kscans

Chapter 212 - Exploration of the Control Facility

Hayato and the others began their exploration of the building at the center of the lake.

Since it was a timed dungeon, Cecil and the Dragon Busters went first. The plan was to defeat as many monsters inside as possible, but their primary goal was to reach the lowest floor without making any detours.

After them, Lunaria, the Black Rose, and Sonia's team would begin their search. Their main task was to mop up the monsters, but they were also to collect any treasure they found, as long as it was easy to obtain.

Finally, Ney's group from Kokuryu and Hayato's group would search for treasure on the floors that had been cleared of monsters. Sonia would contact them about any treasure the advance teams had missed, which Relic would then handle by picking locks and disarming traps.

The facility, according to Ney and her team, was for controlling the rain, which was now a waterfall, but it was broken, so they couldn't stop it. Even if they could, it would stop the Olga Domus Waterfall. That would surely incur the wrath of the spirits, so they wouldn't do it even if it were possible.

(Still, a control facility. I wonder if there's any treasure here.)

Given the island's setting, it was possible there were items that didn't fit the world's theme, but the chances of finding anything of monetary value were low. Hayato hoped they would find some items that would satisfy the members.

Ten minutes after Cecil's group entered, a message arrived saying the monsters in the passage to the next floor had been cleared.

Now it was Lunaria's group's turn. Their job was to defeat the monsters inside the rooms and collect treasure. Sonia was with them, but she was instructed to leave any treasure that seemed trapped and only collect the easy finds.

After a few more minutes, another message came. They had covered most of the first floor. They also sent the locations of the treasures they hadn't touched.

Since the building was submerged in the lake, its exact shape was unclear. Based on what Ney's group had learned from other buildings, it was a cylindrical tower. The place Hayato's group had entered was the rooftop, and from there, they would proceed down into the tower.

"Alright, let's go."

At Hayato's voice, everyone braced themselves. And so, the exploration began.

About an hour passed, and the search was progressing well.

Their standard strategy was paying off, and they were making steady headway. The building consisted of ten floors, and Cecil's group had already advanced to the very bottom.

However, due to the building's structure, there wasn't anything special at the lowest level. In a normal building, the bottom floor would be the first floor, which was the original entrance.

According to Cecil's report, the first floor was almost completely submerged in water.

"Hayato, you've got a ring that increases the Diving Skill, right? Could you go check it out for us? I can't equip any rings or anything."

Cecil had sacrificed her ring and bracelet equipment slots to equip more weapons, so she couldn't use any ring or bracelet type gear. If she tried to explore underwater in that state, her HP would deplete quickly and she would be defeated.

"There are monsters, dinosaurs, in the water, right? It'd be pointless for me to go. I'd probably get taken out right away."

"Then ask Ney or Esha. If I ask Lunaria, Rosalie will be a pain."

"Got it. I'll ask them."

There was a reason they had to explore the first floor so thoroughly.

There was a locked room on what corresponded to the building's fifth floor.

It wasn't something Sonia or Relic could open with their Lockpicking Skill. It required some kind of key card, and not just one, but several.

They had found a few, but the final key card was likely on the first floor, so they had to search for it.

When everyone gathered on the second floor, Hayato spoke to Ney and Esha.

"Hmph. If that's the case, we have no choice. But wouldn't it be tough for Esha?"

"Indeed. I can fire Beelzebub underwater, but the water resistance would prevent it from attacking at its normal speed. Someone who can handle close-quarters combat would be better, wouldn't they? And to be frank, I'd rather not get my maid outfit wet."

That last part was likely her true feeling. But the request was understandable. When Lunaria was drowning, the gothic lolita clad Rosalie had jumped in, but that was probably a special case.

"That can't be helped. My outfit is water, well, it's fine if it gets wet. But it'll be a bit tough on my own. Could someone come with me?"

At Ney's words, Sonia raised her hand.

"Then I'll go. My knife is good for close combat. Besides, we might need to pick a lock, so it's a reasonable choice, right?"

"Sonia, if you're going, then I'll..."

"Relic, you should stay back until the very end. What if there's some incredible treasure at the last second? Just leave this to me. Ney, you're fine with me, right?"

"Mhm! I'll feel safe if you're with me, Sonia. Hayato, lend us the equipment with the Diving Skill."

