Chapter 199: |
Dungeon Stampede 2.0 Pursuit
Just past noon. We finally left Shark High School.
Getting status…? Of course, we did it. Even if it seems silly, when push comes to shove, I act decisively.
After all, I have nearly 30 people to protect. The mission is to safely lead these people to the dungeon, have everyone obtain their status, and return. It’s simple, but mistakes are not allowed.
Yet we accomplished this mission in a mere 20 minutes.
Specifically, the Triceratops Bulldozer took the lead, followed by the teachers' cars. The students split up into the teachers' cars. And bringing up the rear was the roller car! The heavy machinery, um… what was it…?
Anyway, during transit, private conversation was forbidden.
“No chitchatting or horsing around!” I strictly ordered everyone, creating a tense atmosphere as we drove. At the dungeon, we made sure everyone could perceive their status. We went there quickly and came back quickly.
Even Shark, who was waiting at school, was wide-eyed with surprise, saying, “Huh, you’re back already?”
So now it's just the four of us. Only four, sneaking through the shadows of buildings, heading to Ruu’s dad’s workplace.
Because of the rain, the refugees didn’t follow us.
They probably learned their lesson yesterday. Still, there were a few who persistently tried to follow us. But I coldly told them, ‘We’re in a hurry today, so if you follow us, we’ll leave you behind without mercy'. Most of them fell silent and left.
Yet there were still some who argued, ‘It’s fine for you guys because you have power, but what about us who don’t!?' But that's their own problem. Don’t rely on others. It’s their fault for not participating in dungeon trials when they were open to the public and training their bodies for emergencies.
Seriously, adults shouldn’t say such things.
…..
The rain gradually turned to drizzle and eventually stopped as we continued to move. When we emerged onto a large street, there were shockingly many corpses scattered around…
“Ugh! What is this…!?”
“Huh, what? …Ahh!”
I raised my arm to halt them. But Serai-san saw the scene before I could stop her, letting out a short scream.
“Wow, what is this…”
“This is horrible…”
In the end, everyone saw the gruesome scene.
People were sprawled on the asphalt like run-over dogs and cats. Of course, they were already dead. Their limbs bent at odd angles, and their pink and milky white innards spilled from their bodies. But surprisingly, there wasn’t much blood. Their clothes had absorbed the blood, so the asphalt wasn’t stained red. Instead, their clothes were stained dark red, looking terribly heavy.
And… all the fallen people were armed.
“Could these guys… be from a guild?”
Some wore motorcycle helmets, but not many. What caught our attention more was that they wore matching jumpers and emblems.
“I think I’ve seen this mark in a store bulletin…”
“Yeah, I remember this emblem too…”
Yes, it was when I was buying magic stones.
I recall seeing the emblem on these fallen people’s clothes at some shop. Since Serai-san also recognized it, they were likely frequenting another branch of the same store.
“Coach, um… what’s a guild?”
“Oh, a guild is like a club for dungeon exploration, Ruu. Groups of up to nine people are usually called parties, but larger groups are called guilds.”
“Shh… be quiet! Can’t you hear something…?”
At Nina-san's voice cutting through the conversation, we all lowered our stances and strained to listen.
From the direction of the west, we could faintly hear sounds like "boom!" and "whoa!" from people.
“Maybe there are still survivors fighting something…”
“We’re not going to join them, right?”
Hmm… Since they frequented the dungeon shop, they were at least dungeon ability users. Not ordinary people. They probably couldn’t push themselves too hard without recovery potions, but they might have ventured down to the first three levels of the dungeon.
Despite them being numerous dungeon ability users, here they lie dead. The opponents they fought must have been either a huge horde or boss-level monsters.
“Of course not, we prioritize moving. Everyone, let’s hurry and get out of here to avoid getting caught up.”
If monsters from the sixth level are surfacing, then fifth-level monsters might also be around…
Strong monsters like King Goki or Bloody Carrots, or even boss-level monsters like the Evil Apple Demon could be roaming above ground.
Hence, it's best to quickly leave such dangerous areas.
So, we carefully avoided stepping on the dead and took a detour northward.
…..
[Gik-gon! Gik-gon…!]
"Ge-shaa…on…!"
[Gik-gon! Gik-gon…!]
“………! ………!”
(What is that doing…?)
(Yeah, it's doing something. That scorpion…)
We prioritized moving, avoiding combat as much as possible, and slipping through the concrete jungle-like shadows. But when we hit a big street, we had to expose ourselves.
Preparing to cross, we peeked out from behind the cover and saw a giant red scorpion in the middle of the street. It was perched on a bright red sports car, rocking back and forth.
A huge red scorpion. Its body alone was as big as the sports car. With its large pincers, capable of gripping a person, and its thick tail like a series of basketballs, it was the size of a King Goki monster.
Yes, it's undoubtedly a boss-level monster.
(We’re taking a detour, right…?)
I nodded at Nina-san, who asked worriedly.
Of course. Facing a poisonous boss-level monster is insane. If that huge scorpion stings you, you’re as good as dead.
I gave the signal to retreat slowly, keeping low.
“………”
But Serai-san, too focused on staying low, accidentally hit the guardrail with her Excalibar.
[Clang!]
(Ah! …Sorry!)
[Gish…]
The giant red scorpion on the sports car stopped moving. Then, its eight long legs squirmed as it turned to face us, letting out a terrifying roar.
“Geshiaa…on!”
“Not good! We’ve been spotted! Run!”
“Machi!”
“Wah! Sorry!”
“Eek!”
“Ruu! Get up quickly!”
Nina-san shouted at Serai-san while running, and Seirai-san apologized tearfully. Ruu stumbled over nothing and fell.
The giant red scorpion’s roar seemed to disrupt our minds. What kind of creature is this…! Arthropods shouldn’t even have vocal cords! Where is that sound coming from!?
…..
And so, the chase with the giant red scorpion began.
We desperately ran through back streets and narrow paths.
But the giant red scorpion, with its exceptional agility, chased us relentlessly, destroying everything around it with loud crashes.
The noise attracted more monsters, and soon, a horde led by the giant red scorpion was after us.
“Huff… Huff! It’s still chasing us!”
“All the buildings are closed… Where do we run!?”
“Damn! More monsters ahead! Turn left!”
“Yes!”
Not only were we being chased, but we also encountered more monsters wherever we fled. This was driving us into a corner…
(Damn it! If I could use my slime rope, we could escape to the rooftops!)
But the rain had just stopped, and the building walls weren’t dry yet.
If I used the slime carelessly in these conditions and failed, we’d fall right in front of the monster horde. Besides, there were huge spider webs above us. Even without seeing the spiders, it was clear there was no escape upward…
We kept running desperately… but we encountered more monsters ahead.
(Another one in front! And the only escape is that steep hill on the right…! Wait, maybe…)
“Everyone! Push through to the top of that hill!”
“What!? Climb that hill!?”
“No… I’m already out of breath…!”
“Coach! Behind us…!!”
“Damn… Mucus Veil!”
While running, I turned and threw a large slime membrane. Damn, if I could concentrate, I could create a thicker slime dome… but this is the best I can do now.
It was futile. The giant red scorpion tore through the membrane easily and increased its speed to catch us.
(What the hell! Aren’t creatures with pincers supposed to ambush or be stealthy!? Why is it sprinting full force…!?)
The giant red scorpion raced through the back streets lined with buildings.
And it kept exceeding our expectations. Damn it! Give me a break! Were you that mad because we interrupted your moment with the sports car!?
