Chapter 396: A Demon God in the Dungeon?
Chapter 396: A Demon God in the Dungeon?
In any case, we made it safely through the passage and up to the 3rd Floor, but as soon as we stepped out, we saw the back of a massive monster.
It seemed the Layer Boss of the 3rd Floor had respawned in the meantime.
However, this Layer Boss was currently in the middle of a fierce battle with someone.
“Captain! I'm telling you, this is still too much for us!”
“Call me Instructor! And don't give up before you even try!”
“But! Even if we haven't tried, the outcome is so obvious—!” “Shut up! If you have the energy to chatter, then get moving!”
“Aaaah! A Guild executive is killing a Guild member!”
For a serious battle, it all seemed rather chaotic.
What's more, the voices sounded familiar.
Could it be…?
I had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but it was probably best to observe proper adventurer etiquette.
If we all rushed out, we might be accused of kill-stealing.
I had my party wait in the passage and went out alone to assess the situation.
“It's no use! My sword won't even pierce it! Captain Aliciaaa!”
“You idiot! Don't just swing your sword once at a Layer Boss without using any techniques and then start whining! Use your skills! Your skills!”
Just as I thought.
It was Alicia and the Arachne trio.
I’m pretty sure that trio used to have more party members.
Did they do something to get on Alicia's bad side? They've been getting worked especially hard lately.
In any case, the situation looked quite dangerous.
Two warriors and one priest. Their numbers were small, but the balance itself wasn't bad.
While the two warriors split the aggro, alternating between tanking and dealing damage, the priest would heal whichever one was in danger.
The strategy itself wasn't bad, but the problem was their skill level.
The two warriors' damage seemed insufficient to take down the Layer Boss, and the priest's mana looked too low to sustain a long fight.
Well, with Alicia there, I figured there was no real danger.
But Alicia herself was just standing back with her arms crossed, tapping one foot with an impatient look on her face.
Anyway, what should I do about this?
They were completely blocking the exit, so I couldn't see any way to get past them.
Does this mean I have no choice but to wait here?
“Whoaaa!”
Just as I was thinking that, the tedious stalemate was finally broken.
While blocking the Layer Boss's attack with her sword, Kanna stumbled backward, slipped on the snow, and fell.
She was completely defenseless.
At first glance, it looked dangerous, but Alicia was over there anyway, so… Huh? Hey! What are you doing?!
I glanced over, assuming Alicia would naturally save her, but for some reason, Alicia was staring over here, completely distracted, instead of at Kanna.
Damn it!
Just before the Layer Boss could attack Kanna, I quickly fired a Saint's Wave at it.
It ended up looking like a complete kill-steal, but I was saving her, so it should be fine. It's not like I don't know them.
“H-Huh? Guwon?!”
“Hey, don't just stand there, attack—!”
Swish!
Before I could even finish shouting, the Layer Boss's head suddenly flew off, and its body collapsed.
It was Alicia, of course.
Oops, maybe I shouldn't have interfered after all.
“Kanna! Get your head in the game!”
Alicia gave her sword a cool, sharp flick, splattering blood on the ground, then turned and yelled at Kanna.
“Sorry, Captain! But I wanted to look cool in front of Guwon… Aaaargh! It hurts! Tap! Tap!”
And despite the situation, Kanna, who tried to talk back, was immediately subjected to an Iron Claw to the face from Alicia.
I've thought this before, but that Kanna girl really seems to live without a single thought in her head.
“Ah, hey. Sorry, Alicia. I thought she was in danger, so I stepped in.”
“Uh, huh? No, well, it's fine. It's true she looked to be in a bit of danger, and it's not like they could have beaten it on their own if I'd left them anyway.”
Alicia, still holding Kanna in an Iron Claw, waved her free hand dismissively in a gesture that said it was okay.
Thank goodness. Her easygoing personality hasn't changed.
But, Alicia… Kanna's about to die. The hand that was frantically tapping your arm has gone limp.
“Anyway, it's been a while. Did you guys just come from the 4th Floor?”
“Yeah, we did.”
“You're really moving up in the world. So, what did you think of it?”
“It was tough. I think we're going to have a hard time for a while.”
I felt it was a little strange for a member of another clan to ask a question like that, but I decided to just answer.
Alicia seems like the type who doesn't care about such details, and maybe she was trying to offer some advice as a senior adventurer.
“Haha. Is that so? That's good… Ahem. Well, that place is pretty unique, so it can't be helped. You'll just have to struggle for a while and get used to it, literally. Take it slow. Slowly. Commute from the 3rd Floor town at first.”
But the advice I'd hoped for turned out to be surprisingly by-the-book.
As Alicia said this, Kanna, still dangling from the hand gripping her face, swung back and forth every time Alicia laughed heartily. The sight was truly something to behold.
And I played around with this girl.
When she hit me back then, was she actually holding back?
A slight chill ran down my spine.
“Guwon, how much longer are you— Oh my, you're…”
“Gasp! Sara! Get back! Don't get close to Alicia…!”
“I told you I'm not like that, you bastard!”
“Ah, alright. Calm down.”
I'll believe you're not a lesbian, so please stop threatening me with Kanna's corpse.
For the record, I absolutely did not yield to the threat.
I'm just trying to believe her because she really didn't even glance at Sara. Yep. That's all it is.
“Everyone. It's been a while.”
“It's been a while.”
And as my party came up from the passage, Serena and Amy, who had been in the back, finally greeted me.
