130. Dungeon, Explosion, Reward (8)
130. Dungeon, Explosion, Reward (8)
My tentacle coiled around the neck of the first wolf to make a sound.
Unfortunately, it lacked the strength to break that thick neck. The tentacle could pull with great force, but its constriction was weak—a peculiar limitation.
The Two-Headed Dog was large, but with its throat caught, it couldn't resist properly. I dragged it over and silently left Lewis to finish it.
Unable even to scream while being strangled, the Two-Headed Dog was decapitated with a single stroke.
One down.
"They really do have two heads."
This one was on all fours?
So their strategy was a coordinated attack by magic-using bipedal Two-Headed Dogs and quadrupedal ones. If we failed to understand the pattern quickly, we could have been in serious trouble.
I sharpened my senses again. The remaining Two-Headed Dogs faltered after seeing one of their own die so easily.
If I let this moment pass, they would hide again. I had to press forward without losing momentum. I restored my arm and took the box from my bag. Was there anything dogs found harder to endure than a pungent smell?
"Everyone, put on your gas masks."
We'd already done this once, so the party reacted immediately. I opened the box and dipped my shovel into the crushed garlic. It was an enchantment guaranteed to sterilize, at least. I closed the box and watched what happened.
The Two-Headed Dogs were fully alert and refused to rush us. Some hid in the shadows to avoid the light, while one or two remained visible as though acting as bait.
The hidden ones would probably charge all at once the moment we approached.
In that case...
"Lewis. Give me your sword."
"Huh?"
"Quickly."
Lewis handed me his sword with an uneasy look. I felt somewhat guilty, but survival mattered more. I smeared crushed garlic thickly over the blade.
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
"Basic enchantment."
After applying the enchantment by hand, I set the box at my feet. They would have difficulty approaching now. We would suffer only bloodshot eyes and coughing, but to the Two-Headed Dogs it would be no different from chemical warfare.
"I'll take the bait."
They'd set the table for me themselves. Of course I was going to jump in.
"Huh?"
"Guard this spot."
Though they probably wouldn't be able to get close anyway.
I kicked off the ground and charged the Two-Headed Dog that had remained visible. The distance between its two pairs of eyes and mine rapidly vanished as our murderous gazes collided.
A sneer spread across the beast's mouths.
I was the one who should have been sneering, you mutt.
"!()#&*(*!!!"
We were about ten paces apart. As I drew closer, the Two-Headed Dog finally noticed something was wrong, whined, and began backing away. Even a monster had difficulty enduring the overwhelming smell of garlic.
"Where do you think you're running? Craft."
I pierced the belly of the Two-Headed Dog with a spike as it tried to flee. I turned and saw the others hiding in the darkness. Of course. The sight of them staggering backward, overwhelmed by the garlic assault, made me chuckle.
"Not coming?"
Then I would go to them.
I charged boldly into the darkness.
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"Shuri, dispel the magic."
"Yes!"
"A-are you okay, old man? Are you hurt anywhere...?"
"No."
I hadn't managed to catch many since they'd fled quickly, but they wouldn't pose a direct threat anymore.
I'd killed at least five. Unlike their game counterparts, they were cowardly and fled when the situation turned against them. It was troublesome; if they'd fought to the death as they did in the game, I could have wiped them out in one go.
"It'll be safe for a while. We're moving fast."
"Ah, y-yes..."
"Shuri, don't stray far."
"Y-yes!"
Were they avoiding me because of the smell? Even Lewis stared uneasily at his sword. I sighed as I retrieved the garlic box, whose potency seemed to have mostly faded.
"Don't avoid it merely because it smells. Getting used to it will be better for you."
"Is this going to happen every time?"
"No. But there will be times when we do things worse than this. You know that better than anyone."
"That's true..."
Sif immediately accepted my point. Since she was the only person here besides me who had frequented dungeons, she understood quickly, which was convenient. Her combat ability was lacking, though, so I needed to give her some way to compensate.
"Now, no more chatter. We're moving out again."
