NOVEL NEXT Chapter 92
“Man, that looks really shitty.”
Now, every time I see a little snake, swearing just slips out.
The sight of the snake heads approaching menacingly, flicking their tongues, reminds me of the fierce struggle on that deserted island. The day I had to fight the Hydra for my life. Compared to that Hydra, this thing is like dirt under my toenails, but still, I can’t let my guard down.
The quickest way to lose a human life is through carelessness, after all.
“Uh, are you sure you’ll be okay alone…?”
“Hey, instead of worrying about that guy, wouldn’t it be more productive to think about what angle to take for a photo?”
It’s not wrong, but it kind of pisses me off. I tried to push the voices of the two chatting behind me as far out of my senses as I could while glaring at the lizardman with dark green skin. One was holding a slingshot, and another was holding a crossbow, plus three more each wielding one-handed weapons and shields.
Their weapons didn’t look like they were made with high purity, but they seemed decent enough, crafted from iron. They probably didn’t make them themselves; they must have looted them from humans. I remember this game being fairly faithful to its lore.
“Sif. Get the screenshot ready.”
“I’m already holding it~”
Then, shall I try moving? I approached them at a leisurely pace without using any skills. It’s hard to get a good photo if I handle things with skills, so I had no choice.
It had been a while since I had swung a shovel effectively, so I also intended to revive my senses.
If skills won’t work, all I have left is barehanded combat.
By the way, this is annoying.
I glared at the three lizardmen charging at me with shields up front. Their movements were orderly. Is it the result of programming or training? I adjusted my grip on the shovel.
The distance, about thirty steps, shrank rapidly.
I waited for the distance to be less than five steps. Watching the three large lizardmen charging towards me was quite intimidating. But they are still just lizardmen.
As they entered my range, I bent my body slightly. It was a move akin to a Chinese martial arts technique. The bipedal lizards lowered their heads to chase after me, who had suddenly vanished from sight.
Too late.
Before the snakes could respond, I swung my shovel at their legs.
No, I severed them.
“…This is why they keep talking about mithril.”
Click.
The scream shook the cave. Blue blood. I rolled sideways without being able to wipe the blood off my face and dodged an arrow. I quickly followed by neatly tossing the severed head of the lizardman towards my enemies.
Click.
The judgment of the lizardman seeing the rotating head of its comrade was to flee. But there’s no way I’d let them get away.
“They’re a bunch of traitor scumbags.”
I pulled out a dagger from my waist and threw it. It was a cheap dagger that could be found anywhere, but leather can’t be tougher than iron. I approached the fallen lizardman, who was screaming loudly, and kindly ended its life.
“Sif. Did you get a good shot?”
“…Was that shovel a weapon?”
“Of course it is.”
“I thought it was just a tool since you always use skills!”
…Well, I haven’t wielded the shovel that much. It’s much more efficient to just bulldoze through low-level dungeons using crafting skills. There’s no need to risk my life fighting like this.
“Impressive…”
“Put your backpack on again. We’re going further in.”
“Hold on! We have to loot everything valuable from the lizardman!”
Sif quickly pulled out the lizardman’s eyeball while saying that. Quite the thrifty one, huh? I listened intently to Sif while watching her extract eyeballs and then perked my ears to the faint sounds coming from far away.
…Looks like she’s gonna be extracting eyeballs for a while. Of course, that is Sif.
“Sif. Are you done yet?”
“All done now!”
“Then I’ll start moving.”
There’s no reason to wait; we need to head out.
I moved toward the sound of footsteps.
————
2nd Floor.
Coming down the stairs, we arrived in the swamp area, staring at the vast expanse of swamp before us, sighing simultaneously.
Damn, it’s wide.
Small safe zones floating between the swamps, with orcs standing on top of them.
There are two ways to break through this marsh.
The first is to sprint towards the stairs in the distance with all your might; the second is to step on the safe zones scattered throughout the swamp sequentially to reach the other side.
The first option is impossible.
I could easily do it alone, but since Elisa is with me, rushing ahead isn’t an option.
So we have no choice but to take the second option.
“Wow, I really want to blow something up here.”
“The atmosphere is eerie…”
“Well, it is a swamp, so it can’t be helped. Crafting.”
I bring up the intact soil from the safe zone to make a path. Normally, it would be hard to move and fight in this section, but our purpose is to take photos to leave proof of our dungeon exploration. I tested the path I made by tapping it with my foot.
“The soil quality isn’t great.”
Moreover, the option of heading straight down a level is blocked. With this terrain, I’d likely end up submerged in the swamp. The relatively stable patches of ground scattered here and there might work, but… I glanced at a safe zone visible about 50 meters away.
How have I remembered this after ten years?
This really reminds me how much of a gaming nerd I was. I can’t remember my parents’ faces, but recalling trivial dungeon information is quite remarkable.
Maybe it’s due to the reincarnation bonus or something.
“Johann? Why are you spacing out all of a sudden?”
“I was checking the safe zone. Let’s get moving soon.”
I was the first to step onto the path I made. It was sturdy enough, but just in case, I used the repair skill every five steps.
“Repair.”
The soft path became solid again. What a needlessly troublesome pathway. I turned around to check if Sif and Elisa were following closely, then landed safely in the safe zone.
“Orc hearts were a material for alchemy, right?”
Or was it a troll’s heart? I’m not quite sure. I should’ve checked the glossary.
I scanned the bodies of two orcs slowly rising by the campfire and calculated my options.
Normally, if you invest, you want to recover your investment, right?
…Actually, it’s not much of an investment; just some food and a few pieces of clothing, really.
