Year 7444, Month 5, Day 25
Morning, I woke up before daybreak and before having breakfast I think while running. Angela is keeping up behind me as I run. These guys, don't they get tired of that? Just like this Zulu and Angela switch out daily under the pretense of fortifying as my bodyguards. The only times they don't come with me are long holidays like the end of the year and when I go to the capital, also if I'm just randomly wandering around the town.
It's not like they're particularly causing any trouble for me so if my slaves can relax better like that then I'm just letting them do as they please. It's not a bad thing to run after all. It leaves a good impression that as long as I don't talk to them first they have no intention of interrupting my thinking as well. I run up the crater-like hills surrounding the town of Baldukk as a warm up and once I get to the summit of the crater I increase my speed running the roads. I wonder if I can't increase my Endurance a bit more already? I started running when I was 10 years old but I've still only gained 1 point in Endurance from my daily running.
There was an early dawn sky when we left but it's gradually started to get brighter. After breakfast yesterday, because of the exhaustion from the dungeon I took it easy for a day and thought about various things. In regards to the continued casualties in Rokis's party.
Since I'm sure that Rokis's party had enough ability to make it to the 2nd floor, even if their members were in their late teens to early 20s, I didn't think they were all that foolish(or reckless) in their behavior. Since they were able to make it to the 2nd floor they should have properly been producing a map and being reasonably careful.
However, it's a fact that you never know what will happen in the dungeon and as a result of that there were some casualties. If I remember right then the first one was the Bunny-man died in combat to an Ork. Next was the Tiger-man who died from a crossbow trap. I don't know if the Bunny-man died on the 1st floor or the 2nd floor but since they're a party that goes to the 2nd floor it should have been there. In regards to the tiger-man the crossbow traps come out on the 2nd floor as well so it's a very possible story.
After that, two people have died in boss rooms on the 2nd floor. It's unknown if they died as a result of the combat or traps but just going off information from the surface there's nothing strange there either. If it's at that level, it's really something that happens all the time.
However, the next one is the problem. On the 1st floor, while in combat with a Giant Spider in the boss room, one more died from stepping on a trap. It takes some guts to enter the dungeon after 4 people had already died and combat ability has dropped but it's not all that strange. It was after he made reservations for three combat slaves after all, I'm sure he wanted to earn even just a bit. In the first place, we only had four people when we first challenged the dungeon. And if it's at the level of the 1st floor it's not like there aren't people who enter it alone so it's not all that strange.
Giant Spiders are a large spider that have a body of around 50 cm, they're individual combat ability isn't as high as Gargantuan Spiders. However, different from Gargantuan Spiders when they come out in the boss rooms they come in groups. They have poison as well and are reasonably fast so depending on how you think about it they could be seen as more troublesome than Gargantuan Spiders. However, they don't usually have webs in their nest like the Gargantuan Spider so if you make sure to fortify your defenses they aren't all that much of a problem. Unless they manage to jump on you and bite somewhere there's no armor or clothes you won't take much damage either.
That's why, if most adventurers have confidence in their skills they can just kill them in one thrust of the speed or quickly run through the room shaking them off. If you were to say something extreme then as long as you properly fortify your defenses it will take time but even some newcomers can deal with them. I doubt there's any newcomers who properly fortify their defenses though. Their magic stones are roughly the value of 2 goblins each and since they have poison, it's common to just run past them or ignore them, that level of monster. After all antidote medicine is 20,000 Z (2 silver coins) for even the cheapest ones. And you never know when other monsters might come attack you while you're fighting them so most people just choose to run past them.
The reason why Rokis and the others chose to fight against the Giant Spiders, I can only imagine as to being they thought they wouldn't take much damage and if they're careful they could retreat before any other monsters came, though that itself is fine. Even when it comes to stepping on a trap in combat, it's not a good thing, but well it happens. There are times when you can't always pay attention to your feet in combat after all. There's no surprise you might step on a trap if there is one. The problem is that trap was supposedly in the boss room.