Hayato took out two sets of rings and bracelets from his Item Bag.

"Here are the rings and bracelets with the Diving Skill. Even if you equip them together, the skill only goes up to forty, so don't get overconfident. Keep an eye on your remaining HP, and if things get dangerous, retreat immediately."

Hayato said this as he handed the rings and bracelets to Ney and Sonia.

After that, the men left the area.

It was a matter of etiquette. They judged that the women wouldn't want to be seen by men while soaking wet.

Lunaria, who had fought the mosasaurus, didn't seem to care at all, but she was the Demon Lord, or rather, she was Lunaria, so she was an exception. The decision was likely influenced by the memory of Rosalie looking a bit embarrassed when she returned to the ship after rescuing her.

Besides, the men would be of no use here anyway. Moving away was the right choice.

Hayato, having moved to the stairs leading to the third floor, decided the wait would be long and spoke to Relic.

"We've found a surprising amount of treasure, haven't we? Mostly ingots, though."

"Perhaps the people who built this facility used ingots as a substitute for money. If they left them behind, I wonder if it means they fled in a hurry."

"That would seem to be the case. Although I have no idea what caused it."

There were no treasure chests in this building, but there were many containers. It seemed more plausible that these were left behind by the former inhabitants rather than placed as treasure.

Naturally, there was no in-game currency inside, but there were many gold ingots. There was also high-performance equipment and, to Hayato's delight, new cooking recipes and weapon manufacturing methods. All in all, it would be quite a profitable haul.

And for players, the number of Treasure Coins had also become substantial. He started with almost none, and now he was close to reaching a thousand.

However, since this was a timed dungeon, they couldn't claim ownership of the treasure until they carried it outside. They couldn't return once they left, so they had to clear it in one go. If they were wiped out at this point, they would lose everything they had obtained. That was a situation they desperately wanted to avoid.

(I'll definitely take it all back. The Treasure Coins are nice because they come with real prize money, but once I hit a thousand, I can exchange them for a Wine Brewing Kit. Relic-san seems to like alcohol, so it'd be nice to aim for a five-star wine. Come to think of it, didn't Mist-san also say she likes wine? I absolutely have to get that kit.)

As his imagination ran wild with items he hadn't yet obtained, time seemed to fly by, and Ney and the others returned from the depths.

"I've got the card! Now we can get into the room on the fifth floor!"

"Good work. Ney, Sonia-san, would you like some coffee? It'll warm you up."

"I'll gladly accept. How about you, Ney?"

"I'm fine. My heart's been on fire since yesterday!"

She likely meant she was fired up. The Black Rose members must have dried them with magic, as neither Ney's nor Sonia's equipment was wet. Figuring they were fine, Hayato handed a coffee only to Sonia.

Sonia took a sip and a look of profound relief washed over her face.

"That warms me up. Now then, shall we head to the main event? This is the climax of our exploration."

At Sonia's words, some of the members let out a cheer. They seemed to be getting fired up, perhaps influenced by Ney.

Hayato and the others moved to the locked room on the fifth floor.

Everyone gathered in front of the enormous door on the fifth floor.

All other areas had been explored. Once they investigated this room, their exploration of the dungeon would be complete.

There was a little over an hour left. Diite's smiling face gave Hayato a slight sense of unease, but it was highly likely that a final boss type of dinosaur was inside, guarding the treasure.

Hayato, holding the five key cards, swiped them all through the card reader. The massive door slid open to the left and right.

It was dark inside and hard to see, but when Hayato's group stepped in and walked to the center of the room, the lights came on. And the door they came through closed.

It appeared to be some kind of research laboratory. At the back of the room was a giant cylindrical water tank, and inside it was a dinosaur.

It was the one and only Tyrannosaurus.

The Tyrannosaurus's eyes opened. It glared at Hayato's group.

Immediately after, the tank shattered, and water poured onto the floor. At the same time, the Tyrannosaurus slid out of the tank.

The Tyrannosaurus skillfully got to its feet and let out an indescribable roar. Then it charged toward Hayato and the others.

Of course, no one here was the type to be scared by that. Ney and the others let out a roar that was no less impressive than the Tyrannosaurus's and began their attack.