“Sif. Which parts of the orc can be sold for money?”
“Probably only the heart?”
“Gotcha?”
An orc that discovered us let out a grotesque sound and rose from its spot.
“Uek!”
“Shut up.”
I swung my shovel and smashed the charging orc’s head.
With a clear, crisp sound, the orc’s body stumbled. Since I hit it with full force, it must have sustained a concussion.
I immediately soccer-kicked the groin of another charging orc, forcing it to kneel. Even an orc with its strong physique couldn’t hold out against that vulnerable spot, unable to mount any respectable resistance as it went down.
“…Elisa, come here.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“We need to take a picture.”
“Uek!”
“Shut up.”
I made a V-shape on the orc’s head and adjusted Elisa’s position next to me slightly, ensuring we could get a good shot with both orcs.
“Elisa. Strike a pose. No need to be too scared; it’s safe here.”
Elisa stood between the kneeling orc and the one with its head split open, making a peace sign with a trembling face.
So they do it here too.
“Sif, take the shot.”
“…What the hell are we doing? Seriously…”
With a grumbling sound, the shutter click echoed. Immediately after taking the photo, I pulled out the heart of the orc gasping for air and rolled it into the swamp. The swamp turned red. I was so used to this sight that it felt mundane.
I stuffed the unsettlingly pulsing heart into the pouch I had brought along.
“Was the photo well taken?”
“Uh… probably?”
Why does she look so uncertain? I approached Sif and checked the captured photo.
The picture featured Elisa standing between the orc with a split head and the one foaming at the mouth. Elisa look so pitiful with her teary-eyed peace sign.
Anyone seeing this wouldn’t be able to argue against it being a composite photo.
“…The professor would be shocked.”
“This will definitely be nominated for screenshot of the month at the dungeon exploration guild! You’re the only one who’d take a scene like this!”
“Keep your voice down.”
“Meow!?”
Does she only get mouthy when she hits? Upon consideration, I noticed that she doesn’t attach ‘meow’ at the end of her sentences like a typical cat beastkin. Is she the unusual one?
“Sif.”
“Stop hitting me!”
“Is there a reason you don’t attach ‘meow’ at the end of your sentences?”
“You’re asking some strange questions out of nowhere… Do you think I’m a kid? I’m an adult, you know?”
“Um… I heard that cat beastkins only do that when they’re young, and when they grow up, they speak normally…”
“Thanks for the extra explanation.”
“Ah, no problem…”
Is it from my compliment? Elisa’s expression lightened a little. I easily picked up on that due to my enhanced perception. Good thing I said it.
“Let’s get moving again.”
We continued stepping on the safe zones as we moved. Handling the orcs was my task. After all, there were only two or three huddled together, so I approached the stairs leading to the 3rd floor, skillfully mixing in some skills and digging for their hearts.
“I’ll probably pull out twenty of them, so that’s about 10 gold coins~ The lizardman eyeball only nets 1 silver each, so that’s kind of disappointing.”
“Must be a lot of supply then.”
“In the dungeon called ‘The Flood of Istarim,’ thousands are supplied daily, so it’s bound to be plenty.”
The Flood of Istarim…
I don’t quite recognize it by name, but it seems to be a dungeon where lizardmen appear frequently.
“Is the supply of orc hearts low?”
“There aren’t many dungeons near the academy where orcs show up. If you report this dungeon, wouldn’t the supply increase and the market price drop? A fresh source for orc hearts would be created.”
Sif’s reasoning makes sense. So, taking plenty of orc hearts here wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
More money is always better.
“If I play my cards right, I can earn dozens of gold coins…”
“Really? We could earn that much? Then maybe you could give me a bit more as a reward?”
“I did all the fighting.”
“But I took all the photos! I gathered all the lizardman eyeballs in the 1st floor! I’m putting in so much effort to take these shots! Isn’t it the right thing to give me a little more?”
I contemplated whether to bop Sif on the head for demanding her reward so boldly, but then I nodded. I’m not a wicked boss. I can’t ignore a thief-cat’s right to work fairly and get paid.
“Add 5 gold coins to it.”
“Can’t it be 7 coins?”
“Okay, I’ll give you up to 7.”
“Wow, that’s our superb employer, no, my esteemed boss!”
I snickered at Sif, who was beaming with delight, her ears perked up, completely unaware.
She’s probably happy for now.
“Just remember, when we go down to the next floor…”
“Don’t worry! I just have to keep taking pictures like I am now!”
I felt a little anxious. I shifted my gaze from the overly confident Sif to Elisa, who was glancing around while holding onto my sleeve. She looked calmer than when we first entered the 2nd floor. After two hours of this, I guess she’s gotten used to it.
“Elisa.”
“…Did you call?”
“You don’t need to be too scared. It’ll be over soon anyway.”
“Y-Yes?”
“This is the end, the 3rd floor.”
“Don’t tell me you have a searching skill as well?”
“…Yeah.”
Actually, it’s based on my knowledge from before the reincarnation, but I nodded in affirmation, following Sif’s lead.
Upon my nod, Sif grumbled, “How many skills do you have? It’s so unfair.”
“Stop complaining. Now we have to enter the 3rd floor.”
I gazed at the staircase leading to the 3rd floor in the distance. There was no one around. In other dungeons, there would always be some monster blocking the stairs, but considering the gimmick of the 3rd floor, this was only to be expected.
“I’ll set up the camp after we go down to the 3rd floor.”
At my words, the two nodded with relief.
3rd Floor.
The highlight of this venture.
“…I hope it’s just like in the game.”
I opened my mouth wide and stepped towards the staircase waiting for us.