Up until now, at the very least until the 6th floor we're at we've never discovered anything like a trap in one of the rooms. I guess you could say there's something small that is similar to that though. Though I think the possibility we just overlooked them is high. I think that that but somehow I can't just accept that. The only time traps that come out that kill in a single hit are the crossbows starting from the 2nd floor. Even then it's only if you take it to the face, neck, heart, or vital organs, in many cases it won't kill you instantly. Though in reverse you could say it's plenty enough to kill you.
The only traps on the 1st floor are pitfalls, unless you fall in head first they shouldn't be anything that you would lose your life from. Since it seems to have been in combat, it might have been possible when he had some momentum going he tripped and rolled in head first, is a possibility as well but in that case I wonder if they would say "stepped on a trap"? Well, that was just something Ralpha heard from rumors, so I don't think it's all that trustworthy but...
In the first place if you interpret "stepped on a trap" as "activated the effects of a trap" then it's no problem. The problem is that trap was in the boss room on the 1st floor and it's unknown what kind of trap it was. In some meanings you could say it's only common sense that it's either a pitfall or alarm if it's a trap on the 1st floor(even on the map we produced of the 1st floor there's nothing but those two types) but I can't deny the possibility there's even a crossbow. There's even worse traps than that on lower floors after all, it wouldn't be unnatural at all if a huge metal ball suddenly came rolling, the ceiling suddenly falls, or some spears come flying. I've heard that there's a case on the 2nd and 3rd floors where the wall is a pitfall (if you lean on it then the wall pushes in), as well.
I wonder if we should investigate it?
If you think about it realistically then I'm sure it's impossible. However, after thinking about it this far I realized that what was bothering me was something different. Or rather, since I just don't want to think about it I was thinking more about investigating traps. I noticed it yesterday morning. In the first place the first victim the Bunny-man, they say he was killed during combat with an Ork. I wonder if this is true? It's hard to imagine a party of adventurers who can make it to the 2nd floor dying to a monster other than the boss rooms.
Putting aside some newcomers, these are guys who were exploring the dungeon for over a year. It's unthinkable that they let their guards down and their skill shouldn't be bad either.
Were they killed by someone else while in combat with the Ork? Since it seems they retreated they weren't able to confirm the corpse of the Bunny-man. Whether it be a sword or spear wound, an arrow, or maybe even spell (If it comes to {Air Cutter} or {Winder Cutter} from a glance they look like sword wounds). In any case, they aren't idiots so if they notice the situation is a disadvantage to them they'll start running. If during combat with multiple orks someone were to fall, it makes sense they'd run if they can. Just like Orks do in that case.
The second victim, I heard that the Tiger-man who picked a fight with me died from a crossbow trap. I wonder if this was during combat as well? During a time when they're fighting with multiple monsters the guy next to them makes a mistake and falls. After the combat when they check him and there's a bolt from a crossbow in one of his vital organs. There weren't any other monsters. Ah, this guy, so he stepped on a trap huh? Otherwise someone else stepped on the trap and the bolt unluckily hit him. Here..after searching there's a switch nearby. This is a trap.
It's not strange thinking that way. Rather it's only obvious.
It's the same for the ones after the third. The fact that they died during combat was the same as the first and the fifth one is said to have died from a trap but it's not said to be a pitfall. The only trap that's come out with a specific name so far is the crossbow. A considerably shocking death through falling into a pitfall it would be stranger for them not to mention it.
Shit. Is this the revival of {Bright Blade}. If you're going to ambush the opponent then you want at least two to three times the enemy in numbers. Since if you don't crush them all at once you it's easy to end up taking damage on the attacking side. You gradually reduce their numbers starting from those with the flimsiest equipment, once they've been reduced to a certain number you wipe them out all at once. Since the limit that you can enter the dungeon with is 10 people the first objective would be to reduce them to 5 people or less.
