“Such nice weather.”
“Y-yeah.”
“It’s so vast… was there really such a large forest inside the dungeon?”
[It’s nice to wander around, but if I die here, there’ll be no dream or hope left. Contractor, don’t die, okay? Keep the promise till the end. There are so many places I want to visit.]
An hour into entering the dungeon, we faced an absurdly expansive forest.
Above us was a huge sun… well, not exactly, but it shone like one, filling the air with a refreshing scent of grass. Isn’t “Beast’s Grave” supposed to be dark and gloomy?
“First, I’ll set up camp. Crafting.”
In just five minutes, I set up the camp. While the kids gaped in awe at the rapid camp construction faster than instant food, I grabbed some nearby branches to make a fire.
“Everyone, gather around the fire. I have something to say before we start scouting.”
At my words, everyone encircled the campfire and looked at me. I pulled out some jerky from my backpack and bit into it.
“It’s been a while since breakfast, so fill your bellies. Once we’re in the forest, don’t touch the food. The beasts living in this dungeon might catch the scent and come after us.”
“Isn’t it fine if we have deodorant?”
“Deodorant doesn’t mask all smells. Especially the stuff I brought for exploring this dungeon has a pungent smell that deodorants can’t cover. So wear the mask I gave you.”
“Th-that heavy-looking mask?”
Sif picked up the mask she casually had hung on her waist and inspected it, looking puzzled. I kindly explained the mask’s purpose.
“If you wear that on your face, you’ll be safe from toxic gases.”
“Why do we need that?”
“Because I’m going to use it.”
I pulled out a box, big enough to fit a football, that was tightly sealed to prevent leaks. Inside was some precious material I had gathered from the cafeteria. I had stuffed it to the brim for this day. Viola’s face contorted as she remembered me smashing those ingredients into the box.
“Uh… Uncle, are you really going to use that?”
“Viola, what is this?”
“A really terrible thing.”
If it works properly, we might be able to cheat this dungeon. Ignoring my companions’ curious glances, I stuffed the box back into my backpack. They were clearly interested in its contents, but I had no plans to reveal it just yet.
There was no need to alert the monsters by dumping the box or opening it too quickly.
“Before we go, I’ll scout the forest, so wait here for a bit.”
“Huh? You’re going to scout alone? That’s too dangerous!”
“I appreciate the concern, but it’s unnecessary. I don’t need to enter the forest.”
As everyone tilted their heads in confusion, I pulled out a shovel.
Who checks every little detail these days?
It’s got to be easy-peasy!
“Crafting.”
Immediately after my short command, the ground rose up. A building with a ladder was at least 10 meters tall.
I looked down at my party members gazing in awe at the watchtower.
“I’ll check from up there.”
I quickly climbed the ladder and took out my telescope. It was hard to see far distances with just my eyes.
The forest was larger than I thought. It looked like the size of a small village. Thankfully, there were no flying monsters, and the trees were so thick that I could barely see below… but I could roughly recognize the path down to the 2nd floor. North of my compass, there was a small hole visible. That was probably the way down underground.
We just need to go straight north from here.
The basic route was set. I was just uneasy about the dangers lurking in that forest, still uncharted. Ideally, I wanted to scout all the monsters hiding in there, but I didn’t have the ability to pierce through the densely packed trees lower than this watchtower.
Just the thought of checking the dangers up close in the forest got me buzzing with excitement.
…Well, it’s still better than dealing with bear cubs or hydra pups.
You can charge through any traps with just my bare body, and they have powerful physical abilities with cleverness to boot. I can confidently say that those are some of the most annoying monsters to deal with. Even the monsters in the rift weren’t as strong as them…
[Contractor, they’re calling for you down there?]
Ah, it’s time to head down.
—————–
“Lewis, can you use aura?”
“I can use it for a bit.”
As expected of the protagonist. If you brag about using aura at that age, you’ll be called out for just showing off. But seeing him pull out his sword and faintly display aura is reassuring.
If he plays his cards right for a year, can’t he reach the end specs? I know the most efficient growth route better than anyone—
…when did this become a Lewis Maker party?
I don’t have a hobby of raising boys.
“Conserve your aura as much as possible. We need to minimize power consumption until we meet the owner of this dungeon.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, let’s head into the forest. Remember the formation I mentioned, everyone, position yourselves.”
Lewis led the way, followed by Sif. I took the middle, with Shuri and Viola at the back. We got into formation and entered the forest, which received us in silence.
I’d prefer it to be loud.
