Elfaria Chapter 6

006. In the underground waterway

　As Hannah-san told me, I entered the underground waterway through a doorway in the southeastern part of the city and was astonished by the structure, which must have been built with advanced technology.

「This is exactly what you call a "Labyrinth (Dungeon),", how should I put it―」

　To be honest, it was amazing! The structure of the underground waterway in Hanaria was so amazing that I could not help but be impressed.

　Basically, it is made of concrete between countless stone materials, with a wide path and high ceilings.

　As I had been told beforehand, a part of the building was designated as a controlled area, so the walls were equipped with light fixtures that emitted light by the force.

「Hannah-san told me that I was supposed to patrol the controlled area and defeat any demonic beasts that came out.」

　I was only at the entrance, but I had a feeling that it was going to be quite spacious. Furthermore

「Gghh――I've prepared a mask in advance, but the smell is pretty strong.」

　I've taken Hannah-san's advice and prepared the bare minimum, but I don't want to stay as long as possible.

　At first, I decided to walk around with the help of the simple map Hannah-san gave me, but even though there were lights, it was quite dark and I was nervous that I might fall into the canal if I did not do well. Additionally,

「...... It's quiet.」

　The sound of running water, the occasional breeze, and the sound of trash rustling― while I was perplexed by the atmosphere that is clearly different from the bustle on the ground, I naturally began to smile at the tension (thrill) that I have never experienced in my life before. And then...

「Whoa!」

　After walking for a while, a translucent gel-like monster suddenly appeared in front of me.

　Needless to say. It was slime!

　Is it about the same size as a soccer ball? It looked quite large.

　The whole thing was grayish in color, and in the center was a bone (?) the size of a thumbnail. It is probably a crystal stone.

　A vital and important source of funding for the monster―I pulled my sword out of its sheath, and with a violent cry, I attacked the slime.

「Wha!?」

　It was quicker than I expected, and my attack was evaded. Furthermore,

「Guhh!」

　I was counterattacked by a thrust attack to the abdomen.

　Don't think of it as that of a mollusk.

　It had the force of a straight punch (weak) from an adult.

「That hurts――damn it!」

　With anger, I strike a blow, and this time it hits. The slime melted into mush and disappeared, screaming "Piggyyyy!"

　The battle was over.

「Surpisingly, I was taken aback」

　Even though it was a bit tricky, this was the first battle in my life, and I felt a bit discouraged.

　On the other hand, I would have been troubled if I had struggled against an enemy of this caliber, but I put my sword away for the moment and used my right thumb and forefinger to pick up a crystal stone from the remains of the slime.

「It looks like a stone, or rather, a piece of plastic.」

　It doesn't weigh much and looks cheap to the untrained eye, but it seems that if you collect as many of these as possible and bring them to a guild or specialty store and sell them, you can get money.

　I continued to wander around the basement, wielding my sword against the slimes and big rats that appeared, but after a couple of hours, I began to feel bored and troublesome.

「Mumumu. That's as unexpected as it sounds.」

　Although I could feel some enjoyment, the negative elements of inconvenience or hassle began to appear more strongly.

　I was able to recover a good number of crystal stones, and along the way, there were knives, empty bottles, and bundles of medicinal herbs that seemed to have been left behind by the pioneers.

「As Hannah-san said, "It's not worth it".」

　Looking at the sacks I had prepared in advance, I realized that she was right.

　Even if I sold these things off, I wondered how much they would really fetch ― I had the feeling that I could have made more money if I'd just done some honest work like carrying luggage.

　Anyway, it was my own choice.

　It's no fun to complain forever, so I got myself together and started walking again ― and that's when it happened.

「Kyaaaa~~~~~~~~~~~~~!」

　I was startled when I suddenly heard a scream from not so far away.

　Until now, I had never felt a human voice or presence, so I was so surprised that I thought my heart would jump out of my mouth.

(B-But――it was a strange scream, wasn't it?)

　How should I put it? It sounded more like a startled roach suddenly appearing than a scream that ripped through the silk, but in any case, it would be impossible to ignore it.

　With mixed feelings, I rushed to the place where I thought the scream came from, and as soon as I saw "it," I was speechless.

　Because there it was...

「Whoa! What the hell! Damn it! I never heard of a trap in a place like this!」

　A brown object entangled in a net――? It has a rounded silhouette and three black holes that appear to be eyes and a mouth.

(W-What the hell is this thing?)

　I was alarmed for a moment, wondering if it was a demon or something.

「Oh? You came just in time! I'm a little caught in the net! Please help me!」

　It begged me and I wasn't sure what to do, but―In hindsight, there was no way that I could have imagined that this strange encounter would later have a profound impact on the "world".

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