Volume 7 Chapter 49 The Dungeon Inside The Treasure Chest
The surroundings were similar to a dungeon's terrain.
It reminded me of the Crystal Castle area on the 80th floor or higher of the Karditsa Great Dungeon. Although the wall colors were different, the ancient ruin-like structure was very similar.
But, honestly, that's just a minor detail. I approached Terin, who was crying and wailing, holding her head in her hands.
"Aaaaah...! What am I going to do...! This other-dimensional dungeon, the flow of time inside is all messed up, isn't it...!? At worst, I'll... become an old lady here...?"
"Uh, excuse me..."
"Eeeek! Who's there?! Who is it...?!"
Terin suddenly panicked and distanced herself from me. She retreated at high speed, her butt scraping against the ground, until she reached the wall and finally noticed me.
"...Wade...-sama...?"
"I don't know why you're addressing me with an honorific, but yes, I'm Wade."
I waved my hand and showed her I meant no harm. Terin then took off her glasses, wiped them clean, and put them back on, looking at me.
"...A dream...?"
She seemed to be in a state of extreme confusion. I forced a smile and said, "It's not a dream, it's reality."
Now, what would Terin's response be?
"N-no way! That can't be! There's no way this convenient development would happen! First of all, dreams aren't supposed to be like this, saying it's not a dream!"
She denied it. Even with such a suspicious reaction, I smiled wryly and muttered, "Umm..."
"Then, is it okay if it's a dream?"
"Eh?"
"Then, from now on, I'll be Wade in your dream. Nice to meet you, Terin."
"A, y-yes. Nice to meet you too..."
And so, the strange cooperative relationship between me (in the dream) and Terin was established. I've been told not to fight Terin too much, so this should be fine.
"Well, then, as Wade in your dream, I have some things I'd like to ask you, Terin. Will you answer me?"
"I-I get it....I'm talking to Wade-sama.... This is a ridiculously amazing dream, isn't it?"
Terin gave a satisfied nod, then gazed at me with a serious expression.
"First, where is this place? I got sucked into a treasure chest, after all."
"Ah, well... To put it simply, this is a recreation of the Minotaur's dungeon from Greek mythology..."
"I see?"
So, she recreated a mythological setting. Considering all the rumors, it's clear she's incredibly skilled.
"I used the 'King Midas' Touch' to mass-produce gold coins and hid them deep within this dungeon. And I put a Minotaur in as a guardian... So, only 'Oath' can take them out."
"...I see..."
I started thinking, "Terin is incredibly amazing, isn't she?" after hearing about combining mythological items to create something with a specific purpose.
"How strong is that Minotaur, anyway?"
"Since it's a recreation of a mythological monster, I think its gold-level strength is solid. There's Ariadne's thread, which serves as an exit substitute, stored in the treasure vault, so it can be used as an escape."
Ariadne's thread, wasn't that what the lord's son used during the war?... Wait, what's going on? Is Terin capable of mass-producing artifacts?
I gulped. This guy... She might be incredibly amazing. Her ability is different from Gold's madness and passion, but it feels similar.
Let's set that aside for now. First, we need to escape and dispose of the counterfeit gold.
"So, if we clear this dungeon, we'll reach the treasure vault with the gold coins and can escape from there, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Then, let's head to the treasure vault first. If we do, we can escape, right?"
"Eh, but it's dangerous! The monster is so strong that only 'Oath' can win...!"
"Can 'Oath' really win?"
I smiled confidently.
"Then, I can win too. I don't intend to lose to 'Oath'."
"...Hau...♡"
Terin let out a voice like a scream and fell sideways, crumbling to the ground. Since she fell from a sitting position, I wasn't too worried and called out to her, "What's wrong, are you okay?" Terin replied,
"I... it's just as I interpreted...! It's a dream, but I'm doing an amazing job...! It's like a dream...! No, it's actually a dream, though."
Terin muttered with a dazed expression. That made me remember what Ridge said, "Terin-sama is a maiden in love."
"..."
If she found out the truth, she'd probably die from shock. I also have memories of being obsessed with my favorite character in my past life and with Moruru in this life, so I decided to just let it slide.
"Well, let's get up for now and head outside."
"Yes... ♡ Wade-sama is amazing... You're escorting me everywhere...♡."
"..."
I thought it was a bit annoying to be praised like that.
Anyway, our dungeon exploration with Terin was just like Eiosnight's Crystal Castle in terms of difficulty.
In other words, it was a piece of cake for me now, but if it were a few months ago, I would've been totally dead.
Those small, cow-headed creatures attacked us quickly. They surrounded us first, then charged at us with their heads leading the way.
I bound them together with chains and then slammed them to the ground with one swift motion.
"Wow! You're amazing, Wade-sama! So cool and rough!"
Terin had a starry-eyed expression, completely in cheerleader mode for me. I couldn't help but smile wryly at that.
The fact that she's acting like she's in a dream means that this might be her true self. If that's the case, I couldn't hate her, and it's questionable whether she's even an enemy.
"Ahhh... ♡ I'm so happy to have a dream like this...! ...In reality, this would never happen, so at least in my dream..."
I asked her, "What's with that?" while we continued deeper into the dungeon.
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