Dungeon Game Chapter 23

-23- Beast Cave 4

I was woken up by a piercing voice and a slap to my cheek.

 
When I woke up, Hiiragi-san held a weapon in her hand and was certainly about to run at this moment. As I watch her retreating figure, I notice the three monsters kicking the ground and approaching from the depths of the cave.

I grasp the cypress pole that was rolling near me and get up in a hurry. I let my feet slip into the shoes I kicked off earlier and put them on while running.

The situation during that also progressed. The monsters come in contact with her who decided to leave and meet the enemy to protect the luggage.

With a feint swing, the leading animal stops its pace and the two others that follow decide to separate and go around her.

One of them leaps from her side but she repels it away by skillfully wielding the naginata. However, to make use of that opportunity, two of them moved and jumped in front and behind her.

I realized I won't make it at this rate and raised a shout from the bottom of my abdomen. My voice echoes in the cave and the beasts stop their feet as their awareness was turned away towards this way for a moment.

That little moment was enough. Hiiragi-san attacks and splits the monster that was about to leap from behind her.

 
「Hiibari-kun, please kill it quickly while I take care of these two!」

 
Hiiragi-san nimbly swings her weapon and won't let her two opponents get close. She intends to buy time. With her skills with long weapons and if she can read them with detection, she's safe for a while even if it's an unfavorable situation.

Placing my trust in that, I grasp the cypress pole tightly and attack towards the monster before my eyes.

The monster raises a roar as it avoids the pole I swung horizontally and, using the recoil of the landing, it immediately aims at my neck from the side in an attempt to bite me.

The development of the situation can be dealt with in real time simply because I was able to narrate it. I turned my neck and waist, and forcefully raised the cypress pole that was swung down even while it sc.r.a.ped the ground.

Although the beast was flung in the air, it didn't even get hit with enough power because of the unnatural posture and there is no damage. On the contrary, it aims for the opportunity when I lost my balance and leaps upon me.

I was too surprised by the critical situation. I didn't try to thrust the pole in front of me right away and only fixed my stance. However, the monster bit the pole. I stand firm and resist the pole that is about to be taken away with just its jaw strength and somehow recovered my lost balance.

I plant a kick with my leg in the monster which isn't going to open its mouth. I hit it down with the cypress pole aiming at its head after it flinched after being kicked away.

Ignoring the eyes that popped out and brain scattered around, I head towards Hiiragi-san.

 
I target one of them and strike it. It was able to avoid it but became one-on-one with this.

To avoid hitting each other with our wielded weapons, I confront the monster while keeping a distance away from Hiiragi-san.

It raises a roar and springs at me, but there's no need to be surprised unlike earlier. I will deal with it calmly.

 
◆

 
「Fuu. Good job.」

「Haa, haa, thank you.」

 
If it becomes one-on-one, there's no need to worry so much for dog-type monsters. They were also a kind that we were familiar with, so we were able to defeat them without taking that much time.

 
「I'm sorry. It would have been good if I was able to notice them earlier.」

「Don't worry about it, it's fine.」

 
Even though she heard my words, she was still looking a bit down.

Hiiragi-san seems to be reflecting that it was her own fault, but I think she wasn't responsible for it.

To begin with, there is a big difference between my ability to search for enemies compared to hers.

Unlike my detection that can perceive a wide scope, her detection can only grasp nothing but short range. Normally, that ability alone will expose the whereabouts of an enemy, so it's almost impossible for us to receive a surprise attack.

The cause of the danger this time is because I was asleep and also carelessly took a rest without being able to move right away. And because she moved to protect the luggage, the field of vision was also not favorable.

In a sense, I can certainly say that it's the limitation of exploring with just the two of us.

 
「We were able to get some sleep and there are no monsters nearby even if I search with detection. Should we eat breakfast, then explore the surroundings for a bit and go home?」

「I agree.」

 
The tension because of the dangerous situation when we woke up slackened and I gave out a big yawn. The fatigue didn't disappear. Because of the hard ground and also the rugged stones, we weren't able to sleep well.

I moved to collect the mana stones and Hiiragi-san started preparing the breakfast.

 
◆

 
When we traveled back more than half of the entire distance, we caught sight of someone heading towards the direction of the exit.

They are not the majority of our cla.s.smates who were behind us. They are in a range where I can very much confirm if it's them. Right now, they also separated from the original group, exploring and also investigating.

Those people who I just detected emerged from the depths of the dungeon. The four mana reactions are all heading towards the exit through the shortest distance without losing their way. The speed of their movement doesn't seem to be much different from us. However, the speed of their progress was faster.

The reason is that their combat time is so short that it's frightening. They exterminate almost at the same time they find it. A small camp of bat-types didn't even take several minutes. It's also particularly surprising that they are also killing monsters even from a long distance.

Perhaps it is magic? Or are they throwing stones rolling around there? I'm not sure.