Previously, the timing that {Bright Blade} attacked us was perfect. A powerful enemy like the {Frost Lizard} appeared, we used magic consecutively to get rid of the gargoyles, and all of the {Slaughterers} were focused on attacking the {Frost Lizard}. After some amount of damage was done to the {Frost Lizard} they tried to use focus fire on me who seemed to be out of mana and can use magic, next up would have been to finish off the archer next to me right away. By that time the rest of the party would have been exhausted from combat with the {Frost Lizard} so they would have had trouble dealing with a sudden attack. The only method for the {Slaughterers} to survive in that situation would be at best to have the dwarf girl using the spear move around to guard the rear while somehow quickly finishing off the {Frost Lizard} then all trying to attack at once.
If I hadn't been there, no, if I had been out of mana then the probability we would have been wiped out was really high. However, that was a strategy that could be used because we were in combat with the {Frost Lizard}, no, because we were in combat in a boss room on the 5th floor. And in the first place, the {Slaughterers} only have 8 members. Putting aside the vampire that came out on the 4th floor, if it's just at the level of the 1st or 2nd floor one person can remain to keep the monster in check while the rest of the members could have done some damage to {Bright Blade}. Of course, in the end {Bright Blade} probably wouldn't lose but if there's a possibility they would take some kind of damage I'm sure they wouldn't try initiating such a reckless attack.
It's only obvious but {Bright Blade} has already been wiped out so it's someone new.
I don't know how they're following after Rokis's party but it's not like there's no methods at all. I'll try thinking about the several methods that are possible.
A.
1. First off they start by doing something to reduce the number by even one. This is fine even if it's a coincidence.
2. Next time by coincidence as well..
..It's only obvious that's impossible. What kind of out of the world probability would that be?
B.
1. First start off by somehow reducing their numbers my one. This is fine as a coincidence.
2. After the next time, one of the attackers uses the spell {Invisibility} and sneaks in when they teleport together.
3. Use a crossbow and watch out for the chance during combat..
..Rejected. {Invisibility} is a spell I wouldn't even know if I hadn't heard about it from Karl. I can't imagine there are many people who can use it. There's also the problem of the duration and their equipment.
C.
1. Have one of their allies sneak into Rokis's part. Bribing one of them is fine as well.
2. After that..
..How are they going to meet them in the dungeon. It's impossible. Rejected.
D.
1. Have one of their allies sneak into Rokis's party. Bribing them is fine as well.
2. That person looks for the chance and shoots a bolt from a crossbow at them.
..It seems difficult but it's probably not completely impossible. It doesn't have to be a bolt but magic is fine as well. After killing them if you pretend to be the first one to discover their corpse and point to a bolt nearby it could work. On hold.
E.
1. Go ahead and wait in the teleport room on the 1st floor for them.
2. Split the party into multiple groups, while they're in combat aim or guys who are spacing out they aim for with a crossbow and kill with a bolt. It would require a considerably high level of skill.
3. In this case, they wouldn't have had their eyes set on Rokis's party from the start. It's possible that they just happened to succeed twice and after that they tried putting priority on them as well.
It's an extremely difficult thing to manage but not as much as A. It doesn't just have to be the 1st floor but if they wait in one of the areas leading towards the center of the dungeon not far from the teleport room then it's not a completely impossible method. Though they would need enough skill to deal with the monsters on the 1st floor alone...On hold.
F.
1. There's a method of using the teleport crystal rod that I, no, that isn't commonly known. For example if you chant the same incantation as the previous party you can teleport to the same location...Since there's supposedly people that have tried this that shouldn't be the case but there might be some method that isn't known.
I'm sure the probability is low. For the time being, On hold.
G.
1. There's someone who has some sort of Unique Ability that let's the attacker know the current location of their target.
It's close to F but this would make them a reincarnated person. If I think about the number then after all it seems like a low probability. It's also unnatural that they wouldn't notice us, or we wouldn't notice them while wandering through the town as well. If it's a Japanese then they would probably try coming to talk after all...Well, for the time being, On hold.
H.
1. One of the attackers can use some kind of spell that can determine the location of the target.
It's about the same as B. {Locate Object} or {Locate Mammal} I guess..For the most part it's pretty unlikely. Rejected.
