Chapter 606 - The Mole's Bed
"—Whoaaaaaahhhhh...!"
"""............"""
It was some time after we had ventured deeper and deeper that our perfectly natural prediction as gamers became a reality before our eyes. And our reactions, as a group of four, to the scene that awaited us at the end of the cavern were, just as naturally, split three to one.
On one side, there was one person (Lux). Probably because her friend had repeatedly scolded her with "Seriously, spare me" on the way here, she kept her voice down like a good girl, but she couldn't hide her excitement, letting out a small cheer as she bounced on her feet.
On the other side were the remaining three. Our wishes had been in vain... and in fact, the violent flood of visual information that surpassed our imagination in many ways had rendered us speechless, completely frozen.
There was Sora-san, who had accepted the battle to come and whose face was already beginning to turn pale. And then there was Nia-chan, likely caught between her artisan's spirit and her ordinary person's mentality, her face frozen in a neutral expression, the result of overflowing joy and bottomless fear canceling each other out.
As for me, while grabbing the scruff of Lux's neck to stop her from charging in at any second... I could only stand there, mouth agape, before a 'throne' filled with a brilliance that seemed impossible for a place deep underground.
The end of our journey led to a colossal space that made the cavern we'd traveled seem like a narrow path. The circular chamber, well over a hundred meters in diameter, was formed by a golden color—that is, by a countless, ridiculous number of [Feidran Armoire] shells gathered together.
And buried within that sea of gold were glimmers of every color.
We must have hunted a considerable number of moles to get here, but the mountain of treasure we'd only glimpsed at the frequency of 'missed items' or 'forgotten things' was now before us.
It was understandable why the non-combatant and rather timid artisan was still rooted to the spot by temptation, even in the face of a monster... but still—damn, that thing is huge.
"[Feidran Tyrantinus]... this is, without a doubt—"
"A raid-class boss enemy, isn't it...!"
"...H-How many meters long do you think it is?"
Though it was a rough estimate from a distance, its massive body, even compared to the 'larval' [Feidran Armoire], was easily over thirty meters.
It was on par with, or even larger than, the [Dusty Worm] that dwelled in the desert of old.
Compared to the serpent, which was relatively sleek as its name implied, this mole looked even bigger due to its slightly thicker build. Moreover, while the other had a 'dragon-like' design and was actually pretty cool... this thing was, just a little...
"It's huuuuge...!"
"...I've seen a final boss like that in a monster panic movie before."
"...Was it a happy ending?"
"I think I know that one... the one where they all get wiped out and become dust in the desert, right?"
One person in high spirits, and three in terror. Receiving the four sets of gazes, the bizarre figure sleeping in the center of the area was, to put it simply, a grotesque monster, an incarnation of panic horror.
Its basic form was the same as the 'larval ones,' but there were three parts that had evolved.
First, not just its snout or mouth, but a vast sea of tentacles that covered what seemed to be its neck... or whatever that part was.
The fact that they had a metallic texture, unlike the larval ones, lessened the visceral grossness, but it was still incredibly disgusting. From a combat perspective, it was easy to guess that it would make some extremely annoying moves. What a pain.
Second, its abnormally developed, long front legs.
With clear joints at the wrist, elbow, and shoulder, they were no longer the legs of a 'mole'. Combined with its almost nonexistent hind legs, it only amplified the sense of it being an utterly bizarre creature.
From a combat perspective, it would absolutely be a pain in the neck, and so on.
Last, its eyes. There were just... a lot more of them. End of report, it's an anomaly.
"...Alright, I have a proposal."
"Hmm?"
""Go ahead.""
"How about a plan where we have Nia use her 'eyes' from here to pinpoint the most valuable gems, then we sneak in, grab just the loot, and make our escape?"
"Aww, what?!"
""No objections.""
A single voice rose in complaint, but I was sorry to say that I had no intention of gleefully charging at that thing... at least, not in the current situation.
First and foremost, there was the issue that I had brought Nia to the 'Outside' with the promise that I would 'absolutely not let her get a game over'.
I might be a little weird for being so used to it, but from a general perspective, 'death' in a virtual world with a reality indistinguishable from the real world is a terrifying thing.
Apparently, it's not uncommon for players to eagerly jump in, aspiring to glorious combat, only to be frightened, discouraged, and give up within a few days when faced with the 'artificial yet authentic battle'.
