Chapter 3: Clearing a Dungeon, Part Two
The fifth level—
“@Master, Lovely Live and the like!”
Even though he was a shut-in and MMORPG addict, Diablo wasn’t an idol otaku.
That said, one had to keep up with the fads. To remain successful, Cross Reverie inevitably had to run collaboration events. These events, or “collabs” for short, were tie-in projects with other franchises where characters or items from other games were officially introduced into Cross Reverie.
Right around the time he made his dungeon, there was a collab with a social game called Sister Carnival, or SisCarn for short. Since Cross Reverie and SisCarn were both made by the same developer, it ended up being a fairly important event, with exclusive equipment and items you could only get during that collab.
The trick was that you had to make an account in SisCarn and get a few hours of progress in it to advance the scenario in Cross Reverie. So, naturally enough, Diablo had played SisCarn.
It had a somewhat ridiculous setting where “all the idols in the agency are the player’s little sisters.” And still, he had played it long enough to remember the main heroines’ names.
All that may be unrelated to the fact that this floor’s setting was similar to SisCarn.
They opened the door...
“What...?” Rem narrowed her eyes.
A white room. No matter where you looked, white was all you could see.
“Huh? Isn’t this snow!?” Shera raised her voice, her breath coming out in white puffs.
“I-It’s true, this is snow... Unbelievable. Even though there’s lava on the floor above us...” Lumachina looked surprised as she knelt down to scoop up some snow.
“Speaking of, isn’t it kinda c-c-cold?” asked Horn.
He had fainted from heatstroke earlier, but came to his senses thanks to Lumachina’s miracles. Having a high level Healer with them was really convenient.
“Achoo!” Horn sneezed loudly. “Sure is cold here...”
“...Let’s press forward,” Rem said. She tried to feign calmness, but there was a shiver to her voice.
“Brrr, it’s soooo cooold!” Shera whined loudly.
“You should probably know, the monsters on this floor are all fairly high leveled,” Diablo said with a shrug.
“Eeehhh!?” Shera covered her mouth with both her hands in a panic. It would have probably been too late to worry about that, but the monsters wouldn’t attack them here.
“...I think I can hear something.” Rem’s cat ears were twitching.
Music was playing from within the dungeon.
It was a poppy, up-tempo idol song, and with vocals, at that. It was SisCarn’s theme music, which was implemented into the game as a BGM during the collab, and had received a great deal of passionate support from some of the players. That song was playing, right now, in the dungeon.
And, dancing to the song’s beat—
“Huh, what’s that?” Shera exclaimed. “The monsters are...dancing?” Her eyes widened in amazement.
They were giant-type monsters covered in fuzzy fur: ?White Jeagers?, a stronger version of the ?Yeti?. There were thirty of them forming a ring on the narrow passageway, dancing in circles to the beat of the music.
Despite how silly they may have appeared, they were level 93 monsters. On top of having high HP, they were impervious to damage from normal weapons and had high magic resistance. If Diablo was in top condition, they wouldn’t be much of an issue, but he was low on HP, MP, and recovery potions at the moment. Frankly, he preferred to avoid combat here if possible.
“...Judging from the other floors, this level isn’t as straightforward as just beating the monsters, is it?” Rem asked.
“So you noticed.”
Diablo knew, of course, and could have explained straight away. But as the creator of the dungeon, he was curious to see if the others would figure out his design.
“...There are some missing spaces in the circle.”
“Hm.”
“...And we’re supposed to pass through them? No... Why would they be dancing, then?”
“Hmhm.”
“...Are we supposed to join the monsters’ ring and dance with them?”
“Ah, you figured it out faster than I had thought.”
Rem’s expression took on an exasperated shade. “Whoever made this dungeon may have god-like powers, but their way of thinking is astoundingly childish. What is the point to this buffoonery?”
“Ack!?”
Her words rammed into Diablo, inflicting psychological damage.
“This’ll be fun, though. I like it! I think dancing and singing are much more fun than swords and magic,” Shera said with a giggle.
“...When we make it back to town, go retract your Adventurer’s license and work as a dancer instead.”
“I don’t wanna...”