We still had a long way to go. I listened to the surroundings and took out my compass. As expected, the fighting had thrown our direction off. I moved in a half-circle, re-formed the party, and set out again.
"We're heading straight to the third floor this way. Follow without letting your guard down until we reach the stairs to the third floor. There could still be more Two-Headed Dogs left."
At my words, everyone nodded quietly.
It was time to move.
I pushed through the undergrowth and stepped over branches scattered across the ground as I advanced. If I had my way, I'd erect walls on both sides as we went, but if there were still any magic-using bipedal Two-Headed Dogs left, that could send the team to its death.
This was clearly a game world, but it was also reality. If magic shattered one of my walls, the fragments could injure us. Our limited visibility also made it difficult to detect an ambush in time.
This was why the Craft Skill was awkward in combat. It was inherently non-combat, which severely limited its uses in a fight. The tentacle spell I had learned was also nearly useless against an opponent in a completely different weight class.
Transforming my arm effectively cost me one hand, which was another problem. It worked against low-intelligence creatures like these, but swinging a tentacle in a fight against another person would have been practically suicidal.
...It was too quiet, though.
Not even a rustle reached my ears as I watched the surroundings. I could not feel anyone watching us either.
Had they realized they couldn't win and fled?
If so, that was fine, but maybe they were preparing a final ambush. No matter how pungent the smell, they could adapt to it eventually. It wouldn't be strange if they were slowly acclimating to the garlic stench and biding their time.
Where would they make their final stand?
Even after our victory, the second floor remained the Two-Headed Dogs' home ground. They were certain to exploit the terrain. Nothing killed its prey as cunningly as a seasoned predator.
So I had to figure out those monsters' intentions beforehand.
I tried thinking from their perspective.
With their numbers reduced, they would choose the most favorable terrain for their next attack.
What terrain would favor them most?
The forest favored them, but it also gave us some advantages. We could use the terrain to reduce our blind spots.
Another strength of our party was my ability to create a sturdy fortress on the spot with the Craft Skill if things went wrong.
I'd already shown them that, so the Two-Headed Dogs were unlikely to attack us inside the forest again.
The most likely place for their next attack was...
"The third-floor entrance."
There was nowhere else for a final showdown. The area was narrow, and the final path to the third floor was especially dangerous, with cliffs on both sides.
It was obvious the Two-Headed Dogs would force a fight there, one way or another.
So, as the final path to the third floor drew near, I raised my left hand above my head and halted the party.
"Shuri. Use a detection spell."
"R-Right now?"
"Yes. It's Third-Class Magic, so you can cast it, right?"
"Yes."
"Cast it now. Set the radius to about fifty meters. How much mana will you have left afterward?"
"Th-thirty percent."
"Can you still use Third-Class Magic with that much?"
"Uh, n-no..."
"Understood. Then begin. Everyone else, keep watch."
We surrounded Shuri and watched the forest. It rustled eerily above us, but we couldn't afford to look up. The moment our attention wandered, fangs would sink into our throats.
"...Detection."
A wave of mana spread outward. Visibly exhausted, Shuri leaned into Lewis's arms and let him support her.
"Shuri, did you find anything?"
"...Seven of them. They're all hiding near the path to the third floor."
"I see. Continue as planned. Pretend not to notice them."
An ambush that had already been exposed was likely to be turned against the attackers. We pretended to relax and walked forward quietly. Whether the Two-Headed Dogs could detect mana didn't matter. Once their ambush had been discovered, much of its effectiveness was gone.
"Once we get past here, it's over."
I turned back toward the party and deliberately adopted an unguarded posture. They understood my words as a signal and awkwardly began making small talk.
"Once we reach the third floor, we'll meet the b-boss, right?"
"I hope the rewards are generous."
"Still, you can't let your guard down until the end. You could end up like me."
Viola raised her prosthetic hand with a flourish and tossed out a joke.
As the conversation gradually became more natural, I shortened my shovel just before the final path to the third-floor entrance and held it loosely.
