kscans

Chapter 40 - An Unexpected Encounter

An Unexpected Encounter

It was late May, and the month was drawing to a close. A fine rain fell steadily from a sky blanketed in gray clouds.

Despite it being a Sunday, few people were heading out into the city in this weather. In the modern age, however, there was no shortage of entertainment to be found at home.

You could read a book in quiet solitude. You could play online against friends. You could study and better yourself, or simply give your body a long-overdue rest.

So, what was I doing on my day off?

"It’s dungeon tiiiime!"

"You’re too loud."

Today, like every other day, was a dungeon day. At this point, it felt like the only reasons I ever left the house were for school or dungeons.

No, that can’t be right... It isn’t, is it?

Thinking back, even during the glorious Golden Week, the only times I went out were for a dungeon or the D-Rank promotion exam.

...Where exactly does one find this thing called ‘youth’?

N-No. If club activities and part-time jobs count as youth, then being an adventurer is also a part of youth. It has to be. At least partially.

I tried to convince myself of this in the Dungeon Store parking lot.

"What’s wrong, Kyo-chan? Are you feeling sick?"

"Eh? No, not really."

Erina-san, dressed in a pink kimono and navy hakama, peered at me. My umbrella bumped against her traditional Japanese one, and I instinctively took a step back.

"You must understand, Erina-kun. He was most likely pondering the meaning of youth."

"H-How did you know?!"

"I know all too well... for I am a veteran who has also walked the path of a gray-colored youth!"

"That’s a tragically convincing argument...!"

"Therefore, there is but one piece of advice I can offer you, Kyo-chan-kun! ...Compromise is important, you know?"

"Is that really the only thing you can tell me?!"

"Hmm, but you know," Erina-san said, bumping her umbrella against mine again as she held out a light fist.

"Going on ‘adventures’ with us is plenty of youth, isn’t it?"

My gaze faltered at her smile, which was as bright as the sun.

She pushed her fist a little further forward, as if to prompt me, and I gently tapped it with my own.

"Yeah! Let’s do our best today!"

"R-Right..."

"Yes, yes, how youthful. ...I feel like I’m about to vomit from sadness and jealousy. What do you think I should do?"

"...Sorry about that."

"Senpai! You’re one of us, too! You’re inside with us!!"

"Erina-kun...! No, my dear friend...!"

"Hm? Senpai and I aren’t friends, we’re family, you know?"

"...I lost a friend?!"

"Um, shouldn’t we head inside now?"

Even if it was just a light drizzle, what were we doing, standing out here in the rain?

＊　　　　＊　　　　　＊

Despite a few minor incidents, we passed through the gate as usual.

A strange sensation, as if the ground had suddenly vanished beneath my feet. Immediately after, I felt a soft texture under my soles.

The scene that burst into view was about ninety percent green.

The floor, which must have once been paved with stone, and the walls, once built of brick, were now covered in moss. The same glowing flowers I’d seen in other dungeons sprouted here and there, illuminating the windowless labyrinth.

The air was tinged with a grassy scent, and looking up, I could see the ceiling was covered in vines. The entire dungeon was overgrown with plant life.

The passageway was wide, with a high ceiling. Parts of the walls had crumbled, creating holes large enough for a person to easily pass through, making the interior even more complex.

And it wasn’t just the ceiling; the temperature was also rather high. Outside, it had been humid but around 20 degrees Celsius, whereas in here it felt close to 30.

Combined with the intensity of the light from the flowers, it felt strongly out of season. It was as if this place alone was in the middle of summer.

But, well. Fortunately, this body of mine is surprisingly durable. I can tell when it’s ‘hot’ or ‘cold,’ but most temperatures don’t pose much of a problem. I could probably fight in my Arcane Gear in this heat without much stamina loss.

If anything, I was more worried about my partner. Unlike me, she wasn’t tireless.

"Erina-san, you doing okay? It’s a bit hot."

"Of course-a-rooni!"

"In that case, I’m counting on you for scouting again."

"Okie-dokie!!"

She’s as energetic as ever.

With that internal thought, I activated Byakuren. It scraped away the stone pavement of the floor, forming its golem body.

...Looks like the moss-covered floor made Byakuren’s body mossy too. Well, as long as it functions properly, I suppose it’s fine.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Not at all! I just got here!"

"...Are you perhaps trying to be all youthful and dramatic?"

"That’s riiight!!"

"Ah, well. Thanks... I guess?"

"Don’t mention iit!"

"Alright. You two, shall we begin our exploration soon?"

"Okay!"

"Yes."

I switched gears, took a deep breath, and drew my sword.

The moss underfoot was soft, but it didn’t slip when I stepped on it. It was like part of the stone pavement itself. Or rather, was this really ‘moss’ to begin with? Could it be something closer to artificial turf?

In dungeons, even the plants are often unknown. Even if they haven’t been confirmed to be poisonous, they’re all things I wouldn’t want to touch with my bare hands.

We began to advance cautiously. About a minute later, I saw a section of brick wall where the moss had been scraped away, revealing a yellow SDF paint marking.

"Aira-san, we’re at ‘5-B’."

"Understood. From there, then—"

"Wait."

Erina-san cut into the conversation with a quiet voice.

When she does that, it means—

"Up ahead. Something’s approaching from around the corner at the dead end."

An enemy.

I tightened my grip on my sword with my right hand and placed my left on the hilt of my knife.

"Just one. It’s probably noticed us, too."

"Got it."

Just after that exchange, a monster emerged from the bend about ten meters ahead.