Lumachina nodded. “I prefer this sort of trick to combat, as well. We’re less likely to get hurt, no?”
“I wouldn’t be that optimistic!” Horn shook his head, pointing to the monsters. “Those guys are super strong! White Jeagers live in the northern mountains, but I hear they’re incredibly savage creatures that destroyed one of the northern countries! If they attack us, we’ll be d-d-d-doomed!”
“...They’ll probably attack us if we get the dance wrong.” Rem nodded solemnly.
“Did something happen?” Shera suddenly turned her gaze to Diablo and tilted her head curiously. “You look like you’re having fun.”
Diablo quickly stiffened his expression, panicking internally. Seeing others solve his puzzle was so fun he’d smiled without noticing.
“Pay it no mind. The trick to this level is as you’ve surmised. Let’s go; you will all have to memorize the dance. The rhythm repeats for a while, but stay alert for when the beat changes.”
“Y-Yes! I’ll do my best.” Rem nodded with a severe expression.
“Yay! This is gonna be fun!” Shera raised both her hands in the air.
“Please watch over us, my Lord...” Lumachina made the holy sign in front of her chest.
“Hehe, I’m good when it comes to memorizing things! I’m a Seeker, after all!” Horn proclaimed confidently.
Diablo began directing them, clapping all the while.
“One-two, one-two, turn right! Step, step, jump! Yes, that’s good. Don’t forget to smile, Rem!”
“Y-Yes, Diablo!”
“I’m the ‘Producer’ now! Call me as such.”
“H-Huh? Y-Yes, P-Pro... Producer?”
“You’re falling behind, Horn! Watch your stride when you step!”
“Right, Boss!”
Rem had no experience when it came to dancing, but her athletic abilities were superb, and she was bright, too, so she got the hang of it rather easily.
Shera loved singing and dancing, so she memorized it quickly enough. She was already singing as she danced, and was good enough at it to put actual idols to shame.
Lumachina should have been struggling given her physical condition, but since the High Priest’s rituals included some dancing, her performance had a sublime, solemn touch to it.
Horn’s youthful appearance made it seem like he was more of a child playing than dancing...but his movements weren’t wrong.
“Good.” Diablo gave a strong nod.
“Ah... Ah... Is it finally time, Producer?”
“Indeed! It’s time for the real thing. A live performance! Dazzle this monstrous audience with your sincere dancing!”
“Yes!” the four of them said in unison, with Horn adding a “Boss” at the end.
Once the song had stopped to loop, they all jumped into the ring, the five of them occupying empty spots in the circle. The White Jeagers’ gazes all locked on them, as if to ask, “The hell are these doofuses?”
But the monsters weren’t attacking them, just observing them cautiously.
The song’s intro started once more, and the curtain rose on their now live performance.
Shera’s singing voice resounded across the ring. It mingled with the idols’ vocals, never missing a beat and certainly not being outdone.
Then came the first pose.
They raised one hand, and took a step to the right. A clockwise turn. Turn to the left, legs forward then back, forward then back, one-two.
In the game, it was a combination of pose commands and movement controls, but here, you actually had to dance. Thanks to his body’s athletic ability, Diablo was able to keep up, but the movements were fairly complicated.
Lumachina, who was far from being in peak condition, was out of breath; but they couldn’t help her. Rem looked at her with concern, but she replied with a smile, as if to say, “I’ll be all right!”
Shera’s singing spread more clearly across the room, as if to spur her two friends on. As her singing resonated, her dancing became even more graceful. She was far better than when they had trained, so much so Diablo got goosebumps just looking at her.
The White Jeagers’ eyes were all fixed on Shera.
Taking after Shera, Rem’s and Lumachina’s dancing had also dramatically improved; they were getting into the swing of things. Diablo and Horn could barely keep up with them.
The dance was rapidly reaching its finale. By this point, they weren’t so much dancing in a ring anymore. Shera, Rem, and Lumachina were the main attraction, with everyone else being their backup dancers.
As they were approaching the final key change, Diablo found himself mesmerized by the girls.
The song was ending. Shera froze, her body in a finishing pose, as if a spotlight was shining down on her.
Rem and Lumachina were breathing heavily.
