The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter

Chapter 136: Together with a childhood friend

On Sunday morning I help with Rare Shop.

I put for sale raw materials that I gathered from goblin thieves and monsters that I defeated in the dungeon. There are also magic herbs and the ingredients from monsters hunted by Toramaru.

I can also use alchemy, so it might be a good idea to transmute something and put in on sale as well.

The sales seem to be good lately, so the clothes father and mother are wearing keep upgrading day by day. They even began wearing furs. Even though it’s so hot outside……

「Then, Toramaru, I’m going back. I leave the rest to you.」

『Yes, be careful.』

After saying goodbye to Toramaru, who by now became quite good with attracting customers, I returned home.

I decided to increase my LP while having a meal.

I have 【Gold to LP Conversion】 and 【Item to LP Conversion】, but the former is only for emergency use, I wouldn’t use it normally.

I mean, 1 LP = 100,000 ria after all.

My savings currently amount to several dozens of millions ria, but even if I converted all of them, it wouldn’t give me even 1000 LP.

If I use it, then only at times when I have no means of LP replenishment and still need it.

The current LP is 3400.

I used up some of it during the recent 【Create】, but with hugs and kisses with Emma, I steadily kept regaining it.

For conversion, I will use items.

The octopus killing harpoon served me well on the underwater floor, but since then the frequency of its use is pretty low.

With good condition and S skill attached I can get 2800 LP from it. No hesitation – conversion.

「Converting weapons with skills might be not a bad idea.」

And then again, there is alchemy, I definitely can now do a lot more.

……I wonder who is that? A loud voice is coming from the other side of the garden.

「I came to play!」

「I, as well, came for（lewd）plays!」

「Did you just say lewd?!」

「Eeh, did I?」

The voices were too familiar, so I went outside, and as expected, it turned out to be Emma and Laura-san. I asked them what’s going on, and both said that they came to see me.

And by chance, run into each other.

「Well, come inside. I’ll make tea.」

Leading them to the living room I make black tea. I also offer them sweets purchased by father. Both of them happily clasped their hands.

「Ah, how about this as well? A boiled grasshopper, mother made it.」

「……I, I’d pass on it this time. 」

「Me too… Though many of auntie’s dishes are delicious, some of them…… Well…」

And sometimes she makes gross mistakes. Well, though I found the grasshopper to be pretty delicious.

So the three of us had some casual talk while eating sweets. The girls kept talking about all sorts of things, so it was hard to stick to a single topic.

From the father getting more recognition after becoming rich to who is dating who in the Odin.

After about one hour passed, Laura suddenly stood up, as if realizing something.

「Oh no! I didn’t come to Noir-san for something like this. It was to help you with saving Olivia-san.」

「Olivia? What do you mean?」

「Sorry, I didn’t explain it to Emma yet.」

I briefly explained my current situation.

Since the master is suffering, I want to save her. So for that, I want to reach the 15th floor.

「I will help as well! What do I have to do?」

「Yes, yes, Emma-san, please leave that for some other day. Today is my turn.」

Having said that, she grasped my hand and tried to leave the room with me. Probably getting some kind of a guess, Emma grabbed my other hand, stopping us.

「Wait, I don’t know what you are about to do, but do that here.」

「Oh, really? Then, excuse me.」

Then, Laura-san put on me a blindfold that she prepared beforehand.

Not being able to see anything makes me a bit nervous. I feel something warm on my cheeks. She is probably touching me with her hand.

「Please, relax. No need to be afraid. It’s just a method to gain LP that I thought up. Emma-san, will you do it as well?」

「Y-yes. I don’t get it, but I’ll try.」

Looks like Emma will participate as well. First, the rules.

They will hide a cookie somewhere on their bodies, and I will have to find it in 30 seconds.

Of course, I can’t use my eyes, so I will have to rely on other senses.

False guidance with words also seems to be allowed.

If I can’t find a cookie in time it’s their win, which will be followed by a penalty. For penalty, the girls can thoroughly touch a part of my body of their choice.

Though I feel like it hardly counts as a penalty.

「Then, let’s start!」

The game started with a signal from Laura-san.

*Pic goes here?*

I’ll skip the details, but cookies were hidden in pretty risky places.

I acquired 800 LP.

◇ ◆ ◇

I strengthened my abilities, so I’m considering giving the 14th floor a try.

I move to the 14th floor right away. The other day I couldn’t calmly survey it, but the passage was a direct unforked road with a sign at its end.

Past that, the path split into four with numbers being written on the floor of each passage.

From left to right 1, 2, 3, 4.

『Different trials await there. If solo then 1, if there are two of you go 2, if there 3 of you go 3, if there four of your go 4.』

So spoke the signboard-sama. Since I came alone, I’m forced to take path number 1.

It’s a straight path, but it’s somehow excessively long. I guess I walked for about 10 minutes. And about time I began suspecting something, the surroundings changed.

The path turned. Moreover, there was another signboard.

