Chapter 209: |
Dungeon Stampede 2.0 Assault
The world is in a dire state, overrun with monsters, and a line of refugees with despairing expressions, as if to say "It's all over.", is fading into the distance.
Yes, parting ways with them, we are going our own way, just following our path.
To them, my mindset must seem completely "broken". While I remain aware of the danger posed by monsters, the fear and aversion I used to feel are already gone.
Or rather, in this chest of mine, the spirits of salt and the fairy queen are cohabiting amicably, influencing me to perceive monsters as ordinary creatures.
And perhaps influenced by me, the adaptability of the beautiful college girls is remarkable.
Serai-san, who originally had a strong fighting spirit, has honed her guts through numerous real battles. She's now a Valkyrie who doesn't even scream at minor threats.
"What's that, a zombie? Ew, that's gross! Egetsu-san, take it down with your Death Salt!"
"Death Salt? What's that? I don't have any salt like that."
"Uh, it's just that the holy properties of the salt make it look that way… Wait, actually, I do have it, sorry."
A swarm of zombies was approaching, either from a new dungeon or a previously overlooked one.
I casually scattered salt to dispatch the zombies. It's not exactly [Holy Light] from fantasy games, but this salt works wonders against the undead. Indeed, this is [Holy Salt]. Once I found the source, I sealed it off with a giant rock salt block, reminiscent of the legendary Chibiki no Iwa.
"Coach, weird stuff is coming from over there too! Isn't that a giant Armored Lizard?!"
"Armored Lizard? Isn’t that a turtle, Nina-san? But… whoa! You're right, something between a turtle and a lizard is coming! Hmm, no choice… Take this: [Ninja Art: Regular Car Throw]!!"
Let's explain. [Ninja Art: Regular Car Throw] involves flipping a car left on the street and hurling it at a monster. If caught, you'd be charged with property damage, making it a highly risky move.
"Grooooooaaaarrr!!"
"Coach, that won't hold it for long!?"
"Hmm, I see… In that case, there's no risk of spreading fire here. Let's burn it. [Chemical Ninja Art: Flaming Car!] Chest Fire!!"
Further explanation is necessary. [Chemical Ninja Art: Flaming Car!] is an attack where you set fire to a car leaking gasoline after crashing it into a monster. If caught, you'd face arson charges, making it another highly dangerous move.
"[Boom! …Fwoooosh!!]"
"Gyaaaaahhh!!"
"Phew… That worked perfectly. Let's move before anyone sees us!"
Nina-san, fearless as always, suggested we move quickly even after I had flamboyantly wrecked and set fire to someone’s car. Yeah, if anyone saw us doing this, we'd be in big trouble. Let's get out of here quickly.
[Thud! Smash! Crunch!]
"Mm… Mm… Mmm…"
And there, silently swinging her bat, was Ruu.
She systematically broke their legs to reduce mobility, crushed their beaks to diminish their attack power, and relentlessly drove the monsters to their deaths.
True to her diligent nature, Ruu didn't resort to any tricks but instead followed my teachings, steadily and reliably taking down monsters. Watching her, I couldn't help but think, "This is how child soldiers are made during wartime," and feel a chilling sense of fear at what I had trained her to do.
"It seems like there's nothing ahead! Let's hurry so we can meet up with my mom!"
"Y-yeah… It does look that way. Okay, let's hurry!"
Was she just putting on a brave face, or was this her natural demeanor? Either way, Ruu had grown into a strong girl who wouldn't flinch at the sight of a minor monster.
The many times they had been almost crushed while moving with those troublesome refugees must have made them much tougher.
…..
"I wish I could use as much magic as you, Egetsu-san…"
During a break in an area where no monsters were visible, Serai-san voiced her longing.
"…Sure, having skills is convenient, but in the end, what matters most is your base strength. In that regard, you and the others are growing steadily stronger, which is ideal."
Of course, it helped that they were equipped from the start with combat suits that were extremely durable and immune to monster attacks. Otherwise, they would have suffered severe injuries, requiring time to recover, which would have reduced their time spent gaining experience in the dungeon.
It's like the idea of "riding an overpowered mecha means you won't die, so you get stronger."
"R-really?"
"That's right, Machi. If you push yourself too hard, you'll end up like Coach, with a severe injury like losing a leg. He's thinking of us so we don't end up like that, so don't be selfish."