Nia herself said she wasn't one of those who gave up, but for her, who hadn't cultivated a warrior's mentality in Arcadia, the battlefield was simply a scary place.
And yet, the reason she was accompanying us—and what's more, the reason she could sometimes even show a joyful smile without being overly tense—
was solely because she deeply trusted my words and my abilities.
"Sorry, but I can't let our precious artisan face anything scary. I honestly get the desire to challenge it... but well, just swallow it for now."
"Mmm-hmm... Alright, yeah, you're right. That thing is... yeah, okay, got it."
I didn't think for a moment that it was unexpected... or anything so rude.
Her energy, mood, and momentum are generally off the charts, but I sensed that she wasn't a truly thoughtless or immoral person who couldn't read the room.
"My bad. Let's come back again soon."
"Oh? Is that an invitation for our next date already?"
"It's not a date. I'm saying let's come back with more people."
Just like with the ant nest, since we'd need a discerning eye to know what to bring back, it would probably be better to have an artisan with us... but even so, we'd need to prepare for that.
At the very least, we'd need enough people to assign a guard for the non-combatant.
Me, Sora, and Lux would be a considerable force in terms of pure combat power, but the weakness of a small elite team is that the drop in effectiveness when even one person is lost is also considerable.
I shouldn't be so reckless and overconfident as to claim that there won't be any unforeseen accidents against a major boss we're seeing for the first time.
And so...
The decision was unanimous, the policy was set.
As for whether we could even just snatch the gems and retreat, it was probably, almost certainly, possible.
This place is a normal field, not a dungeon, after all.
The spatial transfer that always occurs when stepping into an instance area didn't happen, so I'm sure of it. In other words, that giant mole is a field boss, and this large chamber should be considered an extension of the environment, not a boss room.
As a player who trusts this game from the bottom of my heart, let me declare this: the 'cliché' where the entrance is sealed by some mysterious power the moment you step inside will absolutely not happen.
It's not just my personal belief; it's a common understanding, with a few exceptions like the Colored Monsters, that 'bosses existing in the field can be challenged and disengaged from freely'.
The proof was that my partner, who is broadly knowledgeable about such trivial facts; my dedicated artisan, who is also far more familiar with the conventions of this virtual world than I am; and the Traveler, who adventures more than anyone else in the world, did not raise any objections to the feasibility of the plan. If that's the case, there's no reason to hesitate.
Even if I were to be hit by some exceptional bad luck while heading to collect the gems, as long as I believe I'm alone and the exit isn't sealed, I can easily force my way out with my speed.
In the worst-case scenario where a series of irregularities occur and I can't escape, I can have the three of them wait here and entrust the rest to Sora and Lux. That should be fine.
Just as Nia trusts me, I trust my partner.
—As for Lux, well, yeah. She's still the number one ranker of the North, so, yeah.
"...Alright, Nia-chan. Can I ask you to do a quick appraisal?"
I pulled out the hairpin that held my long hair up on the side of my head and offered to temporarily return the blessing of the 'azure' to the artisan who had agreed with my partner earlier... but...
Hey, what's with that huge, smirking face of yours?
"...For the record, when I said 'precious artisan' earlier, I really meant it just as it sounds, in a guest-like, important sense."
"Heeh? Hmmm? Is that so~? Hehehe...!"
"Sora-san, you have my permission to pinch her."
"Haru?"
"Not me. This precious guest of ours who I can't tell if she's scared or grinning like an idiot. Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow... it went down a little! My HP just went down a tiny bit...!"
"Fufu, how odd. I didn't receive any warning announcement for an act of assault."
Sora-san gave me a beautiful smile as she didn't just pinch but grabbed my side, making me yelp in surprise at my HP bar, which I felt had decreased, whether by illusion or not.
While our partner pair was messing around,
"Ahaha. This group is fun... Nya-chan, you should come again next time. Even if he says he'll bring more people, it'll probably just be Har-kun's friends, right?"
"What's with that lineup of guaranteed monsters? I feel like that's beyond overkill."
Lux continued to talk to her in a friendly manner. And Nia, while snatching the 'hairpin' from my hand, continued her cheerful smirk and teased me jokingly.
As the jewel in her hand began to shine, her right eye regained its original vibrancy...
"Alright then, let's get to work—[Truthnight Aquamarine]."
The twin stars that see through all things lit up with a quiet glow.