Chapter 716: The Meaning of the Dungeon's Structure
Chapter 716: The Meaning of the Dungeon's Structure
In the end, thanks to Diana and I playfully brushing it off, we were able to conclude our conversation in a relatively lighthearted atmosphere.
Though many questions still remained.
If, as Diana said, the being trapped beneath the dungeon wasn't a demon god but an ordinary creature, why go to the trouble of creating such a massive dungeon to seal it away so securely?
If it was only at that level, couldn't the people here handle it on their own, without needing a seal or a Saint?
Well, it wasn't a problem I could solve by agonizing over it now.
For the time being, I just needed to get stronger. Once the cooldown for Goddess's Advent was over, I could simply summon the goddess and ask her myself.
In any case, after finishing our talk, we decided to head into the tent and get some sleep.
For the first time in days, I could sleep under a proper blanket instead of in the water.
Better yet, this was a completely safe area, so there was no need to even stand watch.
Diana still set up an alarm spell just in case, but being able to rest soundly in the dungeon without a care in the world was nothing short of a blessing.
Which is why I should have been able to get a good night's sleep… but…
"What's wrong? Did you not sleep well last night?"
The next morning. As I opened my eyes, Diana was peering down at my face from on top of me.
"Yeah. Thanks to you."
"…What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying this body was too heavy?"
"No. It's not that…"
"Eek?!"
It’s because I couldn't sleep with soft, supple flesh pressing against me from every direction, young lady.
As I slightly lifted my hips to explain, the tip of my Dick, which was straining against my pants as if to pierce through them, lightly brushed against Diana's body.
Startled, Diana's face turned beet red as she pressed the palm of her hand flat against my face.
"Ah, I understand why this has happened, it being morning and all, but do not let it touch me!"
Well. It wasn't entirely wrong to say it was because of the morning… but that wasn't the only reason.
Having decided to sleep in one large tent, we had naturally huddled together, mostly centered around my body.
It wasn't just Diana on top of me; each of my limbs had been claimed by someone.
On either side, Sara and Leia were snuggled up close, using my arms as pillows. Silvia and Matilda were each using one of my thighs.
I really can't get used to this.
We'd been sleeping in the water lately, so it had been a while since we'd slept like this in the dungeon.
The stimulation on my legs was particularly intense.
Silvia kept vibrating while using my thigh as a pillow, and Matilda, stuck in her pink mode, wouldn't stop rubbing her cheek against my inner thigh and letting out sensual sighs.
To make matters worse, both of them had fallen asleep at some point while doing so.
Thanks to them, I spent the entire night in torment.
"…Diana."
I called out to Diana in the most serious voice I could muster.
Though, with her palm pressing against my face, I wasn't sure how serious I actually looked.
"What is it?"
"You used a ton of mana yesterday. Did you recover it all overnight?"
"Hm? Well, it has not all been restored… But do not worry. It may not be at 100%, but I have more than enough to explore the dungeon."
Diana had experience with the 5th floor and beyond, so she was likely judging her mana reserves based on that.
I didn't doubt her, but I shook my head.
"No. That's not good enough. We're heading into the 4.5th sub-layer for the first time. We have to be in perfect condition."
"I suppose that may be true… Shall we rest longer until this body's mana is fully restored, then? It should not take long if I focus solely on mana recovery."
Of course, since this was a safe zone, that wasn't a bad option.
But just because it wasn't bad didn't mean it was the best.
"No. There's an easier way. You and I can go out for a bit, set up another small tent, and have some Healing Se—"
"So it comes to that after all!"
Diana started smacking my face with the same palm she'd been using to press it down.
Well, she must have half-expected me to say something like that, which is probably why she'd kept her hand on my face.
"Mmm… What's wrong, Diana? Did Guwon sexually harass you as soon as he woke up again?"
The commotion we were making woke the others up one by one.
Hey, Sara. Is that really the first thing you say after waking up? That's a bit harsh, don't you think?
…Well, I couldn't really argue since it was true.
"Guwon… I'm sorry. Would it be better if we slept separately from now on?"
But I had my angel, who was always on my side.
My angel. I truly love you.
"No. I'd hate that even more. I'd rather suffer from a little lust than sleep apart from you."
"Oh my…"
With a perfectly cool expression, I said something that wasn't very cool at all.
But my angel seemed happy with it, smiling sweetly as she gazed at my face while still resting on my arm.
I'll say it again. My angel. I truly love you.
"So 'not getting aroused' isn't an option, I see…"
Of course, Sara was looking at us from the other side, completely dumbfounded.
"Of course not. Not getting aroused in this situation would be rude to all of you."
"…Is that really something you should say with such a serious face?"
Even as she said that, the corners of Sara's lips were turned up slightly, a sign that she wasn't entirely displeased.
And as we were having this conversation while lying down, Matilda was staring down at us with a serious expression, still sitting astride my thigh.
Hey. So, Matilda. You heard me say I was so aroused I couldn't sleep, right?
If you keep pressing your crotch against my thigh like that, it's going to be very bad for my crotch.
I wanted to tease her, but her expression was so serious that I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"You."
"What is it?"
"…If you really can't hold it in, I can… It's okay. If we set up a tent and do it inside, no one will see…"
"You were still in pink mode?!"
You confused me with that unnecessarily serious expression!
I mean, I guess the Cardinal was about to tread the fine line of a priest's taboo, so a serious expression made sense!
