CH 23

Ain: “BOSSー Can you drop the rope downー”

[UNBEH～]

According to Sia, if we travel from the hole Hannah fell in, we would be able to arrive at the stairs that lead to the underground Dungeon.

As Boss holds the rope in his mouth, we climb down back into the hole. Once we reached the bottom, Boss dropped the entire rope down after us.

Ain: “Okay, then we’ll get goinー. We won’t be back for about 10 days, so don’t eat all the carrots at onceー”

[UNBEH～]

Ain: “Okay, then shall we get going, Sia?” Sia: “Yea. Thatway”

Sia uses her nose to find her way. According to her, there was a strange scent that was different from everywhere else coming from a certain direction.

Ain: “Oh, there really was a staircase going down.”

Sia: “Ohhー”

There’s no Monsters inside so we can easily proceed down further, and when we decided to run, we made it all the way to the 2nd Base Floor before the day ended.

Ain: “Alright, why don’t we start preparing for dinner.” Sia: “Uayea”

Ain: “The [Alchemy BOX] ー (sigh) this thing is so handy. I can even carry really heavy stuff inside it.”

If I let go of the box away from my body, with a <whoosh>, it disappears. When I call it back, the contents inside the BOX were left just as they were.

This time, I put several wooden water bottles, sliced cabbage, salt, and lots of potatoes. I put the powdered Cron and frying pan in my backpack, and directly carried it.

Ain: “It’s good that it’s just the two of us. If it was more people than this, the [Alchemy BOX] would have been full carrying just the water we need alone. I wish we had an Item Box in times like these….”

Sia: “Iーem box?”

Ain: “I-T-E-M. Simply put, it’s a small backpack or pouch that’s connected to a different dimensional space, and you can put an infinite amount of items inside of it.”

Sia: “Uuuー?”

Sia tilts her head in confusion. It doesn’t look like she’s heard of an Item Box before.

In this world, there is something called an Item Bag that is a Magic Artifact. This is only something I read out of a book, but it’s a super-rare item that is dropped by Dungeon Monsters.

Ain: “Okay, tomorrow, we’re going to keep exploring! We only have food to last us 10 days, so if we consider our return trip, we need to arrive at the bottom of the Dungeon in 4 days. If not, we’ll have to give up and come back.”

Sia: “Amu. <nom nom nom>”

Ain: “I hope we run into a Treasure Chestー”

Just like in the games I played, this world also has Dungeons with Treasure Chests. And there’s also the chance that it can turn out to be a Mimic.

I wonder if Treasure Chests would still remain even after a Dungeon dies?

Or would they disappear as well?

We never found out the answer to that question, but around the afternoon of the 5th day, we were able to arrive at the deepest room of the bottom floor.

How could we tell that we were in the farthest room on the bottom floor? That’s because there was a throne in this place, and behind it was a pedestal that probably held something important.

Ain: “It’s the furthest, deepest room…….”

Sia: “AUu”

Ain: “I guess there wasn’t any treasure anywhere.”

Sia: “AUUuuu”

Ain: “Well, I just wanted to come here and take a look, so at least we got to do that.”

Sia: “Yea”

Alright. But now that we’ve arrived in the farthest room in the back, let’s explore.

It’s big like a gymnasium, and it’s about 6 to 7 meters (～20 to 23 ft) to the roof.

But that’s strange. On the 7th Base Floor, but from the 6th to the 7th Floor, the stairway was the same length as usual. I don’t feel like we descended 6 meters (～20 ft).

The Dungeon may exist in a different space and time than the surface.

I saw a research thesis say that in a book…….but that may be true.

Sia: “AAOO! UーK. UーK. TREASUREー”

Ain: “WHAT?! WHーWHERE?!”

I rushed towards Sia who was looking at something with her eyes sparkling, and she was holding a rock with an odd and mysterious shine to it.

Wait, I think it was part of some round ball or sphere before. I see similar rocks with the same kind of shine to it around the ground.

Is it a jewelー? It’s broken, but since it’s so big, maybe even these fragments would be really expensive.

Ain: “Since we found it, why don’t we fix it with the BOX and take it with us?” Sia: “Oooー”

We pick up all the pieces and place it inside the [Alchemy BOX]. Once I close the lid, I hear [A piece of the Dungeon Core] four times ー one for each piece.

Ain: “WHOA?! HーHey, thーthis is apparently pieces of the Dungeon Core!”

Sia: “UOOO?!”

Ain: “Wowー so they just left it here. Okay, let’s put it back together. I’m sure it’ll look really beautifulー”

Sia: “UOOo～N”

It’s easy to fix broken things with this [Alchemy BOX].

In an instant, inside the BOX was a brilliantly shining emerald green sphere. The core inside the middle is radiating all colors of the rainbow everywhere.

Ain: “It’s so prettyー”

Sia: “UOooo”

Ain: “Hey, let’s use this as decoration for our inn.”

Sia: “Yea”

But as soon as I take the sphere out to take a better look at it from the BOXー

The ground shook.

And the sphere that was in my hands floated into the air and gently flew over to somewhere.

Ain: “HーHey! Where are you going!”

It headed straight for the pedestal.

It went flying towards the pedestal behind the throne and fell right into place.

The ground shook greatly once more.

At the same time, I sense a twisted and evil presence.

Sia: “U……..uuA…..”

Sia looked over my head and trembled in fear.

Ugh….I don’t want to turn around. I don’t want to look behind me, but if I don’t, I won’t know what kind of thing appeared behind me.

I close my eyes and turn around. And taking a deep breath, I open both my eyes.

A dark shadow. A dark shadow gathered and turned into one single shape.

[I have….RESURRECTED!”

And the shadow roared.