“Ah...hah, hah... S-Stupid Shera... What did you...get so excited for...”
“Teehee, wasn’t it fun, though?”
“Ah...hah... Heh... It was...awful...but...it was fun, too. I never...thought dancing...was so much fun...before...”
Lumachina hugged Shera.
“Oooooooooooooh!!!”
Suddenly, the White Jeagers began roaring. They shouldn’t have reacted in any way if you got the dance right, though.
—Did we mess up somewhere!?
“...core! ...core! ...core!”
They seemed to be repeating something. Diablo strained his ears to listen more carefully.
“Encore! Encore! Encore!”
He couldn’t believe his ears; the monsters were...demanding an encore...? Some of them were even wiping tears from their eyes.
If they were to perform again, it would only bring them back to where they started, and they couldn’t afford that. They wanted to end it here, but—
The White Jeagers glared at a part of the ring.
Horn had fallen on the ground.
“I-I was... I couldn’t take my eyes off Shera...”
Apparently, he’d missed the last step and bumped into a White Jeager that was standing next to him.
The monsters’ hate was all fixed on Horn, but they couldn’t leave him behind...
Diablo pulled Tenma’s Staff from his pouch.
“Horn, run! ?Cross Blizzard?!!!”
It was a level 110 water and wind element spell. Two tornadoes would appear, freezing anything they came in contact with, and shattered what was frozen with gales of wind.
The White Jeagers became statues of ice and shattered—or at least they should have. What shattered was only a layer of fur, while their bodies hadn’t taken any significant damage. The most the spell had done was slow them down, and temporarily hide the party from their eyes.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!” Horn scuttered between the monsters, worming his way between their massive frames.
“Hurry!” Diablo pointed to the exit.
“H-Hurry up!” Shera waved, beckoning him.
“It’s...heavy...!” Rem pulled the iron door open with all her might, pushing Lumachina, who could only wait anxiously, to the other side.
“Hya!?”
“Shera, you go on, too!”
“R-Right!”
Horn had finally reached the exit, fumbling over himself the whole time, and crossed the door to the staircase.
“Diablooo!” Rem cried out.
“Hm!”
Just as they were about to pull him through, something smashed against his back.
—Oh cra...!
His head caught up to the situation at hand, but his body was too sluggish to react. Maybe it was the fatigue he’d built up from going from the scathing heat to the freezing cold, but he just couldn’t avoid it.
Something had impacted against his back and sent him tumbling down.
That thing was a snowball, one that looked like it was made from lumps of ice pressed together.
The damage reduction from his cape was in effect, but the snowball had still hit for enough damage that he couldn’t simply ignore it.
They were level 93 monsters, all right.
Taking damage from a snowball? Really!?
He was having trouble breathing since the ball had hit him in the back. But he couldn’t afford to stay put as more snowballs were flying his way. He had to avoid them somehow, but the White Jeagers weren’t going to allow him to get back to the door. Their constant barrage blocked his path to the exit as the monsters closed in on him.
If a bunch of high level monsters were to gang up on him like this, there was actually a chance he’d die.
He could hear Rem screaming and calling his name from the exit. He merely let his lips curl up into a smirk.
“Time’s up.”
The song’s intro began playing again.
The White Jeagers’ attack stopped as they returned to their spots rather excitedly, once again forming a ring.
Diablo swiftly headed to the door, reuniting with his companions.
And so, the next song had begun...
†
The sixth level—
“Seeking a meal in a dungeon...”
This level was a forest thick with vegetation. At the very least, it wasn’t particularly hot or cold. There was also a river with a calm stream, which Diablo and his group used to refill their canteens.
“I’m sorry...” Horn looked crestfallen. “I was just so impressed that my step wasn’t wide enough... N-Next time! I’ll get it next time, Producer-Boss!”
—We’ve already moved on from that!
Diablo shrugged. “Pay it no mind.”
“I promise I’ll be super helpful!”
“...You really don’t have to try so hard.” Rem sighed lightly. “Just don’t get us in trouble.”
Her words of consolation cut deeper than knives, sharply and bitterly.
“It’s all right, no worries. We’re all fine and that’s what matters. I’m sure we’ll make it out no matter what happens,” Shera said, smiling.