The one's to take into consideration as a possibility are from D to G but F and G..I wonder about them. It's pointless to even start thinking about in the case that it's one or both of those. Particularly F. In this case, they would have a method to send a large scale unit into a single area of the dungeon so it would be unnatural for it not to be known. Ah, I guess it's pretty meaningless if they can't use it past the 2nd floor huh? If it's just a matter of clearing through the 1st floor then 10 soldiers would have no problem after all.
Well it's fine. I should think if there's any other methods in regards to D and E.
It's about time for my running to end.
..........
I have breakfast together with everyone the same as usual while concentrating my thoughts. It should be fine to ignore G and H on this occasion. There's not much meaning in just thinking about it. The one with the highest probability is probably E. I'm sure it could go even in combination with D. In the case that it's combined with D, it would take several months to get close to them or sneak someone in but it's not something that can't be done. In that case, if the attackers were alone or few in number then the reason might be related to a grudge as well, in the case it's also a mix with E..I can't abandon the possibility that it's related to a grudge but there's also the possibility that it's a, job, as well. Of course, even if they're alone it's possible it's a job.
"What is it? Making such a complicated face. Did something happen?"
I guess it's because I was making a frown while thinking and not really participating in the conversation.
Zenom called out to me with a worried voice.
"Yeah, I was thinking a bit about Rokis and the others."
Ralpha jumped on after hearing my words.
"Ah, after all it was bothering you? I thought it was strange as well right."
He~ so you did too?
"I wonder if that's the case, it sounds just like a story you can hear from anywhere though."
Angela entered the conversation.
"As a matter of fact, it was bothering me a bit as well. Particularly the part about a trap in the boss room, isn't that unnatural?"
Bel added as well.
"Ah, Bel you think so too? Up until there were no traps in mon-rooms right? That's why, I thought this was a really serious matter, yeah."
After all Ralpha noticed that part as well. However stop abbreviating things like mon-room.
"Ah, if you put it like that, that is true. There were no traps in monster rooms up until now."
Toris agrees with Ralpha and Bel.
"However, Kalstalan-sama, isn't that just that we haven't been able to find them until now?"
So Zulu agrees with Angela huh?
"Since it's not like we've seen all of the rooms up until now..Hn? However, since around the 4th floor we've seen pretty much all of them..It's true I don't think there were any traps."
Zenom said seriously.
"But, in that case then what in the world..Ah."
Judging off Gwine's expression it seems she arrived at the same possibility as I did.
"Probably..It's just probably but I think there's someone targeting Rokis's party."
I bit off a piece of my bacon, left my oatmeal with salt and pepper flavoring to the side, and took a sip of bean tea before saying that.
"Yesterday, I've been thinking about it since then.."
I said all of the things I just organized in my head since yesterday while running. Excluding B, C, G, and H. Since I've started to become able to trust Zulu and Angela if we weren't in this place I wouldn't mind telling them about it though. Giberuti is here as well.
"Hmn, if you put it like that then that feels like it might be the case as well."
Bel agreed with me.
"Certainly, if you say it like that then that seems to be possible."
Toris thought of it as well.
"I wonder what their objective is?"
Gwine said her thinking one step ahead.
"If you were to think about it normally then, it's probably a grudge. Maybe they're resented by someone for something in the past?"
Zulu shows a glimpse of his hasty thought processes. Though I wonder if it's really a good idea to hastily come to a decision. That is still plenty a possibility.
"That Rokis-san is the son of a Marquis-sama from somewhere right? Isn't it assassination or something? I don't know about Rokis-san's siblings, father, or mother but if the Marquis-sama is a minister that isn't the lord then it could be their political opponent or something. Depending on the case it could even be a job from his family to reduce the members of Rokis-san's party in order to call him back home, or something like that."
Giberuti who was quiet until now said that. Huh? This guy, he can think things out pretty well.
"Larry, you, weren't an idiot? Since you're always so frivolous I thought you were a bit out of it."
There's only one person I know who calmly say things like that. That's why you're still getting into so many fights.
