Chapter 12 – Twins and Dungeons (8)
“Wake up~ Gisaeng~!!”
ㅡ clap clap clap-!
Merim, who was the talker, woke up the party members by mobilizing even the sound of clapping their hands.
The tiredness remained on the faces of the party who got up as they twisted their bodies here and there, probably because it was a bed that could not be described as good, with only a blanket spread on a hard iron plate.
“Ha~ah. Merim… Is it time to move already?”
“Should I say good morning… The scenery around me is the same as before I went to bed, so I can’t tell if it’s morning or night…”
“Did everyone have a good night… ? Let’s just fill up and leave immediately.”
The party, who began to appease their hunger with water and preserved food stored in a canteen, completely shook off sleep while wearing the equipment they had put down next to them.
“Light”
As soon as the bonfire she had been relying on went off completely, Merim, holding her form and raising her staff, cast light magic.A sphere emitting pure white light was created in the center of the ring of the staff.
Merim twisted her fingers to control the sphere, and she made it float above the head of Altaf, who served as the party’s eye, in the shape of a heart.
“Ugh~ A gift from me♡”
“Oh, it’s so embarrassing that it’s a gift from a wizard.”
Finn, who watched the two men exchanging jokes in a light tone, smiled faintly and looked down at the crack that was still wide open, going down deeper and deeper.
“For now, Altaf-san and I will go in first, so please follow me when I call again.”
It was a bit narrow for four people to enter at the same time, so they decided to split the number of people, and after confirming that the twins nodded, Finn and Altaf jumped into the crack without hesitation.
ㅡKooung-!
As soon as they landed on the floor of the 2nd floor of the depth world, Finn and Altaf, who were in a state of alert with their weapons pulled out from their waists, took a sharp look at their surroundings.
It was still a space made up of steel plates and cogwheels… In the corner, there was a circular cylinder large enough for a person to fit into.
The cylindrical cylinder, which is more than half broken, is soaked with an unknown green liquid. It looks like…
“… It feels like looking at a broken egg.”
“First of all, there is no sign of suspiciousness around. Captain.”
Pin shouted that it was okay to come down toward the ceiling, and the eyes of the twin sisters who came down lightly focused on the circular cylinder.
“I don’t know if the people who used to live here made it… All of them are unpleasant sculptures.”
The first thing the party formed and started to explore the second floor of the deep realm, leaving only brief impressions, was another group of adventurers who were nibbling dry rice and beef jerky.
As I slowly approached the adventurers who were taking a break sitting on top of a raised cog wheel that was just right for a chair, they too felt a presence and turned their heads towards Merim and the others.
They are new faces to each other, probably adventurers from another city.
The adventurer group, consisting of four men and one woman, naturally raised their hands toward the weapon.
As much as I registered my name in the guild before entering the dungeon, I was prepared for the unlikely case of seeing blood.
Finn, who stopped the rest of the party and lightly raised his free hands, approached the hall and spoke softly.
“Hello. We’re just passing through, so there’s no need to be so vigilant.”
“Ah… ,Yes.”
The dog tags hanging around the necks of the adventurers, whose wariness has softened due to the respectful attitude of the other party, are two copper and three steel.
“Looks like you’ve done some research here, but if you don’t mind, could you tell us a bit about the characteristics of the monsters we need to hunt in this layer?”
Even when I was outside, I collected some information, but anyway, the information obtained directly from the field is much more credible.
“…”
Even if they make eye contact with each other for a while, that’s enough—one adventurer shrugged as if to say, and opened his mouth.
“A round piece of metal the size of a human head is floating around. Be careful because something like a magic missile comes out of the snow-like part.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
After handing over three fairy tales as an information fee, the group passed a group of adventurers. They continued down the gray corridor with the smell of iron.
“Captain, since we entered the dungeon… Hasn’t it been about 17 or 18 hours?”
“Roughly correct. It would be great if we could find artifacts during the remaining time.”
“Yeah, Marcus Party boasted a lot about finding an artifact on this level… ，You said you were in the room that appeared after groping for a wall.”
With the exception of one case, the dungeon has a structure in which people who have passed through the passage are kicked out after a certain amount of time.
The active time is exactly 24 hours. Currently, Merim and the others have a little less than 7 hours left.
When the group came out of the hallway, a cavity the size of four boxing arenas appeared in front of them.
Altaf, who was advancing while checking for traps or hidden rooms in the lead, sent a hand signal to stop the party as soon as he found something.
“… It looks just like the friends said earlier.”
At the place where Altaf was quietly pointing, the metal monsters floating low in the air were moving as if they were circling the cavity. The twin sisters in the back row looked at them and whispered.
“It must be some kind of golem like the ones on the first floor, right?”