I took out my compass to check north and pointed the direction to Lewis.
“Our first destination is the northern edge. Move cautiously.”
“Yes!”
The voices of my party unified. This is what a party should be.
I adjusted my gas mask and slung the shovel over my shoulder. This was my stance to respond effectively to any monsters that might appear. The handmade gas mask was uncomfortable due to not considering wearability, but it was still better than not wearing one.
“It’s oddly quiet.”
“Isn’t it possible that there are no monsters nearby?”
Given that monsters have likely built up their numbers for quite some time, it shouldn’t be that few. I ignored Sif’s response, focusing my senses.
Nothing’s scarier than invisible monsters.
However, despite going deep into the forest, I felt no signs of life at all. Eventually, I had no choice but to raise my hand and quietly give a command.
“Stop.”
“W-wait, here?”
“Yes.”
Though confusion was apparent, there was still something to check.
“Shuri. Do you see that withered tree?”
All the other trees were plump, but that one stood alone, looking sickly. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it appeared to be moving ever so slightly.
“Yes, I see it!”
“Fire some appropriate magic at it.”
“Is it that tree?”
“Yeah.”
At my command, Shuri stepped forward and extended her palm toward the withered tree. The distance was 20 meters—far enough for safety. Shuri closed her eyes as if choosing a spell and then opened them, chanting.
“Wind Cutter!”
The wind blade shot from Shuri’s palm, mercilessly charging toward the withered tree. Then, with a chilling scream, blood splattered.
“B-blood…!?”
“Everyone, raise your weapons! Stay alert!”
I turned my gaze to the still-immature party members. In case of an emergency, I had to protect these kids. I extended the shovel and gripped it with one hand since I had to keep my hands free for magic.
Returning my attention to the source of the noise, the withered tree was moving. Looking closer, it had a face.
The monster, with a face like a Halloween pumpkin I’d seen on the internet years ago, started trudging towards us, dripping blood from its body while spitting out small monsters from its knotholes.
“This is insane. Lewis, I’ll turn that tree stump into firewood, so you focus on defense as much as possible.”
“B-but what about magic!?”
“Not needed.”
I stretched my hand forward. The distance was about 15 meters. This was within my spell’s range. I uttered the name of the spell I frequently used.
“Call of the Abyss.”
My hand transformed into blue tentacles. This was nothing like the Kraken’s original form I had seen months ago—these were thin tentacles. I stretched the tentacles to firmly grasp the withered tree monster’s branches.
Then, I shortened the length of the tentacles.
Fwoosh!
My distance from the monster rapidly decreased. All I needed was one hit. I dispelled the magic, put strength into my body led by inertia, and swung the shovel. The monster’s face smashed like it had been hit with an axe, and I heard a piercing scream up close.
What a horrible noise.
“It looks like they’re doing alright over there…”
Fortunately, it seems that these monsters don’t have many allies, as there weren’t any visible. Only the little beasts that erupted from that guy’s body were hopping around.
Taking advantage of the tree monster’s pain, I activated a skill.
“Crafting.”
Pit. A larger pit! Using the skill repeatedly, a pit formed deep enough to ensnare half of the tree monster’s body. Still not enough.
“Crafting. Crafting. Crafting. Crafting. Crafting.”
The area around the root monster was covered with structures. Just like I did with the hydra, the root monster was bound by numerous pillars, able to do nothing but scream in agony.
The little monsters sticking to it were quite annoying though.
“Sprinkler.”
I sprayed a sticky slime evenly over the monster’s body. The root monster was bewildered by my actions, but I wouldn’t get caught. Just suffer quietly. I’ll even help tan your hide.
I swung the shovel to fend off the small beasts scurrying around and pulled out a match from my backpack.
“Looks like it’ll be warm tonight.”
I lit the match.
Then, I tossed it into the pit, admiring the struggling tree monster as it realized its impending doom. It shouldn’t go out midway, right? That would be annoying—
“!&#@(!#)(&!)&@!!”
Burning well. Better than the previous forest…
“Crafting.”
I set up walls around the tree monster, which was enjoying its fiery barbecue. It almost felt like some primitive religious ritual was taking place. As the screams became a background noise, I leisurely walked towards my companions still fighting the little monsters.
I pulled out the box from my backpack.
Now would be the perfect time for an experiment.
I cautiously opened the box.
“Let’s see how you like this biochemical terror I got from the cafeteria.”
The amplified garlic smell, enhanced with some herbs, began to spread through the forest.
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