Volume 4 Chapter 9 Striving For Survival
While quietly holding our breath, we moved through the castle.
"Sshh"
I signaled to everyone and we hid behind some objects. Soon enough, the crystal soldiers we had seen earlier were walking down the conspicuous path.
There were ten of them. The crystal soldiers were marching in formation. Seeing that, I held my breath desperately.
As we moved, I realized something. Those crystal soldiers from earlier were all just small fry in this area.
I also confirmed the presence of crystal heavy warriors, crystal soldiers' captain, and the crystal magician.
In this castle, the lowest-ranking monsters were the crystal soldiers.
That's why they gather. Even though just one of them is a threat, they usually form squads of 5 to 10 and act together.
That's the kind of enemy they are. That's their role here.
Even though just one crystal soldier is almost evenly matched with me.
"...They're gone. Let's move."
We moved. As we moved, I pondered.
Strictly speaking, it's not a fair match. I have a magic called gravity magic, which allows me to directly affect my opponent. I can lift them up without even hitting them, rendering them unable to move. This gives me a significant advantage even against opponents with greater strength.
So, I can win and escaping would be easy too. At least if it's just me.
But, we were a party.
'...'
Now, it had been several hours without any conversation. Although everyone was skilled adventurers to a certain extent and didn't show it on the surface, in a situation where being found could mean death, it was inevitable that we were all exhausted.
"One unit, crushed, gone."
Ice said, creating a new snowman and releasing it again.
I had been relying on Ice for the mapping around us. If there were ten snowmen acting as scouts, it would make things easier to some extent. That was the plan, but it turned out to be too optimistic.
Because the area was incredibly vast. It felt as if an entire city could fit in this single floor.
In reality, even though it seems like we should have found it by now, we still haven't found the staircase leading upwards.
For a long, long time, we have been wandering around here.
"...Let's take a break. Ice, is there a small room nearby?"
"There is one, but I don't really recommend it."
"Why don't you recommend it?"
Ice hesitated, then said, looking down,
"In the small room, there is a door, a place to hide. But... there is a staircase leading downwards there."
"...A staircase going down?"
Monsters rarely use the basic dungeon stairs. It's rare, but not impossible.
The Chimera I once faced was one of the few monsters that climbed up those stairs. The Manticore might fall into that category as well.
Therefore, enemies could come up using those stairs. They might not be here today, or they might just be coming up while we're taking a break.
In short, it a risk.
"Are there any other good places?"
"In the distance, there's only one. But, a large soldier is stationed there."
"Got it, thanks."
I ponder. The large soldier is a significant threat even on this floor. The fact that it moves mostly alone is evidence of that.
If we engage in battle in a private room, there's a possibility of fighting without alerting other enemies. That way, it would be safe. If it's a one-on-one situation, I should be the main fighter. At least, the party would be less likely to suffer damage compared to facing ten crystal soldiers.
However, since it's in the distance, there's a chance that no battle would occur in nearby smaller rooms to begin with. If there were monsters coming up, assuming they are few in number, it would be better than facing the large soldier.
After considering the possibilities, I made a decision.
"Let's move to a nearby room. Let's take a break."
'Understood.'
The expressions of everyone slightly faltered. I grit my teeth, realizing they are truly tired.
The movement was carried out swiftly. We managed to avoid detection when the crystal captain passed by once. It would have been dangerous if their scouting ability was high. I can't thank Ice and Toxy enough.
And then, we opened the door, tumbled into the small room, and closed it. Naturally, our eyes drifted towards the stairs.
We look away. And then, sit down.
"Break time starts. I'll keep an eye on the door and stairs, so everyone can rest or eat. Break ends in three hours."
Following my instructions, everyone collapsed from exhaustion. Ice and Toxy fell asleep right away, while Clay closed his eyes soon after putting something in his mouth.
However, Sandra sat beside me and said,
"I'll take the watch."
"...Thanks, Sandra."
We sat side by side, resting our bodies but staying alert.
Then, Sandra handed me something.
"Here."
"Hm?"
"Candy."
"Haha. Thanks."
I took the candy from Sandra and savored it. Sandra spoke up.
"Don't worry about it. It's mostly my fault. I didn't realize that a treasure chest with no traps is actually a trap in itself."
"I truly regret it," Sandra said expressionlessly while keeping watch.
"...No, it's different. It's my fault for getting excited in the dungeon and saying 'I want to open it'."
Sandra pondered over my words.
"It can't be helped. If you're a treasure chest virgin, it's natural to want to open it."
"Isn't there a different way to phrase that?"
"It's understandable to feel down when your first experience ends up like this."
"When you say 'first experience' in this context, it only sounds like that meaning."
Not losing her sharpness even at this point, I retorted to Sandra. Then, unusually, Sandra slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.
"Good. You still have energy left."
"...Yeah. I still have energy."
I can't stay down. Saying that, I finished eating the snacks crisply.
"Do you want a refill?"
"Please."
"Here you go."
Sandra started eating too. The two of us were deep in the dungeon, munching on snacks crisply.
"In this party, only Wade and I can fight the monsters on this floor."
"Yeah."
"Ice has a frost armor. She's invincible until her magic runs out. Your instructions for the first battle were accurate."
"Thanks."
"Then, I have a few strategies."
I look at Sandra. Sandra looks back at me.
After returning my gaze to the lookout target, I said,
"Let's hear it."
"Got it. Just so you know, there are some inhumane strategies. I'll suggest them expecting them to be rejected."
"Understood."
"Here's the rejected plan. Leave three people here, and me and Wade will aim for a quick return. Then we'll bring reinforcements for a rescue mission."
"Indeed, that's a rejected proposal. The reasons being the high risk and difficulty in securing reinforcements. Both the rescue team and the standby team have limits in terms of food and stamina. We don't even know if we can return safely, and I have no idea how to recruit a gold torch adventurer with money."
"Next, let's continue exploring as we aim higher gradually."
"...This isn't much different from the initial rejected proposal. There are limits to food and stamina. We'll eventually be in dire straits."
If this was a test to make me realize something, Sandra is quite skilled.
Sandra continues.
"Next, let's look for a reverse trap."
"The plan itself has no flaws, but I'm concerned about whether such a thing exists. If it does, we can safely utilize it by confirming it up to Ice's snowman."
"Good idea. Finally, let's head downwards instead."
"Why?"
"To challenge a formidable enemy for our last memories and fall while feeling satisfied."
I look at Sandra. She has a blank expression but sparkling eyes.
"...Actually, you weren't serious when you said that, right?"
"About half of it is serious. It's an option I wouldn't take if I could live. But not a bad move if death is certain. What do you think?"
"Even if you ask, I won't go along with it."
But I say,
"If you're prepared to die, it might not be so bad. The idea of going out in a blaze of glory isn't all that bad."
"Wade, you're my comrade after all. Actually, the way my parents died was kind of like that. So, I plan to go out the same way when my time comes."
Suddenly hearing about the death of both parents, I look at Sandra in surprise.
However, Sandra, with a face of contentment, was gazing downstairs, harboring an unfathomable darkness.
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