Her attempts at encouragement were as unfounded as ever.
Lumachina nodded in agreement. “We only made it this far with all your help, Horn. Do not be discouraged.”
“R-Right! No matter what monster comes our way next, I’ll thrash it!” Horn said with more enthusiasm than ever before.
“Well, there’s your monster.” Diablo pointed ahead.
A giant crab, roughly thirty meters in height, stood guard before the door.
The ?Grand Cancer? was a level 99 monster that ranked as top class when it came to sturdiness and defense, with pincers strong enough to cut a knight’s armor in half. It was also surprisingly nimble with its eight legs, and had a frothy breath attack capable of poisoning. It was an aquatic monster, but was actually more dangerous on land.
Horn was about to charge at the monster, but Diablo caught him by the collar.
“You’ll die.”
“That’s so haaarsh!?”
His dagger was an N rank weapon with no enchantments applied to it; it was effectively scrap metal. It wouldn’t do a single point of damage to the Grand Cancer, and even if Horn was agile for someone who was level 20, he still wouldn’t be fast enough to dodge a level 99 monster’s attack. His charge would only end with him doing no damage, then getting sliced in half by the crab’s pincers.
As they were squabbling, the monster, which would normally be incapable of speech, began talking:
“Offer me tribute, puny ones!”
“I-I think the crab just spoke!” Shera said, her eyes wide with shock.
“...It’s probably one of the dungeon’s challenges, same as the riddles.” Rem shook her head. “I can’t say I appreciate the condescending attitude, but... What did it mean by ‘tribute’?”
“Offer me tribute of a succulent herb-grilled chicken and fragrant seven-herb soup!”
“...That’s awfully specific,” Rem, said, narrowing her eyes.
Shera tilted her head. “It’s like it’s making an order in a restaurant...”
“And it ordered a drink, too.”
It acted like it was ordering at a diner.
“So, in other words, we’ll be cooking this time?” Lumachina brought her hands together.
“...It would seem so. It’s as absurd a puzzle as ever, but I suppose it is preferable to having to fight,” Rem said, surveying their surroundings.
The rock bed making up the ceiling was luminescent, brightening up the area as if the sun was shining down on it. All around them was a forest, and they could make out the burbling sounds of the river and the chirping of birds from the distance.
“...I assume we are supposed to cook using this.”
A metal container was set atop a smooth rock, and beside it were plates and a frying pan.
“I’m getting kinda hungry, now that you mention it...” Shera rubbed her belly sullenly.
“...Taking a rest here may be a good idea. Starving to death will do us no good after all.”
“I agree.” Lumachina nodded. “God has told me we are not to die here.”
“Cooking, huh! Let me handle the tools!” Horn clenched his fists enthusiastically.
With that setup, it became obvious this was a level where they had to prepare the food the crab had ordered. If they succeeded, the Grand Cancer would get out of their way and permit them to pass on to the next level.
“It ordered two things,” Rem said, holding up two fingers, “grilled chicken and soup... But I wonder what it meant by ‘herb-grilled’ and ‘seven-herb’?” She glanced at Diablo.
—Maybe these dishes don’t exist in this world?
“An herb-grilled chicken is a roasted chicken sprinkled with herbs. The ‘seven-herb’ refers to a group of herbs called the ‘herbs of spring.’ You can consider all the ‘herbs’ you find on this floor to belong to this category.”
“...I see. So we’re to pick herbs from this forest and prepare the soup at the same time. Which reminds me...how high are your cooking skills?”
This was technically the first time he had to cook. They had made some day trips around Faltra before, but the trips were short enough that they could make do with food they carried in their bags. They always used the eateries around the ?Peace of Mind Inn? when big mealtimes came around. And when they slept outdoors, all they did was roast beef jerky and sweet potatoes.
“...I’ll admit I’m not very good when it comes to cooking,” Rem explained regarding the extent of her own skills. “I prefer to eat meat raw.”
“Doesn’t that make your belly hurt?” Shera asked, surprised.
“A Pantherian would never get a stomach ache from eating raw meat.” Rem puffed up with pride.
“Really!?” Shera exclaimed.
