When Going to the Jungle by Canoe #1

Snow lily shaved ice. It was sweet and delicious even when eaten plain, as if condensed milk had been drizzled over it. Still, I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of regret. After all, shaved ice only revealed its true worth when topped with the right ingredients, didn't it?

That was why I had thought of the Tropical Jungle dungeon. The name alone painted a vivid picture in your mind, right? Palm trees. Snakes. Insects. Swarms of mosquitoes. Humid, hot, sweaty. Yet in return, it was a field overflowing with highly sugary fruits.

In the game D&A, the Tropical Jungle was a place you could only enter without penalty after drinking a cool potion. The 'Heat' penalty had been a debuff that sliced off a fixed 5 HP every set number of turns.

But eating this snow shaved ice changed the situation entirely.

Because I had eaten a cold food, I gained resistance to heat. Level 2 was enough to nullify Heat Level 2. The duration was a standard one hour.

Anyway.

Using the item obtained from the Snow Mountain Labyrinth to conquer the Tropical Jungle. Then using the items gained from conquering the Tropical Jungle to tackle another dungeon or field—.

This ladder-climbing style of gradual growth was the very definition of standard RPG strategy.

"Victor, didn't you say we were going to the jungle? The jungle is in the central field outside Ludens Academy, isn't it? Why have we come here?"

Enio seemed puzzled.

It must have struck her as odd that I, after announcing we were heading to the Tropical Jungle, was instead wandering around inside the academy rather than an external field. Melvin and Diarmuid had shown similar reactions when we first headed toward the snow mountain dungeon.

"This path is correct."

The place I led them to was the chapel on the central street.

A chapel dedicated to the Seven Gods. A portal leading to the Tropical Jungle was hidden here. Like the hidden dungeon Snow Mountain Labyrinth, this was a place you could only discover by scouring every map, speaking to every NPC, and checking behind every rock.

Since it had no connection to the main episode, frequent visits would not create any significant variables to the story itself.

The chapel was quiet and serene. Beautiful sunlight streamed through the mosaic windows, illuminating the seven gods enshrined within.

Victorica, gazing at them, asked, "Victor, are you going to offer a prayer to the gods before entering the dungeon?"

"No. The dungeon entrance is located here."

"Here?"

I stepped into the square booth. The confessional. A place for confessing sins, they called it. To me, however, it was nothing more than a dungeon entrance.

"If one inputs the phrase from a specific page of the scripture placed here..."

In the game it had been text input, but here I would need to read it aloud. Of course, I didn't need to open the book; the information was already stored in my head.

"Behold, the land of amusement we have created. From this land, a new one shall rise."

Uwoong—.

I recited chapter 5, verse 13 of the Ludens Genesis clearly. It didn't suddenly awaken any faith within me. But a door that had not existed before now appeared.

Uwoooooong—.

A greenish, oval-shaped dimensional gate shimmered inside the confessional.

When I opened the door and showed it to the others, their reactions were refreshing.

"Why would a dungeon entrance be inside a chapel like this? It truly is a miracle of the gods..."

Victorica seemed rather devout. It didn't seem strange to view it as a divine miracle. I was used to these hidden dungeons, but for first-timers, clutching one's forehead in shock would be perfectly understandable.

"Then before entry, I will configure the party."

When I placed my hand against the dungeon entrance, a familiar party matching window appeared.

Enio's ruby-red eyes sparkled at the sight. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"I've only heard about it, but seeing it myself is fascinating. This is proof that the gods truly exist..."

Status windows were indeed wondrous.

Four empty square slots floated before us. I dragged our shining names with my hand and inserted them one by one.

First I placed Victorica and Enio. Familiar letters rose in my mind.

Fated Rivals, Antithesis. This was the combination name that appeared first when Victorica and Enio were placed in the same party. The name itself granted no special effects, but accumulating achievement points required conquering dungeons with various combinations. You couldn't know the name until after clearing it, which made experimenting with different parties part of the fun.

Now I dragged Nike's name into the final empty slot. Three heroines in one party. I couldn't wait to see what combination name would appear. This was my chance to raise my achievement score that had been stuck at 87 percent for over ten thousand hours.

