Chapter 388: The 4th Floor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 388: The 4th Floor
And so, we now stood on the floor of the 4th Floor.
For the record, Diana had once again created a pocket of air around our heads, just like before, allowing us to talk.
“Even I could not have predicted this situation. To think that half the party members couldn’t swim…”
As Diana spoke, she glared daggers at the three who couldn’t swim.
No, to be precise, she was glaring daggers at Leia and Matilda.
This girl definitely wasn’t angry just because they couldn’t swim.
I was sure of it, seeing how her eyes softened ever so slightly whenever her gaze passed over Silvia in the middle.
Well, it was, admittedly, quite a sight.
Unlike Silvia in her metal armor or Sara in her leather armor, Leia and Matilda were in their nun’s habits.
That said, unfortunately—truly, unfortunately—their clothes had been treated with a waterproof coating, so I couldn’t witness the glorious sight of the fabric getting soaked and clinging to their bodies.
However, the power of buoyancy was at play. Certain parts were floating.
Even if they weren’t wet, they were still cloth garments.
Leia’s nun’s habit, in particular, which I had modified to be form-fitting, made her gently bobbing breasts stand out all the more.
“Uuu… I’m sorry.”
“I-I’m sorry…. This is actually my first time ever being underwater….”
Silvia hung her head with a crestfallen look, as if deeply ashamed of being a burden, while Leia apologized with her hands clasped in front of her, fiddling with her fingers.
Please don’t do that, you angel. It only emphasizes your chest more.
Of course, I enjoyed the view, but Diana’s expression was starting to look like she was about to cry.
“W-Well! It can’t be helped! I’ve never even been near the sea before!”
And even Matilda, who was trying to act all high and mighty, seemed to feel guilty, unable to meet our eyes properly.
“How in the world did you get through the passage from the 3rd Floor?”
“W-Well… by grabbing the wall like this….”
At my question, Leia curled her fingers as if grabbing something and paddled with both hands as if climbing.
Whoa, the spectacular movement of her chest…! At this rate, this is going to get dangerous!
I quickly pulled Diana into a hug before she could be hurt any further.
“Eep!”
Diana let out a small, cute sound and came to me without any resistance.
Then, her head dipped into the water as she buried her face in my chest.
Was she really hurt? She’s not crying, is she? I couldn’t tell since we were underwater and she was wearing a mask.
I gently patted Diana’s back as if to soothe her.
“Anyway, at this rate, we won’t be able to explore the 4th Floor properly.”
It was one thing for our healers, Leia and Matilda, but it was a problem if Silvia, who was supposed to be our sturdy shield, couldn’t swim.
“Uuuuh… I’m sorry.”
Silvia seemed to know this as well, bowing her head even lower, unable to look up.
“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. For now… how about we try walking like this?”
It would take more time and limit our exploration range compared to swimming freely, but at least it wouldn’t make exploring the dungeon completely impossible.
“B-But…”
“It’s okay. My legs were getting a little tired from not being on solid ground, anyway. It might be safer to move like this until we get used to the monsters here.”
“Uuuuh… Guwon-siiir… Hnngh!”
When I said that, Silvia looked up at me, her face filled with emotion.
She started vibrating the moment I stroked her head.
So she vibrates even when we’re not in combat mode.
It was kind of amusing to feel the water ripple around her every time she shook.
“Hmph. I, too, am in favor. And you three will practice swimming while we move without engaging in combat.”
Diana, who had somehow healed her emotional wounds and revived, looked at Silvia as she spoke.
It seemed she’d decided not to even glance in Leia and Matilda’s direction.
“That’s a great idea. Let’s do that.”
And so, we decided to start a basic swimming lesson right then and there.
Teaching the three of them to swim wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
I know from my time at swimming pools that lessons usually start with drills to get over the fear of water by putting your face in it.
But from the looks of it, none of the three were afraid of the water, so we could skip that step.
As long as there’s no fear of water, teaching someone to swim isn’t that difficult.
“First, let’s practice floating. Everyone, take a deep breath and relax your bodies. You’ll slowly start to float.”
For reference, Diana was maintaining a constant pocket of air at my head level, which allowed us to talk and even hold a swimming lesson that would normally only be possible on land.
“Huuup. Oh, my?”
“…This is strange.”
Just like that, Leia’s and Matilda’s bodies slowly began to float.
Leia seemed quite pleased by this, wagging her tail, whose fur had fanned out and was swaying gently in the water, from side to side.
Of course, I wasn’t surprised by the result. I had expected it.
Just as I thought. The only reason Leia and Matilda couldn’t swim was simply that they’d never tried before.
When it came to floating, the two of them had the most aptitude in the party.
Though when it came to speed, they’d have the least.
I glanced down slightly and nodded to myself several times.
“……”
The problem, on the other hand, was the most important one, Silvia.
She remained submerged, unable to float at all.
Silvia tilted her head for a moment, then looked at Leia and Matilda, as if trying to find the difference between them and herself.
Her gaze stopped at one spot, and her eyes widened in a look of shock.
Don’t pound on your armored chest with such a sad expression!
Of course, I can’t completely deny that’s a factor, but the main reason is the armor! You’re touching it yourself, you should realize!
So stop making that face! Are you trying to get a chest trauma right after Diana?!
I hurriedly put my hands under Silvia’s armpits and lifted her face up to where the air was.
This girl, she’s not even vibrating while I’m touching her.
Was she really that shocked?
“Silvia. Take it off.”
“…Ehet? Eh? Het? H-H-H-Here?!”
