“Ahh… We’re finally here.”
We reached the cave we assume is the dungeon. There are stairs leading down, and a mouth leading to a dark world beyond them. Light is shining on it because the water was parted, but this is normally at the bottom of the sea and completely shrouded in darkness. It must look creepy.
Still, did we run ten kilometers here? We couldn’t go too fast because the footing was terrible, so it took us about thirty minutes. This dungeon really is the worst in terms of compatibility. If this was to be thoroughly used, there would have to be a facility in front of the dungeon that connected to a floating island on the surface.
I don’t know if there’s anything that would be worth that, but… can we assume this dungeon is high level judging by the monstrosity that was that boss? If it’s like the high rank dungeon, there could be big returns…
But that’s not for me to worry about.
“A brand new dungeon no one has ever entered… I’m nervous.”
“My heart is pounding, darling.”
“You should take the first step, master.”
“You ready, Shouta?”
“Yes.”
As I’m about to take the first step, an intense bad feeling runs through my whole body.
“…!!”
The stairs are in front of me. One more step, and I’ll be in the dungeon. There’s nothing there really, and no dangerous beings. The stampede is over, meaning the dungeon should be done spewing monsters. There’s no sign of remnants… So what am I afraid of?
“Shouta?”
“What is it?”
“You’re sweating a lot…!”
“There are no dangerous reactions… Should I go?”
“…Please do.”
There’s no bad feeling about Aira going, so it should be fine.
Splash splash.
Aira goes down the wet stairs, and there are no visible changes. She’s fine, and so are the others. And yet, when I imagine myself stepping forward, alarm bells ring.
What is this feeling!?
I look at Aira, the dungeon, and everyone in turn, and then my eyes turn to the Moses’ staff I’m holding.
“…?”
I reach out with my other hand, and feel it passing through a wall of air. I’ve felt this before, but it’s not the vague feeling I felt in the Heart Dungeon. I feel a clear border line.
“…Is that it?”
“What is it?”
“Tell us darling.”
“Everyone, hold me.”
“Yes!”
Ayane immediately jumps at me. Aki and Maki look at each other, because this is so sudden, but also hold me.
‘Pururu?’
‘Popo.’
“You can stay there.”
‘Gogo.’
‘~~.’
Let’s do it then.
“Ayane, cast Bubble Armor when I do.”
“Bubble Armor!”
We’re covered in a bubble, and pass through the film as we enter the dungeon. And I hear a loud sound behind me.
I don’t have to turn around to know what happened. The effect of the Moses’ staff was cut, and the sea that was forcefully parted is returning to normal. This is why I was feeling that chill, because the effect would run out when I crossed the border line.
If I entered first, the girls would’ve been swallowed by the sea immediately. I’m glad I noticed it.
But I can’t rest easy yet.
We overcame the first issue, and there’s a new problem. This is at the bottom of the sea. We can breathe thanks to Bubble Armor, but the waves and their momentum are still a threat. We should focus on dropping that momentum so it’s fine even if water gets inside the dungeon.
“Seren, help me!”
‘~~♪.’
Seren and I reach towards the border line, and hold back the waves with Water Current Control and Muddy Stream Control.
…But the waves never come here.
“…Uh??”
The other side is clearly getting swallowed by the stream, but not a drop passes to the dungeon. I don’t feel my power working either, so what’s going on?
“Seren, is that you?”
‘~~?’
“No? Aira, do you know?”
Aira stands next to me with Bubble Armor. The moment I entered the dungeon in Bubble Armor, she caught on to what was happening and stuck close to me like the others.
“I believe this border line is most likely immune to interference from the outside.”
“But if the stairs are wet, doesn’t that mean water can get through?”
“This border line broke when the stampede happened. Rare monsters then climbed and left the dungeon. Did water get in when it happened? Perhaps it was a call to monsters as well. And now that the stampede is over, the dungeon is back to normal, preventing water from getting in.”
“I see… I know I should’ve asked this earlier, but Krakens climbed these stairs. It doesn’t look like something that big would fit.”
“Giant monsters turn into smoke to leave during a stampede. There is few, but definite footage of it happening. I thought they suddenly appeared the first time I saw it, but when I saw it the other day, I spotted what looked like faint smoke, which then turned into a rare monster. It seems the result is different before and after I was told about rare monsters emerging from smoke, by you.”
“That’s a strange phenomenon… Come to think of it, my sisters-in-law said that if you don’t know about II or III level skills, it won’t appear in Appraisal when checking drops. It’s similar to what you’re saying.”
I think you don’t get accurate information from dungeon related things if you don’t meet certain criteria. I think the same could be said for dungeon administrators.
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