Rayos’s cry echoes through the third floor of the Dungeon, lamenting the world’s unfairness.
The Kobold village has already been reduced to nothing but uneven ground.
“Gyaaaaaaaah! This worldooooo!”
Rayos’s sanity slowly returns. And now, at this very moment.
What kind of time is flowing on this floor? A chill runs down his spine.
“Shifuru! Tarune! Honey! Aiz-chan! Shiers! Sharz!”
My harem, waiting for me on the surface. I have to get out soon. I’ll become an old man in this space…
“I have no choice but to give up on retrieving the Amazon-turned girls.”
He bites his lip. His dream of surrounding himself with a harem fades into the distance.
Does this mean Rayos is no good alone?
Considering seriously making them true allies, such important supporting characters needed for a story’s cast.
He leaps into the quagmire he arrived in.
Rayos emerged on the second floor of the Dungeon without returning his monstrous form to its original humanoid (Polalston) shape. Adventurers who witnessed his form persistently attacked him, calling him a new species and a Floor Guardian.
“Damn it, I’m in a hurry…
Magic of various attributes that will injure you if hit, fires from the palms that have grown on his back towards the adventurers.
“Waaah! He’s using magic!”
“
“Behind trees is no good?! I’ll go behind him too—Ugyaaaa!”
“Take cover—!? Running around blindly is no good—!?”
The adventurers completely lost their momentum to subjugate Rayos, who had transformed into a monster, thinking it was their ticket to a lower floor. They were merely dodging and defending against the onslaught of magic.
By the time the magic’s intensity weakened, Rayos was already ascending the ramp to the first floor of the Dungeon.
“Are we not in trouble…?”
“Chase after him!? What if that thing goes to the town!?”
The adventurers were divided on whether to pursue Rayos. Losing the town would be a major disaster. If they found a monster and didn’t report it to the town, they would be forced to bear all the costs of rebuilding the town. Such a future now loomed before them.
“Should we run?” “Yes, let’s.” “That’s a good idea.”
“…What if we’re found? I don’t want to be! A plaything for those arrogant officials!”
Even if they were to run, the survivors at the village at the Dungeon entrance knew that they had entered the second floor of the Dungeon today. If it were discovered, they wouldn’t be able to work as adventurers in other towns. Their location would be revealed, and they would be told their debt at the counter. Thus, a life of debt would begin.
“Then, what are we going to do?”
“We have no choice but to chase him to the surface… and fight him there!”
If they fought it and participated in the town’s defense, wouldn’t the chances of avoiding a life of debt be higher?
Other parties had no choice but to bet on it as well. They aimed for the surface, hunting monsters that got in their way.
“Let’s go—!”
“Ooooh—!!”
The adventurers called out to the adventurers on the first floor. “You saw that thing. Let’s subjugate it together. If we combine our powers, we can surely defeat it.”
“Oh, right! Let’s subjugate it!”
“B-but… it’s so ominous, I’m scared…”
“Pea? It’s okay~ I’ll protect you. Pea’s magic is also necessary. Think of it as helping me, okay~?”
“…Hmph. How passionate. We’ll take care of subjugating that thing!”
The couple adventurers also followed.
When they emerged on the surface. The village at the Dungeon entrance bore the scars of their passage. From the buildings of the merchants and residents who were unharmed, residents and displaced people rushed out, asking if something had happened inside the Dungeon.
“Didn’t you do something to anger the ruler of the Labyrinth?! Do something about that monster?! It went that way?! Don’t come back until it’s defeated?!”
They wouldn’t stand for provoking Rayos and having him return to the village. Those who were fortunate enough to be safe wanted to avoid that at all costs, even if it meant the adventurers died.
“—It’s that way (wasn’t it).”
“Right. It’s in that direction. Fortunately, it’s not towards the town, which is a relief. We’re counting on you, really!?”
They emphasized that they should not bring it back with them. The adventurers, confirming their equipment and supplies, ran in the direction they were told. However, Rayos had already flown to the small country cluster to the east using Space Magic. The adventurers, not noticing that the footprints had suddenly disappeared, continued to run in the indicated direction. About four or five days later, when their food was running low, a woman adventurer who looked like a gal said, “Hey? I’m talking to you!? Is it really this direction? There are no footprints at all!?” This remark alerted the adventurers with the
“Where did that thing go?”
“Wait, did that thing with many arms move by jumping?”
They debated this and that. The adventurers decided to return to the village at the Dungeon entrance.
“We lost sight of it.”
“—!?!!”
They came back without subjugating it, and they lost sight of it? Then what should we do if it returns to this village—to the Dungeon!? It might destroy the village completely this time!
The village residents and the people from the town who were rebuilding buildings hurled insults at the returning adventurers, calling them incompetent and questioning if they were even adventurers.
After the adventurers, with their empty stomachs and supplies, prepared themselves. “We’re getting out of this village!” Both the village and the town refused them lodging. They replenished their food and spent a day camping on a large scale outside the village to recover from their fatigue. Although they were not mentally rested, their physical strength was recovered. The adventurers decided to travel together for a while, solidifying their bonds, and set off for another town.
Several weeks later. The number of adventurers in the towns and villages drastically decreased, monsters overflowed from the surroundings and the Dungeon. The town’s soldiers, wondering what they would do by driving out the adventurers, were plagued with an overwhelming amount of work. The town’s authorities said, “It’s the fault of those people from that village.” To prevent the soldiers from going on strike or leaving for other towns, they offered words of appreciation to the soldiers every morning and night, and if convenient, during the day as well. The authorities were also busy assigning soldiers the tasks of handling the mountain of complaints from residents and the increasing number of monsters.
“Come back—!!!”
“Um, one more thing—”
“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh”
“Eek! S-sorry—…!”
A mountain of documents that didn’t decrease no matter how much they were processed. It was clear that even the soldiers were not enough in number. Most of the remaining adventurers in the town were locals, and moreover, D-rank. Their ability to process work and their endurance for work were uncertain. They could only handle one or two tasks a day. The phrase “human wave tactics” existed, but it was a drop in the bucket. There weren’t enough people. They couldn’t complete their work consecutively. Monsters and Dungeon resources. Both were lifelines for the town and the village.
“Adventurers from other towns! Anyone will do, please come—!?”
“…Um… It’s an addition.”
A staff member, carrying a pile of documents, quickly brought them over. They placed the pile of documents on the floor in an empty space and left the room. Their movements suggested they had definitely acquired a skill like
