Chapter 213:
Chapter 213:
Dungeon Stampede 2.0 Sudden
[Whaaa…!]
Life energy bursts forth from the giant black spider in a stream of light, its golden radiance enveloping us.
(Hah… We did it…)
It felt like a sudden jackpot hit in a pachinko game at the end, but a win is a win.
[Whaaa…!]
The life energy being absorbed into our bodies revitalizes each cell, even erasing the fatigue lingering from lack of sleep.
"Amazing… What power…?!"
"Totally different from before…!"
Serai-san and Nina-san are astonished by the immense life energy pouring out of the giant black spider.Yeah, the amount of life energy here is clearly off the charts. It easily surpasses the life energy from the Red Vampire Carrot on the third floor of the plant dungeon or the Evil Apple Monster on the fifth floor.
(Oh right, gotta…)
I need to retrieve the mithril shoehorn that got lodged inside the giant black spider.
Perhaps due to overloading it with magic, it's now rampaging inside the spider like a hose with too much water pressure. Leaving it unchecked could cause unexpected accidents.
(Return, mithril shoehorn. Aura power telekinesis… activate!)
By channeling my energy to create an aura, I can achieve effects similar to what's commonly known as psychic abilities. Hence, I can do tricks like ‘returning weapons to my hand with psychic power.'
(Might as well grab the magic stone too…)
Thanks to the mithril shoehorn's rampage, the giant black spider's insides are a mess. As the shoehorn slices open its chest, a large magic stone emerges from the melted flesh.
(Hmm, another blue magic stone…)
Monsters usually drop red magic stones.
Yet, this is the third blue stone, following the Fly Queen and the Giant Red Scorpion. All from incredibly strong boss-level monsters, so there must be some significance.
But seriously, what kind of ridiculous destructive power does this mithril shoehorn have…?
I grab the handle and disperse the inherent magic, stopping its white glowing activation state. Originally, it likely created fine vibrations to reduce friction, making shoes slip on smoothly.
However excessive magic seems to have caused abnormal effects.
What should have been fine vibrations became like a dentist's tool for removing tartar… no, this isn't just that. It's more like a high-frequency blade. No safety features? This is insanely dangerous!
[Whaaa…!]
"Hah… Hah… So hard to breathe, Coach…!"
"I-I can't take any more…"
Wait, what…? The life energy isn't stopping!? It's just continuously gushing out…
"Damn! I'll create an escape route, you two get out of here!"
"Ugh, I feel sick…"
"Ruu-chan, come on, let's escape this way…"
I manipulate the mucus to form a slide, allowing Ruu and Nina-san to escape from the giant black spider.
The giant black spider seems to have entered a continuous jackpot mode, with no end in sight to the life energy. This is absurd… It’s already been two minutes since the life energy started pouring out, yet there's no sign of it stopping.
[Whaaa…!]
"Serai-san, hurry!"
"I… I can still… take it…!"
Seriously, you don't need to be so stubborn here… I get it, though. If I could, I’d also try to absorb as much life energy as possible. But this amount is dangerous…
Thanks to the Spirit System, the absorbed life energy is automatically distributed.
So Pixie Queen, Shiotaro, and Red Slime share the burden, making it 1/4th for each of us. That's why I can endure this dense life energy. But for Serai-san, directly exposed to such concentrated life energy, her body won't hold out.
"Come on, don't push yourself, hurry."
"I… can still… Gah…!!"
(Wha…! Serai-san is coughing up blood!)
Her face isn’t visible due to the full-face helmet, but blood is dripping from the intake vent. Absorbing too much life energy can cause this…
"Queen! Shiotaro! Red Slime…!"
I summon the spirits and immediately pull Serai-san out. They can handle the rest of the absorption…
….
The giant black spider's life energy kept pouring out for over seven minutes. Even the Giant Red Scorpion only lasted 2-3 minutes, this is insane.
"Ugh, so exhausting…"
"My head hurts…"
As a result, everyone exposed to the giant black spider's life energy is now completely exhausted.
Even I feel like I'm suffering from decompression sickness. My body feels under intense pressure from the inside, it's extremely painful. Dizziness, ringing ears, and muscle and joint pain all over.
Serai-san, who held out the longest, is now in critical condition, unconscious.
"If a monster attacks us here, we're in trouble…"
"Yeah, we need to find somewhere safe to hide quickly…"
We were supposed to have a flawless victory, yet now we're all incapacitated in an instant. We need to find a safe place to hide, fast…
…..