It might be a trap, while one’s attention is taken by the writing, an enemy that hides behind the corner, would attack. Using 【Eyesight Adjustment】 I read the message from afar.

『Don’t kill even a single one. Otherwise, restart from the beginning.』

What is this about. Anyway, I carefully turn the corner.

That moment, I gulped, presented with the bizarre spectacle that filled my whole field of vision.

*Rustle Rustle, Wriggle Wriggle, Whoosh Whoosh*

I wonder what would be the best way to describe this?

The entirety of the passage was moving—is not quite accurate.

A massive number of living creatures on the walls of the passage were moving, thus making it look that way.

A countless number of snakes on the ground, spiders, and lizards on the walls and some weird black bugs on the ceiling.

The number was just enormous, with them fully covering every inch of the passage.

The sight of black bugs dropping from the ceiling one after another is something I’d like to call the black rain.

The scene sent shivers down my spine. If it’s only a few bugs, then I would’ve been fine no matter what they are. But here strength speaks through numbers.

As expected, this is so disgusting, that I involuntarily step back.

「I have no other option but to burn this— Ah.」

Here, I recall the warning. Don’t kill even a single one.

No, no, that is just impossible. With bugs and ants crawling on the floor I won’t be able to clear it in all eternity.

And even if they weren’t there, I’m not even allowed to fend off snakes or squash approaching bugs.

Become friends with them? That might be difficult even for me.

I stood stock-still on the spot. I thought about creating some kind of skill, but no good idea came to mind.

Since I won’t die from that, I decided to kill a single bug out of curiosity.

「Muu……」

For a moment a strange feeling overcame me. Something similar to that feeling of falling from a height. Furthermore, the scenery distorted a bit.

But that didn’t last for long, and the next thing I noticed I was already transferred.

「The entrance to the 14th floor. So I really can’t kill even a single one……」

Somehow, this is the most despairing it ever got.

Not feeling like making another attempt, I sit down for a while. And after wracking my brains, I moved to the 2nd floor by Dungeon Portal.

『Papparaan. Noir has been summoned.』

「You look lively. But I’m not that much.」

『Oh my, oh my, what’s wrong? You can cry while burrowing your face into my chest if you want?』

I’ll refrain from dealing with her chest, but I’ll seek her advice.

『Maybe wearing armor. Ah, but if they get in through the gaps it would be the worst. 』

Exactly. Moreover, not killing a single one on the floor is the problem. I guess if I could temporarily put them into a state close to death it would be the best.

But with those numbers, the degree of difficulty is quite high.

『How about choosing another route? Noir-kun, don’t you have friends?』

「I do, but…… I don’t really want them to enter here. This place is dangerous.」

『I understand you, but you have to trust them. I didn’t have anyone like that. So I might want you to pick a path that is unlike mine.』

I vaguely agreed with her and left the dungeon.

The master is extraordinarily strong, so she couldn’t find anyone to entrust her back. And even that master got caught in a trap on the second floor of the dungeon.

So no matter how strong you are, you shouldn’t be careless. And I’m still very far from being the strongest.

It’s probably best to follow the master’s advice and seek assistance. On my way back, wishing to see beautiful scenery, I stop by a meadow.

There, I notice a person locked in a fierce fight with a monster.

With noticeable red clothes, I could tell even from afar that that was Emma.

She is fighting big rabbits. Previously she had a hard time with that opponent.

But now Emma is overwhelming her enemy, making that past hard to believe. She is likely using 【Wind Run】 to make herself faster.

Her movements are nimble. While leading the enemy, she uses her specialty, 【Wind Strike】 to break its horn. It took her only one hit.

「Hey. That was perfect.」

I appraised her upon approaching, and turns out, her level reached 69.

And she was 68 just a while ago.

「Why are you here?」

「I stuck at the dungeon capture. So I came here for a change of mood, and found you.」

「There are no monsters, so let’s relax.」

「Yeah.」

Sitting together on the meadow we enjoy the gentle breeze. The sun will begin setting soon.

Emma’s beautiful blonde hair sways in the air.

Her profile illuminated by the sun looks fantastic. No, her profile as well, huh. She has tons of fans.

Being childhood friends with such a girl, I probably burned a lot of my luck in the early years of my life.

「I know that you want to save Olivia-san, but don’t do anything too rash?」

「It’s fine. You know my personality.」

「It’s precisely because I know it. When it comes to yourself, you are careful, but when it’s about others, you often do crazy things.」

Really?…… No, she is probably right. My own image of myself might be quite different from what I am in reality. That’s enlightening.

「But you have me. Tell me when you are in trouble.」

Having said that, Emma pleasantly smiled. Overcome with emotion I hug Emma on the spur of the moment.

「……Something happened?」

After holding Emma without saying a word for a while, I then voice my request.

「Come with me to the hidden dungeon. I will definitely protect you when it gets dangerous.」

「Sure. I will follow you even to the end of the world. 」

「Thank you.」

I once again hug Emma.