Chapter 35

Chapter 035

The first floor of the dungeon, the Brink of the Abyss.

Persica and I were cutting through the jungle that led toward the central Guardian’s Room.

It had been a month since we had seen each other after the Vormir expedition.

The reason we had waited a full month before heading to the second floor, even though we could have left immediately, was because of Vormir’s respawn.

“How was the boss?”

“Just as you predicted. He had weakened again.”

After being subjugated by us, Vormir returned to his original difficulty.

Now, an expedition party at the level of first-floor graduates could defeat him sufficiently.

Instead, there was a new change.

“The Engraving Stone disappeared.”

The place where the Engraving Stone had been embedded was now empty.

To be precise, she said it had newly formed again at the size of a mere fragment.

At this point, Vormir’s unusually great strength could be explained to some degree.

“To think the Engraving Stone was the cause……”

“What are you going to do? At least you know the cause now.”

“There will not be any major change in Trinity’s policy. We will maintain the current system, but harvest the Engraving Stone before it grows too large.”

“Oh, so you can mine it now?”

The reason the Engraving Stone had been able to remain in that place all this time was partly because Trinity, including Ortanis, had restricted information, but also because harvesting it had been impossible in the first place.

Since it could not be harvested, it had naturally been left alone, and as time passed, this incident had occurred.

It would have been good to know exactly when its harvesting had been stopped, but I could not obtain any more information about that.

According to Persica, the records themselves had completely disappeared.

The fact that they had been cut away from a certain point suggested that a highly advanced record erasure had been carried out.

‘That must certainly have been the work of a Possessor too.’

There was a high chance that it was the work of the bastard who had prevented the harvesting of the Engraving Stone.

Judging by the circumstances, I thought it might have been Enlil…… but I was not certain.

There was still so much I did not know about Possessors.

“We are here.”

After wandering through the first floor for quite some time, we arrived at the central Boss Room.

“The Guard is gone now?”

“Vormir weakened again. They withdrew last night.”

Since there was no longer any need to restrict entry into the Boss Room, the Guard camp had naturally disappeared as well.

Without an inspection, we entered the previous Boss Room and stood before the door leading to the second floor.

But before opening the door, Persica looked back at me.

“……Do you want to open it?”

“Why?”

“Because you defeated Vormir……”

What was I supposed to do when her face so clearly said that she wanted to open it?

She was truly soft-hearted in strange places.

What was she going to do if I actually said I would open it?

“Your mother opened it herself in the past, right?”

“Th-That is right.”

“You open it. I am not very interested in that kind of thing.”

It was not as though there were achievements here, and I had already opened it countless times in the game, so I did not feel much emotion over it.

However, Persica looked a little grateful.

She seemed to think I had shown consideration for her.

RUMBLE!

Since we had already proven our qualifications, the door opened without resistance.

“So this is the staircase leading to the lower floor……”

A staircase lit by torches stretched endlessly downward.

As I took the lead, I warned her.

“From here on, the dungeon’s Mana density will rise sharply. Side effects will occur, so be prepared.”

“I know.”

The staircase was a safe zone, so there was no need to worry about monsters appearing, but conversely, because it was an area where Mana density increased rapidly, one had to be especially careful.

Especially chicks who had just graduated from the first floor.

‘So this is what it feels like.’

It felt as though a cold, chilling sensation was squeezing my heart and lungs.

Should I say it felt like my chest had been opened and cold water was being poured directly inside?

It became difficult to breathe, as though the air had grown viscous, and for some reason, the temperature seemed to have dropped even further.

No, judging by the fact that my breath was coming out white, it really had dropped.

“We are here. This is the second floor.”

After descending the stairs for twenty minutes, we arrived at the entrance of the second floor.

RUMBLE!

When we pushed open the stone door at the exit, cool air brushed past our skin.

Soon, at the sight of the second floor fully revealed before us, Persica opened her eyes wide.

“This is the dungeon’s second floor……”

Her breath, mixed with admiration, scattered white in the cold.

A world so vast that it was hard to believe it was underground, and the strange harmony of mountains and rivers spread throughout it.

At the breathtaking scenery that filled my eyes, my chest pounded with emotion.

“……It is beautiful.”

The world was this wondrous.

Two months after possessing in the Golden Land.