As soon as we stepped inside the dungeon, humid air clung heavily to my skin. The sticky sensation unique to hot and humid regions was worse than the muggy heat following a monsoon downpour.

"It's so hot... Even after eating the shaved ice, it's still this bad..."

Victorica was already sweating profusely from her forehead. She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at it.

Enio seemed to find it just as unbearable. "...It's a little warm. I should remove my stockings."

Enio smoothly slid off her black stockings. The moment her pale bare legs began to appear, Victorica asked in alarm, "What exactly are you doing right now?"

Enio simply replied in her usual relaxed tone, "What else can I do about the heat?" Then she gave me a slightly mischievous look and asked, "Victor, do you need the stockings as well?"

"No, that will not be necessary."

What would I even use them for? Although... if I fashioned them into a net, perhaps I could catch fish?

"I have changed my mind. If you intend to discard them, give them to me. I will pay their value."

Surprisingly, Victorica grew more upset than the stockings' actual owner. "Victor, why on earth would you accept those!"

What calmed our chaotic exchange ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a sound from outside.

━Hoooow.

━Meuuuw.

━Hioong...!

━Mioong...!

From every direction came the continuous cries of beasts whose identities remained unknown.

This was the Tropical Jungle. A dungeon that unofficially demanded a total stat sum of 100.

For reference, my current stats looked like this.

Strength 32 points. Agility 2 points. With stamina at 83 and item-corrected charm at 12, my total reached 129. Since the dungeon's appropriate stat requirement hovered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around 100, my total of 129 made this a safe run. In simple terms, it was like entering a level 10 restricted dungeon at level 12.9.

Even in a world where dungeon conquest wasn't well developed, Victorica and Enio had surely surpassed 100 stat points each. The problem was Nike.

"It's incredibly humid. This feels different from the Reshguard Forest where I live!"

Nike had seemed strangely cheerful ever since entering the dungeon. Her home was a forest and this was a jungle—similar enough, I supposed. There seemed no need to worry.

Still, I decided to explain basic precautions like a local guide. "This is a stat 100 restricted dungeon. The monsters that appear are three types of swamp snakes, three types of army ants, and ape-men. Aside from the ape-men, there is nothing particularly dangerous."

"...Victor, how do you know so much? I never imagined there would be a dungeon inside the chapel."

Victorica's question told me the timing was right. I would need to use one-third of today's quota of allowable deceptions.

"When I served on the disciplinary committee, I read the information in the student council warehouse. The original documents were incinerated and no longer exist, but the information is reliable. You may trust it."

"The student council warehouse does contain all sorts of items, so that makes sense."

Victorica seemed to accept it without further suspicion.

It was then.

"Victor, look at that! Look!"

Nike, who had been peering around curiously, suddenly dashed off with incredible speed. She moved so fast that even a beekeeper protecting bees from wasps would have to step aside. In her hands she now held a rather large spider—large enough to cover a human palm.

━Woof woof!

...Since when did spiders bark like dogs?

"There's a wolf spider here! Incredible! Look at this pattern! I've never seen such pure white leg coloring before. Wow, it's truly amazing. A rare specimen?"

Nike rejoiced like an elementary schooler who had caught a stag beetle. However, as she joyfully presented the spider to everyone, Victorica and Enio made no effort to hide their disgust.

"M-Mokemoke, put that away right now. It's dangerous!"

"Nike, you have somewhat poor judgment. What if it bites you? It's a large spider. It might be venomous, so you must be careful."

"...I-I suppose... These spiders may look intimidating, but they're actually very timid and gentle. They don't bite people... Should I release it...?"

Nike's mood visibly deflated. Certainly, waving around such an enormous spider would frighten most people. But I understood how Nike felt.

Spiders. In D&A, spiders were rather special creatures. The spider silk obtained from them was highly useful for crafting upper-tier equipment. If Nike could tame them properly, it might expand my crafting from mere food items to clothing and other equipment as well.

"Nike, do not lose that one. Keep it with you."

"...Okay! Here, go inside this."

━Woof woof!

