Chapter 10 – Twins and Dungeons (6)
The stress experienced by those who frequently go through the crisis of death is beyond imagination, and to relieve this stress, pleasure through appropriate stimulation is required.
What… However, there are often exceptional cases in which stress is relieved only with a sense of achievement in self-development through prayer or ascetic practices based on firm faith.
Compared to today, in this era where there is overwhelmingly less enjoyment, such stimulation can be easily found through means such as gluttony, sex, alcohol, gambling, and arenas.
And now, Marcus and his friends, who bought a contraceptive potion from Roden, choose to relieve stress without asking, sex.
As soon as he received the potion, Roden, who briefly caught up with Marcus and his party to leave, gave them a minimal explanation about the contraceptive potion.
“In the case of male contraceptive potions, there may be slight differences depending on the constitution, but keep in mind that the duration is between 10 and 12 hours.”
“Oh oh! The ones sold in other cities were at most 5 hours long… ，What Mr. Roden made is sure of its performance. It’s enough time to enjoy a few more games after a good night’s sleep.”
As soon as Marcus finished speaking, a colleague next to him showed a playful smile.
“Keuhehe. Captain Marcus, do you have the stamina to do that? I think I’ll stretch out after overdoing it today.”
“What a piece of shit… Of course not! But in order to do my best, I will fill this evening only with guys who are good for stamina and charge!”
“Oh, and it takes 5 to 10 minutes for the effect to fully circulate in the body, so shouldn’t we wrap it right after taking it?”
At Roden’s afterword, Marcus and the others giggled at the same time, exchanged greetings briefly, and headed toward the city, arming each other’s shoulders.
Looking at their backs, Roden remembered the old days.
It can be interpreted to mean that there is a female adventurer or a naive village girl who has eyes for her around here.
Roden also had such a time, so she set aside the contraceptive potion as a consideration for juniors who wanted to enjoy playing with fire without any fuss.
‘Those juniors must have bought it without hesitation thanks to the jackpot in this expedition, but considering the wallets of adventurers, 75 copper per piece is a bit expensive.’
The ingredients of the contraceptive potion were not so rare, but they were not so common, and considering the effort of combining herbs and poisonous herbs in the right proportions through the hands of experts, the price was unavoidable.
Anyway, Roden turned over the signboard to signify that he would finish today’s business, locked the door, and headed straight to the underground workshop.
“Ah, master. You came just in time.”
When I went downstairs, I was greeted by Roxia, who had changed to her demonic form and changed into work clothes, and there were a mortar and several beakers that she had set beforehand, as well as a variety of medicinal herbs on a large table.
“You waited? You worked hard to prepare by yourself. After the work is over, let’s eat outside.”
“Yes!”
Due to the influence of the dungeon, the number of adventurers looking for potions has increased recently, so Roden and Roxia had to make potion materials every day after the business was over.
ㅡ month after month.
As Roden, wearing cotton gloves, starts to grind the contents in a mortar with herbs cut into appropriate sizes, the strong smell of grass gradually spreads throughout the studio.
Loxia, who is turning the mortar in the seat next to him, also constantly glances at Roden and grinds herbs, like a child copying her parent’s behavior.
She was so focused that clear sweat formed on her face.
“Isn’t it difficult? It’s almost done now, so it’s okay to rest first.”
“I prefer working with my master to resting.”
A word from the girl who showed a smile like the morning sun made Roden’s heart thump.
It was a work that she did with a dry feeling alone, but since she was with this child, Roden thought that even this was fun and Roxia wanted to be of any help to the master.
The work of the two men and women thinking of each other soon entered the finishing stage.
“… Yes, finally, hand me the number 4 beaker.”
“Here you go.”
All work was completed by pouring the contents of the mixture of ground herbs and medicines in the beaker into glass bottles attached to the automatic blender in order and then operating it.
ㅡChik-chik, chik-!
“Now, if you wait until tomorrow morning, it will be finished.
“Right, right? Even now when I think about how I made this in the first place…”
Sensing Roden to tell her story about the automatic blender, the only one who spoke at great length, Roxia, belatedly realizing that she had made a mistake, put on a clumsy performance to escape in a hurry.
“Ahh!? Go，Suddenly hungry! I’m sorry, but I’ll go upstairs first! Master!!”
“… Huh.”
Loden, who was left alone in Roxia’s hurriedly departed studio, had a very sullen appearance unsuitable for her age.
* * *
The next morning, the twins, who were jumping up and down in the streets of Varmela, waved their hands at the two men.
“… It’s late. You have to be on time for your appointment.”
A man with Mohican hair, who was two inches taller than most men, and of a fairly good physique, complained in a respectful tone to her twin sister.
This man’s name is Pin. He was wearing leather armor reinforced with thick iron plates in each important part, and he had a rather heavy mace hanging on each side of his waist.
“Ahaha! I’m sorry. I had a hard time sleeping last night.”
