31. Should I not pursue shoveling in dungeons (3)
“It looks really peaceful because it is like this.”
She was the word that came out of Carina’s mind as she entered the camp and admired the surrounding scenery through her window. Lenny nods her head beside her, as if agreeing.
Isn’t it? It’s just that he’s the kind of person who would affirm Karina’s sudden conversion, so maybe she just nodded her head without thinking. You may wonder what kind of prejudice this is, but the Lenny I’ve seen so far is like that.
Well, it’s not wrong anyway.
Except for the zombies knocking on the wall to get out of that dungeon, almost all dangers in this forest have been removed.
In this forest, there are no more stupid bears the size of elephants, nor cunning snake babies that only roll their heads. Maybe a little bit alive somewhere, but not as rampant as before. So now it seemed like the three of us could actually be the rulers of this island.
What does that mean?
Anyway, we are struggling to get out of this island.
If we succeed in escaping from this island, it will become an island of rabbits.
That’s right. Without us, the natural enemies that would catch and eat rabbits would disappear altogether. He said that in about 10 years, an uninhabited island that has become a bare island might welcome us.
“John? Can’t you hear me?”
“…Ah. I was concentrating on my thoughts for a moment.”
“Ah, yes…What are you going to do now? Are you going to enter the dungeon right away?”
At Lenny’s question, I leaned against the wall and looked out the window. A view of the forest on one side where you can hear the chirping of birds, and on the other side you can see the blue sea where you can hear the sound of waves.
I looked at the scenery for a while, choosing what to say, then opened my mouth.
“I have to explore. Today’s goal is to walk around the beginning of the dungeon and get information about the dungeon.”
“What if I can’t find it?”
“When the time comes, I go out and rest. I don’t think I can rest in a dungeon.”
Since there doesn’t seem to be a safe area like in the game, a simple plan is to leave the dungeon and come back here once you get a rough estimate.
Carefully and confidently.
This was the motto of this dungeon exploration.
“I like that it is simple.”
“A complex plan is just a gamble.”
The more complicated the plan, the lower the probability of success. It was much more advantageous for survival to make a plan as simple as possible and make sure to make a contingency plan.
Because we aren’t special forces members who went through hellish training, we’re just pitiful drifters who happened to gather on an uninhabited island.
…Although one person is too strong to be pitiful.
“I’ll store the things I don’t need for exploration here and leave for the dungeon right away.”
“John, can’t we just rest for a bit? I’m a little tired from using magic…”
Ah, if our precious healer wants to rest, he should rest. I nodded and immediately sat down on the floor and leaned against my bag.
Two people stared at my quick change of attitude, but I didn’t pay any attention. Because when you’re resting, you definitely need to rest. Still, a little embarrassed by the two people’s stares, I took out the dried rabbit meat from the bag, cut it into thirds, held one in my mouth, and held out the other two to the two of them.
The two of them bit into their mouths the dried rabbit meat that I handed over to them, a nutritious snack on a deserted island.
———————–
“It is quiet.”
Thanks to Karina memorizing the purification spell once again in front of the newly created door, the entrance to the dungeon was empty as it was quiet. The only thing that greeted us was the ashes of the undead. Holding the lamp, I studied the ash on the floor like sand on a beach.
I tried poking the ash with my finger, and the taste…Of course I didn’t. It doesn’t smell like anything.
It’s strange that the zombies and skeletons that give off the stench that will make you go crazy are ground into finely ground powder, but they don’t smell at all. I don’t think it’s poisonous because I don’t have any problems with my skin. I took out a small pouch and scooped up undead ashes.
A measure should give you a sense of what this ash is for.
I hung my pocket from my waist and stood up.
“I will go in now.”
“Yes!”
“Karina-sama, don’t get far from me.”
After all, escort knights. The saintess is protected thoroughly.
Then I don’t have to worry about it, right?
I stepped forward holding a lamp that illuminated the surroundings with a soft light.
The beginning of this dungeon was downhill. As the name suggests, the dungeon is a structure that gradually goes underground. It was a space where not a single light could come in, but surprisingly, the dungeon was not very dark thanks to the light source, whether it was a magic or a jewel embedded in the ceiling. However, it was difficult to secure all the sights with just that.
