40. Is It Wrong to Try Shoveling in a Dungeon? (12)
40. Is It Wrong to Try Shoveling in a Dungeon? (12)
"...It seems there is no choice but to open this door."
An enormous door greeted us on the fourth floor, large enough to have been built for giants rather than humans. I inspected the area around it, returned to the others, and pointed beside the door.
"Let's eat something simple here before we go."
The meal consisted of only a few mouthfuls of water, jerky, and dried fruit, but after everything we had endured, it felt like a feast. We each gave Millia a little of our share. She looked at us in confusion at first, then thanked us and ate.
"It's yummy..."
"You'll get indigestion, so drink some water too."
"I'm fine! You guys have to drink too!"
"We packed plenty, so don't worry."
"Yeah, eat your fill."
It was one of the few peaceful moments we had experienced in this chilling dungeon, but peaceful moments always ended eventually. Once we had eaten, we cleaned up and stood before the door.
What could have been waiting beyond that enormous door?
We had no useful information. Judging from the previous floors, however, another bizarre puzzle was entirely possible. This time, I would leave it to Reni and let brute force solve the problem. Who had the patience to work through another puzzle? I wanted to finish this creepy dungeon and start looking for a way off the island.
"Then I'll open it."
Everyone nodded. I carefully placed a hand on each door and pushed. With a noise that shook my eardrums, the enormous doors began to open. Beyond them was a chamber as large as an athletic field—closer to an auditorium than an ordinary room. What had it been built for?
Just as I was puzzling over that question, the room suddenly lit up.
"...That's..."
"Ho ho, so you are guests."
A skeleton in a robe. Purple light glowed inside its eye sockets, and a gemstone was embedded in its forehead. The skullhead practically announced, “I am the boss of this dungeon,” just by existing. It idly ran its fingers over the back of one bony hand while staring at us. Even so, the grotesque creature behind it concerned me far more. What was that thing?
"That thing! That's the one!"
"Oh? I wondered where you had gone. So you were with the guests."
The skullhead sounded thoroughly amused. It sat in a chair that appeared from nowhere and tapped the armrest. Every one of its actions irritated me; the skeleton was far too calm in the presence of intruders.
"Would you care for a cup of tea?"
"...No thanks."
"What a pity. I spent hundreds of years practicing how to brew tea while waiting for guests."
The skullhead seemed genuinely disappointed that we had refused the tea. What was it trying to accomplish? I couldn't begin to guess, especially because I sensed no hostility from it.
"Yohan. Should we wreck it?"
Her thinking really was simple. Sure, wrecking it without asking questions would have been the easiest option, but something about the skullhead bothered me—especially that unpleasant smile, as if it knew everything. Maybe it knew something about this uninhabited island. I shook my head at Reni and stepped forward.
"I have some questions. Will you answer them?"
"Regarding that... I will answer once you clear the dungeon. Now then, let us begin the grand finale."
The ground began to shake the instant the skullhead finished speaking. No—the sound came from the entity behind it beginning to move. We gripped our weapons and watched the creature stir. It was difficult to describe: a grotesque mass of tentacles, numerous arms, and more clustered eyes than I could count. Every one of those eyes turned toward us.
Although I'd just drunk water, my throat went dry. My head spun, and I opened my mouth as I struggled to breathe. What was that thing?
"Yohan! Get a grip!"
I barely managed to collect myself at Reni's shout and glared at the monster, its dozens of eyeballs rolling and shifting around. Would ordinary attacks even work? Before that, could that monstrous organism even die?
After seeing the fate of those who had sought eternal life, I couldn't be certain.
Something capable of keeping bodies moving without heads was not likely to die easily.
"...Hah. Why would anyone worship a creature like that as a god?"
"Indeed."
"...That doesn't seem like something you should be saying. Weren't you worshipping it too?"
The skeleton shrugged as though it had no idea what I meant.
"Of course not. I am merely the administrator. To me, this dungeon is nothing more than something to manage. Though it seems that duty will soon come to an end."
"Not much longer?"
"If you defeat this poor creature, I too will return to dust."
The skullhead did not seem to have a single lingering attachment. Only its eyes flickered with exhilaration at finally seeing the end. As the grotesque creature began moving in earnest, I tore my gaze from the skullhead and focused on it.
"We’ll talk when this is over."