Dragging my body, I rolled into the room. My muscles and joints ached terribly, making it hard to move as I wanted.
Even so, with the help of Pixie Queen, Shiotaro, and Red Slime, I somehow managed to bring the three of us to a safe place.
"Ah, thanks to you too…"
It was the Third Coffee Cricket that carried the unconscious Serai-san on its back.
Seeing us defeat the giant black spider, it must have realized it stood no chance and turned itself into a card. Forcing it to drink gallons of coffee probably didn't help, so that’s likely the reason.
Anyway, after one last push, I managed to get the three of them onto the beds, and then I too lost consciousness…
…..
When I came to, I found myself in a modest room with a dandy macho man in a leather suit in front of me.
The room seemed humble because I know of clean, modern buildings, but this room, with its Western movie-like decor, was likely top-notch in this world. The man continued to lecture me.
It seemed I was in another one of those otherworldly dreams.
"Hey, Salt, are you listening?!"
"Huh, oh, yeah."
I must have had a blank look, as the man glared at me again.
Next to the man was a woman with a monocle who gave a slight smile. She had the look of a beautiful secretary. Ah, dreams. Somehow, there was a handsome muscular man and a beautiful secretary-like woman sitting across from me. Both were stunningly attractive, making me a bit envious.
"So, your name is Salt, right?"
"Yes. By the way, can I ask your names?"
I decided to ask for their names as well.
"Hmph… I am Highlow, head of the business department of this adventurer's guild."
"I'm Nezari, also a guild staff member. Nice to meet you, Salt."
Oh, so the adventurer's guild has a business department… interesting.
And the man in the leather suit is the head of that department, huh? I thought he might be the guild master, but that was close. His name is Highlow.
Nezari, with her indigo hair, is a beautiful woman with a calm demeanor despite her age. She seems like the type who would take a joke without brushing it off rudely. She has the aura of an experienced, talented woman.
She's now holding a wooden board, writing down what she hears on paper of poorer quality than straw paper.
"…You were found near this village, attacked by monsters, and have no memory of anything before that, right?"
"Yeah, something like that."
I wondered what to say in this dream interrogation, but it seemed I'd already said quite a bit.
"Could he be a spy from a neighboring country?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Someone causing trouble right after arriving wouldn't have the skill for that. He might be a diversion, with the real one already infiltrated… Check the inn for suspicious individuals."
"Understood."
They discussed counterintelligence measures right in front of me. Am I being underestimated?
"And a handsome man with black hair… like the legendary one."
"Hey, don't speak such nonsense. What if you're charged with disrespect?"
When Nezari, who stood up, said something meaningful, Highlow suddenly panicked. What’s this about?
"Um, who is this legendary person…?"
"You don't need to know!"
Oh, shut down completely. What the hell…
As Nezari shrugged and opened the door, a dazzlingly handsome knight was pulled in by the doorknob.
(What was his name? North… something?)
"Ah, finally here, ugly Liddis."
"Hey, don't call me that! Besides, Highlow, you're not one to talk."
(Ugly? For this handsome guy? And Highlow too…? What’s going on?)
"Haha, true enough. So, Liddis, tell me about when you met this guy."
"Oh, you called me here for that? Fine. I found Salt surrounded by Geo Wolves on the outskirts of the village, so I helped him and took care of them all."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Other than the unusually high number of Geo Wolves, nothing else is notable. Gino from the disassembly is taking care of it, so you can ask him too."
"Hmm…"
Highlow and Liddis seem quite close, chatting without reservation. But Nezari also called me handsome earlier, right…?
(What’s going on?)
I looked around and found a metal plate on the mantelpiece that could serve as a mirror.
It was polished as a piece of decoration. I peered into it to see my face. It was my old face, not my recent one. Well, it’s a dream.
"Hey, Salt, are you worried about your looks even now? Is this a dig at us?"
"Huh…? No, I was just thinking this plate is really clean."
"Hah… You're in a position where you could be turned over to the guards any minute, you know?"
"Wait, really?!"
…Well, I did use magic in the city. In my world, that's like firing a gun in public.
"Still, you're really handsome, you know. I wish I could be like that…"
Liddis, the dazzlingly handsome knight, envied me.
Uh… hearing that from someone as handsome as Liddis sounds more like a joke. But in this world, Liddis is considered ugly, and my average looks are seen as handsome…
This world is really over the top…
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