We had arrived on the dungeon’s second floor, the [Landscape Realm]. 

“For now, let’s make it our goal to reach the Settlement Camp today.”

Persica took out a map and spoke while pointing out the path down.

“This is the central peak, so if we go down quickly, we should be able to arrive before nightfall.”

The place where we currently stood was the summit of a mountain touching the ceiling.

All the paths connected to the Boss Rooms of the first floor were mountain peaks like this, touching the ceiling like stone pillars.

‘I knew the second floor was wide, but seeing it in person, it is enormous.’

The first floor alone had a diameter of several dozen kilometers, but the second floor was several times larger than that, which was probably why terrain like this was possible.

‘On top of that, it has day and night too.’

I did not know the principle, but the second floor had day, night, and even seasons.

In other words, once night came, it would become much colder than it was now.

At that point, we really might freeze to death, so for now, descending the mountain was the top priority.

‘The Settlement Camp, huh…… This will be my first time seeing it in person, so I am looking forward to it.’

The Settlement Camp could be called a kind of forward base established inside the dungeon.

Among them, the Settlement Camp on the second floor was so large that it was almost treated as a city, because this was Ebla’s food production base.

The soil of the second floor was fertile, allowing crops to be harvested several times a year, and because it had seasons, there were many varieties of crops that could be cultivated.

Since that was the case, not only food but also the manufactured goods derived from it were all produced here, and naturally, its scale had grown larger.

“But how do they transport all that food up to the surface? I do not think they can carry it piece by piece.”

“They use the Styxia River. If they throw it in, the current carries it to the surface on its own.”

“Ah, that method exists?”

The Styxia River was a river that flowed in reverse, from underground to the surface.

I had not expected them to use it like that.

‘Come to think of it, that also solves the bandit problem.’

Unless someone was a fool, they would not jump into a river crawling with Aquatic Monsters.

Those monsters only attacked living creatures, so they would not eat cargo thrown into the river either.

The game had not included detailed settings like this, so I had simply accepted it, but in reality, there was a fairly practical method.

“Haa…… Haa…… But…… is it not…… hard to breathe……?”

However, Persica’s complexion had turned pale before I knew it.

She was coughing dryly as well, and her condition did not look good at all.

“Are you all right?”

“I do…… not think so.”

Perhaps her body truly was in poor shape, because she could not even bluff and sank down on the spot.

When I hurriedly checked, her condition really was bad.

Her body trembled violently, foam mixed into her coughs, and before long, she began vomiting everything she had eaten.

“Uwegh……. I…… cough, cough! Why…… am I like this……?”

“It is because of the side effects. Yours seem especially severe.”

The second floor’s side effect was hypoxia.

The Mana density interfered with breathing ability, causing symptoms similar to altitude sickness.

‘My condition is not that good either.’

I was not vomiting like Persica, but there was nothing I could do about the coughing and nausea.

I let out a sigh, took out a small medicine pouch, mixed yellow powder into water, and handed it to Persica.

“Drink this.”

“What…… is this……?”

“It is Conellin flowers ground into powder.”

It was a medicinal herb I had picked whenever I had time while going around the first floor before, and it was the main ingredient of a Sedative.

Since I did not have the Potion-making Skill, it would not be as effective as a finished product, but it should be enough to temporarily drive away the side effects.

‘It was good that I asked Robin.’

Robin had taught me how to dry the petals and turn them into tea powder.

When I chewed them raw, they tasted like filthy beggar’s foot wraps, so I had asked him for a way to consume them.

Perhaps because he was a Priest, he was quite knowledgeable about folk remedies like this.

“Phew…… I feel a little better now.”

“Then let’s move quickly. This is not a cure-all either.”

This was the reason one’s first visit to a floor was difficult.

One did not know the geography or ecology, yet had to experience the side effects at their maximum as well.

“You shook off your escort again this time, did you not?”

“…….”

“Haa…… Why exactly are you like this?”

For reference, Persica had once again ignored the offer to attach escorts to her and run away.

Where exactly did that confidence come from?

As for me, I was confident even in a solo party from the beginning, but Persica clearly was not like that at all.

“……You heard it from Gordon, did you not? About my mother.”

“I did hear it.”

The reason Persica was heading to the lower floors of the dungeon.

I knew that it was because of her mother, Hildegard Ortanis.

