“Looks like there’s not much different from the 1st Floor at first glance.”
Even a quick scan showed a scene that seemed no different from the 1st Floor.
I set up a camp in the front yard of the 2nd Floor and built a watchtower, overlooking the forest from above just like I did on the 1st Floor.
If the 1st Floor is low, then is it evening here?
Then the 3rd Floor must be night?
The slightly dark forest feels eerie. With a telescope in hand, I scanned the forest, searching for a way down to the 3rd Floor. Luckily, the passage to the 3rd Floor wasn’t too far.
The terrain was like precious stones, after all.
“…If we get pushed even once, it’s game over.”
The outskirts are cliffs. The center is a forest. To reach the passage in the northeast, we must cross the forest without fail. The space itself has shrunk by about a third. Inside the forest, visibility is limited, so it can be quite a hassle, and the cliffs mean if we get pushed to the outskirts, we might end up stuck with no way to escape.
Another issue is the dimming lighting. It’s not utterly dark, but the lighting is subtle enough that visibility inside the forest is difficult.
It would be better if we could illuminate the area with a lamp or magic, but if we’re not careful, it might attract the monsters’ attention, so we can’t just light it up recklessly.
Ultimately, we’ll have to fight in the forest where visibility is compromised.
How can we make it easy? It might be best if I lightly scout the area first. And let’s check the lower side too.
[Contractor, I can feel magic in the forest?]
Is there someone using magic as well?
“Another mountain beyond a mountain, huh.”
Shall we head down?
I joined my team, who were gazing up at me like meerkats as I climbed down the ladder.
“How’s it going?”
“It’s going to be a tough exploration. I’ll take a look below for a bit, so everyone stay prepared.”
I dug a spot with my shovel, and in less than a minute, a significantly deep tunnel was created. I descended into the tunnel and carefully observed the terrain underneath the cliffs and forest.
The ground seems less stable than I thought.
The cliffs don’t drop straight down but resemble an inverted triangle. I need to be careful when using my skills. Or perhaps I’ve just found a clue about breaking through the 2nd Floor.
Having concluded my thoughts, I emerged from the tunnel and rejoined my team.
“This is a tough forest, so everyone, stay alert.”
At my words, the faces of my team darkened a bit. Is it because of their lack of experience? I thought their expressions were already too grim. I briefly scanned their faces and spoke up.
“It’s much easier than the rift, so don’t worry too much. If you follow my commands well, we can break through this time too.”
Then, shall we go?
I led my somewhat subdued team into the entrance of the forest. Our pace was definitely slower than before.
More than anything, the narrowed visibility required even more focus, adding to our mental strain.
“I’m scared…”
“Don’t stray far from me, Shuri.”
“Lewis…”
“Uncle, isn’t it too quiet?”
At Viola’s anxious voice, I turned to her. No matter how tough she pretended to be, perhaps she just became an adult. Viola looked up at me, her face unable to hide her anxiety.
[Johann! West!]
“Don’t worry too much. Crafting.”
“Meow!?”
A loud blast crushed the wall that erupted from the ground, making a deafening noise. Quite the firepower. I quickly scanned the surroundings to check my team’s condition and gave orders.
“Everyone, prepare for combat! The enemy is to the west!”
How many are there? The flying fireball was just one, but I couldn’t assume there was only one enemy. I cautiously joined my position, mindful of the monsters still hidden in the darkness.
“Lewis, check the northeast. Sif, watch the southeast, and Shuri, be ready to use magic at any moment. Finally, Viola, check the southwest.”
I minimized any gaps in our formation.
In an open area, that was the most important part of fighting. A seasoned beast could be most dangerous when it slipped through undetected and sank its teeth into your neck.
“Rue, do you sense any magic?”
[Hmm, north? No, northeast? Perhaps because I’m not using magic? Not sure.]
“Lewis, tell me immediately if you see signs of magic coming from afar.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll move slowly forward like this. Everyone, stay in formation and move.”
Just because monsters have appeared, we can’t just sit still. To survive, it would be easiest to set up camp here and gradually take them out one by one, but right now, we have too little information. At the very least, I want to know what exactly the enemy is before we engage.
[East!]
“Everyone, stop! Crafting!”
The precariously raised wall and stones collided with a loud noise. I sighed at the sight of the crumbled wall. What a pathetic creature. Does it plan to just stay hidden like this?
Time for a change of plans. If we continue like this, we’ll only be played by that thing.
We need to handle this soon, or it will hinder our exploration.
“Shuri, cast light magic. As strong as you can. And everyone, don’t look up.”
“Got it?”
“Hurry.”