Pantherians were seemingly more wild than Diablo had thought.
“I’m really good at picking berries!” Shera raised both her hands in the air.
Elves lived in abundant forests blessed by the gods, which were said to provide them with fruits and berries in times of need.
—No point in expecting any cooking skills from her, either.
A brilliant smile played over Lumachina’s lips. A girl as knowledgeable and devoted as her would no doubt be very dependable in this situation.
“Doesn’t food just appear when you pray to God?”
—Oh, right...
Lumachina was a bona fide, sheltered princess. The High Priest had just spent all her time in a sanctum. In all the adventures up to this point, they had been eating preserved food, so Diablo couldn’t tell, but...apparently Lumachina had zero skills when it came to household tasks.
“She’s more useless than I thought...” Diablo whispered under his breath.
“...Useless, indeed.”
“You’re pretty useless, aren’t you!?”
“Wha!?” Lumachina seemed uncharacteristically heartbroken.
“You can leave the cooking to me, a-yup!” Horn raised his hand in a salute.
“Oh?”
He seemed surprisingly dependable for once. But given everything that happened, Rem eyed him suspiciously.
“...You’re saying you’re good at cooking? Then have you ever made an herb-grilled chicken or seven-herb soup?”
“I-I haven’t, but I know how to grill stuff! Anything’s tasty once you grill it!”
“...I remember now. You did say something about roasting everything on a skewer... Rejected. Go stoke the fire or something.”
“Mmmgh,” Horn grumbled with disappointment.
“Heehee, then can I count on you to prepare the stove?” Shera asked, placing a hand on Horn’s shoulder. “Rem and I will collect those seven-herbs.”
“S-Sure thing! You can count on me!” Horn beat his own chest in a reassuring gesture.
“Hmm, what should I do, then?” Lumachina tilted her head quizzically.
“...You could pray... Or, no, you can be in charge of washing the pot and dishes.”
“All right! I will do my best!” Lumachina smiled, pleased to have gotten a role. “I shall go gather some water, OK?”
Even though Lumachina’s life was on the line, Rem and Shera were still very assertive.
“...Let’s go, then, Diablo,” Rem said.
“Huh?” He uttered in his natural voice without noticing.
Looking at the girls as they had talked, he reverted back to his “my classmates are all caught up in their discussion and I can’t find a way to get involved” mode.
Old habits certainly died hard...
“R-Right, you may speak.” Diablo corrected himself, this time in a tone more worthy of a Demon Lord.
Rem tilted her head, puzzled, but carried on regardless.
“We do not know what the seven herbs look like. You will have to tell us which ones are right, and we shall pick those.”
“That is fine.”
He had only ever seen them as icons and graphics, so he wasn’t sure he could recognize them growing in a forest. While he didn’t have much confidence, he still had to try.
In Cross Reverie, Diablo had never acquired the ?Chef? subclass. He couldn’t expect to pull the same sort of impressive stunts he did when combining items for potions. Plus, his real self was the type who would probably say, “Cooking? I can heat up a TV dinner, where’s the microwave?”
—Work, memory, work! I gotta remember what those items looked like!
You couldn’t usually find them all in the same place, but this forest should have had all seven herbs in it.
Between tufts of suspicious red and blue plants, they were able to find a green herb.
“That’s one of them, a Shepherd’s Purse. Or wait, maybe it’s a Nipplewort? Either way, that’s one of the seven herbs.”
“Understood.” Rem picked the thick leaves from the ground.
“Look, look, Diablo! I found some basil!”
“Good.”
He had never actually seen it before, but in the game it was just described as a “fresh herb.” They would need it to make the requested “succulent herb-grilled chicken.”
When he made the dungeon, he set it so the ingredient gathering would be easy. Thanks to that, finding all the herbs they needed was simple enough.
“...That should do for the seven herbs,” Rem said, counting the herbs they had collected. “We just need to get the chicken meat now.”
“What should we do?” Shera asked.
“...How about you donate your Summon?”
“Y-You can’t eat my ?Turkey Shot?!”
“...I was only joking. If we were to try cooking it, it would just turn back into a cryst—ah! Shera, look at that!”
