kscans

Chapter 115 - The Bronze Forest

The Bronze Forest

Early July. The temperature had risen considerably, and the humid days where it would reach nearly 30 degrees Celsius during the daytime had begun.

While students from other high schools were sweating on their way to school, we, whose school building had been destroyed by a demon, were in the middle of a summer vacation that had started a month early.

And in the midst of that, the thing to do was.

"The reborn Invisible Ninjas! Fiiiight!"

"""Yeah!"""

Dungeon exploration, of course.

Today, too, Erina-san, dressed in her Taisho Roman-style outfit, was thrusting her fist into the air energetically at the Dungeon Store. Please stop, it's embarrassing.

"...So that name wasn't a joke, was it?"

"No. Unfortunately."

Mia-san, who is a relatively sensible person as long as alcohol isn't involved, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

The stares from the people in the store were painful. The naming sense was just too terrible.

"Erina-san. You're bothering the other people, so please stop shouting."

"Okaaay."

‘It's fine, isn't it, Kyouta-kun? There are hardly any other adventurers in that dungeon anyway, right?’

"Big sis. You're the oldest one here, so please act like it. There are people working in the store, you know."

‘Okaaay.’

As Aira-san said, this Dungeon Store was practically deserted.

It's a C-Rank dungeon. On top of that, the monsters that appear and the dungeon's terrain are of the troublesome sort, so not many adventurers come here.

We had agreed to meet here, so Erina-san and I came by bus, while Mia-san came in her own car. As expected, both the bus and the parking lot were empty.

On the other hand, there's a possibility that the number of monsters will be high, whereas our fighting strength, with the exception of Mia-san, is lower than usual.

Byakuren was destroyed in the previous battle. I was able to rebuild it with spare parts, but the armor was a total loss.

And Erina-san's Daisharinmaru seems to have suffered a serious warp, and apparently, if she throws it now, there's no telling where it will fly.

However, we wanted the drop items available here for ‘gathering materials for the future,’ so we came anyway.

And simply because I thought we could manage even with our current strength. The three of us leveled up quite a bit in the fight with the Cuelebre.

And so, after finishing our preparations in the changing room and using the restroom, we headed to the gate room.

The heavy footsteps of Mia-san's golems... I think they were called Ukon and Sakon, echoed as we stood before the white door.

"Preparations complete. We are now entering the dungeon."

‘Yes. Byakuren-kun and the giant shuriken are absent this time, but Mia is here instead. You should be able to explore just fine, but be careful.’

"Roger."

With me in the lead, I confirmed that everyone had a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them, and then we passed through the gate.

No matter how many times I do it, I can't get used to the strange sensation of my footing disappearing without any feeling of floating. It lasted only a moment, and then I felt a hard sensation through my boots.

Before my eyes was a green forest, illuminated by a fake sun.

Not figuratively; every single tree was a low-saturation green. All of this was made of bronze.

From the roots buried in the mud-like ground to the branches and leaves extending several meters ahead, everything was the same color. Moreover, the strength of these mana-infused trees far surpassed that of ordinary bronze.

When I took a step, a slight ripple formed.

"Mia-san's magic seems to be working fine. My feet aren't getting stuck in the mud."

"I'm relieved it worked out."

Mia-san patted her magnificent chest in relief.

This dungeon has poor footing. The harder you step, the more your feet sink. It was written on the store's website that even adventurers of this rank can't run properly. Apparently, the ground is strange, with the ‘depth of the mud changing according to the force applied.’

That's where her Water and Ice Magic comes in. I had her cast the water-walking spell on us before we went through the gate, and it seems to have worked on the mud as well.

Especially Ukon and Sakon would definitely sink without it. There's even a rumor that the SDF brought in a mortar and it sank into the mud.

‘Hmph, as expected of my little sister. The most capable one after me.’

"Our capabilities lie in different directions. We're beginning the exploration."

‘Yes. Proceed with caution.’

"Understood."

Since Byakuren isn't here this time, I've attached a mirror to Ukon's chest. The golems, holding a sasumata and a large shield reinforced with ice, brought up the rear, while I took the lead.

Despite being on mud, it felt like walking on paved asphalt. Combined with the smell of mud reaching my nostrils, the mismatch created a strong sense of unease.

It's a convenient magic, but it might be one I'd rather not use outside of a dungeon.

As we walked between the bronze trees, we found a tree with SDF paint on it after about 30 seconds.

"Aira-san. Currently at ‘T-45.’ The position of the pseudo-sun is in the two o'clock direction from our perspective."

‘Hmm, hmm... Then, proceed in the ten o'clock direction for a while. You should find another painted mark.’

"Understood."

This dungeon is easy to get lost in.

