Chapter 389: The 4th Floor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 389: The 4th Floor
I was a little surprised that the plant, which had been perfectly still, suddenly moved, but it was still just a frontal ambush.
If I had been floating aimlessly in the water, it might have been a different story, but with my feet planted firmly on the ground, there was no way I wouldn’t be able to react.
“Whoa! You scared me.”
I swiftly snatched the rapidly approaching vine.
I see. I’d heard that even back in my original world, there were carnivorous plants that lived underwater and preyed on insects and fish.
Though I’d never heard of one that extended vines like this, let alone one that attacked a human.
Well, this kind of monster is a common trope in fantasy worlds.
I’ve seen it a lot, mostly in tentacle erotica.
As I stood there holding the vine, my body was suddenly lifted into the air.
“Huh? Wh-what?”
Ah, crap. Even though my feet were on the ground, this was still underwater.
The moment the plant lightly lifted its vine, my body was left floating.
I tried moving my arms and legs, but as expected, I couldn’t get any proper leverage while suspended like this. It seemed impossible to pry off the plant that had wrapped itself tightly around my arm.
Heh. But I’m not just some guy who relies on physical ability anymore.
You’re about to get a taste of my spirit cutter…
“Whoa! Shit! What is this! Hey! You bastard! Where are you putting that vine! Let go!”
The moment I tried to summon a spirit, the carnivorous plant’s sudden move shattered my concentration.
This thing… it had actually sent a vine toward my crotch.
And not even over my armor, but inside it.
I mean, sure, it was doing the same to my arms and legs, so it probably wasn’t trying to steal my semen or anything, but it still makes you flinch!
Especially since I was just thinking about tentacles!
And while that was happening, it kept pushing its vines further and further inside my armor.
No. It was past just infiltrating now; it looked like it was about to strip my armor off completely.
“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing! I’m a man! If you’re a tentacle, act like one and violate a woman! You’re giving tentacles a bad name! Can’t you see there are five gorgeous beauties right over there? Are your eyes knotholes? Right! You’re a plant, so of course they’re knotholes! No. Wait. Hold on. My underwear is off-limits. Hey. Wait. I’m sorry. I’ll apologize. You’re the pride of all tentacles. So… Aaargh! Stop it!”
Of course, my soul’s desperate cry went unheeded as the creature extended even more vines toward me.
Now, not only my arms but my legs were also entangled, leaving me completely immobilized.
Damn it. My Saint skills aren’t working either. What the hell?
“Guys! What are you doing! Help me!”
“……”
But Sara and Diana didn’t respond to my voice. They just stared at me blankly.
“Guys?! What’s wrong?! Is it because of what I said earlier? You’re not the type who can’t tell a joke from a serious comment, right? Of course it was a joke! What’s with that look?! You don’t actually think I meant it, do you?! Aaaah! Hurry! For real! No joke! Quick! Your husband’s precious jewels are about to be defiled by a monster! Sara! Diana! Are you really just going to stand there and watch?!”
As I struggled desperately and shouted, Sara’s expression finally snapped to attention, and she drew her bowstring.
An arrow, heavily imbued with mana, pierced through the plant’s core, but the vines didn’t stop moving.
Damn. Does the rule that a lone enemy is stronger than one in a pack apply to plants, too?
But as soon as Sara fired her arrow, Diana joined in. Under their combined assault, the vines wrapped around my body finally lost their strength one by one and fell to the ground.
Phew. Finally free.
To be honest, it’s not like I wasn’t expecting tentacles to show up at some point, but I never thought I’d be the victim.
I was hoping for a much more erotic fantasy.
“Still, you guys are really too much, aren’t you? I can understand Leia, Matilda, and Silvia. But Sara and Diana, how could you just watch until things got this bad?”
I gestured to my half-removed armor as I lodged a strong protest with Sara and Diana.
But even then, their reactions were still somehow… off.
Ah, right. I’m the only one who left the air pocket.
I stuck my head back into the air and repeated what I had just said.
“A-ahem. It seems this one was a bit careless. To think it would attack in such a manner.”
To which Diana’s reply was this:
Is she seriously using that as an excuse?
“Don’t lie! You were the first one to spot it and even told us to try attacking it! You knew it was a monster!”
“That’s not what I meant… No. Hmm. Well, it’s nothing. In any case, you’re safe, are you not?”
“What are you talking about? You were the one telling us not to be careless when we fought the sharks!”
“G-Guwon, don’t be so hard on her. We were all like that. And it’s true you didn’t get hurt, right? You’re usually so tough even when you get a little injured, so why are you acting like this today? It’s not very manly.”
Sara, defending Diana like this? That’s even more suspicious.
I mean, sure, Sara and Diana usually get along, but Sara was getting scolded by Diana right alongside me just a moment ago. And now she’s defending Diana for being careless?
Besides…
“…Why aren’t you two making eye contact with me?”
“M-Me? Was I? Diana?”
“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Their reactions are way too suspicious. And their faces are faintly red.
Why are they suddenly acting like this…?
“Guwon-ssi!”
Just then, Leia cut through the water and rushed toward me.
I’m pretty sure I taught her the freestyle stroke, but for some reason, she was doggy-paddling.
Are foxes part of the canid family? Is that posture more comfortable for her?
In any case, her breasts, swaying wildly every time she moved her arms, were a dazzling sight.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
After doggy-paddling over to me, Leia caught her breath slightly and looked at my face.
She must have been in such a hurry; her face was slightly flushed.
