kscans

Chapter 606 - The Mole's Bed

"—Uwhaaaaaaah...!!!"

"""..."""

Our natural prediction as gamers became a reality before our eyes after we had ventured much, much deeper for a while. And our reactions to the sight that awaited us at the end of the cave were, once again, split three to one.

On one side, one person (Lux). Probably because she had been repeatedly told "seriously, don't" by her friends on the way here, she wisely kept her volume down, but she couldn't hide her excitement and let out a small cheer while bouncing on her feet.

On the other side, the other three. Our wishes were in vain... or rather, the flood of violent visual information that surpassed our imagination in many ways left us speechless and frozen solid.

Sora-san, accepting the coming development, was already turning pale. And Nia-chan, probably caught between her artisan's soul and her normal person's mentality, was frozen with a blank expression, a perfect balance of overflowing joy and bottomless fear.

As for me, I was grabbing the scruff of Lux's neck, who looked like she would charge in at any moment if I didn't... and just stood there, slack-jawed and stunned, before the 'throne' filled with a light so brilliant it was blinding, unbelievable for being underground.

The end of our journey was a massive space that made the tunnel we had followed seem like a narrow path. A circular hall, well over a hundred meters in diameter, was formed by a golden color—that is, the countless shells of the [Feidran Armoire] gathered together.

And buried in that sea of gold were sparkles of various colors. We should have hunted a considerable number of moles on our way here, but we had only come across the treasures with the frequency of 'overlooked items' or 'forgotten things.' Now, here was a mountain of them.

It's understandable that even a non-combatant and rather timid artisan would be rooted to the spot by the temptation in front of the monster... but—no, it's huge.

"[Feidran Tyrantinus]... This is, without a doubt—"

"A raid-level boss enemy, isn't it...!"

"...H-How many meters long do you think it is?"

Even from a distance, its huge body, which was massive even compared to the 'larval' [Feidran Armoire], was roughly estimated to be over thirty meters.

On par with, or even larger than, the [Dusty Worm] that inhabited the nostalgic desert. Compared to the serpent, which was relatively slender as its name suggested, this mole looked even bigger due to its slightly thicker build. In addition, while the serpent had a 'dragon-like' design and was quite cool... this thing was, a little...

"It's huuuuge...!"

"...I've seen a final boss like that in a monster panic movie before."

"...Does it have a happy ending?"

"I think I know that one... The one where they're all brutally wiped out and become dust in the desert, right?"

One person in high spirits, and three in terror. Receiving the four gazes, the strange figure sleeping in the center of the area was, in short, a bizarre monster, an incarnation of panic horror. Its basic form was the same as the 'larva (small one),' but there were three evolved parts.

First, not just the tip of its nose, or rather its mouth, but a sea of long tentacles that covered its neck... or what seemed to be its neck. Unlike the larva's, the texture was metallic, which was a saving grace as it was less graphic, but it was still incredibly disgusting. From a battle perspective, it was easy to see that it would make incredibly annoying movements. This is going to be a pain.

Second, its abnormally developed, long front legs. With distinct wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints, they were no longer those of a 'mole.' Combined with its almost nonexistent hind legs, the sense of it being an even more incomprehensible existence was amplified. From a battle perspective, it would absolutely be an annoying pain in the neck, and so on.

Last, the eyeballs. They've, uh, multiplied. The end, abnormal.

"...Alright, I have a proposal."

"Yeah?"

""Go ahead.""

"How about a plan where we use Nia's 'eyes' from here to pinpoint the most promising treasures, then quietly grab the loot and retreat?"

"Aww!?!"

""No objections.""

One person voiced their dissatisfaction, but I'm sorry, I have no desire to gleefully charge at that thing... at least, not in the current situation. First of all, there's the problem that I brought Nia to the 'Outside' under the promise that I would 'absolutely not let her get a game over.' It's a bit strange for me, who's completely used to it, to say this, but from a normal perspective, 'death' in a virtual world with a reality indistinguishable from the real world is a scary thing.