A sharp, yellow beak. Large, bulging eyes, and a body covered in dark brown feathers.

Its legs were as thick as logs, with claws as sharp as knives. Its horse-sized body and deep crimson crest gave it the majestic air of a ‘king.’

GOGGEGOGGOOOO!!

A giant chicken... no, a ‘Cockatrice.’ This was the monster that roamed this dungeon.

The moment it caught sight of us, it charged at full speed. In response, a knife and a shuriken flew toward it.

The knife I threw was blocked by its thick feathers and barely pierced the skin. However, the shuriken gouged out its right eye.

GOO!?

The Cockatrice shrieked and recoiled. I closed the distance, sword held at my waist. Just then, its chest swelled up with a pop.

GOGGEEEHH!!

With a furious roar, it released a purple gas. According to the store’s information, it was some kind of neurotoxin. In other words, a paralyzing poison.

It was extremely dangerous; a non-Awakened Person would die instantly upon exposure. Even an Awakened Person would be immobilized for some time.

But it was irrelevant to me.

I blew it away with the wind cloaking my body and stepped in. Inside the gas-filled view, something shot towards me at high speed.

The Cockatrice is known for having the body of a chicken and the ‘tail of a snake.’

SHAAA!

A large serpent with pit organs bared its fangs, loaded with a ‘curse,’ and lunged at me. Getting bitten by that thing supposedly inflicts a petrification curse. The fact that it attacks from within a smokescreen makes it all the more vicious.

But I can see it. I thrust my blade into its open mouth and slashed, sending its upper jaw flying.

GOKKEE!?

The bewildered Cockatrice turned towards me, but the gas had already dissipated.

A rope wrapped around its neck, pulling it forward and tumbling it to the ground.

Go, goo...!

Its gaze fell upon Byakuren and Erina-san, who were holding the end of the rope and pulling.

The Cockatrice tensed its powerful legs, trying to regain its footing, but I beheaded it before it could.

Its head, which had been pulled taut, went flying and hit the wall. And then, it immediately turned to salt.

...That was pretty gruesome.

Since they turn to salt, I can avoid any strange feelings of guilt, but because it looks just like a normal chicken aside from its size, it lacks that monster-like quality, which makes the scene...

During the fight, its overall appearance is monstrous enough, but just the head...

As I was thinking that, I pulled the drop item out from the salt.

"Aira-san, is this it?"

"Yes. That’s what I need you to collect this time."

What I showed her through the mirror attached to Byakuren’s chest was, at first glance, just a stone. It was about the size of my palm, shaped like a long egg.

Honestly, if this dungeon weren’t made of moss and stone but a place like a riverbed, I doubt I could tell it apart from any other rock.

Well, it is imbued with mana, so my ‘eye’ can tell the difference.

"It has a distinctive feature when you break it open. The cross-section is yellow, just like an egg yolk. It oxidizes quickly, but an acquaintance of Baba-sama’s is interested and wants some. Oh, and it’s been confirmed that they don’t hatch, despite the shape!"

"Huh, I see."

Apparently, it’s a request from one of the professor’s acquaintances. I’ve never even met the professor, Aira-san’s grandmother, herself.

Well, as long as they’re paying well, I have no complaints.

"She said she’d pay 50,000 for each one."

I have no complaints!

I’ll hunt about twenty of them. Just as I was counting my chickens before they hatched, Erina-san’s sharp voice cut through.

"Kyo-chan, another one’s coming. From that hole in the wall."

"Got it."

I immediately readied my sword again, holding my left hand over the empty knife sheath.

It reformed in a few seconds, and just as I grabbed the hilt, ready to throw, the Cockatrice stuck its head out of the crumbling hole in the wall.

I was about to throw it as I drew—

GOGGEE!?

The Cockatrice didn’t even glance our way before pulling its head back into the hole.

Huh? Did it run away?

"Hmm? What’s that sound?"

Ignoring Erina-san’s puzzled expression, I slowly approached the hole, sword held in both hands.

That’s when I, too, heard a strange... or rather, a ‘different set of footsteps.’

—Thud! Thud! Thud!

Two heavy footfalls trampled the mossy floor. Golems made of stone and wood, shields raised, charged the Cockatrice.

The monster spat poison gas to counter them, but it was useless against golems. The Cockatrice immediately spread its wings and leaped, attacking with its talons, but was blocked by a shield.

Then, a man-catcher pinned the monster’s two heads. The icy spikes on its tips froze both the chicken and snake heads.

"...Earth."

A spear of stone erupted from directly beneath the immobilized Cockatrice, impaling its body.

Several more spears shot up, staining themselves red with its blood. The dripping blood quickly turned to salt and spread across the floor. It was all over in an instant.

As the golems took a few steps back and waited, a single figure approached the pile of salt.

A tall woman, her body completely covered by a blue cloak and hood. Beneath it, she wore a deep green dress and a brown belt around her waist.

In her hand, she held a staff that looked like two thick tree roots intertwined, with green and blue gems at its tip.

A beautiful woman with the classic appearance of a mage. We knew that face.

She seemed to have noticed us too, as her emerald-green eyes widened in surprise.

"Miyoshi-san...?"

"Wh-Why are you two...!"

"It’s Senpai!!"

I was confused. Miyoshi-san was dumbfounded. And Erina-san, with a huge grin, tossed her earring into her Item Box.

With three different reactions, we had a strange reunion inside the dungeon.

Hyu...

From the earring, I heard the sound of another person—the one watching us from the mirror—gasping for breath.