"So, what do you say?"
"What do you mean, 'what do I say'?! Hey! For real! Stop rubbing your fingers on my inner thigh! Have you forgotten the priest's taboo?!"
"It's fine. For you, I can do anything. Haaaah… my darli—"
"No, it's not fine! This isn't just about not touching my Dick! Don't breathe on it! Silvia! Come get her!"
"Ye-Yes!"
"Kyaa! Silvia?!"
In the end, pink-mode Matilda was subdued by Silvia, who had been trembling in a corner since she woke up.
That girl Matilda is a Holy Knight and high-leveled, so subduing her is surprisingly difficult.
"Phew. That was almost a disaster first thing in the morning."
After the morning commotion finally died down, we managed to get out of the tent, eat, and prepare to descend to the 4.5th sub-layer.
"This all happened because you were joking around, you know."
"I wasn't exactly joking… Ah, anyway! We're heading to the 4.5th sub-layer now! Everyone, brace yourselves! Especially you, Matilda! Got it!?"
"I-I know…"
When I singled her out, Matilda hung her head, looking like she could die of embarrassment.
Still, it seemed she could control herself when it really mattered, which was a relief.
Is Matilda really like this just because of the curse?
Lately, I was starting to have my doubts.
"Alright, Leia."
"Yes."
I had Leia open the passage leading to the 4.5th sub-layer, and we slowly began to move.
As we descended, the ice walls that made up the passage gradually began to change into mossy stone.
"…This is surprisingly long. And it doesn't lead straight into the water, either."
Just as Matilda said, the passage was quite long.
Judging by the distance we'd descended and our position on the map, it wouldn't have been strange if we'd already arrived at the 4.5th sub-layer, yet the passage continued on with no end in sight.
The environment was the same.
I had assumed that, like the other sub-layers, this one would have an environment similar to the 4th floor and lead into water.
"Yeah. It'd be nice if it was just a normal cave."
We had been tense with the thought of heading to a new place, but as the empty passage stretched on endlessly, we started to feel a growing sense of fatigue.
I'd almost rather a monster show up so we could at least fight.
Walking in constant tension, not knowing what might jump out, was terrible for one's mental health.
"Huh? What's this? A dead end?"
To make matters worse, after walking for so long, the passage ended in a dead end.
And it had been a straight path, with no forks in the road.
But that's strange. The map in the corner of my vision showed the path continuing straight ahead.
The map doesn't just reveal my exact location; it automatically illuminates a certain area around me.
That means there must be some kind of gimmick here…
Looking closer, I saw a large hole in the middle of the wall.
Don't tell me I have to stick another monster penis in here? But we haven't seen any monsters on the way down.
I tilted my head, about to examine the large hole in the wall.
But just then, Diana and Silvia shouted a warning at the same time.
"Hm… Hmm?! Be careful! It's an enemy!"
"Ugh! Guwon! It's dangerous!"
"Whoa?!"
Just as I jerked my head back in surprise, a loud SNAP! echoed from the spot where my head had just been, the sound of teeth clamping shut.
"What is this?"
Slightly flustered by the unexpected situation, I quickly backed away and got into a combat stance.
Even though our party had been steamrolling monsters with our overwhelming stats, we were still an experienced party that had made it this far down.
We weren't so easily flustered that we couldn't even assume a combat stance after a minor incident like this.
"It's a turtle…"
What had shot out from the large hole in the wall was a turtle's head.
In other words, what I had thought was a wall blocking the passage was actually a turtle's shell.
Despite its surprise attack failing, the creature slowly rose to its feet with a leisurely air, as if it didn't care.
It was massive enough for me to mistake it for a wall.
As the creature, which was already wedged tightly in the passage, extended its four legs to stand up, its shell scraped against the passage walls, sending a heavy rumble through the entire tunnel.
Having fully revealed itself, it simply stood there blocking the path, watching us, seemingly with no intention of attacking.
No, it's not that it has no intention of attacking… isn't it just stuck and unable to move?
"…What is this thing trying to do?"
"Who knows? But one thing's for sure, we have to beat that turtle to get past. It seems it can't even attack unless we get close, so isn't this a good thing?" Sara replied nonchalantly to my bewildered question and immediately drew her bowstring.
She let an arrow fly, but…
Ting.
Just like when it had attacked me, the turtle was surprisingly fast.
It quickly retracted the head Sara had been aiming for into its shell, easily deflecting her attack with its carapace.
Then, as if nothing had happened, it poked its head back out and stared at us.
"What the hell is that?! What's it trying to do?!"
Of course, its taunting behavior angered our Hero.
Hey, Sara. Isn't that the exact same thing I just asked, which you were so cool about answering?
"You think I can't hit you just because you do that?"
Sara said, and this time, she fired an arrow at the gap in the shell where the turtle's head had emerged, so it wouldn't matter if it pulled its head in.
Rumble. Ting.
But this time, the creature shifted its body slightly to the side, blocking Sara's arrow with the side of its shell.
Despite being wedged tightly in the passage, it moved as if there were no obstruction at all.
So it wasn't that it couldn't move?
No, it did seem to be stuck, because when it moved just now, the passage had trembled as if in an earthquake.
In any case, after blocking Sara's attack once more, the turtle turned to face us again and simply stared.
Even after demonstrating that it could move so nimbly, the creature showed no sign of moving from its spot to attack us.