129. Dungeon, Explosion, Reward (7)
129. Dungeon, Explosion, Reward (7)
"At first glance, it doesn't look any different from the first floor."
A quick glance showed us a scene no different from the first floor.
I set up camp in the second floor's entry area and, as on the first floor, built a watchtower to survey the forest from above.
If the first floor was daytime, was this one evening?
Then would the third floor be night?
The dim forest looked eerie. I swept it with my telescope and searched for the path down to the third floor. Fortunately, the passage wasn't far away.
The terrain was fucking awful, though.
"...If we get pushed back even once, it's over."
Cliffs ringed the outskirts, with a forest in the center. We had no choice but to cross the forest to reach the passage in the northeast, and the entire area was about a third smaller than the first floor. Visibility inside the forest would be poor, and the cliffs meant that if we were driven to the edge, we could be trapped with nowhere to retreat.
Another problem was the dim lighting. It wasn't completely dark, but inside the forest it would be difficult to see clearly.
Lamps or magic would improve visibility, but they could draw every monster's attention, so we couldn't use them carelessly.
In the end, we would have to fight in a forest without proper visibility.
How could I cheese this floor? A quick reconnaissance inside might have been best. I decided to check below as well.
[Contractor, I sense mana in the forest.]
So there were magic-users too?
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire."
I decided to head down.
I climbed down the ladder and rejoined the party, who were looking up at me like a bunch of meerkats.
"How is it?"
"It's going to be a rough expedition. I'll check out the lower section for a moment, so everyone stand ready."
I took my shovel and dug at a suitable spot. In less than a minute, I had made a deep L-shaped tunnel. I descended and carefully examined the ground beneath both the cliffs and the forest.
The ground looked more unstable than I had expected.
The cliffs weren't vertical; their cross-section was closer to an inverted triangle. That gave me one more thing to watch when using my Skill. Or perhaps it had given me a clue for clearing the second floor.
After thinking it through, I climbed out of the tunnel and rejoined the party.
"This forest won't be easy. Keep your guard as high as possible."
The party's expressions darkened at my warning. Was it because they lacked experience? They could not afford to look discouraged already. I studied their faces for a moment before continuing.
"It's far easier than the Rift, so don't worry too much. Follow my instructions properly, and we'll clear this without a problem just like last time."
It was time to go.
I led the subdued party into the forest. Our pace was noticeably slower than before.
The narrower field of view forced us to stay more alert, adding to the mental strain.
"I'm scared..."
"Stay close to me, Shuri."
"Lewis..."
"Old man, isn't it too quiet?"
I turned toward Viola when I heard the anxiety in her voice. No matter how tough she acted, she'd only just become an adult. She looked up at me without managing to hide her unease.
[Yohan! West!]
"Don't worry too much. Craft."
"Mrow?!"
The explosion drowned out the scream and shattered the wall that had risen from the ground. That spell packed considerable power. I quickly checked the party's condition and issued an order.
"Everyone, prepare for combat! The enemy is west of us!"
How many were there? Only one fireball had flown at us, but I couldn't assume there was only one enemy. Keeping watch for monsters hidden in the darkness, I slowly rejoined the formation.
"Lewis, watch the northeast. Sif, cover the southeast. Shuri, be ready to cast at any moment. Viola, watch the southwest."
That reduced our blind spots.
It was the most important consideration when fighting in an area exposed on every side. Experienced predators were most dangerous when they slipped through an unnoticed blind spot and sank their teeth into the back of their prey's neck.
"Rue, do you sense any mana?"
[Hmm, north? No, northeast? Maybe because they aren't casting magic right now? I can't quite tell.]
"Lewis, report immediately if you see any sign of another spell coming from a distance."
"Yes!"
"We'll advance slowly in this formation. Nobody break ranks."
We couldn't remain still merely because a monster had appeared. If survival were our only concern, fortifying this spot and killing them one by one would have been easiest, but we knew too little. There was no harm in learning what the enemy was before committing to a fight.
[East!]
"Everyone halt! Craft!"
A boulder crashed into the wall I had barely raised in time, producing a deafening explosion. I sighed as I looked at the shattered wall. Cowardly bastard. Did it intend to keep attacking without ever showing itself?
Change of plans. At this rate, that bastard would keep leading us around by the nose.
We had to deal with it now, or it would interfere with the rest of the exploration.
"Shuri, cast Light as strongly as possible. Nobody look up."
"Huh?"
"Quickly."
