That took a lot of time.
It’s all because I bragged about my stamina.
I could’ve activated a magic circle and instantly slaughtered them all, but seeing more and more come out told me it was a bad move.
And so, I let my stamina do the talking as I swung around the tyrant battleaxe, grabbed them with the divine bird boots, and used Earth Magic.
I got stung, suffered from the pressure of them surrounding me instead of thermo-balling, but I somehow managed to defeat them.
But this means I fought for the whole day, and I collapse as the morning sun shines.
I cast Healing Magic on myself and get Magic Energy Circulation working. It will be completely recovered in an hour, but that means lying here for an hour. So after I recover to a certain extent, I enter the hive to collect honey.
The hole from last time is closed, so I use an Explosion magic circle and throw a rock spear at it to open another one.
There are killer bees left in the hive, but it doesn’t feel like they’ll attack me.
Instead, they abandon the hive and fly away.
Unlike before, many of the nesting holes are filled with honey, so collecting it isn’t hard.
I made sure to bring more containers this time, so I keep filling. One million, two million, three million… It’s so enticing, uhehehe, I’m drooling.
After collecting the honey, I remember the seekers said something about killer bee younglings.
I look around the nesting holes, but see nothing of the sort.
I try using Trace, and it tells me there’s something deeper, where I collected honey before.
It’s a bee.
It has no wings, and its stomach is abnormally large, like the ant queen I saw before.
I assume this is a queen bee.
It’s making noises with its mouth to intimidate me, but I’m sad to say, it’s not the least bit intimidating.
After all, it’s about to die.
Its big stomach is half ripped open. It’s clearly fatal, but there’s no hope that something will come to help.
Also, there was a youngling in a nearby nesting hole, and it’s trying to protect the queen bee.
It’s like a child protecting its mother, and I leave because I can’t do anything after seeing that.
◇ ◇ ◇
I find the staircase to the twenty-ninth floor two days after leaving the killer bee hive.
◇ ◇ ◇
The twenty-ninth floor.
A weasel runs, and a wind blade cuts through the air to bisect its enemy.
I block it with my magic mirror armor’s shield, and it turns into a gentle breeze.
I chase it to hit it with my tyrant battleaxe, but it keeps dodging and running.
The weasel, gale weasel, keeps shooting wind blades and running, repeating this hit and run pattern.
It’s agile, and I can’t hit it with the tyrant battleaxe, so instead, I pierce it with an earth stake.
It’s annoying because it moves fast and out of my weapon’s range, but it can’t deal with magic that catches it by surprise.
It’s also as weak as it looks, not unlike an imp.
Gale weasels only attack with those wind blades too, so I was caught off guard when magic suddenly flew towards me, but they’re easy to deal with.
Of course, it would be dangerous if there were more than one and they hit me from a blind spot, but they warm up by creating wind, so anyone paying attention would spot them.
◇ ◇ ◇
I take down a wood golem, and see a curled up gale weasel being hunted by killer bees as I advance through the twenty-ninth floor.
There are many rivers here. It’s like I reach a new one every hour.
I don’t have a problem with water, but to cross to the other side, I’d have to either remove my equipment and clothes or find a spot where it’s narrower.
Of course, I do the former, and strip, put portacool in my Storage Space, and dive.
This might not have been possible if I was with a party, so being able to get naked and cross like this might be one of the advantages of exploring solo.
When I get to the other side, I see monsters waiting for me.
◇ ◇ ◇
I advance further, and see traces that seekers camped here.
Maybe I’m close to the staircase to the thirtieth floor. If so, this went pretty well.
I think about looking around here, but I’ll do it tomorrow. The sun is setting and it’s starting to get dark.
I think I’ll explore the twenty-ninth floor tomorrow and go back.
This is the seventh day. I still have food, but it will take three or four days to get back.
It might be faster to pass through the thirtieth floor, but I don’t know where the boss room is, and I shouldn’t push myself.
But then I decide to explore a little more.
Hey, it’s been a week.
Toufu’s party is still on the twenty-ninth floor.