The moment Rem pointed her finger, Shera’s bow was already drawn and nocked. They had spotted a plump, round chicken between the vegetation; one that fat could definitely produce enough meat for a small group.
But there was a problem...
“Don’t, you’ll petrify it!” Diablo called out.
“Right!”
Shera’s jet black bow was enchanted by the Demon Lord Krebskulm, and would inflict ?Petrification? on any target it damaged. The duration of the effect was unknown.
Shera shot an arrow.
—If she hits the chicken and it turns to stone, wouldn’t it all be pointless!?
Or so Diablo thought—Shera’s arrow struck a branch that was directly above the chicken, making it fall down. The petrified branch crashed on the chicken’s head, and with a high pitched “Squawk!!!”, the bird lost consciousness.
Rem sighed. “Well done.”
“I did it!”
“...Truly the work of a high-level Archer.”
“I’m a Summoner!” Shera sulked, her lips forming a grumpy, horizontal line.
But even Diablo had to acknowledge she was a superb Archer, one that would make for a reliable rearguard attacker.
Rem began skillfully skinning the chicken, and after cutting it to pieces, stuck a fork in it.
“What are you doing?” Shera asked with a tilt of the head.
“...This should make the meat softer. The crab ordered a ‘succulent’ chicken, after all.”
“Oh, I see, I see.”
“...Personally I think it’s tasty as is...speaking from personal preference,” Rem said, picking up the meat with a hint of disappointment.
Diablo rubbed salt and pepper on both sides of the meat. He figured making it salty would go over well, given how much they had sweat earlier.
The Grand Cancer had ordered the food, but they decided to make some for themselves, too. Unlike the game, in this world you could go hungry, and wouldn’t be able to move without food.
He smeared the herbs Shera had found into the skin, and pressed them in with his hands. The skin had been cut so he could stuff the chicken easily.
“You’re familiar with cooking, Diablo?” Rem asked, visibly impressed.
“I read about it in a mang—uhhh, i-it’s because I’m a Demon Lord! Obviously!”
“I...see... You’re very knowledgeable about many things. I wish I could broaden my horizons like that, as well.”
It just so happened to be a dish that had appeared in a manga he was reading around the time he made the dungeon. Regardless, it was still the first time he had actually made it.
Frying it in the pan was the hard part.
Twigs stoked the fire below the stove that Horn had prepared, and the fire wasn’t as stable as what you’d get from a gas burner.
They started by roasting the side garnished with the herbs, making sure to lift it every once in a while so it wouldn’t burn. If the fire was too strong, it would burn the food, and the heat wouldn’t make it all the way into the meat. But if they kept the fire too low, it would take much longer to cook and the meat would go hard. Making sure the heat reached the frying pan in just the right way was hard work.
Having fried the skin side, they flipped the meat to fry the other side, as well. The scent of herbs filled their nostrils, and they could even see Horn’s mouth watering over how tasty it looked.
“Amazing! This is great!”
“How’s the soup coming?”
Lumachina was just about to take a sip to test it. “The seasoning is perfect. I think a fish bouillon would be tastier, but still.”
“If it’s ready, then that’s good enough.”
They laid down the plates. After Lumachina gave thanks to God for the meal, it was time to eat.
“It’s so gooood!!!” Horn cried out in joy.
“It really is delicious,” Lumachina said, elegantly cutting the herb-grilled chicken and carrying it to her mouth in small, neat pieces. Her expression brightened with every bite she took.
“...Just calling this a delicacy wouldn’t do it justice.” Rem was munching on her own medium-rare portion, without cutting it into pieces.
“It’s super yummy! I think this is the yummiest meat I’ve ever had!” Even Shera, who preferred vegetables to meat, was praising it.
Diablo took a bite. The scent of the herbs and the meat’s juiciness were impeccable. The chicken meat filled his mouth with a delicious flavor as he chewed it.
“Good...”
Feigning calmness, he whispered this one word, but in his mind, he was applauding.
—Hm. We just made it for the first time, but I feel like next time we can make it even better. If we make it under a stove with a stable fire, we could fry it more easily and make it more fragrant.
