Chapter 87
In the 80th floor of Fáfnir, 『The Blue Knight’s Hall』―――
Hello, it’s me, Earth.
For some reason, I’m currently confronting a very strong monster in the 80th floor of one of the Eight Great Dungeons, “Fáfnir”.
It’s a knight.
He holds a large double-edged sword and is slowly approaching.
Argh, why is this happening to me…
I want to eat magic stones. I want to go home.
「What are you going to do, Mr Lizard?」
The girl clinging to my back asks.
I can feel her tightly pressed against me, but she’s not heavy at all.
I wish she would get down.
『Well, of course I’ll run―――』
I started to say, but then I thought.
…Where should I go?
Ahead of me, a very strong floor boss.
Behind me, a dungeon full of monsters.
Isn’t there nowhere to run?
What should I do, do I have to fight?
Me?
No way, that’s impossible.
…Should I use “Armamentization”?
But, I have absolutely no confidence that I can handle it right now.
That skill, although it greatly enhances combat ability, the recoil and the intense pain during combat are tremendous.
Because of the effects of the white powder, my mental state was reversed, and only then could I fight using “Armamentization”.
If I use it in my current state, I’m only confident that I will faint from the intense pain of the skill.
My breath attack?
…Can I control it?
I don’t think I can do it.
Even if I hit it with all my might and defeat the enemy, I’m scared of the dungeon collapsing afterward.
…But, wait.
Even if the dungeon collapses from the recoil of my breath attack, wouldn’t I survive?
「What’s the matter, intruder? Aren’t you coming?」
As he slowly closes the distance, the knight asks.
「If you’re not coming, then I’ll come to you!」
Boom! He kicks the ground and quickly closes the distance.
Damn it! There’s no time to hesitate!
I take a deep breath.
Whatever happens, happens!
「Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!」
The world before my eyes lights up.
A huge mass of magical power is unleashed with a scream.
The violent surge of tremendous magical power turns into a wave of destruction and rushes forward.
Ah, by the way, it’s been a while since I let out a voice.
「What?!」
From under the knight’s helmet, a voice of astonishment leaks out.
Well, he wouldn’t expect me to suddenly fire a breath attack.
「No… Guu…Oooooooooooooooooooo!!!」
Perhaps because he was in the midst of attacking, the knight was unable to dodge and was swallowed up by the light.
Booooooooom!!!
Then, the explosion sound.
A shockwave occurs.
「Wah~」
The girl desperately clings to my back.
Dust and smoke whirl around, filling my field of vision.
『Haa… Haa… Haa…』
I’ve fired a breath for the first time in a while…
The last time I used it was on Wald. It’s been about a year since then.
There hasn’t been a collapse…
Although my vision is obscured by dust and smoke, there doesn’t seem to be any signs of the place collapsing.
That’s a relief.
My body can move too.
Previously, after firing a breath, I would be out of magic and unable to move.
But I seem to be alright this time.
It used less than a tenth of my magical power, so I have quite a bit left.
「You’re amazing, Mr Lizard.」
The girl clinging to my back murmurs in admiration.
It seems she was desperately clinging to me, so she wouldn’t get blown away by the recoil of the breath.
『Now… what happened to that knight?』
I activate my magic sense.
I hope he died with that one shot.
That one blow was all I could handle.
However――――
「Fuhahahahaha!! Wonderful! Wonderful, intruder!」
He’s alive.
I can hear his voice.
Seriously, he’s alive after taking that breath head on?
I can hear the clanging of armor.
From within the dust and smoke, the knight slowly reveals himself.
「So this is a dragon’s breath! Indeed, a frightening power! But, it doesn’t affect me!」
The knight who appeared, though somewhat sooty, was completely unscathed.
That’s a lie, right…?
No, not just the knight.
It was hard to see in the dust smoke, but there was hardly any damage to the surrounding walls and ceiling.
Just minor cracks.
What in the world…?
「Hahahaha!! You seem surprised, intruder! My armor, and this 『Blue Knight’s Hall』are made of “Ritual Stone” that nullifies magic! Therefore, magical attacks are completely ineffective! Only your own strength can defeat me! Have you understood, intruder!」
The knight poses and explains.
Damn, it’s frustrating, but that pose is cool.
I see, so this floor and his armor had special properties.
But, wait…
『Hey, are you sure you should be telling me that secret?』
Isn’t it bad to babble such important things like magic negation to the enemy?
