kscans

Chapter 199 - Steady Progress

The other side of the gate was a European-style townscape with cobblestone streets.

Houses with walls of stacked stone held together by mortar stood in neat rows on both sides of a wide road, spacious enough for several cars to drive on.

What looked like a cloudy sky was actually the exposed gray rock face of the ceiling. It was a dome-shaped wall surrounding the area, typical of a city-type dungeon.

The houses, nearly ten meters tall, lined the streets, obscuring the view into the distance. However, from where we stood on the road, we could see a massive cave.

On the opposite side of the dome wall from our position, there was a hill large enough to look down on the town.

A gaping hole opened up on its grassless slope. It was as if the hill itself were a giant creature.

We must not set foot in that eerie cave. For that is the place where this dungeon’s boss monster always appears.

What’s more, after appearing, it comes out of the cave and wanders around. There’s a river that runs through the town in this dungeon, and according to the Dungeon Store’s website, its main route of travel is along the riverbank.

After a quick look around and a glance back to confirm my companions’ presence, I spoke to Aira-san through the earring.

"We’ve entered the dungeon. Commencing exploration now."

"Yes. Be careful. The monsters in that dungeon are big."

"I know. Of course."

I drew my sword from its sheath and gave it a light grip. I’d grown quite used to the feel of this hilt.

After signaling to the others behind me, I started walking on the cobblestones. The houses on either side were mostly built without gaps, but occasionally there were openings that formed alleyways.

However, in this dungeon, using the alleys is reserved for extreme emergencies.

That’s because—

"Wait, Kyouta-chan."

Almost simultaneously with Erina-san’s hushed words.

———Thump...

The ground beneath my feet trembled slightly, and a sound like a tremor reached my ears.

"One of them. It’s coming from the right side of the T-junction ahead."

"Roger."

The footsteps of the monster, likely still beyond the T-junction nearly a hundred meters away, were already shaking the depths of my stomach.

I moved forward slowly, walking alongside Byakuren. The sound of footsteps grew louder, and finally, a monstrous shadow was cast on the wall of a house.

A bizarre silhouette with several writhing heads. Six draconic heads peeked out from around the corner.

It wasn’t six dragons. No, that thing was a single entity.

The main body revealed itself.

A massive form, standing six meters tall. It stood on two legs as thick as several bundled logs, its entire body covered in thick, black scales.

A powerful tail, no less formidable than its mighty legs, swayed as it stamped the ground, but there were no arms or forelegs to be seen.

Instead, six draconic heads sprouted from its chest.

Their long necks writhed as they glared at us, and the massive head of the main body above them let out a roar.

"■■■■■■———!!"

Horophagus.

A monster resembling the evil dragon from Polish legend, also known as the ‘Wawel Dragon,’ swaggered through the old townscape as if it owned the place.

The seven mouths of the beast instantly began to gather mana.

It’s coming!

"■■■■■———!"

Seven beams of light were unleashed. The largest breath from the main body shot straight towards us, while the other six flashed to block our escape routes.

"Byakuren!"

"Earth, rise!"

My voice and Mia-san’s overlapped.

The superheated breath licked the ground as it closed in on us. In response, Byakuren raised its tower shield and took the blast head-on.

Amidst the scattering cobblestone fragments and earth, the shield and the aurora-like light collided. Though its iron-clad feet sank into the ground, the majority of the breath was deflected upwards.

The scattered heat rays from either side of the shield tore into the surroundings, but a wall of stone that rose from the ground blocked any that might have reached the rear guard.

In the meantime, I leaped upwards, using the Flügel to fly towards the Horophagus.

"■■■■...!"

The main body stopped its breath, and the other six heads began firing beams of light at me.

Each one targeted me as if it were a separate creature, but with Spirit Eye, I could see them all. Combined with my accelerated thought, dodging this level of attack was easy.

I accelerated sharply to the side, then shot straight up at a right angle. The six heads moved their necks to follow me, but I slipped through a gap and approached, descending in a diagonal slide.

"Shii...!"

The six heads ceased their breath attacks and came at me to bite directly, but I dodged with a barrel roll and a mid-air forward flip.

As I came within arm’s reach, the main body fired a rapid shot, but I dodged diagonally downwards and slammed my sword into its thick neck as I passed.

The blade shattered the tough scales and tore through the flesh beneath. As I flew past, flames scorched the wound and wind forced it open.

The neck was sliced open with a spray of sparks. But the Horophagus only took a single step back.

It was tough, and thick. Neither the tip of my sword nor the wind reached its spine.

Drawing a gentle arc, I ascended again, and the six heads pursued me with bared fangs.