“I’m sorry I’m late. Mr. Finn and Mr. Altaf.”
“Hey, don’t apologize for Marill. Considering what you usually do, you must have been late because of Merim.”
In contrast to Finn, Altaf, a rather slender boy with red ponytails and a smaller-than-average physique, pointed out Merim’s usual behavior and laughed.
Every time Altaf, who has a playful eye, moves his limbs, a faint creaking sound can be heard from his clean, wrinkle-free clothes.
Those with experience will notice that a chain shirt and small weapons are hidden under Altaf’s clothes.
“Ah, you judge on your own without even looking.”
“Wrong then?”
“… That’s right, though.”
“Look.”
The two men who are talking to her twin sister are adventurers of the same level as them. The adventurer here in her guild often worked hand-in-hand with them, and it was not a short-lived bond.
“Did you prepare the potion without any problems?”
At first glance, Finn looks like he is well over 30 years old, but the polite tone that comes out of his mouth indirectly reveals Finn’s personality.
“It’s carrots. I brought plenty of them, so don’t worry. Captain.”
“We also prepared everything we needed the day before, so let’s head to the guild right away.”
Nodding their heads side by side at the words of Finn, who naturally took on the role of party leader for reasons such as experience and age, the party headed straight to the adventurer’s guild.
… When I opened the door, not only were the adventurers belonging to this guild, but there were also adventurers from nearby cities, so it was quite noisy.
“Uh~ Because of the foreign guys who came after hearing the rumors of the dungeon, it’s work to find a place to stay these days. Work.”
“There are some kids who sleep in stables or even eat homeless food.”
Finn, who looked around without a word, immediately turned to the line hanging in front of the reception desk.
“Then I will check my turn for a while and come back.
“Okay.”
“Yes.”
After a while, Pin, who gathered the party who had been scattered and exchanged information, showed them a wooden plaque with the guild’s seal on it.
“It’s our turn this time, and they said the beacon went up a little while ago. Let’s leave immediately.”
“Hehe, it’s a good day today, isn’t it? As soon as you come to the guild, you start immediately.”
The four of them met each other’s eyes and nodded, and without hesitation, they headed for the northeast forest and the entrance to the dungeon.
* * *
Upon entering the dungeon, the party, who first checked whether there were enemies nearby, raised their heads side by side and looked up at the colorful sky of another dimension.
It is a bizarre and mysterious landscape, as if the entire stained glass of a holy cathedral was attached to the sky.
“It’s my second time here, but I still can’t get used to this place. Looking up at the sky makes me slightly dizzy.”
“It’s just fun, but what? How many times will you come to a dungeon in your future life?”
“I have information from other partners, but we must not be vigilant here. Everyone move in the usual formation.”
The party formed a formation in the order of Altaf in the role of reconnaissance, Finn in charge of the front, Merim in charge of her rear, and Marill to protect her.
ㅡSue.
Unlike his usual light attitude, Altaf, who was scouting ahead while remaining silent, sent a hand signal without turning his head.
At the end of his gaze is this dungeon… To be precise, the monsters that mainly inhabit the ground floor of the Masti area.
Bizarre creatures that look like a mixture of mushrooms and humans are roaming about, spewing out spores that don’t look very good for the human body.
“Maybe because it vaguely resembles a human, that monster is particularly creepy…”
Marill muttered so much not because she was sensitive, because the other colleagues were nodding their heads at her opinion.
“Determine how to start. Chief.”
Altaf spoke in a whisper and handed over the decision to the party leader, Finn.
“… Miss Merim. As usual, use area attack magic, please.”
“Okay~ It’s still in the outdoor area, so I’ll blow something hot. Captain.”
Raising her thumb towards her teammates, Merim began to focus her mind, holding her staff in both hands.
“Fire Lane!!”
As Merim opened her eyes and shouted with her magical power, the language changed the world’s logic, and the language became a spell and exerted its power.
Reddish-red flames spread like a spider web from the tip of the staff and poured down in a parabolic red trajectory towards the mushroom people.
The gathering place of the mushroom people became a sea of fire in an instant. The smell of burning mushrooms came out from here and there.
“Wooooo!!!”
Altaf and Maril followed after him with a loud scream from Finn, who charged with blood clots in his neck. Rolling on the floor, he crushed the heads of the mushroom people who were trying to extinguish the fire attached to his body, one by one, with a mace, or slashed them with a sword. ．
Occasionally, there were those who resisted and attacked, but they were not a party of ragtag adventurers who were clumsy enough to be attacked blindly.
“After… No one was hurt, right? Let’s catch our breath and find the monsters to hunt next.”
The party nodded their heads in unison to the pin.
The reason why they bother to hunt mushroom people who don’t even give loot is because of the dungeon’s special structure, in which the entrance to the next mind world appears only when a certain number of monsters are caught.
After a short break, the twins and the two men continue their search for their next prey.