There was no status screen in this world, but if this was like Cross Reverie, would Diablo have gotten to level 1 in the Chef subclass? It certainly felt like he did.
“Compared to the herb-grilled chicken, the soup would probably be disappointing,” Lumachina said, a bit dejectedly.
“Ahaha, it’s still tasty, but yeah,” Shera agreed.
Lumachina had no skill in cooking whatsoever, but despite having lived in luxury until now, she was a good judge of flavor.
“The seven herbs and the seasoning are just right, but...there is something missing. I guess a meat or fish bouillon really would be tastier... Soup is just no match for it.”
“I think it could use some tender garnish to it?” Shera was also quite the connoisseur, oddly enough, given how much of a glutton she was.
Diablo tasted the soup as well. “Hm...? It’s not bad, but it’s missing a little...flavor.”
“But if you added the chicken to it, its flavor would overtake the soup.”
“I think it’s tasty...?” Horn, who didn’t have much of a sense for matters involving taste, didn’t seem to mind.
Rem, with her sensitive cat tongue, blew on the soup to cool it down.
—That missing...flavor...
“Offer me tribute, puny ones!”
The Grand Crab cried out again, still stationed before the gate.
That’s right, they had forgotten the crab was the one that ordered the food.
“That missing flavor...” Diablo whispered under his breath.
Ten minutes later—
“My, how delicious! I cannot say I have ever had soup this good!” Lumachina exclaimed happily.
“It’s so yummy! Isn’t this great!?” Shera looked pleased, too.
“S’amazing!” Horn was shedding tears of gratitude and joy. “My cheeks won’t stop shaking... So this is what it’s like when something’s so tasty it melts in your mouth!”
“...Tastee...” Rem slurred, apparently regressing back to an infant.
“Yes, it is as I thought—nothing beats crab stew!”
†
Three days since entering the dungeon—
Diablo’s group had reached the ninth level, which had a “Caution Overhead” in the entrance.
In the game, a player could get through the whole thirteen floors in an hour and a half. Here, on top of getting through each level, descending the staircases also cost them precious time on top of traversing through each individual level.
And by now, the seventh mark had surfaced on Lumachina’s body; only two remained.
There were no puzzles on the thirteenth floor, so only four levels remained. By Diablo’s calculations, they should be able to finish the dungeon within the day.
“...I think I can hear the sound of a river.” Rem’s feline ears twitched. “A big one, at that.”
“It smells like there’s water nearby, doesn’t it?” Shera said, sniffing the air.
Diablo nodded. “To get through this level, we’ll have to travel across a narrow path on the cliffside. Flying monsters will attack us as we go.”
The idea was that adventurers wouldn’t expect flying monsters in a dungeon and would be ill-prepared to deal with them, resulting in a grueling battle. But that shouldn’t be an issue with this party. Diablo alone had enough firepower to take out airborne enemies, and Shera could use her bow. Even if they were to take some damage, Lumachina was there to heal them, as well.
They once again assumed the formation of Diablo, Rem, Lumachina, Horn, Shera. That way, the two anti-air fighters were in the front and rear of the row, defending the middle.
“Watch your step,” Diablo warned the group.
A muddy stream surged violently below the cliff, the roaring of the water echoing in their ears. In the game, falling into the water and getting swept away would just take you back to the start of the first floor, but Diablo was well aware of how ruthless this world could be when it came to matters of distance. If they were to fall in with armor on, there was a good chance they would drown to death.
“You should be especially cautious, Horn.”
“You got it, Boss!”
Just as Diablo had designed it, there was a road wide enough for only one person to walk on along the cliff; and despite there being a cliff, it was still inside the dungeon. The mountain was within a spacious hollow, the narrow path running against the wall, with a deposit of underground water running beneath the cavern.
As they began crossing, the flying monsters soared their way, having spotted them.
“Whoa, they’re coming!” Shera raised a small shout.
She fired an arrow; her skill was certainly considerable, and the bow was enchanted with powerful magic. Just a single graze from her arrows petrified the monsters. Shera alone could have probably handled the whole wave alone.
He’d wanted to preserve his MP, but to stay on the safe side, Diablo attacked as well. He pointed Tenma’s staff overhead.