At my repeated demand, Shuri hurriedly cast Light and sent it into the air. Fed a large amount of mana, the spell flooded the surroundings with terrifying brightness. The monster still did not reveal itself, but light rivaling a flashbang had suddenly appeared in the forest.
If the creature watching us relied on sight, the sudden flash should have blinded it briefly. I seized that opening and listened carefully.
I heard something, very faintly. Was it southeast? It was difficult to tell.
"Shuri, send the Light as far southeast as possible."
"Y, yes!"
The light moved away from us. I kept watch in the other directions and waited for the monster to react more strongly.
"!@*!$#*(!"
Southeast had been correct. Now that its position was exposed, it was time to deal with it quickly.
"You all stay here and watch the perimeter. I'll deal with it quickly and return."
I took a small blowpipe and a poison needle from my pack and ran into the area that had become as bright as day. The excessive light hurt my eyes, but a wide-brimmed hat made searching manageable.
"!(@*!#)$($!!"
A dog with two heads. Or was it a wolf?
Either way, the bipedal Two-Headed Dog was clutching its eyes and headbanging in agony.
Was it alone? I looked around but saw no other monsters. I decided to finish it quickly. I rushed the creature before it could recover, blew through the pipe, and fired the poison needle.
The needle buried itself in the creature's eye. It wasn't where I'd aimed, but a hit was a hit. Its scream of pain grew even louder.
I put away the pipe and extended my mithril shovel. The needle was coated with poison strong enough to kill most monsters before they could make a sound, so it would likely die soon. Keeping close watch on the surroundings, I used a Skill to pin its body in place.
The monster writhed as though it had been buried in a coffin with only its head exposed, but the bloody tears streaming from its eyes showed that this was its final struggle. The creature that had attacked us with magic from afar finally died, releasing a foul stench.
That was one down.
I slowly examined the forest, which now hung heavy with the awful smell. As if the previous ruckus had been a lie, the forest was deathly silent.
There was no way it had been alone.
Judging by how that one had hidden in the darkness, were the others concealed somewhere as well?
"Rue. Any mana?"
[Mm, I don't feel any.]
I immediately returned to the party and told them what I had found. Their unease had not faded, and they began talking among themselves.
"S-so there's more hiding somewhere?"
"You're saying there might be more of those things?"
"So, what was it?"
"A two-headed dog, walking on two legs."
"A Gnoll?"
"Pretty similar."
"A two-headed Gnoll? Never heard of that before."
"S-so mutations like that actually exist?"
"It appeared to specialize in magic. Cancel the Light for now, and we'll keep moving."
The forest, plunged into darkness once more, still held danger, but with the beast that had been plaguing us gone, we could proceed with more ease. We moved like that for five minutes. I raised my hand and halted the party.
"Shh."
I heard something pushing through the undergrowth and stepping on branches. I quietly tapped Rue twice with my index finger.
[I don't sense anything.]
Whatever was coming was not casting magic. But judging by sound alone... the noise came from every direction. I extended my shortened shovel and raised it until the blade was visible over my head. At my signal, the party silently prepared for battle.
"Watch your assigned directions."
East? West? Were we surrounded?
The sound of noisy attackers steadily approaching through the silent forest stabbed at my nerves. We might have been in serious danger.
Should I use a Skill to block the ambush entirely?
No.
There was no guarantee that building a wall would make us safe. It might draw even more monsters and trap us in place. Since we had to keep moving, holding one position was not a good option.
I scanned the surroundings. Growling mixed with the rustling. Were they wolf-type monsters again?
Could they have been Two-Headed Dogs? The Blood Wolves I'd only heard about? Or perhaps the monkeys from the first floor?
Beast-type monsters were faster than humans.
Running had never been an option.
So... we had to kill them all.
"...I s-smell something..."
Shuri, with her sensitive nose, seemed to have picked up the attackers' scent. I quietly gave Shuri an order.
"Everyone, move one step toward the center. Shuri, cast Light at maximum brightness above us."
I didn't know whether the same trick would work twice, but it wouldn't be completely ineffective.
"...L-light!"
"Craft."
A sun appeared in the dark dungeon.
At the same time, a flat-topped pillar rose from the ground.
Together, Shuri's spell and my flat-topped pillar formed a makeshift lighthouse, blocking the light only over our position.
Thanks to that, we could survey the surroundings without losing our vision.
The dogs saw the maddeningly bright sphere, whimpered, and revealed their positions.
"...From now on, we intercept every one of them that has revealed itself.
"...Call of the Abyss."
Now it was our turn to hunt.