"That's rude. I'm not an idiot. I have a head that can properly think about things."
Giberuti responded a bit angry. When he faced Ralpha his drooping ears jumped up a bit. Even though he's a 26 year old bro I thought it was a bit cute.
"Forgive her, Giberuti. Just as you can see, she left her brain in her mother's stomach. She's a pitiful child. You can tell the hardships Zenom went through right?"
I said that to Giberuti to calm him down and continued my words.
"Ralpha as well I'm always saying it right. It's your convenience to think that way but stop putting it into words every time. The atmosphere will get worse. In the first place it's not amusing. Shut your mouth for a bit. Let's stop with this conversation already. It's not like we're the ones being targeted after all. It's not guaranteed that Rokis is being targeted either. Even if that is the case, it's just a matter of ROkis giving it his best to repel that. That's the end. Let's stop there."
After being told that by me Ralpha was a bit displeased but she just pouted her lips and started to sulk. It's true it might seem like she's reflecting a bit but I really wonder. I'll give her points for obediently remaining quiet though.
...............
Year 7444, Month 5, day 27
We're entering the dungeon again starting today. I wonder if Rokis was able to get his hands on some slaves? Just past noon the other day, from a glance I could see them doing cooperation training in a vacant lot on the edge of town but there was five of them. However, I haven't seen them since yesterday. I'm sure they got their hands on some. I wonder if they're entering the dungeon yesterday and today? I wonder if they noticed that they're being targeted? Well even if they have realized if they don't enter the dungeon they can't earn anything. Since it's easy to tell sooner or later they'll curl their tails up and run home, if they don't want to return home then there's no choice but to enter though.
Just like usual we smoothly cleared through the 1st and 2 floors, we took slightly early lunch in the teleport room on that 2nd floor. Next to all the guys that are chewing away at dried meat and preserved foods we're crunching away at a cabbage, spinach, and garlic stir-fry with salt and pepper seasoning while biting into chunks of pork in a delicious meat soup. We took a two hour break to regain our energy while being looked at with stares of envy and teleported to the 3rd floor.
We crushed the first monster room and cleared through the second one with no problem either. On the third room there were four {Cave Gorillas} so we struggled a bit but we were able to wipe them out without any injuries. And we charged into the fourth room.
It was something we already knew before we entered the room but this is a room with something like torture devices. A bed with something like handcuffs and shackles on it, an {Iron Maiden}, a pitchfork, some pliers with spines on them, a wooden horse made from metal, some crosses and other devices for waterboarding, some of the wooden parts seem to have degraded a bit but large devices are scattered throughout the room. We've never tried entering a monster room of this type until now.
But, the moment we entered the room and just in case I was taking a look around it happened. There were six passages that lead into the room but all of those exits suddenly had some kind of metal cage fall down sealing us in the room!
The only ones who made it into the room were Zulu, myself, Gwine, and Toris us four. The remaining five are still outside of the room. I ran up to the iron bars but let alone Zulu, I can't even open it with my strength. This is bad, we were split up! It was only a brief moment that I thought that, Bel and the others who were outside were yelling warnings.
We turned around in a panic and I caught sight of a large silhouette raising from the bed approaching over here. It's height easily exceeded two meters, close to two and a half. Before I even said anything Zulu and Toris fortified the front while Gwine went on guard with her spear. I went into stance with my bayonet while,
"We'll meet the enemy a bit closer to the center. It's difficult for Bel to support us."
said that and had Toris and Zulu charge forward.
The silhouette is closing in on us with large steps. If I look closely it has something like surgical scars and incisions all over it's body and it's skin is like patchwork. The thickness of it's right and left hands, and right and left legs are slightly different and the length of it's right and left hands are slightly different as well. {Frankenstein} huh? It's wearing pants that are close to a worn-out cloth and while it's wearing something similar to a shirt only a small port of it is remaining so it's almost useless in terms of defense. It's basically one step above being naked.
【】
【Male/4/4/7444 · Flesh Golem】
【Condition: Incisions】
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