But unfortunately for them, we had more than one head on our side as well.

"■■■■———!"

The six heads roared in anger and tried to pursue me as I passed, but spears of ice and launched grappling claws tore into their scales.

Three of them had their flesh and bone ripped apart, while the other three were stopped in their tracks. At the other end of the wires, Erina-san, supported by Ukon and Sakon, was pulling on the necks.

"■■■■...!?"

The main head of the Horophagus let out a choked sound. As I approached again from above, the main body fired its breath wildly.

A direct hit would have been bad, but with such poor aim, it wouldn’t connect.

Without slowing down, I slipped through and plunged my left arm into the wound. Then, I opened my palm and channeled mana into the Bracelet of the Flame Horse.

"Pierce through...!"

The released heat ray carbonized the flesh, melted the bone, and exited out the back.

I immediately kicked off its scales and put distance between myself and the Horophagus. The evil dragon, frozen with its mouth agape, began to turn from black to white.

Eventually, it transformed into a mass of salt of equal volume and crumbled to the ground.

Letting out a small sigh at the sight, I landed near my companions.

"Nice work! No other enemies nearby."

"Roger. Good work to you too."

"Good work. Ukon, retrieve it."

The stone warrior trudged towards the pile of salt.

Watching it out of the corner of my eye, I channeled mana into Byakuren and spoke into the earring.

"Aira-san. The battle is over."

"Yes. It seems you’re all safe. I’m sure you know this, but try not to enter the alleys too much during your exploration."

"Yeah, I’ve had enough of being buried alive."

That’s right, the Horophagus was the reason we couldn’t enter the alleys.

Those things, they would extend their six necks to spot enemies over the rooftops, and then they would charge straight ahead, regardless of any buildings in their path. Relying on the strength of their scales and their massive bodies, they would smash through them without a second thought.

What’s more, they fire their breaths in rapid succession, so if you carelessly go through an alley, you’ll be buried alive in no time.

"Ah. That’s right, you were pathetically buried during the sports festival, Kyouta-kun. Pathetically."

"Why’d you say ‘pathetically’ twice, you ultimate disappointment?"

"Did you just say ‘disappointment’ twice?!"

"Not twice, I just emphasized it."

"That’s even worse, you idiot, you moron!"

"Are you a child?"

"I’m Aira-chan, three years old!"

"Sis! You can’t be three with those boobs!"

"There were so many other things you could have pointed out."

"Then four years old!"

"Don’t join in and don’t take it seriously, you self-proclaimed ninja."

"Fine, then five years old!"

"This isn’t an auction."

While we were having this stupid conversation, Ukon brought over the drop item, a golden boot.

A party where the golem is the most serious one...

"Oh, so that’s the item."

"Yes. It’s an upgraded version of the... ‘horseshoe-type magic tool’ the professor gave me before."

Those horseshoes aren’t something we can get reliably, and with our current mana levels, we have to be extremely careful not to break them instantly.

Compared to that, this magic tool is sturdy.

Even if you’re already wearing other shoes, you can slip your foot in and it will adhere right on top. It’s so thin that apparently it doesn’t feel awkward even when layered.

However, just like the other one, it’s a single-use item.

"It’s pretty dangerous stuff, so I wanted to secure some for a quick getaway. It’s a relief there was a suitable dungeon nearby."

"I think calling a ‘B-Rank Dungeon’ three train stations away ‘suitable’ is a bit questionable..."

"Ah... sorry, that was insensitive."

When a dungeon appears, the local residents have to evacuate, and a stampede could cause damage to the neighborhood.

My last comment was definitely out of line. I reflected on my mistake.

"No, I was just thinking how strong you all have become. I wasn’t blaming you."

"That’s right! We’re 530,000 times stronger than when we were rookies!"

"That’s not true."

Where did you even pull that number from? And stop striking that pose like you’re some kind of sushi tycoon, you self-proclaimed ninja. What cosmic emperor do you think you are?

But while her expression was an exaggeration, we had indeed become quite strong.

We had taken the dragon that two fighter jets couldn’t defeat as our hypothetical enemy, and our efforts to level up, hoping to at least be able to escape if not win... had paid off.

Well... the main reason for our level-ups was getting caught in stampedes, though.

"When you two were rookies, huh. By the time I met you, you were already overwhelming a ‘D-Rank Boss,’ so I can’t really imagine it."

"No, we were pretty much rookies back then too—"

"We had a lot of trouble in the beginning, didn’t we, Kyouta-chan! We spent our days training to create a combination ninjutsu..."