Shall we make a large number of torches and embed them in the dungeon?
It can also be used as a substitute for a sign indicating that we have roughly explored this far.
First of all, it seems like a good idea, so check it out.
“Is it too quiet?”
“Because everything was wiped away by the purification magic.”
“Something is futile…”
When I turned my head and looked at Lenny, he was staring straight ahead with a deflated expression. For something like that, being thoroughly wary of Karina’s surroundings is like an escort knight.
We continued on our way inside. Unlike its appearance, the dungeon was longer than expected. We walked down the street for about an hour before stopping to look at each other.
“Isn’t it strange?”
It was Lenny who spoke first. Lenny glared down the dark aisle with a suspicious face, as if he had sensed something with his unique animalistic senses.
“What is strange?”
“It’s too long. This dungeon, from the outside, it didn’t feel this long.”
“I agree.”
Let’s assume that the undead were completely wiped out by purification magic. However, it was a bit strange that the same path continued. Having wandered around the island all the time, I know that walking from one end of the island to the other would take two hours or less. And the place where this dungeon is located is the northern part of the island.
You can walk on the sandy beach in just 10 minutes from the dungeon entrance here, but you’re going straight ahead on the road to the north? An hour?
So, are we exploring a cave under the sea?
… Oh, I don’t know. In times like these, you should use Karina’s chance. I immediately asked Karina a question.
“Karina, do you feel any strange energy?”
“Uh… No. I do not know…”
Looking at Karina’s answer as she shook her head, it seems that she really doesn’t feel anything.
It’s embarrassing.
I should try everything I can.
“Go back the way you came.”
“As expected, there is nothing else.”
Lenny seemed to have the same thoughts as me. We immediately turned around and went back the way we came. Only the regular footsteps of the three of us could be heard in the quiet dungeon.
How long did it take? We stopped at the same time and looked at each other.
“…Looks like you’re trapped?”
“Well, then what about us?”
“If I can’t go out, I will starve to death.”
I’ll be able to hold out for a week or so. It’s a tough challenge from the start. I didn’t expect this
We huddled together and put our heads together to prepare for any unexpected situation.
The three of them together will have an IQ of over 300, so won’t they come up with a good idea?
… Is a horn.
“How about walking opposite each other?”
“If you don’t join, it’s over.”
“Am I going to use purification magic again? If this is due to black magic-“
“Can you survive after using it?”
“…I don’t think so. Sorry…”
“It’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”
Looking at it earlier, it seems that you are visibly tired after using it once. Even for a saint, it would be a huge burden to use that level of magic continuously, so it was better to leave magic as a last resort. Because we cannot waste the only human resource that can provide treatment in case of emergency believing in an ambiguous possibility.
Since we couldn’t think of any sharper numbers, we decided to sit down on the floor and take a break.
“It is difficult from the beginning.”
“There must be a way out.”
It’s groundless hope torture, but it’s still better than nothing. After looking down at the ground while chewing on beef jerky, I got up from my seat using the shovel as a walking stick. A shovel stuck in the ground…A shovel?
Can I?
Will it work?
From noble mtl dot com.
Worth a try?
I fixed the shovel and immediately drove the shovel blade into the dark wall. Fortunately, the blade of the shovel was lodged in the wall. It didn’t look like an indestructible object like a game. It’s a little tight, but the wall digs in little by little.
Once, twice, three times.
As I continued to shovel, the inside of the wall began to dig deeper and deeper. Lenny quickly took the lamp and illuminated the area where I was selling. The wall made of an unknown material was hollowed out, revealing the contents of the black wall.
Black soil. A stench like rotting corpses emanates from the soil.
“What kind of smell is this?”
“I don’t know how, but this is…”
This was the moment I was about to tell my guess. Suddenly, with the sound of the wall shaking, my shovel stuck in the wall was pushed out. And in the place where my shovel had been pushed, a human head appeared through the soil. A red-eyed woman with red hair.
The red-eyed woman rolled her eyeballs back and forth and met her eyes with mine.
A look that disapproves of me.
Before I could question the look in his eyes, my head screamed.
“You, that is against the rules!”