Humans, apparently, tend to veer off course quite a bit when viewed from above, even when they think they're walking in a straight line.

Moreover, we are in a forest, albeit a very special one. The only landmark to speak of is the pseudo-sun in the upper part of the dungeon.

We started walking again on the muddy path, illuminated by the light peeking through the bronze leaves.

However, a warning soon came from Erina-san.

"I can hear voices from the nine o'clock direction. There are... five of them. They're heading this way."

"Roger."

"Understood. Ukon, Sakon. Raise your shields and get in front of me and Erina-san."

I replied to Erina-san, tightened my grip on my sword, and took a few steps in the indicated direction, positioning myself in front of the golems.

Then, we too could hear the sound of flapping wings and cries.

‘Gaw! Gaw!’

‘Gak-gak-gak-gak-gak!!’

It resembled the cawing of a crow. But the voice sounded somewhat nasally.

The store's information said it ‘resembles the cry of a crested ibis,’ but I've never actually heard a crested ibis properly, so I don't know. I've seen one on screen before, though.

Such stray thoughts surfaced, but I pushed them to the back of my mind.

Weaving through the bronze trees, five birds... no. I faced five monstrous birds.

‘Gaw! Gaw!!’

Their skeletons resembled that of an ibis, but their bodies were more than twice the size. Their entire bodies were covered in crimson feathers, which stood out in this bronze forest, and on their heads grew a crown-like crest.

But what was most eye-catching was not their size or their distinctive crest.

It was their beaks, claws, and the tips of both wings, all made of bronze.

‘Stymphalides.’

A monster that appears in one of the ‘Twelve Labors of Heracles’ from Greek mythology.

Their feathers, claws, and beaks are made of bronze, yet their strength surpasses that of ordinary steel, and they are said to have easily torn through a one-centimeter iron plate brought in by the SDF.

The monstrous birds flew through the difficult-to-navigate trees at a speed of about 100 kilometers per hour. They turned their hostility towards us, lowered their altitude, and spread their wings wide as they approached.

In that instant, feathers were fired like a machine gun. The tip of each one was bronze, and on top of that, coated in a potent poison. If struck by that poison, even a high-level Awakened Person wouldn't last half a day.

However, their speed fell just short of the speed of sound. They were only fast enough for my two eyes to track everything.

Facing the rain of death approaching with overwhelming density and speed, I readied my two-handed sword and wrapped it in wind.

"Hrahh!"

A single horizontal slash. With a hammer of wind, I blew away all the incoming feathers.

Not only that, but the strong wind slammed into the Stymphalides head-on. It probably didn't do any damage, but it threw the monstrous birds off balance.

Then, without mercy, throwing knives and ice spears assailed them.

The three in the front row took direct hits and crashed into the mud. Another had its wing pierced and collided with a nearby tree, while the last unharmed one tried to fly over us.

But I drew and threw a knife with my left hand. Since it was quite close, even with my skill, it hit its neck.

‘Gah...!?’

With a short cry, its body bent backwards in mid-air, and it fell on its back. I confirmed that all of them, including the one that had crashed into the tree, had turned to salt, and let out a small breath.

A bronze forest that easily confuses people, growing on muddy ground with poor footing. And monstrous birds that fly freely within it, attacking like a machine gun's spray.

I was once again convinced that this was a dungeon other adventurers would understandably avoid.

But, in proportion to its difficulty, it was also a lucrative place.

"No other enemies nearby."

"Then Ukon, Sakon. Collect the drop items."

The golems lumbered forward at Mia-san's command. Their sasumata apparently have straps so they can be carried over their shoulders.

While cautiously scanning the surroundings, I reconstructed my knife in its sheath and turned my eyes to the drop items the golems had collected.

It was a bronze plate. It was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, and about five millimeters thick.

This wasn't just ordinary bronze. Its strength was equivalent to their feathers and beaks. In other words, harder than ordinary steel. And yet, its melting point was the same as regular bronze.

I plan to use this for the shield that Byakuren will hold. I heard from Ooyama-san that using this would make it sturdier than an alloy of coins and existing iron.

Well, she herself has never actually worked with it, and this knowledge apparently comes from her skill. Still, I trust her, and I'm sure she'll do a good job.

My savings have taken a big hit from the last armor repair, so I want to collect enough not just for my needs, but also to sell. I'd like to have some spares, too, if possible.

"Collection complete."

"Right. Aira-san, we're resuming the exploration."

‘Yes. Mia, move Ukon-kun a little more to the right. Yes, just like that. ...Yes. Judging from the position of the pseudo-sun, proceed in the eleven o'clock direction from where Ukon-kun is facing.’

"Understood."

Safety first, I'll earn what I can.

I tightened my grip on my sword and started walking on the mud once more.