Eh? What? Why am I dancing?
Eh? No. You think it’s creepy and you want me to stop?
Shut up! Everyone displays joy their own way!
Ah, sorry, I got a little carried away.
Something nice just happened.
What is it? You wanna know?
Fine, I’ll tell you.
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I’ve been told the bracelet I got yesterday is worth two million yen. It has the effect to increase agility, and it’s apparently pretty precious.
I could sell it now, but I’m going to keep working as a seeker, so I’ll use it for a while. Its value won’t go down as long as it doesn’t break, so I can keep making use of it.
I’m on the seventh floor. It has pill bugs and jumbo frogs.
The pill bugs known as cleaners I can let be, and jumbo frogs are exactly what they sound like.
However, jumbo frogs have tongues that are big enough to envelop and swallow a baby, and they use them to execute attacks that are on par with a boxer’s straight.
Four of them appear at once, and I immediately use magic to skewer them.
Four all of a sudden is too much. Let me at least start with one. I don’t even have a plan yet.
And then one appears alone, as if heeding my request.
I dodge its tongue, and then try blocking the next attack with my shield.
…It’s not that strong.
I approach it, and crush it with my iron club.
This seems easy, so I just keep going.
The parts of jumbo frogs that can be sold are their suction cups.
The ones on their left legs are especially strong, and are worth a hundred fifty yen a piece.
I keep taking them down as they appear, and eventually reach the staircase to the eighth floor.
And sure enough, there’s a bunch of jumbo frogs.
Can you stop with this? I didn’t hear anything about this many appearing.
No response uh? I see. Well, I have an idea too.
I predicted this would happen, so I take a can out of my bag and throw its contents at the jumbo frogs.
I ignite a lighter, and throw it at them too.
A lot of jumbo frogs go up in flames.
It’s like a campfire. It stinks though.
Yes, I brought gasoline in a can. Even monsters can’t beat fire.
Being burned up means I can’t collect materials, but I have a two million yen bracelet.
I don’t need to go after those trinkets! I can find another treasure chest with something expensive inside.
I watch the jumbo frogs burn, and a few come over to attack.
They’re wounded and not moving well, so they’re not really a threat, and I finish them all with one hit each.
When the fire goes out, all I see is jumbo frog cinders.
I overdid it. This is pretty brutal.
I regret it a little bit.
With an apology to what were once jumbo frogs in my head, I walk towards the staircase.
But then I feel something coming from above.
Something sticky lands on the floor, and I see it’s like something that’s the midway between a tadpole and a frog.
And there’s a bunch of them. Easily over a hundred, and probably close to two hundred.
I get it. The heat made them fall.
Now I’m surrounded by the falling jumbo frog younglings, and have to fight them.
They’re young, but their tongues are still healthy and hurt. That combined with the fact that they’re smaller, means it’s like they’re constantly trying to low kick me.
◇ ◇ ◇
That wasn’t easy.
I guess that was punishment for cheating. I should visit a shrine on the way back.
The floor got sticky with young jumbo frog fluids, and I fell a few times.
Also, the mucus flying away every time I put a monster down just made things worse. Maybe it’s because I was so close, but I dropped my weapon a few times because it made my hand slippery.
I got fed up with it and used magic, but only took down forty by the time I started feeling the effects of running out of magic energy.
I had no choice but to bash them with my iron club.
I have no visible wounds, but I’m all sticky. And I smell.
I can’t go home on the train like this. Good thing I can shower after leaving the dungeon, and I brought a change of clothes.
I collect the suction cups on their left feet, but I don’t know if they’ll buy them.
I just don’t want this work to have been for nothing, so I drag my tired body as I collect them.
I slip on the mucus as I do that, and I think there’s a glass ball on the floor, but I’m not sure. All I touch is mucus.
Once I’m done, I go back to where I sell materials.
Sadly, they don’t buy youngling materials.
I plead with the lady that’s holding her nose, but she just looks at me like I’m something filthy.
I end up going home without a shower.
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Haruto Tanaka (24)
Level: 9
Skills: Earth Magic, Trace, Healing Magic, Spatial Grasp, Toughness, Magic Energy Control, Physical Strengthening
Equipment: Agility bracelet
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