They had supposedly been carving the Magic Stone from the Layer Boss, but the timing was just too perfect.
It was as if they had been waiting for the right moment.
“Hmm. So it's you lot. To have come this far already. You're quite motivated.”
“O-Of course! Seeing you guys, who became adventurers later than these girls, already so far ahead of them is embarrassing for our clan.”
And now, the shocking truth is revealed!
The reason they were being put through the wringer was because of us!
I see. So that's why they were glaring at us resentfully while Alicia dragged them off that one time…
This makes me feel kind of bad. I mean, it's not like I did anything wrong, though.
Besides, for a huge clan like the Arachne Clan, there must be more than just one or two members around our level.
The fact that they were the ones singled out must mean this trio is just unlucky.
“Hoh. Is that the reason? Is that why an executive like yourself is getting involved?”
“Th-That's right! We of Arachne have our pride as the best clan. I can't stand to see our members fall behind others! And believe it or not, these girls are considered the top prospects among their level range in our clan!”
“Huh? Is that true?”
“…Yes. It's embarrassing, but for now…”
“Aah, that's so mean. That look on your face, you don't believe us, do you?”
No. I just thought maybe they'd done something to piss Alicia off.
I mean, Kanna just had her life on the line…
“A-Anyway, you guys are heading back to the 3rd Floor town now, right? Then how about we g-go together?”
“You're heading back too? Sure, why not?”
Seeing the faces of Serena and Amy light up behind her at the mention of heading back, I wasn't cold-hearted enough to refuse.
Alicia, you clever girl. Still, if you try to extend your lesbian clutches toward my party, I won't let you.
“W-Wait, Guwon!”
“Hm? Are you against it, Sara? But Matilda is struggling, and it'll be easier if we go with Alicia. Don't worry. I'll protect your chastity no matter what.”
“Y-You idiot. It's not that… Sigh. Fine.”
Sara looked like she had more to say, but after glancing at Matilda's pale face behind her, she must have realized it would be difficult to object further, so she readily agreed.
“Alright! Then let's go!”
Alicia shouted cheerfully, finally letting go of Kanna's face and trying to sling an arm around my shoulder.
Aah. To collapse so limply into the snow. Kanna. You were thoughtless and didn't have much sex appeal for a woman, but I'll pray for your soul. Looking back, you were a cheerful and pretty fun person.
“Yes, let's!”
And then, Leia slipped in between me and Alicia and clung to my chest.
“L-Leia. We're out of the 4th Floor now, so you don't need to stick so close… We need to get into formation, too.”
“Oh? Is that so? I'm sorry.”
Leia blushed softly and pulled away from me, looking a little disappointed.
Ugh. Don't make that face. It just makes me want to hold you closer.
But if I did that, our Archmage would finally explode… Huh? Why is Diana smiling so contentedly?
Anyway, that's how we ended up traveling to the 3rd Floor town with the Arachne girls.
Oh, and for the record, Kanna was alive.
Though it did take three priests gathering around and pouring heals on her.
I can guarantee you the damage she took from Alicia was worse than the damage she took from the Layer Boss.
“That aside, having so many vanguards is really convenient.”
So our current party composition was five in the vanguard and four in the rear guard.
Because of that, I couldn't easily use Holy Ground Proclamation, but even considering that, our progress was much smoother.
After all, I didn't have to worry as much about the people in the vanguard.
I'm always on edge thinking that the rear guard could be in big trouble if they take even one solid hit from a monster, but not having that worry gave me a lot more peace of mind.
“Uuu… I'm sorry… for not being very helpful…”
“N-No. I mean, you'll have to try a bit harder on the 4th Floor, but you're doing plenty well, Silvia. It's just that with so many vanguards, I feel like we can safely protect the rear guard.”
“R-Right? The more vanguards, the better! Th-That's right! If you're interested, just say the word to our clan. You know, between you and us. We could dispatch some vanguards…”
Hearing my conversation with Silvia, Alicia chimed in, her eyes shining with a strange expectation.
“No. We're fine.”
But I rejected her offer flat out.
The reason was simple. If there were other people besides my party members around, using my Saint skills could get complicated.
Just the other day, it was Sara who was affected by my skill, which was fortunate. If it had been some woman I had no connection with… just imagining it was exhausting.
“I-Is that so… B-But you never know what might happen in the future, right?! If you need them, just say so!”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the offer.”
“O-Oh. Well, you know how it is between us.”
“What exactly is it between us…?”
“What? You bastard, who do you think was the one who made you a man… Mmph!”
I hurriedly clamped my hand over Alicia's mouth.
I'm already in a situation where I have to watch out for Diana, so don't say things like that!
Every time you say that, it puts my party in a bad mood for no reason!
“R-Right! We're also clans that have an agreement! Speaking of which, how's it going? Have you found any new secret passages or anything?”
Even though we were already informing them regularly via letters, I deliberately asked the question.
Even I had to admit, it was a nice play. A brilliant change of subject.
“U-Uhm… I don't really know. I've been cooped up on the 3rd Floor with these girls lately.”
Alicia mumbled against my hand, then jerked her head away to free her mouth and spoke without meeting my eyes.
“…Is that so…”
Kanna, Serena, Amy. You girls must have really suffered. And you will continue to…
All I could do was pray for their souls.
You might ask why we don't just slow down our dungeon progression.
But that's a separate issue.
Well, it's true I've been thinking about taking things a bit slower lately, but I couldn't guarantee we could match their pace.
Haha. Being too skilled is a problem in itself.