Yes, exactly what Nina-san said!
The issue is just finding suitable skills for everyone. Personally, I'd like them to learn something like [Slime], which is excellent for both offense and defense…
"If things were going to turn out like this, I should have insisted everyone at least learned [Slime]."
"Sorry about that…"
Ruu apologized because I had previously suggested [Slime], but it was subtly rejected. I guess it doesn't have a good image.
"No, Ruu, it's fine. Using skills depends on one's personality and compatibility. Even if two people have the same skill, they won't necessarily be equally strong."
"But if there's a monster that seems like it would drop skills like [Flame] or [Lightning], please go for it, Egetsu-san!"
Serai-san made an enthusiastic request with a huff.
"Well… If we find one, sure. But don't get your hopes up too much, okay?"
Skills like [Flame] or [Lightning] are high-energy and likely difficult to handle.
…..
Under a cloudy sky, the gray cityscape stretched on. Not a soul or even a monster was in sight, only the traffic lights blinking at the deserted intersection.
In a corner of Tokyo, which had an empty, post-apocalyptic atmosphere, a group of us, wielding crowbars and bats, walked on. Yes, it's us, as usual.
"It's awfully quiet… I don't see any monsters at all."
"Yeah. It's nice, but a bit eerie…"
Nina-san and Serai-san, walking side by side, exchanged such words while remaining vigilant.
"Ruu, don't wander off too far. It's dangerous."
"Okay. But we're almost there!"
Ruu had somehow taken the lead. Though she was calm, she seemed eager to see her mother safe and sound, and her pace was gradually quickening.
As I worried about this, a shadow suddenly flitted overhead, just as a bad premonition struck.
"…Ruu!?"
I quickly shot a thread of slime to catch her, pulling her back like a fly caught by a frog's tongue. In an emergency, the speed was no different from attacking, and I pulled her with full force.
"Ugh…!"
Thanks to that, I managed to save Ruu at the last moment from the threat that had lunged at her.
[Thud! Crash!]
"Whoa! What's that!?"
"It's bigger than a scorpion…!"
The thing that had leaped from the building's shadow toward Ruu was a massive black spider. It was so enormous that it blocked both lanes of the road.
"Ruu! Are you hurt!?"
"Ouch… My neck…"
Because she had been yanked into the air like a caught fish, it seemed Ruu had suffered whiplash.
"Sorry, Ruu… I couldn't afford to be gentle."
"Save the apologies for later! Egetsu-san, it's coming this way!"
"Damn, this is bad! We need to…"
"What about over there!?"
Serai-san pointed to a small supermarket. It looked abandoned, with its doors open and no signs of life. The giant black spider, meanwhile, had impaled a regular car's roof with its legs and was struggling to free itself.
"Hurry up!"
"Got it! Let's head there!"
I dashed to the supermarket with slime-covered Ruu in my arms. But the eerie metallic sound of its legs clanging followed us closely. The giant black spider, having noticed us trying to escape, was forcing its way after us with a car stuck on its leg.
"""Whoa!!"""
[Crash! Crash! Crash!]
Nina-san, Serai-san, and I tumbled into the supermarket in a heap.
"[Thud! Bang! Thud! Shatter!]"
At the same time, we heard the sound of the guardrails and lampposts being destroyed behind us, and the giant locusts munching on cabbages inside the store jumped around in surprise, breaking the ceiling lights and plunging half the store into darkness.
This all happened in about 0.5 seconds, as if in slow motion…
[Creak… Crackle! Snap! …Thud!!]
The giant black spider tried to break through the supermarket's vinyl roof and enter the store. However, realizing it was physically impossible, it leaped away and vanished.
(What the hell… That was like a monster movie. A black spider bigger than the giant red scorpion? What kind of dungeon did it come from??)
"Ouch… Is everyone okay?"
"It's tight… Machi, is that your leg? Move it, please."
"Wait. Egetsu-san, I can't move until you get off me!"
"Hold on a sec… What's going on here?"
The supermarket interior was a mess from the spider's impact, with products scattered everywhere. It looked like an earthquake had hit. I couldn't find anything to hold onto to support myself. But maybe this will work…
"Coach, that's my butt…!"
"What!? Sorry!"
Despite the narrow aisle, it was packed with products, making it hard for us to even stand up.
Damn… Why do such gigantic monsters keep appearing one after another…
