Chapter 23 Exploring The Dungeon (Part Three)
"Probably an adventurer who came here before us."
"Huh?"
When Morimura said that, everyone would have recognized that the figure lying ahead was a human. Fresh blood was still flowing in large amounts beneath the body.
"T-This means..."
Tsubasa couldn't finish her sentence.
"He fell into the trap of this room. There are multiple traps set in this room."
Saying so, I drew my sword and carefully extended my arm near the pillar. Suddenly, arrow-like projectiles were shot out from the pillar. Three in total. The arrows, which flew through the empty space, pierced into three other pillars. Everyone stared at them in astonishment.
"There are also blades coming out from other pillars, and the floor suddenly collapses. There are various traps. So, everyone, please follow me and don't deviate from the path I take."
Everyone gulped and anxiously nodded. And as I took another step forward, I realized my lack of foresight. I heard the sound of something crawling around me from all directions.
"Everyone, prepare your weapons!"
Everyone prepared their weapons as instructed.
"What, what's that?"
Shimura asked with a trembling voice. Soon, the sound of something crawling and scurrying grew louder. In the light of the torches, what appeared was a creature that resembled an insect with flat legs, and there were many of them!
"C-Cockroaches!"
Morimura screamed in a voice close to a shriek.
"No, rather than cockroaches, I think they're more like pill bugs,"
Midoritani Tsubasa said. She had good eyesight, and I responded to the two of them.
"Dungeon Gusokumushi. It has a shape similar to the deep-sea giant isopod, which is a creature that can be found in the depths of the Earth's oceans. The difference is that these creatures have venom and attack animals."
"Screech!"
The Dungeon Gusokumushi emitted a strange sound and came towards us. It was quite fast.
"Tsubasa, shoot them with an arrow!"
Tsubasa immediately drew her bow and shot arrows in rapid succession. Several Dungeon Gusokumushi were pierced in the head or abdomen, changing direction or flipping over, flapping their legs.
"Shimura, Kiridani, Kondo, Morimura, don't let the bugs approaching Tsubasa get close!"
"What about Akito?"
Shimura shouted.
"I'm looking for an exit. And these bugs hate light and fire. It's also effective to drive them away with a torch if they get close!"
I said that and relied on my memory to find a safe path. I cut off the Dungeon Gusokumushi that were in my way one by one.
As we advanced to a certain point, I shouted to everyone,"Go straight here!" "Go to my location while bypassing that pillar on the left!" The five of us surrounded Tsubasa in the center, driving away the approaching Dungeon Gusokumushi, sometimes cutting them down as they advanced.
(Alright. We're coordinating well. With this...)
But it was too soon to think that. The bugs had somehow surrounded us in a circle.
"We're surrounded!"
Shimura screamed.
"W-What do we do?"
Kiridani Jun shouted with a mixture of fear and frustration on his face.
"Ah, Akito-kun, is there any way?"
Kondo Shuichi also asked me. Tsubasa desperately shot arrows to keep the bugs away. But at this rate, the arrows would run out soon. But the exit should be close by.
"There's no choice but to break through! Everyone, I'll go ahead, so please defeat the ones coming from the direction we're moving and the ones attacking from the side. Leave the rest alone!"
I said that and ran to the front. I cut down the Dungeon Gusokumushi bugs that appeared in our path one by one. Shimura and Tsubasa followed closely behind me. Shimura swept away the bugs trying to approach from the side with his battle axe, while Tsubasa shot arrows vigorously to reduce the number of bugs in the direction I was heading.
At that moment, a large Dungeon Gusokumushi leaped at us from the front. Everyone, overwhelmed by fear, momentarily stopped in their tracks. I, on the other hand, stepped forward. I raised my sword overhead and cut through the flying Dungeon Gusokumushi. It was a clean cut. The vertically split creature fell apart, dividing into left and right as it descended.
"Don't falter! Let's go!"
Whether it was the impact of my strike or the encouragement it provided, everyone rallied together, clearing the path of the insects blocking our way, and we dashed through the pillar room.