◇ ◇ ◇
They’re surprised, and ask me why I’m here.
I tell them I’m just exploring, and they look perplexed as they ask me if I have other companions.
I guess you could call portacool that, since it got here with me, I say, and they look a little sad.
What? Is the exploration not going well?
It’s going well? You’re facing the boss tomorrow? Good luck.
Seriously, what is it?
It must’ve been hard to get here alone?
It was.
I was attacked by monsters all night long. Portacool was almost destroyed, and I almost died (financially).
Well, let’s eat. We can talk after that, right?
I take out food and start distributing it.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any stew left, but I have pasta, soup, salad, and I take meat that can be roasted as they want.
I also take out a few random flavored fruit, but that’s down to luck. Although they’re all tasty anyway.
We talk as we eat, and when monsters approach us, I immediately go out to take them down.
A wood golem and a gale weasel, but the gale weasel is within range of Spatial Grasp, so I skewer it with an earth thorn. And after stripping away the wood golem with repeated attacks, I destroy its core.
Toufu and the others say that was amazing. They’re a little bewildered, but I’m sure they were surprised by the monsters.
They say they finally found the boss room today, and came back to the twenty-ninth floor to take a break. The thirtieth has a high encounter rate, so it’s impossible to rest there.
They used monster repellent along the way, but wood golems appear suddenly and aren’t affected by it too much.
Is that so, I ask, and when I casually ask where the staircase to the thirtieth floor is, they tell me it’s up ahead.
Then Chisato gets closer and taps my shoulder.
What?
Hazuki said it was too bad? What was?
They wanted to thank me? They did…
Tell her it’s okay. I was doing my job.
Where I got the nickname? What?
Ah, Daiko.
Tell her not to worry about that either.
Tell her myself?
I can’t even meet her by myself.
Arrange for it? There’s no need to go that far.
Eh? Daiko is joining the party?
What do you mean?
I don’t know why she’s joining, but apparently there’s a reason why she wants to become a pro seeker.
She’s not strong enough, but Toufu and the others say that her joining won’t be bad for them.
I remember them saying someone else was waiting to join them. So that was Hazuki.
I understand.
Then Chisato smiles.
“Make sure you protect her if anything happens.”
I don’t really get it, but I nod.
◇ ◇ ◇
The next day, we have lunch, and Toufu’s party leaves.
I jokingly say I’m coming too, but they say no, and to wait until next time.
I say good luck, and I’m sure I will regret this moment for the rest of my life.
Why didn’t I go with them?
◇ ◇ ◇
The thirtieth floor.
I found the staircase where Toufu said.
I don’t know how far they’ve gone, but I start roaming around.
After starting my exploration, I notice one thing.
On the thirtieth, actually, on the twenty-ninth too, there’s a certain way that monsters appear.
Wood golems and killer bees, and wood golems and gale weasels. Never killer bees and gale weasels.
I’m sure that’s related to the gale weasel I saw being hunted yesterday.
I get through a wood golem’s attack and approach a killer bee. It uses its mobility to dodge my attack, but I grab it in the air with my divine bird boots and rip it apart with my tyrant battleaxe.
That leaves the wood golem, and I destroy the core with a heavy swing of the tyrant battleaxe.
After exploring a while longer, a big tornado appears in the distance.
Did a natural phenomenon just suddenly happen? It leaves me dumbfounded, but strangely uneasy too.
I feel this urge to go there and see what’s happening.
I take off running, and what I see almost makes me throw up.
ーーー
Haruto Tanaka (24)
Level: 21
Skills: Earth Magic, Trace, Healing Magic, Spatial Grasp, Toughness, Magic Energy Control, Physical Strengthening, Poison Resistance, Storage Space, See Through, Parallel Thinking, Sewing, Limit Break, Dismantling, Magic Energy Circulation, Consumption Reduction (Stamina)
Equipment: Agility bracelet, divine bird boots, greatsword of fortitude, tyrant battleaxe, safeguard necklace, magic mirror armor
Status: Fat (All abilities boosted)
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