kscans

Chapter 612 - The Destination

From the giant hole Lux had opened, three giant dragons poured into the chamber like a nightmare made manifest. Though there were subtle differences in the shape of their shells and the size of their bodies, they were unmistakably the same [Feidran Tyrantinus] that was currently cornering me.

What is this place, some kind of demonic realm?

There are too many monsters concentrated in one area. Don’t tell me these things are actually common mobs that travel in herds… I had a mountain of things I wanted to say, but—

“Nngh…!”

An avalanche was approaching. Death was approaching. I had to force my numb mind and tired body to move—and just as my battle sense reflexively shifted from a single target to multiple…

“Ah, no no no no, Har-kun, stooooop!!!”

“What the—buhwah?!”

Lux, who had outrun the surging dragons with a speed that was truly like the wind, shouted as she charged at me, and an impact hit my abdomen.

My avatar, scooped up by an unexpected lariat, was carried away, unable to resist due to the confusion. Three seconds after letting out a cry, I reached the destination.

That is, a hot and passionate embrace between my back and the wall.

“Guhbah…?! You, are you kidding me?! I’m gonna die…!”

My HP, which was already down to ten percent, was chipped away even further. The impact, which I couldn’t even brace for, brought on another stun. Naturally, I had the right to complain, but…

“Har-kun, shield! Quickly!”

Lux, for her part, didn’t seem to be messing around. Her voice was still lively and cheerful, but it was tinged with a hint of seriousness. I widened my eyes at her tone and saw her golden eyes shining.

[Treasure Hunter]—I had heard all about the accuracy of its power from my partner.

“…Tch—Recall!”

The moment the brief debuff vanished, I summoned the Mirari shields to my left arm and slammed them into the rock floor in their combined greatshield form. The space between the wall and the shield was just enough for two people. The proximity was a bit much, but this was an emergency evacuation.

Furthermore, a wind, likely Lux’s magic, swirled around us, protecting us as she clung to me with the momentum from grabbing me…

A hellish cacophony began to echo from the other side of our defense.

“Wha, hey, what what what what?! What’s happening?! This is scary, scary, scary!”

“Aha, well… a kaiju great war?”

“What in the world are you doing?!”

Indiscriminate heat rays licked the top of the shield, a chain of roaring shouts echoed, and a series of massive earthquakes, far more intense than my one-on-one fight, shook the ground.

I could imagine the scene unfolding on the other side of the shield, but due to the uniform appearance of the rampaging monsters, it was a kind of hell I’d rather not imagine.

Either the enemy of my enemy is my friend, or she simply triggered a turf war. It was easy to guess that this was Lux’s plan, but—

“Hey, Lady Traveler…! Where is this supposed to lead…!?”

“Hmm… I dunno.”

“You don’t know?!”

“Well, you see, all I can tell is where the ‘path’ is headed and the ‘treasure’ I’m looking for, right? What happens along the way is part of the fun of finding out when it happens.”

Don’t give me that ‘part of the fun’ crap! Are you serious?!

“There, there, Har-kun. Now that I’m here, you don’t have to worry. The ‘path’ is still there, so a ‘best ending’ is guaranteed. Fufufufu.”

Completely unfazed by the palpable sense of death that must have been vibrating through the shield and into her back, Lux leaned her body against mine and began to relax with incredible nerve. I was now certain.

Yeah.

This person is, fundamentally, a clueless idiot.

“…………I heard from Sora.”

“Hm?”

“Your power, it’s true that it’s a broken ability that can be one hundred percent trusted to ‘absolutely reach the goal,’ but…”

“Ehehe, that’s right! Relying on it too much isn’t very traveler-like, but in a pinch, it’s an outstanding emergency measure—”

“It’s not uncommon for it to force you through hellish hardships along the way.”

“It’s a reliable… …”

“…………”

We both looked at each other, and…

“Te-hee☆”

“Ouch.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?! I’m a proper lady, you know!!!”

“Oof?! You, stop! I told you, I’m gonna die!!!”

Even as we exchanged playful banter, the situation was no joke.

With the double defense of the shield and the wind, we were cutting off the barrage of heat rays, but if one of those massive bodies happened to be sent flying our way, it would be instant death. The future was uncertain.

Therefore, though it was truly vexing…

“……So. Where is this ‘path’ of yours leading?”

If she said there was a ‘path’ that could break through this, then I would gladly welcome the hellish hardship.

In fact, it’s not like I dislike that sort of thing either—but if I said that, she’d definitely get cocky, so I deliberately gave her a half-lidded glare and a low voice.

“M-fufufufu.”

“Less of a lady and more of a… to be blunt, a little brat.”

“I told you, that’s harsh!”

What I got back was a smug grin that said, You’re not being honest, are you?

An idiot who is also sharp is a handful. I shattered her knowing look with a term of endearment, and after one more bit of farce… the traveler pointed.

The direction was…

“…………Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

And in the next moment, as the dragon’s battle, which sounded like it was endlessly escalating, reached its breaking point—a strange sound echoed, and a crack appeared.

It was, none other than…

“Aha, going down!”

A crack in the floor, which had extended all the way to where we were by the wall.

And then, a few seconds later…

“This is the opposite of the way home, you knooooow!!!”

The ground beneath our feet crumbled, the entire chamber collapsing.

My shout, as I looked up at the receding ceiling,

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘—!!!’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

was drowned out by a chorus of roars from the equally vocal monsters,

and we fell, into the even deeper depths of the earth.

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Q. Isn't the floor a bit thin? A. It's an architectural style.