Good. She’s finally vibrating.
Thankfully, it seemed I was able to rescue Silvia before she developed a chest trauma.
“What do you think you’re saying!”
Instead, I had to take a smash to the back from Sara.
“No! The armor! I meant take off the armor! You can’t float because of it!”
“You idiot! Then don’t say it in a way that can be misunderstood! I thought you were trying something weird again!”
This is so unfair….
“‘Again’?! When have I ever…!”
“So you’re saying you don’t normally do perverted things?”
…Well, I have.
“…Of course, I’m sorry for hitting you out of a misunderstanding…. But try to speak in a way that won’t be misunderstood.”
Before I could even feel wronged, Sara started gently rubbing the back I had just struck.
Hmm. Right. Can’t be helped. I was the one who said it in a misleading way. I’ll forgive her.
“Anyway. Silvia, take off your armor and try again.”
Taking off armor inside the dungeon was inherently dangerous, but this time, it couldn’t be helped.
It wasn’t like she could be of much help in a fight if she couldn’t swim anyway.
Until she learned how, she’d just have to stay in the rear with the healers.
“Y-Yehet…”
When I set her down again, Silvia quickly—well, it was slow because we were underwater, but anyway—moved a little away from me and started taking off her armor.
“Still, it’s surprising that these three can’t swim. I thought Silvia and Leia would be able to, since they’re both quite athletic.”
Silvia, being a frontline fighter, was a given, and Leia, likely due to being a Gumiho, had decent stats like agility and stamina for a priest-class job.
“You’re right. I thought Silvia would be able to swim, too.”
“On the other hand, it’s also surprising that Diana can swim. Sara aside, I had the impression Diana would be the type who absolutely couldn’t swim.”
“Wait. What do you mean, ‘Sara aside’?”
It’s just a city slicker’s prejudice against country folk.
If I say that, I’ll probably get another smash to the back, right?
“No, just that you’re athletic too, Sara. Anyway, Diana, when did you learn to swim? Was it when you came to the 4th Floor before?”
“Hmm? No. I cannot swim.”
“…What? Then how are you….”
“Why, with the power of magic, of course!”
Diana flashed her most brilliant smile and looked at me as if to say, “How about that?”
No, I mean… not being able to swim isn’t exactly something to be proud of, is it?
Though I admit, being able to wield magic with such finesse is amazing.
“Ah, Diana, that’s cheating.”
“Hmph. Cheating, you say? This is all thanks to my diligent practice of magic.”
Though she was brimming with pride, Diana absolutely refused to meet Leia’s eyes.
“If you want, you can learn with them, Diana. It’s a good opportunity.”
“I absolutely refuse to be lumped in with them!”
So that’s the reason.
You know, Silvia, who you cherish so much, is lumped in with them over there.
“W-Wow! G-Guwon-sir! I-I’m floating!”
As I was thinking that, I looked over at Silvia and saw that she had taken off her armor and succeeded in floating, her eyes sparkling.
Yes, yes. Good, good. Silvia, just keep living your life purely, without picking up any weird traumas.
Well, if you think about it, the reason Diana came to dislike large breasts was my fault, too.
Anyway, now that they’d succeeded in floating, all that was left was to practice moving by kicking their legs and paddling their arms.
Once you get to this stage, you’ve pretty much learned how to swim.
Besides, thanks to the masks, they didn’t even need to learn how to breathe, which lowered the difficulty even further.
After a simple lesson, all three of them had grasped the basics.
For the record, the sight of their breasts, freed from the influence of gravity, swaying every time they moved their arms and legs was truly a magnificent spectacle.
Just watching them filled my heart with warmth and happiness, making me once again feel glad that I had come to this world.
Maybe the Goddess is just a kind person with no ulterior motives after all?
Well, anyway, after finishing the basic swimming lesson, we began to move.
Of course, it would take time for the three of them to swim properly, so for the time being, we walked along the ground.
Even as we walked on the floor, I had the three of them practice swimming by trying to stay afloat as much as possible.
“Diana, how long will it take to reach the 4th Floor’s town?”
“Hmm? Even if we go straight there by the shortest route, it would take a week. But at this speed…. Besides, there are things like Transcendent Species on the path.”
I see. Then maybe we should give up on reaching the 4th Floor’s town during this expedition?
No, but it’s quite a hassle to come all the way from the 3rd Floor to the 4th Floor every time.
Of course, I only feel that way because I visit a town every time I move between layers; apparently, it’s normal for other adventurers to explore that way.
Still, a hassle is a hassle.
But a Transcendent Species, of all things…
In terms of ability, it probably wouldn’t be much different from the 3rd Floor’s boss, but the variable of underwater combat was the problem.
Well, if it came down to it, we have Diana, and I could probably manage by going all out with my Saint skills. Hmmm….
“What do you think we should do, Diana?”
“About finding the town? I recommend we give up for now. This layer also has monsters that your skills won’t work on. For example, that thing over there.”
Where Diana pointed, a plant was growing out of the ground, swaying gently.
“Huh? That plant is a monster?”
“Indeed. Why don’t you try using your skill on it as a test?”
Following Diana’s suggestion, I shot a Saint’s Wave at the plant.
But as expected, there was no reaction. The plant just kept swaying with the current, making me doubt if it was really a monster.
“Are you sure that’s a monster?”
“Indeed. Then, Sara. You try attacking it this time.”
“Okay.”
The moment Sara fired an arrow, the monster revealed its true form.
The thing that had been swaying gently like a normal plant suddenly shot out and lunged at us.