She really is an angel.
Sara! Diana! Did you see that?! You should learn from her! She couldn’t save me because she lacks the strength, but she came right over to heal me as soon as it was over!
You two could have helped, but you just stood there staring!
…is what I’d say, but they might actually not save me during the next crisis, so I’ll keep that thought to myself.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? That… place… If you’re just saying that because you’re embarrassed, you don’t have to worry.”
As my angel said that, she blushed shyly and glanced down toward my crotch.
Her embarrassed expression was unbearably lovely, but her gaze was a little…
“No, really, there’s no problem. If anything, that’s the sturdiest part of me. You know about Iron Penis, right? Iron Penis!”
“You mean you got hard?!”
“N-No, I didn’t! Anyway, I’m fine! No problems at all!”
I was so confused that I decided to just give up on questioning them.
What the hell are these reactions?
…Huh? Wait a minute. If I had said there was a problem, my angel might have gently stroked my dick right here and now, wouldn’t she?
Damn it! What have I done?!
“Wait. On second thought, I think there is a problem with my dick, specifically with the shaft…”
“Don’t lie.”
Tch. Busted.
At Sara’s cold remark, I had no choice but to swallow my tears and give up on this golden opportunity.
“Ahem. In any case, do you understand? The 4th floor is home to many enemies against whom your skills are ineffective.”
“Damn it. On the 5th floor, there wasn’t a single enemy my skills didn’t work on. Why only on the 4th floor…”
“Your skills are uniquely effective against animals in the first place. Take this opportunity to raise the levels of your jobs other than Saint.”
I guess there’s no other way.
In that case, is the best job to level up here Elementalist?
But it’s not really a job suited for fighting on the front lines…
I know there are combat styles like Rachel’s, but I’m a tank, not a dealer.
And more importantly, my Elementalist level is too low to deal with the monsters here.
I tried to cut the plant with a spirit earlier because I was flustered, but thinking about it calmly, there’s no way that would have worked.
Both my job level and skill level are incredibly low.
If that’s the case, then all that’s left is Martial Artist and Assassin.
They don’t seem ideal given the underwater combat, but I have no choice.
At least they’ll be better than Saint against these plants.
“But you said there are many enemies like that. Are there really that many plant-type monsters on this layer?”
“Hmm, I know of several types myself. Besides, adventurers don’t normally explore this layer by walking on the floor. If we keep walking along the bottom like this, we might encounter even more unknown plant-type monsters.”
“Wuuu… I’m sorry…”
“No, no. I wasn’t blaming you, Silvia.”
Diana really is gentle with Silvia.
But I see. So there are that many plant-type monsters.
Underwater combat is annoying enough, and now there’s a new type of monster to deal with.
If the 6th floor is the benchmark, then we’ve passed the halfway point.
As expected of the dungeon… no. Wait a minute. A new type of monster?
I feel like I’ve fought a monster like this once before…
“Ah!”
“Wh-what?! What’s wrong?!”
When I suddenly shouted, Sara hastily drew her bow and scanned our surroundings.
“That seaweed thing from the 1st floor!”
“Hmm? Oh, ooh! Of course! Now that you mention it, there was that thing!”
Seeming to understand me immediately, Diana tapped a fist into her palm.
That’s right. I had definitely met a creature similar to that carnivorous plant before.
That seaweed-like thing that popped out of the pond on the 1st floor, back when I used a penis to open a passage for the first time.
A monster type that only appears on the 4th floor showed up on the 1st floor?
Then could that pond and the 4th floor be connected…?
It was a definite possibility.
Of course, that seaweed creature was weak enough for us to defeat back when we were exploring the 1st floor, so I doubt the pond connects directly to the 4th floor.
Still, it might be possible to reach this place by bypassing a smaller layer, like the ant nest.
The ant nest was small enough to traverse in a single day. It might even be faster than traveling from the 3rd-layer town to the 4th floor.
Alright. It’s been a while since I’ve felt my spirit of adventure ignite like this!
Wouldn’t it be better to just steadily level up on the 4th floor instead of verifying uncertain information?
Of course, that’s important too, but there’s no time limit. There’s no need to rush.
Going beyond the 6th floor can wait until after I’ve spoken with the Goddess again. No, it has to wait.
Besides, Diana, who loves new discoveries, will definitely be happy about this.
And the pond on the 1st floor would be a safe place to practice swimming without any real danger to our lives.
It’s also a great place to get used to underwater combat.
What the hell. It’s a place with nothing but benefits.
“Guys! Let’s head up right now and check out that pond—!”
“Hmm. Let’s deal with those things first.”
More fish?
You won’t get me so easily this time.
Struggling against common monsters twice is more than enough.
“The one who strikes first controls the fight!”
I swam forward and immediately used Holy Ground Proclamation.
Then, as they swarmed in, I used Saint’s Sincerity!
Hah. A perfect combo.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
‘You! You’re not even wearing your armor, and you didn’t take a defensive stance! What in the world are you doing?!’
Diana’s telepathic message echoed in my head.
Damn it… To think the dead tentacle would come back to screw over the living Guwon…
The only consolation was that no matter how many fish attacked my exposed crotch, I wouldn’t be castrated thanks to my Indomitable Libido skill.
No. That’s not a consolation at all. It still hurts like hell.
And it looks like the crotch of my pants is about to reach its limit from all the biting.
Khugh. Damn it…
Enduring the pain in my groin, I furiously swung my fists, which were wreathed in the power of Saint’s Sincerity.