But I can guess their ident.i.ties. It is the group of Wazuka Natsume.

They came back. They returned alive to the upper stratum from the far depths of the dungeon. Did they discover something?

With thirst sinking in our exhausted bodies, I and Hiiragi-san walked forward towards the dungeon exit.

 
◇

 
The white room.

 
I'm glad that we returned to the safety zone after a day and a half. She is also sitting next to me.

And it seems that it isn't just us who were exhausted because of camping in the dungeon.

Maybe because of the burden of exhaustion to the body and mind, there were a lot of bodies stretched out on the floor.

 
「You look tired. Shall I get some food?」

 
Sagara asks us with a cheerful voice. Since it's troublesome to even speak, I replied with a nod.

I want to lie down on the ground and sleep. However, we can't take a rest yet. We knew that they will return in less than an hour.

 
「You stayed inside the dungeon with just the two of you, right? Aah, I'm envious.」

 
Maizuru, who just had a bit of a tired look on her face, spoke while looking down from above.

She bent her knees immediately and sat down right in front of me. The content of her short skirt is visible. It was s.e.xy black underwear.

 
「Hibari-kun.」

 
Because of the scolding from the side, I straighten my back. I nervously turn my neck towards the one next to me. She was laughing with a sweet smile.

I also laugh awkwardly.

Watching that scene, Maizuru laughs.

 
「Oh my, was there something interesting?」

「Ha ha ha, it's nothing, Sagarkun. I was hungry. What did you bring? Okay, let's eat already.」

 
I jumped to the ration to get out of that situation. With her gaze piercing through Hiiragi-san, Maizuru disgustingly holds her sides with laughter. d.a.m.n you, Maizuru.

 
While eating the heated ration, we sit in a circle with the four of us. The cla.s.s vice-president isn't here today so we can eat while talking.

 
「Oh, I made sure to take a bath in Tsuzuki and f.u.kuchiyama's room.」

「I see. The points will be cheaper rather than using it individually. But that bath was surprising.」

「Yeah, you get into a gel instead of a hot water, right? I was surprised.」

「Still, it's not sticky and it even also completely removes skin and hair dirt.」

 
The bath provided in the private room uses 50 PP to fill the bathtub with gel for one use. The temperature adjustment is only possible during initial filling.

Just by being submerged in it, dirt and oil come off and I become very clean. Wrapped in a mysterious sensation different from water, the comfortably warm feeling was nice.

Because the dirtied part of a cloth I put in as a test also became clean, I plan to use it for laundry.

If I try to find a fault in it, it would be the transparent color becoming noticeably muddy with every use is a bit disgusting. Since there is no heat retaining feature, is it natural that the temperature drops?

 
Finis.h.i.+ng our meal, I and Hiiragi-san took away the garbage to the place where they are collected.

When we returned, Sagara and Maizuru continued the conversation.

 
「I was also surprised with the bath, but as expected, the toilet is more surprising. That thing is terrible. I became very uneasy the first time I used it.」

「That's true, you can even understand why f.u.kuchiyama screamed, right?」

 
Although we just ate, is it just me who thinks I don't want to have such a conversation? I was certainly surprised by the toilet though.

Anyway, even the toilet also used a gelatinous material. Its shape is a bit larger than an exercise ball and is slightly transparent green. You take off your clothes below then sit on top and then use it. When you place your b.u.t.tocks and entrust your body to it, its shape changes flexibly and wraps the bottom of your hips.

When you do your business in that state, it will immediately suck it in from the place it came out. It will completely swallow without any leakage.

It is indeed a strange sensation, but the gel even goes inside your opened a.n.u.s. You can't feel its hardness at all, and your a.n.u.s will be clean like it was washed as it comes out when you stand up.

Although there is also one in the private room, it needs 10 PP for each use so we are using the common toilet room.

 
「Aah, I'm sorry, Hibarin and Fus.h.i.+min. It was a topic you don't want to hear before or after a meal, isn't it?」

「I don't mind, it's fine. Our meal is also finished so can we leave? Or do we continue talking about something?」

「Mukou-s.h.i.+'s group must be tired. If you want to take a rest early, are you leaving?」

「Ahaha, I hear something ridiculous. Hibarin still going to stay, right?」

 
Maizuru declared, maybe because she is confident with something. A guess came to my mind about why she thought so, but when I look at her nasty grinning face, I would not answer even if I heard her.

Looking at me who was at loss for words, Hiiragi-san opened her mouth.

 
「The group of Oyabe-san will return after a few minutes.」

「Oh, I see. Then Yuuko-chan won't return to her room and wait too.」

「… The group of Natsume-kun…」

 
In the end, the four of us waited while talking. More than half of the other students were sleeping while those who own a private room seemed to be staying inside their own room.

Four reactions appeared in the transfer room to the dungeon. Maizuru might have noticed it too as she turned her face in silence.

The gate opened from the inside to the outside.