I have no intention of relaxing.
I feel relieved that the threat is gone, but I’m still alert.
Still, I can’t believe something could keep up with this speed.
Then I feel the buzz of magic energy below.
It’s not like the kaiju, but enough to kill me.
I look down, and many drops of water are shotgunned up.
I take a rising dragon chakram from Fuuma, and infuse it with magic energy. I use Speed Up and Enlarge, along with Wind Magic.
I stick it under us, creating a powerful air current that diverts the water from below.
We get through all the rising water, but then it starts to fall like rain. And its magic energy is even more intense.
I put a rising dragon chakram above us, and get through the violent rain.
Now the air current is diverting all the water.
Until it changes form.
The rain on both sides suddenly turns into mist, and begins to go with the air current and interferes with it.
Dammit, I put in more magic energy.
But I can’t stop the mist, so I stop the air current, and it tries to wrap around the rising dragon chakram.
That’s no good, so I quickly take them back and try to create an air current again, but I’m suddenly enveloped in the mist, and my vision goes blurry. And it freezes.
I don’t have time to think about what happened, the mist suddenly froze and it’s trying to catch us too.
Fuuma’s momentum takes us forward a little more, but it stops, covered in a thin ice film.
My consciousness is fading.
It stopped in the air, but shows no sign of falling, so I’m still on Fuuma. My body is covered with white snow-like particles, and I can’t move very well, so this is pretty bad.
My consciousness is turning dark.
It’s like the entrance to the realm of the dead.
It’s over. I end here.
I feel that way in the darkness, and then resist.
I desperately try to hold on to my consciousness, but it keeps sinking.
I struggle and struggle, focus on my magic energy, and my body warms just a little.
It’s like basking in the sun. Thanks to the heat, I can move my body a little at a time, and my consciousness recovers.
I’m awake, I can see, I can breathe, and I understand what’s happening.
Fuuma and I were stabbed with icicles.
They pierced Fuuma, the guardian beast armor, and there’s a hole in my stomach.
I’m only alive because of Fuuma. I didn’t freeze because it’s wearing the perpetual spring scarf.
It was pierced right after I lost consciousness, but sent magic energy to the perpetual spring scarf and used Healing Magic to keep me alive.
Despite the wound, I crush the icicles with the greatsword of fortitude, grab Fuuma, and use Healing Magic as hard as I can.
Idiot, you pushed yourself too far.
Fuuma is near death.
It can use Healing Magic now, but it used it on me instead of itself…
Fuuma neighs a little, and I feel relieved.
This happened before, but it was only a small wound that time. But this time, Fuuma was pierced by the foreign object that was the icicle, and couldn’t take it out.
Its life is holding on thanks to the Healing Magic. If I stop it, Fuuma can’t be saved.
And we’re inside an enemy.
We’re not attacked again, like it thinks we’re dying anyway, but will it attack again once this ice prison is lifted?
There’s no time.
Something. Isn’t there something…!?
All or nothing.
I take out the water generating flower vase from the Storage Space, and pour magic energy into it. Then I pour the water with the light on Fuuma’s wound, that flows into its body.
Fuuma twitches, and magic energy infused water comes out of the wound.
Now’s the time, I think as I use Healing Magic with all I have and close the wound.
I keep using it, and Fuuma starts breathing quietly again.
Thank goodness, it looks like its life isn’t at risk.
With that relief in my heart, I immediately make my next move.
Like I said before, we’re inside an enemy. I don’t know if the river itself is a monster or what, but it’s definitely attacking us like it has a mind of its own.
If it understands the situation through the water, it must know we’re alive.
The ice is already melting, and if we stay here for too long, we might be compressed along with this prison.
I grab Fuuma, open the prison with projectile slash, and jump out.
I can see land.
If we go there, we should escape this predicament.
With that thought in mind, I accelerate with Wind Magic and hope nothing more happens.
I hurry and hurry, and feel magic energy again.
I can feel the bloodthirst in it as it approaches rapidly from behind. I turn around as I take out and hold the magic mirror shield, and the ice bullets are nullified.
The mist disperses again, and this time comes after us in the form of an ice arrow. But I take the greatsword of fortitude from the Storage Space and cut it down.
I was forced to look in the direction where I now see a woman with the head of a frog wearing a kimono. Her chest is big and her waist is slim. The frog woman holds up a big staff with violent magic energy.
“Kerororororo.”
It sounds like a bell, like she’s saying words, but sadly, I don’t speak frog.
The frog woman holds up the staff, thrusts at the air, and a ripple spreads.
‘Are my thoughts reaching you?’
The sound from before turns into something with meaning, which flows straight into my head.
Monsters can talk!? I’m incredibly surprised, but try not to let it show.
I’ve seen monsters that were clearly self-aware, and I made orc friends. I tell myself it shouldn’t be that surprising, and respond calmly.
Yes, they are.
I don’t know if this will reach the frog woman, or why she’s talking to me.
If I keep getting attacked, I don’t know if I’ll make it with the little magic energy I have left.
I don’t know, but I’m sure the frog woman is an intelligent being.
‘With whose permission do you pass here?’
Permission? I don’t have that. I’m just trying to get back to the surface.
‘Surface? Then you came from outside this world?’
…Yes. From outside the dungeon.
For a moment I don’t know what she means when she says this world. Is it the dungeon?
‘Dungeon… Is that what you call it? I understand. But if you want to pass here, you must pay the appropriate price. You will be forgiven with that this time.’
Price? Can it be anything?
It came at me to kill me, but if I can give it something and pass safely, fine by me.
To be honest, I can’t beat this frog woman. Maybe I could with Fuuma if we were in perfect condition, but with my magic energy spent and Fuuma unconscious there’s no way.
‘The appropriate price. I see… If you present that beast, it will be accepted.’
Screw you! Fuuma is my partner!
‘Then you will be accepted as the price.’
Wait! Isn’t there anything else!? What kind of thing do you want!?
The frog woman infuses the staff with magic energy and is about to fire high power magic. It’s not just her, I’m surrounded by four all of a sudden.
It’d be hard to escape.
I might die the moment I move.
All I can do is negotiate. Buy some time.
Even if she meant to surround us, if I can recover some magic energy, I still have cards to play.
I talk as I use Magic Energy Circulation with Parallel Thinking. If Fuuma wakes up, our chances of survival go up, but if I feel like a devil for making Fuuma work more after working so hard in the depths of death.
It’s my turn.
‘What will you offer?’
I see…
I compose my breath and knead magic energy. And the frog woman and the others heighten their magic energy.
I take a deep breath and howl.
How about your lives!!?
I create a tornado to blow everything away, enveloping the others. But this doesn’t do damage, and they don’t budge on the ice.
I knew that would happen, but if I delayed their magic a bit, it’s fine.
I use Fuuma’s trademark bazoom, and fly even higher.
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