at the sun hanging in the sky.
As she'd said, this world was one where the sun never set.
He was about to affirm Clara's guess when—
A question he'd buried in his subconscious amid focus on the present resurfaced.
'But why a dungeon tied to Solarea?'
He'd never pondered it as the protagonist player.
User speculation posts weren't facts, so he'd skipped them.
But as Rohan, tied to Solarea, he couldn't ignore it.
'Nation-related, but not heading south...'
As he mulled connections, the temple where he'd first awoken flashed in his mind. He recalled its backdrop without rejection.
The sun-worshipping nation. As he pondered links to Solarea—
Cognition and awareness.
The anomaly triggered based on Rohan recognizing it.
'Ah...'
A sentence seeped into his mind.
It compelled him to voice it aloud, to etch it firmly.
“When the dark kin commit persistent sins, we were certain.”
The murmur spilled from Rohan's lips.
The girls turned.
“Oppa?”
“Hm?”
Sion and Clara stared, uncomprehending the sudden words.
But Rohan still gazed blankly at the sky.
“...They fear this power.”