Walking in another world – Chapter 267 – Altair’s dungeon – Part six

Afterwards, I ask Alfriede for a match, but it’s politely declined, and fight someone else. And just like that, it’s over.

“Challenging the captain… You must have a death wish, Sora.”

That’s the first thing that comes out of Dutina’s mouth, after we meet again to continue advancing through the dungeon.

I really just wanted to have a light spar to see if I can fight a minotaur, but I guess I’ll think about it after I check their levels.

By the way, yesterday in that training area, there was one person who’s level I couldn’t see with Appraisal, but that person suddenly disappeared before I knew it.

“The sixth floor is divided into an area with a grassy field and an area with a lake. There are lizardmen in the lake, but they probably won’t attack with me here!”

She says lizardmen generally don’t attack people accompanied by someone with dragon blood.

I ask why those monsters are even there in the first place, and she says they were placed there to stop intruders from entering the seventh floor.

Because you don’t trust humans? I think that, but there’s no way I’ll actually ask.

“Let’s go!”

I feel like Dutina is fired up today.

The sixth floor really is divided into two areas, but it’s mostly water.

I check Map, and see reactions from monsters. Some are pretty close, but I can’t see them when I look around.

…Are they in the water?

I carefully look at the surface of the water, and see what looks like small ripples from time to time.

We’re walking in a tight formation with Dutina in front, but it kind of feels like we’re hiking.

The others are also cautiously looking around, but just as Dutina said, the lizardmen follow us, but always keep a certain distance and never come any closer than that.

And if we stop, they stop too. I feel like we’re being watched.

Also, now that they know we’re aware of their presence, they sometimes poke their heads from the water, and don’t try to hide that they’re watching us even when our eyes meet.

It’s like even though they’re not going to touch us, they’re saying ‘hey, we’re watching you’.

That doesn’t change at night, so we still need to take turns keeping watch when we sleep. They’re still monsters, so we need to forget about any preconceived notions and be careful anyway.

“They have never attacked, but they still might attack this time.”

Dutina doesn’t really react to what we’re doing, and just keeps watch with us.

“Not to mention that I need to work to repay you for the delicious food you prepare!”

I guess my food really is a delicacy, because lately when it’s almost time to eat, Dutina starts fidgeting. She’s gotten pretty friendly with Hikari over food too, and she asks her a lot of questions when we take breaks.

She doesn’t really ask about how to cook, but more about what kind of food Hikari’s eaten so far. She even made a food request. Hearing about it from Hikari made her really want to try it.

It really makes an impression on me how moved she looks when she finally tries it.

“Once we get past this, we will be done with the sixth floor.”

There’s a small island in front of us, and apparently the staircase is beyond it. I do see what looks like a cave.

We can walk to the island through a bridge of planks, but there are reactions of lizardmen all around us. And since they’re underwater, we can’t see them.

I’m worried about what would happen if they all attacked at once, but Dutina just keeps walking.

I rush to follow her and step firmly on the bridge, but it’s sturdy and doesn’t budge.

The lake is so clear that I can see the bottom. It actually doesn’t seem that deep, and the water around the bridge probably wouldn’t even reach my knees.

But even though I could stand up in the water, I still can’t fall because that would be a bother for sure.

And so, I cast a barrier on everyone just in case. Not that they’re as worried as me, because they all cross the bridge like it’s no big deal.

And then, we safely finish the sixth floor.

“Finally, the seventh floor…”

Knowing there are laurel tree fruits ahead makes me want to keep going, but we need to calm down first. We can’t get impatient.

That said, I still want to check the seventh floor, and more importantly, cast Appraisal on the minotaurs.

“Would monsters attack if we suddenly stepped inside the seventh floor?”

“That wasn’t the case when I came here, but my seniors told me that does happen, even if it’s rare.

Well then maybe… No, let’s not.

Crossing over to another floor is always risky, but even if it’s fine this time, it might not be next time.

And if that’s the case, going through that risk once is enough.

“Should we go back?”

I ask, and everyone nods, so we leave the dungeon.

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