She wanted to walk the same path her mother had walked.

“Mother went as far as the third floor with only three people.”

“You are not your mother.”

“That is right. I have to be better than my mother.”

Persica bit her lip lightly.

“I will prove…… that Mother was not wrong.”

“…….”

I did not know Hildegard’s story well. Ethrana Exodus itself was not a game kind enough with its storytelling, so it only told you that such a person had existed.

However, I could tell that this was deeply connected to Persica’s future fate.

I let out a deep sigh at this foolishly stubborn girl.

“You……”

“I do not need consolation.”

“Consolation? What consolation? I am the one who needs consolation. Do you even have a brain in your head?”

Persica’s face went blank.

Her expression said that she had not expected me to say something like this, as though this was supposed to be the timing for comforting words.

“What kind of reaction is that?”

“No matter what your circumstances are, you have to distinguish between public and private matters. I came along because I am confident even with a small group, but you are not, are you? Seeing you now, without me, you would have gotten cut down right at the second-floor entrance by the side effects. If it had been someone else, they would have started cursing you out first.”

“Uh……?”

What do you mean, “uh”? Do you want to get hit?

Maybe because she had been raised too gently, it seemed she did not really know the spiciness of humanity.

I only took care of her to this extent because it was me. Normally, I would not even have bothered.

If she was lucky, she would be treated as luggage, and usually, she would simply be abandoned.

Monsters would start appearing soon, and there was no room to take care of someone groaning in pain.

“If you are going to shake off your escorts, become strong enough that it is all right for you to do that. What exactly is this?”

“……I am sorry.”

Persica obediently apologized to me.

One of the few good things about her was that she immediately admitted when she had done something wrong.

She was still not entirely reliable…… but this much harsh criticism should be enough.

‘Well, I came along knowing this would happen anyway.’

If there were fewer people, the amount I received would increase even if we only caught one thing.

More than anything, Persica’s presence would be useful in the camp ahead.

The Settlement Camp had a Lord, and since they traded with the city, they would not treat a daughter of Ortanis poorly.

In fact, if one had high fame or a noble title, one could receive treatment as an honored guest.

‘She will also take care of the other miscellaneous business on her own.’

Meeting the Lord, finding work, or gathering information.

She was somewhat clumsy, but she was still a noble in name and had a good head for work, so in this area, she was actually better than me.

In the city too, she had taken care of all the troublesome administrative procedures.

The reason I scolded her just now was because there was a need to speak sharply to her once, not because I was actually angry.

‘It also means she depends on me that much.’

Originally, I should have scolded her even more than this, but I really was soft.

I shook my head and focused on walking.

Perhaps because we had descended far enough now, the cold had faded.

“……Wait.”

I stopped Persica for a moment.

“What is it?”

“There is something over there.”

I sensed a strange presence in the distance.

I narrowed my eyes and opened my ears wide.

“It seems to be people. They are being chased by something.”

“Wait.”

Persica took out a telescope and checked ahead.

“You are right. People are being chased by monsters. The distance is…… about five hundred meters? How on earth did you see that?”

“My eyesight is pretty good. What kind of monsters are they?”

“Gigantia. They are not the kind that should appear here……”

Gigantia were extremely large centipede monsters.

Their rank was 2-star.

They were not boss-class, but they moved in groups and had poison, so they were fairly troublesome. The fact that they had appeared here was indeed a little strange.

Their habitat was much farther south from here.

“What should we do? Should we pretend we do not know?”

“Normally, that would be the best option.”

We still had not properly overcome the side effects, so fighting monsters was dangerous.

However, Persica’s reaction was a little strange.

It seemed that she wanted to ignore it too, but the situation was somewhat inconvenient.

“Are they people you know?”

“Their clothes belong to the family that rules the Settlement Camp. If we help them, we can expect a fairly good reward.”

Then she watched my reaction.

“Shall we help?”

“Why are you watching my reaction? You are the leader. You should make the decision.”

“Let’s go help them.”

After calculating the gains and losses, Persica concluded that we should help.

She probably thought it was worth fighting since I had not refused.

After all, I would say no when something was impossible.

‘This works out well.’

I had been itching to move anyway.

Ishara, strengthened by the Fragment. And on top of that, the swordsmanship I had trained all this time.

It was time to test them in actual combat.