「Hmm?… Oh, no! This was a classified matter! Forget my statement, intruder! It’s very bad for an intruder to know such secrets! I’ll be scolded by my master! So forget what I said before!」
The knight who was just now so forceful, suddenly starts flustering.
Could this guy be an idiot?
He’s visibly upset.
…Should I test him a bit?
『Indeed, that’s amazing. Alright, I’ll forget it.』
「Umu, thank you for understanding quickly.」
『By the way, does that armor happen to have any other functions? It’s a very cool armor.』
「Hmm? Cool? This armor?」
He’s taken the bait.
『Yes, from the decoration to the shape, I think it’s very well-made.』
「Hahahaha! You have a good eye for an intruder! Yes, this armor is a specialty given to me by my master, it not only repels magic but can fully reflect up to General-class magic, and can even return that attack as it is!」
….This knight is too easy.
He’s even providing more information.
『So, that armor can reflect up to General-class magic.』
「Heee~」
「Yes, that’s correct――――Wait, noooooooooo! The enemy has learned even more information!」
The knight yells out in a loud voice while holding his head.
What’s with this guy?
「No, wait. If I kill this intruder here, the information will not leak out! What a great idea! That’s the plan! Prepare to die again, intruder!」
Ah, seriously! What’s with this guy! So annoying!
「Prepare yourself!」
The knight charges in again.
Damn it, I was hoping the mood of the situation would let him let me off, but it didn’t work!
Suddenly, the knight’s figure wavers like a heat haze.
『―――?』
Where did he go?
「――Where are you looking?」
In a moment.
The knight suddenly appeared in front of me.
『What!?』
Did he close that distance in an instant?
By the time I noticed, the sword was already coming at me.
This is bad! I can’t dodge―――――
At the depths of Earth’s dungeon――――
Elibel was staring at the measuring device.
Ann was also eagerly awaiting the results.
「―――Bingo.」
A beep, like an alarm, rings out.
Their reactions were quick.
They immediately look at the results.
「Earth’s coordinates identified――――we found him.」
『Really!?』
「Yes, it took longer than I thought. Let’s see, the location is… What!? What is this!?」
『Is something wrong?』
「…Fáfnir, one of the Eight Great Dungeons, is where Earth was thrown into.」
Elibel expresses surprise as she reads out the results.
Ann shared her surprise.
『Fáfnir…. Why to that place?』
「Who knows. We won’t know unless we ask the Pathless directly. But, if it was an intentional action, there’s a very high possibility that the Pathless and Fáfnir are working together…」
『Is it possible for the Pathless that attacks dungeons to ally with a dungeon?』
Judging by the records she had read earlier, the Pathless could be described as the polar opposite of the dungeons.
Could such a thing be possible?
「It’s not zero… Given the “characteristics” of the Pathless…. Well, let’s put that aside for now.」
『You’re right.』
Ann grips her sword, and Elibel picks up her “staff”.
「Well, it might be a blessing in disguise that he was sent to Fáfnir. We can connect a teleportation gate there immediately.」
Saying this, Eribel gives instructions to Berg.
He nods and immediately begins to prepare.
『When you were alive, did you set up something there in Fáfnir?』
Elibel had explored all the Eight Great Dungeons in her lifetime.
Ann knew this from the memory transmission she received from Earth.
「You’re sharp. That’s exactly right. I properly marked the location. I think it can still be used.」
「Miss Elibel, it is possible to connect. The marking you left two hundred years ago is still usable.」
Berg reports, holding a magic tool in his hand.
It seemed that everything is working fine.
If it had not been possible to use, they would have had to travel directly from the closest teleportation gate to Fáfnir, but it seems they had some luck on their side.
Furthermore, Tres enters the lab as if timing her entrance.
She is fully armed.
In her right hand, she is holding a new weapon―Vajra.
「We are ready for battle!」
「Thanks for the report, Tres. I’ll give you a hug as a “Thank You”. Come on!」
「NO!」
Immediate refusal.
Tres hides behind Ann.
「Tsk… how cold. Well, it’s fine. As soon as the gate opens, we’ll rush in.」
『Yes, ready when you are!』
Ann nods.
Following her, everyone in the room fired up in unison.
Everything was ready.
「Now, let’s go pick up that idiot!」
80th Floor Boss: Ragin
Intelligence: 3
He’s super strong but also a huge klutz.
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