Chapter 24
「Huh?」
The moment they arrived on the next floor, Mars let out a voice that sounded like air leaking from his mouth.
「Horses can walk on water-nyaa.....!? Can ours actually do it too-nyaa....!? Nemu wonders if our horses are not taking it serious-nyaa!」
「Huh, wait, what?」
Three horses were standing on the surface of the water.
Their jet-black fur and goat-like black eyes were striking.
Suspecting that there might be a foothold underwater, they looked into the middle of the sea, about fifty meters deep, but there was no apparent foothold.
「Be careful! It's different from the previous monsters! Its name is Kelpie, and it uses magic! We classified it in the same category as sea gods and have high intelligence!」
Shion raised her voice unusually.
First, Lilia drew her bow and the arrow flew forcefully towards the horse - Kelpie.
However, a pillar of water emerged from under the horse's feet, and the arrow was swallowed up by the water.
「So you manipulate water. ......! How annoying! I'll hit you with lightning next!」
Lilia gritted her teeth.
「I'm going to freeze them all! Can I freeze this whole place too?」
「All right, please do!」
Hazuki freezes the entire space with the magic she has just learned.
Even though there was huge magic power, Mars felt a little sorry for this dungeon-specific magic.
As long as they are in a watery place, any monster will not be much of an obstacle if they are frozen.
Mars walked towards the frozen horse.
The water was solidly frozen, so he wasn't worried about walking on it.
He wanted to observe the strong monster carefully.
If they were classified under the same category as sea gods, they might know something about the real ones ahead.
「So this is the same classification as the Sea God. ......」
――Isn't it easy?
Perhaps Hazuki's existence had made it quite easy.
Mermaids couldn't fight by freezing the sea.
They couldn't win because they would freeze themselves. But if they could use ice magic, things would be different.
They knew they couldn't let their guard down, but it was too easy, so they were relaxing a bit.
「Mars-sama, get away! You can't kill a Kelpie with just this!」
「Huh? They're frozen, aren't they?」
As Mars turn around to see Sion shouting, steam was generated, and his vision turned white.
The source of the steam was the three Kelpies.
The ice melts and they began walking as if nothing happened.
「They can manipulate water and the temperature too ......!? Damn it, I let my guard down!」
In a panic, he drew his sword and slashes at the neck of one of them.
If he doesn't leave quickly, the foothold will melt away.
However, Mars' sword lost its momentum due to the ice and was unable to sever its head.
Kelpie had created its own ice to protect itself.
Kelpie laughed.
With an ugly and mocking expression.
I'm going to kill all of you just like I did to them.
Marth felt like he had been told that, looking at the Kelpie's twisted face that didn't resemble that of a horse.
「――Don't underestimate me!」
Kelpie's face clearly showed that it was off guard.
Therefore, he activated the newly learned magic spell from 【Forbidden Magic Book】.
In front of Mars, that is, behind Kelpie, another Mars appeared.
And that other Mars beheaded the unsuspecting Kelpie from behind and disappeared.
Although it was just a momentary materialization, the true second self inherits the status that was raised in other parts such as "Body Enhancement"
The strength is that the equipment is copied as it is.
Its weaknesses include the fact that conditions such as injuries are also inherited, and the consumption of magical power is tremendous. If used twice with Mars's magical power, even "Body Enhancement" cannot be performed.
Since the clone traces all of the user's thoughts up to the immediate moment, with Mars's reflex speed, they can almost act as they please without lag.
Like Hazuki's latent ability, it was a type of magic that became stronger depending on the caster's abilities.
After killing one creature, he decided to return to his companions immediately.
He put his weight on it, and melted water was seeping out of the ice at his feet.
If he stayed too long, he would be dropped to the bottom of the deep water. If that happened, Mars, who had no underwater combat skills, would surely be killed.
With every step he took, the ice cracked and made a squeaking sound.
Two remaining Kelpies were chasing him from behind, showing their anger at their fallen comrade. In the unstable terrain, Mars was unable to put enough strength into his step, and the chance of them catching up to him was high.
However, there was no way his companions were going to stand by and watch. Lilia's electric arrows flew, and the ice in Mars' path was reinforced by Hazuki, who froze it again.
And just as Mars returns, Nemu jumps out and materializes huge claws in both hands.
Furthermore, she ran a few steps and jumped up, twisting her body in the air to slice through the two remaining Kelpies from behind. This was also a combination of magic spells from the [Forbidden Magic Boog]
In terms of close combat strength, Nemu was second only to Mars, but, in terms of speed, she was faster than Mars.
If the opponent was distracted by chasing, it was not a difficult feat. As she was originally used as Prince Cruze's spearhead and slave, her combat abilities and combat sense were exceptional.
「The sea god can't be that weak, right?」
「Well, even though Kelpies are highly dangerous, they are still creatures that exist within their own category... It's just that they happen to fall under the same classification as the Sea God.」
A short break and a rest at the same place as before.