As we reached the exit, I pushed the door open in one swift motion. All of us burst out of the pillar room with momentum. It was a place resembling a marsh bathed in a faint orange light, similar to dusk. The Dungeon Gusokumushi, being sensitive to light, did not venture out of the room. Eventually, the stone door closed automatically.
"Is everyone okay?"
I was the first to confirm that. Everyone was breathing heavily.
"S-somehow" said Shimura.
"I'm fine," said Kiridani Jun.
Kondo Shuichi then looked around and said in a strange voice.
"We should have come down from above ground to below ground, right? So why is this place like this above ground?"
His doubts are valid.
There is certainly a ceiling here, but the whole area is illuminated by light like the setting sun.
There are tall grasses and short grasses, and there are also swamps scattered here and there, making the swamp itself like a maze.
Even though we were supposed to be entering an underground labyrinth, this kind of scenery may seem surprising.
"That's why I said it earlier. The underground labyrinth itself is a different space, and there might be monsters in it."
At that moment, Midoritani Tsubasa spoke up.
"Akito, Morimura-kun!"
When I looked, I saw Morimura frowning and holding his leg.
"What?"
When I asked, Morimura responded with a pained expression.
"Something... with my leg... it was fine until just now."
"Show me."
As I lifted the hem of his pants, there was a single purple line of injury.
"What's this?"
But Morimura shook his head.
"I don't know when it happened. I was engrossed..."
He was probably almost bitten by a Dungeon Gusokumushi, but barely managed to escape. However, the insect's fang injured Morimura's leg, allowing the poison to enter.
"There's an antidote spring a little further ahead. Please endure until we get there."
As I said this, I tightly bound Morimura's thigh with a string, placing small stones on the inner thigh. By doing this, we could delay the spread of the poison throughout the body by compressing the artery.
"Morimura, ride on my back."
I crouched down and turned my back to him.
"Oh, it's fine, it's not a problem. I can walk on my own."
Morimura replied in a fluster, but I didn't agree.
"It's okay. If you force yourself to move, the toxins will spread faster throughout your body. That's why I have to carry you."
Morimura hesitated, but eventually entrusted his body to my back. I told him that I would stand up while carrying him.
"From here, we just need to move straight along the wetland. I'm sorry, but since I'm carrying Morimura, I'll ask Shimura and Kiridani to take the lead. Kondo, please cover the rear. Tsubasa, please continue to stay in the middle and shoot down any enemies we encounter."
Everyone nodded with a tense expression.
"What kind of monsters will appear here?" Kondo Shuichi asked.
"There will be giant slug-like creatures, walking sea anemone-like beings, and frog-human hybrids. Please be careful."
Kondo and Shimura nodded again, but Kiridani Jun had a stern expression. It was as if he was looking at Morimura as a burden. It was understandable, but... I didn't want him to have that kind of attitude here, especially since he was a leader-like figure in our class.
As I thought so, Shimura taps my shoulder.
"If you're tired, go take a break. I'll take over."
"Thank you."
My heart warms a little at Shimura's bright thoughtfulness.
Hello, we have a NEW project about mc whose heroines want to become his mother instead of his lover. You can read it on here => Link
Hello, we have other project about someone who has returned from an isekai. The main character is a hero who has defeated the Demon Lord. However, for some reason, the human-demon war has resumed and will take place in the MC's original world. The MC, unaware of this, meets a Saint from that world and asks them to join the war. But what does the MC say? They refuse. Is it because their love was rejected by the princess when they adventured together in the past or are they simply fed up? And are the MC will join later? You can find out by clicking on the following => [Link]
We have a new work with genre second life. The story is about a former s*x worker who didn't want to be a loner again, and fulfilling his second life. It has a life conflict and the protagonist will solve it one by one. You can find out in => [Link]
We also have a similar genre returned from isekai but has different MC's characteristic. The story is punishing someone who troll in SNS, someone who cheat and many more. You can find out in => [Link]
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)