There are apparently quite a few people who become players, full of excitement and longing for glorious battles, only to be terrified and give up within a few days when faced with a 'fake yet real fight.' Nia says she's not one of those who gave up, but for her, who hasn't cultivated a warrior's mentality in Arcadia, the battlefield is simply a scary place. And yet, the reason she's accompanying us like this—and moreover, the reason she's not too nervous and even shows a playful smile at times, is solely because she deeply trusts my words and my abilities.

"Sorry, but I can't let my precious artisan face something scary. I honestly get wanting to challenge it... but well, just swallow it for now."

"Mmm... —Yeah, okay, you're right. As expected... yeah, okay, got it."

It's ruder than I thought to think so, but... this person, Lux, isn't a truly regrettable and immoral person who can't read the room, despite her broken tension, mood, and momentum. I've figured that out.

"Sorry, let's come back soon."

"Oh? An invitation for our next date already?"

"It's not a date. I'm saying let's come back with more people."

Just like the ant nest, we'll need an expert's eye to know what to bring back, so it's probably better to have an artisan with us... but even so, that requires preparation. At the very least, we need enough people to assign as guards for the non-combatants.

Me, Sora, and Lux. In terms of pure combat power, we're a formidable force, but the weakness of a small elite team is that the drop in effectiveness when even one person is lost is also considerable. It would be reckless and overconfident to claim that there won't be any accidents against a big boss we're seeing for the first time—and so.

Our minds were one, our course was set. The question is whether we can even steal just the gems and retreat, but it's probably, or almost certainly, possible. This place isn't a dungeon, it's a normal field.

The spatial transfer that always occurs when entering an instance area didn't happen, so there's no mistake. In other words, that giant mole is a field boss, and this large hall is an extension of the environment, not a boss room. As a player who trusts this game from the bottom of my heart, I can declare that the 'cliche' of the entrance being sealed by a mysterious force the moment you step in will absolutely not happen.

It's not just my own belief. It's a common understanding, with a few exceptions (the Colored), that 'bosses that exist in the field can be challenged and retreated from at will.' The fact that my partner, who is broadly knowledgeable about minor details, my exclusive artisan, who is far more familiar with the common sense of the virtual world than I am, and the `Traveler`, who has adventured more than anyone else in the world, didn't question the feasibility of the plan is proof of that. If so, there's no reason to hesitate.

Even if I were to be hit by some exceptional bad luck while gathering, as long as I believe I'm alone and the exit isn't blocked, I can easily escape by force of leg. At worst, if a series of irregular events occur and I can't escape, I can have the three of them wait here and entrust the rest to Sora and Lux, and it'll be fine. Just as Nia trusts me, I trust my partner.

—...Lux is, well, yeah. She's the number one ranker of the North, so, yeah.

"...Alright, then Nia-chan. Can I trouble you to do a quick appraisal?"

I took off the hairpin that held her long hair together by the side of her head and offered to temporarily return the blessing of the 'indigo' to the artisan who had agreed with my partner earlier—... but.

Hey, what's with that huge grin on your face?

"...Just so you know, when I said 'precious artisan' earlier, I meant it literally, as in she's a precious guest."

"Oh? Hmm? Is that so? Hehehe...!"

"Sora-san, you have permission to pinch her."

"Haru?"

"Not me. This precious guest who I can't tell if she's scared or grinning—Owwwch! It went down a little...! My HP went down by a millimeter...!!"

"Hehe, that's strange. I didn't get a warning announcement for an act of assault."

Instead of pinching, Sora-san grabbed my side and, whether it was an illusion or not, my HP bar, which I felt had been slightly chipped, made me stare in amazement at her beautiful smile. While we, the partner pair, were fooling around like this,

"Ahaha. This is fun, this group... Nya-chan, you should come again next time. Even if we bring more people, it'll probably just be Har-kun's friends anyway."

"What's with that guaranteed monster lineup? I feel like it's going to be more than just overkill."

Lux continued to speak to her familiarly. And Nia, snatching the 'hairpin' from my hand, continued her cheerful grin and teased me jokingly. The moment the jewel in her hand shone, her right eye regained its original vividness...

"Alright, let's get to work—《Truthnight Aquamarine》."

The twin stars that see through all things lit up with a secret glow.