Following my lead, the others pretended to lower their weapons. We now appeared defenseless.
That was when it happened.
A rustling sound.
"Three of them!"
"Craft."
Sharp pillars impaled the Two-Headed Dogs that had rushed us. Large holes opened in their bellies, and they writhed before dying.
Three, then.
"The rest are hiding near the exit."
"Keep moving."
The remaining path to the third-floor entrance was only wide enough for two people side by side. Whoever stood at the front would inevitably have to hold back the Two-Headed Dogs, but there was no reason for us to enter terrain that favored them.
I held out a hand to Viola, who was watching the rear.
"Viola. Hand me two paralysis reagents."
"Hold on... here."
I accepted the reagents from Viola and picked up two stones about the size of tennis balls. After stuffing them into my pocket, I advanced a little farther. This was close enough.
I hurled the two heavy reagent vials to either side of the third-floor entrance. Before they hit the ground, I pulled out the stones and threw them after the vials.
Crash. The glass shattered and sprayed paralysis reagent around the entrance. One stone missed, but the vial still broke against the ground and spread its contents.
The sound of yelping followed right after.
"We're going in now. Watch the rear as you follow. Lewis, take the lead and run straight through."
"Understood!"
Lewis kicked off the ground and sprinted down the narrow path. The Two-Headed Dogs should have reacted to his rapid advance, but only one appeared. It charged as though in desperation and was split in half in an instant.
"Find the paralyzed ones and finish them off immediately!"
We crossed the narrow path slowly while watching Lewis finish off the paralyzed Two-Headed Dogs. By the time we reached the other side, he had gathered the corpses into one pile.
"That was easier than I expected."
"Because all of you followed my instructions."
At their age, it wouldn't have been surprising if they'd become rebellious and refused to listen. I appreciated how obedient they were.
I buried the corpses and took up a position beside the third-floor entrance. Since there was only one approach, blocking it would keep us safe.
I erected a wall to cut off the path and set up a small base camp in front of the third-floor entrance.
"We'll sleep before entering the final floor. Rest and regroup."
At those words, smiles bloomed on everyone's faces.
The journey through the second floor must have been utterly exhausting.
Too bad for them.
The third floor would probably be even worse.
If the second floor was Two-Headed Dogs, the third floor was probably... no. Nothing was confirmed yet. There was no need to jump to conclusions already.
I lit a campfire in the center of camp, made a pot hanger above it, and began cooking. Dinner... or whatever meal this was consisted of a hodgepodge soup made with jerky, dried vegetables, and whatever else I had.
They supposedly called this perpetual soup in medieval inns, or something along those lines.
"Yohan, you're good at cooking too?"
"If you're going to feed yourself alone, cooking is a necessity. You'd do well to learn at least some simple cooking. Good meals are hard to come by on an adventure."
"Ah, yes."
"Is that pot new? It looks expensive. I think the five-gold ones looked like this—"
"That's the one."
It was supposedly a pot that resisted soot. I had not understood what that meant and bought it anyway, but fortunately the claim appeared to be true. I handed the ladle to Shuri, who looked intensely interested, and told her to stir. She could at least manage that.
I sat on a suitable rock and wiped down my mithril shovel, which had seen rough use all day.
The garlic smell was so intense it made my eyes water a little.
"Yohan, what if the reward on the third floor is another Grimoire like last time?"
"We sell it and split it five ways."
I didn't expect another Grimoire. Gold or a magic item would have been welcome as well. Enchanted items could fetch a high price from the Wizard Guild or at auction.
At the very least, we'd recover the cost of exploring the dungeon and still have money left over.
"Food's ready!"
"Got it. I'll be right there."
I covered the clean shovel, sat in the space the others had left for me, and watched Shuri ladle out the soup.
...Going on an adventure with a group like this wasn't so bad.
Once everyone had been served, Shuri shouted in an energetic voice.
"Thank you for the food!"
Hearing that, we smiled and quietly echoed her.
"...Thank you for the food."