"Are you starting some kind of flashback I’m not aware of?"

The self-proclaimed ninja crossed her arms under her magnificent chest and stared into the distance.

There’s no such memory. And stop emphasizing your chest. I’m trying to stay alert, but my attention keeps getting drawn there.

"Kuh, why can’t I knead my chakra properly!"

"Hey, don’t make up lines. And your impression is terrible."

"That’s not true, Kyouta-chan!"

"Yes it is, you idiot."

"If you try, you can knead chakra too, Kyouta-chan!"

"Ah, no, this one’s gone back to the past too. Stop indulging in non-existent memories. We’re in a dungeon right now."

"S-Such a past...?"

"You don’t have to nod along if you don’t believe it, Mia-san. Let’s just hit these idiots on the head instead."

"Owwie!?"

I flicked Erina-san on the forehead, forcefully bringing her back to her senses.

"Hey! Kyouta-kun made Erina-kun cry!"

"Boo-hoo-hoo! Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"

"Don’t fake cry... Isn’t your fake crying a little weird?"

Is that a cicada out of season?

"You’re so mean, so mean! I’m gonna tell the teacher!"

"Right. Let’s report this to the professor later."

"Alright, everyone! Let’s be serious! Let’s continue the exploration seriously!"

"Yes, Paisen!!"

"These guys..."

"There, there."

As I instinctively clenched my fists, Mia-san gave me a wry smile and gestured for me to calm down.

Well, I couldn’t actually hit them. Maybe my male friends from middle school, but I hesitate to use my fists on girls.

Since the idiot and the moron had calmed down, we finally resumed our exploration. We immediately found a paint mark at the T-junction where the Horophagus had come from earlier.

"Aira-san. We’re currently at ‘D-13.’ It’s a T-junction with the cave you mentioned in the forward direction. We can’t see it right now because of the houses."

"Hmm, hmm. Alright, I’ve got it. Then, turn right there, and at the second crossroad, turn left. From there, go straight for a while. Let me know when you hit a dead end."

"Roger. To the right."

We turned right at the T-junction and proceeded as instructed. After about 500 meters, we turned left at the second crossroad.

This dungeon is vast. That hill might as well be called a mountain. It’s so big it messes with your sense of distance.

"By the way, Kyouta-chan. Is Byak-chan really that fuel-inefficient?"

"It is, but why the sudden question?"

"On the store’s bulletin board, there was an explanation about combat golems."

"Ah, I see."

I gave a small nod as we walked.

"In Byakuren’s case, I sacrificed fuel efficiency to increase its output. Since I can’t use alchemy as a skill, I had to make it a bit specialized to achieve the performance I wanted."

"I see, I see~"

"But recently, I’ve been thinking about whether I can make a detachable Magi Battery."

"Oh? That wasn’t mentioned on the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club’s website."

"Well, if you can build it in, there’s almost no need to make it detachable."

The golems made by the club can be easily recharged with mana through a socket. It’s simpler than carrying around a spare battery.

I hear they can be charged with a magic tool for resupplying mana... a ‘Magi Tank,’ you could call it. Apparently, it doesn’t work on humans, but it’s still an incredible piece of technology.

If only they were an organization with more decent goals...

"If I were to make a Magi Battery myself, I’d have to use the power of the Sage’s Nucleus. I don’t want to make that public, so I’d want to attach it after entering a dungeon and remove it when we leave."

"I see. ...Wait, maybe I made a pretty unreasonable request for that insurance policy of yours?"

"I understand that it’s necessary, and when we have to use that, it won’t be a time to worry about secrets, so it’s fine."

The item Aira-san ordered also has many parts that require the power of the Sage’s Nucleus, but as I just said, when ‘that’ becomes necessary, we won’t have the luxury of worrying about such things.

My life and the lives of those close to me are more important than the risk of being targeted by some madman who wants to perform human experiments.

"Whoa. There’s an enemy nearby. Ten o’clock direction, about 300 meters away. It stopped, so it might have noticed us too."

"Roger. Your hearing is as amazing as ever..."

"Hee hee! You know it!"

I forcibly averted my gaze from Erina-san, who was puffing out her chest... I mean, puffing out her chest, and switched my focus to combat.

Just as she predicted, a deafening roar began to reach our ears. The Horophagus was likely destroying houses in its path.

Dust filled the alley, and a cloud of dirt rose up in front of us. The wreckage of a collapsed house spread across the path.

Stomping on the debris, the evil dragon let out a roar from its seven necks.

"■■■■■■■■———!!"

As Byakuren stood in front with its shield raised, I kicked off the ground and flew up.