At my urgent command, Shuri hastily used her light magic, illuminating our area. The power of the light magic, filled with mana, emitted an overwhelming brightness, lighting up our surroundings. The monsters’ appearances still remained hidden, but the sheer intensity of light suddenly brightened the forest.
If the monster watching us caught our sight, the sudden flash would surely momentarily blind it. Seizing that opportunity, I listened carefully.
I can hear it. Very faintly. Is it the southeast? A bit unclear.
“Shuri, send the light magic as far southeast as you can.”
“Okay, got it!”
The light departed from us. I kept vigilance in the other directions while hoping the monster would react more strongly.
“!@!$#(!”
So it was the southeast. Now that the enemy’s location is revealed, it’s time to handle this quickly.
“Stay wary around here. I’ll wrap this up quickly and return.”
I took out a small pipe and poison dart from my backpack and rushed toward the brightly lit area. It was almost painfully bright, but donning a wide-brimmed hat helped me in the search.
“!(@*!#)$($!!”
A two-headed dog. Or was it a wolf?
Anyway, this bipedal two-headed creature was in agony, headbanging while holding onto its eyes.
Is that the only one? I looked around, but I didn’t see any other monsters. Well, let’s take care of this quickly. I approached the still dazed creature swiftly and blew the pipe, launching the poison dart.
The dart pierced its eye. Though it wasn’t the intended spot, I figured once it was in, it counts, right? Its pained screams only grew louder.
I quickly inserted the pipe again and extended my mithril shovel. With poison notorious enough to take down most monsters, it wouldn’t take long for it to lose its life. I stayed alert and used my skill to forcibly immobilize it.
The monster, now in a position as if just its head was above the grave, wriggled in agony, trying to escape, but the blood oozing from its eyes signaled that this was its last struggle. The monster, which had been launching magic from afar, ultimately succumbed, emitting a terrible stench.
One down.
I slowly surveyed the forest overwhelmed by a foul odor. The earlier chaos seemed like a lie, and the forest remained disturbingly quiet.
There shouldn’t be only one enemy.
Seeing how the other one was hiding in the dark, was the rest also lurking somewhere?
“Rue. Any signs of magic?”
[Hmm, not sensing it.]
I promptly returned to my team and relayed the news. Hearing my update, my team exchanged uneasy glances, the tension still evident on their faces.
“Does that mean there are more hiding somewhere?”
“Is there another like that?”
“So what was it?”
“A bipedal creature with two heads.”
“Was it a Nor?”
“Something similar.”
“Never heard of a two-headed Nor before.”
“So…there are such mutations?”
“It seemed like one that utilized magic as its weapon. For now, let’s deactivate the magic and keep moving.”
The darkened forest still harbored danger, but now that the creature troubling us was gone, we were able to move with a bit more ease. After moving for five minutes, I raised my hand to halt the team.
“Shh.”
I heard the sound of rustling through the bushes and stepping on branches. I discreetly tapped Rue with my index finger a couple of times.
[Not sensing anything.]
If it’s not the one launching magic, then does that mean… judging by the noise, it’s probably not just one sound.
I extended the shovel I had been holding and raised the blade over my head. In response to my signal, the team quietly prepared for battle.
“Check the designated directions.”
East? West? Are we surrounded?
The realization that a flurry of attacks was approaching in the hushed forest made my heart race. It could be extremely dangerous.
Should I outright ban the ambush using my skill?
No.
Creating a wall for protection wouldn’t ensure our safety. Instead, it might inadvertently attract more monsters, leaving us trapped. Either way, we need to move, and holding our ground isn’t a good option.
I shifted my gaze. Amidst the rustling sounds, a low growl was heard. Is it another wolf-like monster?
Could it be a two-headed dog? Or the infamous Blood Wolf I’ve only heard about? No, maybe it could be those monkeys we saw on the 1st Floor.
Beast-type monsters are always faster than humans.
There’s no option to flee from the start.
So… we have to kill them all.
“…I can smell it…”
Looks like Shuri’s keen nose picked up the approaching ambusher. I quietly issued commands to Shuri.
“Everyone, take a step sideways toward the middle. Shuri, cast light magic, maximum brightness overhead.”
I wasn’t sure if this would work twice, but it wouldn’t hurt.
“…Light!”
Crafting.
A sun appeared in the dark dungeon.
And at the same time, a wide, flat pillar rose from the ground.
Thanks to the impromptu lighthouse created by Shuri and me, the light perfectly blocked our current location.
As a result, we could check our surroundings without losing visibility.
The monsters that saw the overwhelming light began to howl, revealing their positions.
“…From now on, we’ll take down each revealed one by one.
…Call of the Abyss.”
Now it’s time for us to hunt.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.