"I will look forward to it. One warning: this won't be an easy opponent, especially after all the times you have cheated."
With those final words, the skullhead's form scattered like smoke. What the hell was that bastard, really?
"Reni. Are you ready?"
"I’m always ready. Karina..."
"I will fight too. I may not be able to stand on the front line, but I can support you with magic."
When I turned to Karina, she met my gaze with a gentle smile.
"I..."
"You can stay hidden. I will not force you to fight when you're only a head."
"I can help too! Probably... that thing is !)(*@&($#"
Millia’s voice dissolved into static. What had she been trying to say? Before I could consider it, Reni and I stepped forward, gripped our weapons, and quickly discussed our plan.
"Where do you think its weak point is?"
"Probably the eyes. We can try cutting them first. Otherwise, we’ll cut off every arm and tentacle."
Which should we prioritize? We'd have to fight and gather some information before deciding. We charged the creature as it slowly reached out with its monstrous appendages.
A red tentacle flew toward me, its writhing motion filling my vision. I gripped the shovel with both hands and swung with all my strength. The tentacle was severed. It wasn't as tough as I'd expected.
"...What are you, a lizard?"
I clicked my tongue as the tentacle regenerated in an instant. Did attacking the tentacles accomplish nothing? I glanced toward Reni. She had already cut through roughly ten of them and reached the creature's face. Reliable as ever.
I couldn't fall behind either.
I rolled aside to avoid a tentacle aimed at my head and cut it off. The action itself was simple and repetitive, but the pressure of knowing I could die at any moment weighed on me. Still, this wasn't my first fight like this.
When I first fell onto this island, when I fought the bears to survive, when I faced a drugged Reni, and when I battled the Hydra, a single misstep had always been enough to kill me.
So, there was no reason to be scared.
I steadied myself as I parried its utterly straightforward attacks.
This was an opponent I couldn't be sure of killing even if I struck its weak point.
Countless eyes shifted between Reni and me. Was it deciding whom to prioritize? For the moment, its attention would probably remain on Reni. She had torn through every tentacle in reach and burst several eyes.
The less attention it paid me, the better.
"Hey! The eyeballs are regenerating too!"
At Reni’s warning, I looked at the eyes and saw them rapidly restoring themselves. The grotesque sight drew a curse from me as I racked my brain.
How was I supposed to land a meaningful hit?
Its resistance was too fierce for me to use the same method as I had against the Hydra, and I did not even know whether it had bones inside.
I needed more information. Just a moment—if I could buy even a few seconds...
"Karina! Can you use judgment magic?"
"What? How did you... know?!"
Karina's chant began behind me. That left me with one job: hold out until she finished. I stepped forward, pulled a pouch of poison powder from my pocket, and sprinkled it over the shovel blade. Ordinary blows could not damage the creature, so I would use poison. If that failed... I'd find another method.
I rolled aside from the tentacle crashing down where I'd stood and drove my shovel into one of the creature's eyes. Dark-red blood sprayed as a sickening resistance traveled up the handle. I would have preferred to avoid it, but I couldn't.
My body began to tremble.
It wasn't me trembling. The monster's trembling was traveling up the shovel and into me.
Was the poison working?
Then the shovel began to push back against my hands with a springy resistance.
Was it regenerating?
You had to be kidding me.
What kind of bullshit was this? I'd coated the blade with enough poison to kill an ordinary person instantly, and it meant nothing?
"Shit."
"Stabbing the eyeballs is doing nothing!"
Reni’s shout came at exactly the wrong moment and tangled my thoughts even further.
Shit. What the hell was I supposed to do?
"...O Lord, punish the enemy with Your spear. Yohan! Reni! Move!"
The instant Karina finished, scorching heat washed over the back of my head.
I reflexively threw my body to the side. I saw a flash of gold at the edge of my vision.
Warmth wrapped around my body as well.
Inside that warmth, I heard a monstrous cry filled with agony.
"...Tough as hell."
Even after the Saintess herself unleashed what amounted to an anti-monster superweapon of a spell, the creature was still alive.
How was I supposed to defeat it?
The skullhead’s words might have contained a clue.
"Cheating..."
Yeah, it had said we'd cheated.
What counted as cheating?
Ah.
Was that it?
So that was what it was.
Before that precious opening disappeared, I drove my shovel into the floor.
It was not as though I had another option.
"Craft."