All of them were experiencing not only physical exhaustion but also magical depletion, causing a sense of weariness.
To avoid becoming too sluggish to move, they ate excessively, and those who felt drowsy took a nap to recover their strength.
「Yeah ...... it's becoming increasingly difficult to rely solely on brute force. Well, that's just my mistake in judgment...」
「Usually if you freeze, you die. But in reality, it should not be a problem for monsters that can use magic. We have come this far without any issues.」
It's common to not fight to the bitter end.
Stopping at a convenient point and quickly moving on is the least exhausting option.
「Nemu wonders how much more there is to go-nya. Nemu wants to see the sun-nya. ......」
「It's easy to feel nostalgic when you enter a dungeon, isn't it?」
「I also want to see something green...... All we have here is water and rocks.」
Lilia and the other two were exchanging nonsensical conversations with tired expressions
Although it was a typical conversation for a dungeon, if it continued for too long, it was clear that the environment would become quite stressful.
No living being is immune to stress in an environment where freedom is restricted and there is a risk to their life.
「Based on my experience so far, the end should be in sight soon. We just have to hang on a little longer.」
「Considering that we don't have time to get lost, we've already gone through more than one dungeon. And we usually go around the same places.」
「Well, it's a vast ocean, so I don't think our usual common sense will necessarily apply. But since the strength of the monsters is increasing, I think we're getting closer to the end.」
「In the past, in the later stages, there were always small but strong monsters for some reason...」
Powerful beings don't rely on their appearance to intimidate others.
That's why they don't necessarily need to have a large body.
Mars doesn't know about the very end, but in the latter half, only individuals that are strong on their own appear.
They rely on their fighting prowess rather than physical strength and are skilled at surviving and killing their opponents. Sometimes, even among the monsters that appeared in the first half, strong individuals suddenly reappear.
「How far do you think the mermaids have actually progressed?」
「They've probably made it pretty far. Seeing that the dungeon hasn't completely collapsed yet, I don't think they've fully conquered it. However, they may have made it close to that point. It's hard to say for the waterway, but there aren't enough bodies to suggest otherwise.」
――It might just be that they're being eaten.
Mars will answer Sion's question gently.
The truth is something that no one really knows. So there's no need to give a gloomy answer
However, he didn't answer randomly. He really does think that there's something ahead.
It is because, like the Kelpie from earlier, there were monsters of which only mermaids knew the details.
Sion is a mermaid, but she is close to ordinary people, and she only knows about Kelpies because they sometimes appear near cities.
However, if you are a warrior who spends your daily life fighting, it might be different.
They might know the easy way to defeat them――By knowing their weakness.
――The magic I learned that can identify a weak spot isn't actually that useful
Mars can only tell where their physical weakness is, but he has no idea what they're going to do.
Without knowledge, you can't do anything.
While they were taking a break and chatting, there was a thunderous sound that split the sea
Nemu and the other members reacted almost simultaneously.
Even Nemu, who has excellent hearing, reacted at the same time as everyone else.
In other words, the speed of the approaching object was faster than the sound.
Then there was a sound like something exploding, and the entire dungeon shook.
「What was that sound!?」
「It was a "kiinn" or "gooo" sound-nyaa!」
「Y-yeah, I figured that out too. But that's not what I meant. I'm talking about the type of sound」
With a straight face, Mars was feeling uneasy and scared at the sound he was familiar with.
Nemu seemed to have no other way to describe it and had a troubled expression.
「I-I felt a vibration as if I had been hit inside my body. ...... What's this sound!?」
「I-I almost leaked a little. ......――Ah, I-I didn't leak, okay?!」
Zuzuzu, the dungeon is still rumbling, but everyone is highly adaptable, and their spirits quickly return to normal.
「Sometimes big rocks fall from the sky. ......Is that it?」
「Is it a meteorite? Well, that's certainly a possibility......」
――Really? Can that kind of thing happen inside a dungeon?
As Mars spoke, he couldn't believe it himself.
He thought that there was some kind of intrusion, although he had no evidence to support that idea.
「Nemu-chan, do you know which direction the sound came from, in front of us or behind us?」
「In front of us-nya. But also from behind, and Nemu thinks water might be coming in from somewhere-nyaa ...... Nemu is hearing various sounds from all around. Both from in front and from behind-nya.」
「I guess that means there's a risk of flooding.」
Mars tells Sion that in a worst-case scenario, he'll ask for air magic.
Even if they're submerged, Sion can create air around them and continue walking.
Since their situation is different from going by submarine, Mars isn't particularly anxious about their progress.
His anxiety is more focused on the possibility of irregularities.
Is there someone in the deepest part of the dungeon who would invade directly and destroy it?
If so, that person must have a pretty twisted way of thinking.
