Chapter 432: Another Discovery
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 432: Another Discovery
“…For some reason, I’m so drained.”
After setting up camp and finishing dinner, I lay down and muttered to myself.
No. What do you mean, ‘for some reason’? To be honest, I knew perfectly well why I was so tired.
Of course, it wasn’t because the dungeon exploration itself was difficult.
It was no different from just walking around, so how could it be hard?
I guessed this area was about the level of the 1.5th Floor, but to us, the monsters here died with a single tap, just like the ones on the 1st Floor. Frankly, I wasn’t even sure if the difficulty was actually any higher than the 1st Floor.
Given the situation, I had no physical problems whatsoever.
I was fit enough to keep exploring without even camping.
The problem was that I was mentally exhausted.
How could there not be a single male?
I was now desperately feeling something I’d never felt even when fighting orcs, which were almost all male.
Even after that, I kept using my Saint skills, hoping to find a penis.
Of course, I didn’t attack them directly anymore.
But even indirect attacks weren’t without their mental toll.
If I used Holy Ground Proclamation and had Sara finish them off, I’d have to watch the female kobolds go into heat and rush at me in the brief moment before Sara attacked.
But if I tried to end it in one shot with Saint’s Wave, the female kobolds would spray fluids everywhere with blissful expressions on their faces… Ugh, just thinking about it again makes my eyes feel like they’re rotting.
If I could buy a new pair of eyes and a brain that hadn’t seen that, I would.
To think that I, of all people, would start thinking that dealing with the male bastards was better.
“Are you alright?”
Perhaps worried by my exhausted expression, Leia began to gently stroke my back.
Sob. Yes. Of course I have to be alright when an angel is this worried about me.
Just gazing upon your angelic face feels like it’s purifying my rotting eyes.
“Yeah. I feel much better thanks to you, Leia. Thank you.”
“Hehe. I’m glad.”
Hugging Silvia in front of me while feeling Leia’s touch on my back, I felt my mind rapidly stabilizing.
Leia and Silvia. How could I not calm down while savoring the ultimate healing combo pack all at once?
Ah, you ask what I’m doing with Silvia in a dungeon?
It’s fine. We’re in a deep recess of the cave, completely blocked off behind, to the sides, above, and below.
Besides, Diana’s only alarm spell is set up in the passage in front of us, so there’s no need to worry about a surprise attack.
So a little pre-sleep healing is fine, right?
Silvia knows that too, which is why her combat mode is off and she’s vibrating like this.
“Haaah… I feel so calm.”
“I-I-I-Is that sooooo…”
For the sake of my mental stability, Silvia couldn’t even think of running away today and was simply enduring it, trembling all over.
Well, I guess there’s also the fact that even if she did run, there’s nowhere to run to inside a dungeon.
“That’s enough, let her rest. Shouldn’t Silvia get some proper rest too?”
“What are you talking about? Silvia is resting properly. Right, Silvia?”
“Ugh… Y-Yeeessss…!”
As I lifted Silvia’s limp arm and waved it around, she replied, unable to suppress her overwhelming emotions.
Mm-hmm. That’s right. Relieving a party member’s fatigue is part of the party leader’s job, after all.
…Well, I guess I’ll stop joking around and get some rest.
If Silvia makes a mistake tomorrow because of this, I’ll have no excuse.
Besides, now that I think about it, I forgot to have sex with Silvia again.
It would be a shame to make her build up all that sexual frustration she can’t relieve on her own, like last time, just from playing around too much.
Well, after I made it so clear before, I’m sure Silvia will tell me if she can’t hold it in anymore.
In any case, we continued to explore the cave, my days spent in mental anguish and my nights spent recovering my sanity.
And the result…
“…It’s the 2nd Floor.”
“…Yeah. It is.”
After defeating what looked like the kobold boss, we discovered a passage that led right into the middle of the 2nd Floor, just like in the Ant Nest.
How anticlimactic.
What made me feel even more empty was that I hadn’t managed to get a single penis in the end.
Even the boss was a female.
How am I supposed to be compensated for all the mental energy I’ve spent?
“Hmm. Whereabouts are we?”
Looking around the 2nd Floor desert, where everywhere looked the same, Diana finally asked me where we were, seemingly at a loss.
“Huh? One second… It’s the 2nd Floor Orc Garrison.”
After checking the map, a surprising fact was revealed.
We were near the place we had arrived at before, after defeating the Orc-type Floor Boss on the 1st Floor.
No. On second thought, maybe it’s not that surprising.
The pond itself was closer to the Orc Garrison, if I had to say.
“Which means this is closer to the town than the original entrance.”
After we pioneered the new route through the Orc Garrison, other adventurers had started to clear it as well.
And it seemed quite a few of them were now entering the 2nd Floor through there.
The first enemies you meet when you come down to the 2nd Floor from there are Desert Orcs.
Although Desert Orcs are quite strong among the 2nd Floor monsters, the method of fighting them is no different from the 1st Floor orcs, so apparently, many adventurers preferred that route.
Anyway, because of that, this side of the map, which had seen little progress, had been filled in quite actively. As a result, it was determined that this route was closer to the 2nd Floor town.
How do I know that? Rachel excitedly told me about it before.
Come to think of it, I still need to make up with Rachel, but this expedition has been so mentally taxing that I haven’t had the spare brainpower to even think about why she’s mad.
And the route through the kobold cave we discovered today means it connects to a place even closer to the town than the one through the Orc Garrison.