“If it’s a piece of iron that moves by itself, there’s nothing other than a golem.”
Finn, who had been quietly observing the enemies from the side, calmly planned his strategy.
“Let’s see… The number is five… This time, Miss Merim and Mr. Altaf will start with a preemptive attack. They say they are the type that uses long-range attacks, so Marill, please guard Miss Merim.”
Immediately following his instructions, Merim began to chant a spell, choosing a spell with high accuracy as she was dealing with a small enemy.
“Ice Needle… “
When the casting was finished, an ice awl containing her frost was created at the end of the wand, and Altaf, who was sitting next to her, took out a Bido from her bosom.
Merim and Altaf nodded while looking into each other’s eyes, and fired their respective means of attack at the same time.
ㅡPupuk!
ㅡChanging-!
“Strike~!!”
Seeing Bido and the ice pick successfully hit the enemy, the two shouted the same line and clenched their fists.
—-Beep beep beep-!
Immediately locating the party, the remaining three small golems collected energy through the crystal embedded in the center and fired them.
Finn and Altaf evaded the enemy as they advanced, and Marill, who guarded her side, raised her buckler high to block the beam that flew towards Merim.
“Oops! Her arm is a little numb, but this is enough to stop it!!”
“Oohhh!!!”
Before the small golems had time to recharge their attacks, the pins clinging to them roared loudly and killed two at the same time with the mace in both hands, and Altaf swung the sword to take care of the last one.
The battle that started with Merim’s party’s first attack ended in an instant.
“Whoa! The first bread is always right!”
“I agree, the first bread is the best!”
“Everyone has suffered.”
“I had a hard time.”
As the party, who each said a word of their hard work, was about to collect the spoils from the wreckage of the small golem,
ㅡBy the way-Billion!!
In front of their eyes, a rift appeared that allowed them to descend to the third layer of the deep world.
“Ah… ?”
“I’ve only caught five so far…”
The party looked at Pin, the party leader, while being bewildered by the current situation.
“It’s a bit embarrassing. For now, let’s all decide together. Will we be satisfied with this level or go down to the next level?”
* * *
Lunchtime. Roden, who visited downtown alone, was passing through a bustling market to replenish supplies that were gradually running out.
He looked around the market, wondering if there was something interesting, but there was nothing that would draw his attention.
Soon after, Roden, who had escaped the market, arrived in front of a three-story building opposite the adventurer’s guild.
It is the headquarters of the ‘Holm Merchant’, a mercenary that is well-known in the vicinity, with whom he has been doing business regularly since settling in this territory.
An executive at the upper level, who was filling out the ledger among the staff who seemed busy carrying boxes in front of the building, recognized Roden’s face and spoke to him first.
“Oh, Mr. Loden. How’s your business these days?”
“It’s a problem because it’s doing too well thanks to the recent dungeon. I’m going to order the herbs and glass bottles I bought earlier.”
“It’s only been about ten days since I delivered it to Mr. Roden’s store the other day, but I can’t believe it’s already running out…”
“It’s because it works too well. The amount is… Please order twice as much as last time.”
Roden handed over the thick bag of silver coins he had prepared in advance.
The executive who received it did not bother to check in front of Roden whether the amount in his pocket was sufficient or not.
“The quantity requested is a bit large, so I think it will be delivered in about three days, but…”
“It’s okay because there are still enough ingredients left.”
“Yes, I will send it to Mr. Roden’s shop as soon as possible. Since you’ve come this far, how about a cup of tea inside?”
“Thank you for your words, but… It’s okay. I have to hurry because I have a child waiting for me at home.”
Roden, who politely refused the executive’s invitation and turned his back, headed straight to the adventurer’s guild across the street.
It’s not hard to find, but it’s a bit cumbersome to get it yourself, and it’s to request a separate collection of medicinal plants and mushrooms that aren’t handled well at the upper level.
-Oh my god… Is what is written here real?!
-Those guys are on the list and thrown away.
-It’s a pity…
“Hmm… ?”
He tried to head straight to the receptionist, but Roden, feeling a commotion, turned his gaze to the bulletin board where many adventurers were buzzing.
‘… The request board is right next to it, but what’s on that board, why is it so crowded?’
Feeling curious, he approached the place where the adventurers were gathered and read the list posted on the bulletin board.
“…”
It was a list of the names of adventurers who had been treated as dead and who had exceeded 24 hours since entering the dungeon.
ㅡBarmesa
ㅡJ
ㅡprevi
…
…
The list of what kind of accident happened at once is secretly stretched.
…
…
ㅡPin
ㅡ Altaf
ㅡMerim
ㅡMaril
And the list definitely included the twin sisters’ party members.