“?Lightning Arrow?!”
A light elemental spell that fired shining bullets, it was the higher-ranked version of ?Beat Arrow?. The arrows penetrated their targets easily.
The assaulting monsters strength and attack patterns were just as he had remembered setting them. Everything was going smoothly...
..or, it should have.
A winged snake, a monster Diablo had never seen before, swept down on them from above.
—Wait, no... I remember this monster. Isn’t this a Summon!?
Indeed, it was a Summon called ?Flying Worm?.
“Diablo! There’s a Summoner on this floor!” Rem cried out.
“So it seems!”
If they defeated the summoner, the summon would disappear. But even then, they couldn’t ignore the one right in front of them.
Diablo pointed Tenma’s staff at the beast.
“Explosion!”
A puff of black smoke enveloped it. But at that moment—
A ?Trap Worm? burst out of the narrow path, dividing the group in two.
“Get away!” Rem had noticed it at the nick of time, pushing Lumachina away.
“Kya!?” Lumachina managed to just barely stay balanced.
—This Summon again!? Don’t tell me it’s the Paladin from back then!
Having escaped the worm’s attack, the party was divided by the now ruined path. On one side were Diablo and Rem, and on the other side were Lumachina, Shera, and Horn.
The opponent wouldn’t let this opportunity go.
“Ohohohohoh! I got you now!”
A man clad in azure armor appeared from the hole the worm had burrowed, his sword drawn and at the ready.
“Gewalt!?” Lumachina cried out.
He was the Paladin who tried to kill Lumachina near Faltra. To think he would chase her all the way out here!
The place he had appeared was too close to Lumachina, taking away any chance Diablo had to cast his magic. Diablo had a plethora of methods to defend himself, but no spells that would help him protect his party.
Rem, who was adept at close quarters combat, was on Diablo’s side, and Shera had only just finished shooting down the other airborne monsters.
“Die in the name of my generous reward!” Gewalt swung down his longsword at Lumachina.
“Ahhh!” Lumachina stiffened in terror.
“I won’t let you!”
Horn jumped in, pushing Lumachina aside. Had Horn tried to brandish his cheap dagger against a high level warrior like Gewalt, the Paladin would have cut him down along with his dainty weapon.
Perhaps knowing this, Horn had thrown himself against one of Gewalt’s legs. Normally, all he would have done was make the Paladin lose his balance, but they were on a narrow path, and the Trap Worm’s burrowing had rendered it to be even smaller.
“Whaaa!?” The Paladin’s leg slipped off the path. “What are you doing, you little shit!?” Gewalt thrust his sword toward Horn.
A splatter of blood flew into the cold air.
“Agh!?” A small scream escaping his lips, Horn fell down into the pit.
Diablo kicked the ground, jumping into the air after him.
“Rem, keep going!” he called out, with no time to even confirm if his words had gotten through to her.
With the howl of the wind whistling in his ears, he rapidly approached the violent stream.
“Diablo! Diablooo!”
He could hear Rem’s sorrowful wailing.
Gewalt was the first to fall into the river, Horn hitting the water with a splash immediately after him. Then Diablo had fallen in, washing away in the stream.
“Ugh!?” Even his strong, high-level body could do nothing to oppose the water’s force, since he had no footing to brace himself.
He dove underwater, judging it to be somewhat safer compared to the gushing water’s surface.
Looking further into the stream...
—There he is!
Horn was sinking, weighed down by his armor.
The paladin, with his steel armor, should have been suffering the same fate, but there was no sight of him. Maybe he was further down the stream.
Diablo didn’t have the leisure to look for Gewalt at the moment, though. Instead, he swam after Horn. If it was his real body, he never would have been able to swim through such a rapid current, but Diablo had no doubt in his heart that he could save him as he was now. This was because, in Cross Reverie, Diablo had learned the ?Underwater Action? skill.
—Don’t think about the how! The less I think about it, the more I’ll be able to use my in-game abilities! I have to believe in myself... No, I have to believe in Diablo! I’ll catch up to Horn, no matter what!
He reached out to Horn, closing the distance. He had no idea how he was swimming like this, and yet...
Diablo firmly grasped Horn’s hand.
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