In terms of shogi, it's like ignoring the rules and putting your opponent's king in checkmate with the piece you brought from home on the first move.
In terms of a foot race, it's like stepping back one step from the starting line and then claiming you crossed the finish line.
You might think "Wait, what?" and object
But in the case of a dungeon, it's a different story. And if it's possible, even Mars would do it because it's extremely effective.
All the dangers along the way are eliminated, you don't need to prepare food and other provisions, and you can concentrate only on defeating the boss.
Since you can fight the boss with all your strength and equipment, the odds of winning are much higher than in a normal strategy game. Unlike a game, you don't have to go through the trouble of raising your level.
「Of course, it would be easier to suddenly fight the boss, but......is it possible?」
Mars thought slipped out.
The reason he doesn't do it, even though he knows it, is because he couldn't do it.
That was both in terms of ethics and physics.
Mars doesn't have the power to blow away the outer wall of the dungeon and challenge the deepest part with super attack power.
And since there is a format called a dungeon, no matter what he does, he always thinks in terms of acting in accordance with its rules. Mars's fundamental nature is that of a common-sense person.
He gather his allies, made preparations, and developed countermeasures based on trends.
That was a safer option.
If there were intruders, his way of thinking would be fundamentally different.
For example, suppose there is someone they dislike in another country, and they want to kill that person.
Marth would only go to kill that person, but the intruder has a dangerous way of thinking that would blow up the entire country with a missile.
They have too many means to choose to achieve their goals.
Although still undetermined, if they exist, the person is certainly an enemy.
Mars is sure they wouldn't have a sense of sharing. They would have no cooperation.
「Even the dungeon alone is difficult, so why are there always such troublesome beings here...」
「――Does Lilia think that an enemy has come?」
「Yes. It's unlikely that meteorites will conveniently fall to this depth in this situation. If it were a coincidence, we wouldn't even be able to calculate the probability. So I judge it as an enemy. Besides, the dungeon attracts people.」
A place where dreams that would be impossible in normal life can come true, that's the dungeon.
A place where even the wealthy royal family of a prosperous country would be amazed at the wealth, and where a person with the potential to reach the extreme of martial arts can obtain power that would take a lifetime to achieve.
Yes, the dungeon is a place where you can redo your life.
It is a place where you can suddenly aim for the top of the world, regardless of what you have done in the past.
Those who have nothing stake their lives on their dreams, while those who have something seek even greater power
In the Seven Great Dungeons, the pinnacle of the world, only formidable people gather there.
Naturally, there are also those who live outside of common sense.
「It's not Zerius again, is it?」
Hazuki says with a pale face. She seems to have been triggered by trauma.
「You look so disgusted. Well, I'm not saying it's impossible, but maybe it's someone else. Even though he may seem like that, he's pretty sensible. He's going through the dungeon properly.」
「Hmmm......I really don't want it to be Zerius... He kept asking for showing him our sex the last time, didn't he? It was really disgusting...」
「Well, that's ......」
It was my fault, Mars felt complicated.
As for Zerius, he's confident that he has twisted his life in a bad direction.
He used to be a self-centered man who walked on the earth, but now he had become a man who could only be excited by being cuckolded.
The pleasure of losing once had penetrated his brain and would not disappear easily.
「From here on, we must always stay focused. Take each step carefully and tightly. If we come across enemies of adventurers and it seems like we can't defeat them, it's okay to run away. Keep your distance and take refuge in someone's treasury. Of course, it's best not to get into a fight.......But it depends on the situation.」
「In the worst-case scenario, we'll give up all our belongings and run away. Depending on the goal, the other party won't benefit from fighting either. Besides, as long as we're alive, we can handle anything. Living a life like farming together seems fun too」
Lilia said casually.
「It's better to have money, but even if we don't we can manage somehow! I know a lot about edible cacti, you know? I used to live with my grandmother and we were poor!」
「Anything is fine for Nemu-nyaa. Nemu doesn't care what you do with her either-nya. It's fun to take a nap-nya.」
"Right~", Hazuki and Nemu were talking happily.
Mars was the only one who thought that money was necessary, the others weren't particularly concerned.
In rural areas, many people are more self-sufficient, and capitalism has not fully penetrated the world.
Mermaids like Sion, for example, are completely detached from the capitalist world.
Many people had the understanding that money was necessary only to exchange things that couldn't be obtained in that place.
Hazuki was the epitome of that type, and Lilia and Nemu had little experience with money since they were slaves.
「Well, let's try not to fight then!」
Nothing is solved, but it makes Mars feel a little relieved.
"It will be all right. I've had many encounters with various enemies. All of them were in the realm of the supernatural in the same category as human beings. So, I'll be fine. It's the same as always", he said, trying not to let the lingering anxiety stick to his back
He had already grown accustomed to the weight on his back.
It would always follow him, no matter how long it took or how far he went.
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