Ah, yeah. That’s right. Well, this is incredibly good information for rookie adventurers. This is.
Except for the fact that the entrance to the kobold cave we passed through is underwater, this would be priceless information for adventurers who haven’t yet made it to the 2nd Floor.
Well, the obstacle of the entrance being underwater isn’t really much of a problem, either.
We wore masks because we were scouring the bottom, but if you held your breath properly and quickly opened the passage, the distance wasn’t impossible to cover just by diving.
“But is information for rookie adventurers all we get for all that trouble?”
“W-Well, won’t our reputation grow?”
Perhaps because she had witnessed firsthand how much I had suffered, Sara didn’t tease me this time and offered a sincere consolation.
Reputation… I can’t think of a single time anything good has come from building that up.
Just a bunch of good-for-nothing guys flocking to me, asking to be saved.
“If you’re that discouraged, why don’t we investigate that cave a bit more? We haven’t explored all of it yet, have we?”
As I was feeling dejected, Matilda made a suggestion.
Well, it’s true we haven’t explored all of it.
No. The place with the boss was the end.
But that cave is quite large, enough for Diana to describe it as a dungeon within a dungeon.
There were several forks in the path, and we certainly didn’t check every single one to map it out.
But we’ve already beaten the boss, so going back there now would be…
As I was about to reject Matilda’s suggestion, I suddenly noticed that her expression looked slightly anxious.
Ah, I see. The purpose of this expedition wasn’t just to make a new discovery.
Of course, a new discovery would be great, but Silvia and Matilda’s swimming practice and getting Matilda accustomed to the dungeon’s magic were also important goals.
The swimming practice was a wash, but getting Matilda used to the dungeon was showing plenty of results. At least, Matilda’s complexion never looked bad inside the cave.
But looking at that face, maybe the 2nd Floor is still a little unsettling for her.
Silly girl. If that’s the case, she could have just told me.
“W-What is it?”
When I reached out and stroked her head, Matilda was startled and tried to speak in her usual sharp tone, but her voice softened as the end of her sentence trailed off.
Seriously. You’re way too easy.
“Alright. Since we found it, let’s explore a little more.”
I stroked Matilda’s head a bit more, then turned back towards the kobold cave.
“But this place is ridiculously complex and long. I wonder if the Ant Nest is this big if you go a different way?”
I grumbled as I took out another charging kobold in one shot.
Don’t scold me for letting my guard down and chatting during a fight.
I’m deliberately not focusing to minimize the visual terrorism.
Besides, even the boss here went down in one hit.
Our levels were too high to say it was dangerous if we let our guard down.
“Hmm. So I’ve heard. Even though adventurers have explored quite a bit of it, a complete map has yet to be drawn, or so they say.”
Because of that, even Diana didn’t offer any particular warnings this time and just went along with my idle chatter.
But how would Diana know that… Ah. The Mage Association people were investigating the giant Magic Stone in the Ant Nest.
Did she hear it from them?
“If this place is like the Ant Nest, then it’s impossible for us to map it all out by ourselves.”
“We don’t have to map it all out. Why don’t we just explore a bit more and then head back?”
Perhaps aware that we were still here because of her, Matilda said this with a slightly apologetic look.
She doesn’t need to make that face.
It’ll be helpful later when she gets used to the dungeon anyway.
It’s more accurate to see this as an investment for us rather than something we’re doing for Matilda.
When you think about it, Matilda has no reason to go into dungeons in the first place.
“Yeah. It’s fine. As the party leader, I’ll manage our pace. I might not seem very reliable, but leave it to me.”
“N-No… that’s not…”
As if she hadn’t expected me to speak so kindly, Matilda replied with a slightly flustered expression.
Honestly. What’s with that reaction? I’m a kind man, you know.
Well, I won’t deny that I’m usually a bit rough with Matilda.
“But it’s really bi…”
As I said that and zoomed in on the map to get a full view of the kobold cave, I discovered something new.
In a corner of the map, there was an area that was already revealed.
No. I already confirmed that this cave was connected to the 2nd Floor, so it wasn’t that strange.
Still, that area is quite far from where the boss room was, isn’t it?
Could it be that there’s more than one passage from here to the 2nd Floor?
With that thought, I casually manipulated the map, dragging the revealed corner to the center.
And as a result, I realized this might be an even more incredible discovery than I had thought.
The already revealed area in the corner of the map wasn’t the 2nd Floor. It was the Ant Nest.
What does that mean?
Does it mean that these small-scale dungeons, the so-called ‘dungeons within a dungeon,’ aren’t just connected to the main floors, but also to each other?
Which means…!
Realizing the importance of this discovery, I felt as if all my past suffering had been rewarded.
“Guwon? What’s wrong? Why are your eyes suddenly sparkling?”
“Indeed. Sara, you really know how to watch me.”
“S-Stupid… Ugh! Oppa! Kgh! So what is it?!”
Hey. If you’re going to call me Oppa, at least say it with a little more charm.
And why do you look so frustrated after saying it?
Don’t you go showing that expression to just anyone.
The contrast with your usual cool expression really awakens a desire to conquer… well, anyway. I’ll praise you for diligently keeping your promise.
“We might have made a more incredible discovery than we thought.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not certain yet. Let’s go check it out first, and I’ll explain then.”
Without giving any further answers to the others, who were looking at me as if I’d said something completely out of the blue, I hurriedly made my way toward the corner of the map where the Ant Nest was visible.
I know it’s not good to get my hopes up, but I can’t help but feel excited.