Nike carefully placed the strange spider into a collection container she carried at her waist. It had looked frightening at first, but as she said, it was docile and did not bite. Perhaps it was because she was a druid.

"It's hot..."

Enio's body slumped. She usually maintained a relaxed demeanor, but even she seemed unable to endure this merciless heat.

"Victor, is there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any water left?"

"No. However, I do have a sugar coconut I harvested moments ago."

Crack—. When I split the coconut open with my hand, sweet juice flowed down my fingers. Before our drinks ran out entirely, I held it to Enio's face.

"Bend at the waist and open your mouth."

"Ah—."

Slurp, slurp.

Whitish pulp and juice trickled down Enio's face. As I watched her pink tongue, neat teeth, and the liquid disappearing into her deep throat, Victorica suddenly grew angry for some reason.

"...What exactly are you two doing? How indecent!"

What was she talking about?

"What part of this is indecent?"

"Never mind! Enio, you mustn't drink all your share and then inconvenience others!"

At Victorica's warning, Enio replied, "But it really is too hot. The Blackstar family estate is in the north. I can endure cold, but this kind of heat is a bit..."

Enio licked her lips, looking somewhat better than when she had been suffering earlier.

It was then.

Pop—.

A sound like a taut string snapping rang out, and Victorica suddenly floated into the air.

"What is it, what is happening...!?"

Upon closer inspection, strange vine-like tendrils had wrapped around her arms and legs, restraining her body. Just as her school uniform skirt began to flip up completely—.

"Victor, you must not look."

Something soft covered my face. Was it Enio's hand?

Amid struggling sounds, Victorica shouted, "Release me at once!"

"Victorica, those are quite impressive undergarments..."

"M-Mokemoke, stop with the nonsense! Just hurry up and free me!"

There were far too many hands involved. But the first run through any dungeon usually went this way—stepping on traps and suffering ambushes.

Whoosh.

Victorica was finally freed. She rubbed her wrists and ankles, muttering, "What on earth was that?" Then she poked my side with her finger.

"You... d-did you see anything?"

"See what."

"...If you didn't see anything, then never mind!"

This was a silent room. On the table lay a small map and carefully carved game pieces. Only the light illuminating them shone with unusual brilliance.

In front of the map within the hushed room, several shadows appeared.

"How about it? Will things go well this time?"

"Don't be shocked when you hear this. The 'herald' has already been defeated."

The atmosphere flipped instantly at those words. Some reacted with disbelief.

"Already? I put considerable effort into crafting that one's story. It took two years. And he's already gone? Why?"

"This is a first for us too, isn't it? Then I suppose we must send out Torneo. That priest fellow."

"That may be so, but look at these children. They're already inside the dungeon. The Tropical Jungle. Does this make any sense? Those strange grass-chewing kids."

"...They went there already? We hadn't even prepared the story for that place yet. We hid it so thoroughly that no one could enter. What are we going to do?"

"Still, it does seem interesting. We've never had children like these before. These kinds are truly a first. Especially this strange one. What exactly is this fellow doing? Was there ever anyone like him in Ludens?"

At the hearty exclamation from the one holding a hammer, a woman with a languid voice responded.

"He is an interesting child, but... I don't think I can attach myself to him this time. When that child died last time, I was so sad I couldn't swallow even a sip of water for several years. Just thinking of him still brings me sorrow."

At the woman's tears, the mood grew solemn. Some among them shed tears as well.

Then the shadow holding a sword spoke while sobbing. "You're talking about the one who wore the lion skin, right? He truly was magnificent! But rules are rules. There can be no favoritism. You all know that, yes? This time it's my turn."

They rolled the die.

A mysterious eight-sided die rolled across the map, tumbling round and round. The result was 7.

Sighs rose from every direction.

"...Ahem, I told you not to roll five or higher."

"Well done. Very well done. A seven, of all things. I thought we finally had interesting children, but these friends will wither before they can even bloom. They'll be utterly destroyed."

"...Damn it all, it's not as if the die obeys my will! I'm sad too!"

Nevertheless, they could not tear their eyes from the map. No matter how sad or how joyful, the only rule was to 'watch' until the very end.

This was that kind of amusement. Ludens.