「We’ve identified the dungeon that’s siphoning energy from Danpol.」
On the promised day, Danpon made this declaration.
I’d honestly thought they might not figure it out. Even when I checked in on him this morning, he was still deep in research.
But sure enough, Danpon came through as promised.
「Alright, which dungeon is it?」
I swear, if he tells me there’s some third mysterious lifeform—like Danpei or Danpy—who created a whole new dungeon, I’m walking out.
「It’s the Dungeon Academy’s dungeon.」
「Dungeon Academy? In Tokyo?」
「There’s a chance it could be overseas.」
「Overseas… wait, you mean K-Country?」
「No, Milk-chan, K-Country failed to suppress its Black Dungeon, so it doesn’t have a Dungeon Academy. The closest one is in C-Country.」
So, what now? Is this some kind of internal feud between Danpols?
「That’s not it. It’s the Dungeon Academy dungeon in Osaka. Being drained by a dungeon so close is far more damaging than if it were another region.」
「Huh? You’re telling me Osaka’s Dungeon Academy dungeon is stealing its energy? But isn’t that one under its management?」
Did Danpol screw up somehow?
「We don’t know yet. But the area around the 35th floor seems suspicious.」
「35th floor… That’s the heavy snowfall zone, so we’ll need proper gear.」
Ayame’s Warm Wear magic should keep us comfortable even without spiced drinks, but there’s always a chance we could end up in a situation where magic is unusable.
Getting lost in a blizzard like N〇bita in Doraem〇n: N〇bita and the Birth of Japan movie would be a nightmare.
「So, Danpon, what’s Danpol’s condition? Is he in immediate danger?」
「He’s in a state of complete suspended animation, which is actually helping reduce the amount of energy being drained. He should be able to hold on for a few more months.」
「Alright, so we’ve got some time. We don’t know what’s happening on the 35th floor, but before heading in blind, we should at least be strong enough to take down a 40th-floor boss.」
「40th floor, huh… The most viable training spot would be the Tenshiba Dungeon.」
Compared to desert, rocky mountain, or forest dungeons, the factory-like environment of Tenshiba Dungeon made it a much more stable place for fighting enemies and leveling up.
We had already reached the 35th floor.
But at this depth, the difficulty ramped up with each and every floor. Not only were enemies significantly stronger, but the number of foes with tricky skills also increased.
Considering the level of the 40th-floor boss, we needed to boost our levels by at least 20.
To achieve that, we had to dive into the 36th floor of Tenshiba Dungeon, return to the PD, and replicate that floor in a custom dungeon for grinding.
Once we were strong enough, we’d move on to the 37th floor, return to the PD, and repeat the process.
「Another all-nighter, huh?」
「Yup. But hey, since we don’t age in the PD, it’s like we get to live longer. That’s pretty nice, right?」
Even if we didn’t physically age, I felt like the stress was shaving years off my lifespan.
「We don’t have time to waste. Sure, Danpol might last a few months like this, but if other Danpols find out and send in a replacement, it’s over.」
「That’s true. That means we have to act fast.」
「I should stock up on interesting manga and books for the PD’s entertainment library.」
The three girls seemed fully on board.
Guess I had to get motivated, too.
「Let’s do this, Taira!」
「We’ve got this, Ichino-san!」
「Yes, let’s give it everything we’ve got, Taira. After all—」
Yes, after all…
「「「「It’s all for opening that Extreme-Rare Can!!!」」」」
-0-
We arrived at the 36th floor of Tenshiba Dungeon.
The first step was to test how many enemies we could handle at once.
If the monsters here were too strong, increasing the spawn rate tenfold would be a death sentence. Depending on how things went, we might even have to abandon the idea of farming experience here.
The 36th floor of Tenshiba Dungeon resembled a factory warehouse.
Hime’s bunshins scouted for enemies, while Ayame’s shikigami moved ahead to map out the surrounding terrain.
「Taira, my bunshin found an enemy. I’m luring it this way.」
「Got it.」
Hime, who had been communicating with her bunshin via telepathy, reported in.
The enemy that appeared was—
「An ostrich!?」
It looked like a mechanical ostrich.
A Mecha-Ch〇cobo?
No, let’s call it a Mecha-Ostrich.
The Mecha-Ostrich opened its beak wide.
A glow gathered inside its mouth—
「Everyone, get behind me!」
At my shout, the others quickly moved behind me.
Just as Hime’s two bunshins leaped over my head to flank it, the Mecha-Ostrich fired a laser.
「Reflect Magic!」
I used my skill to bounce the laser back.
I had taken down a Metal Flyfish this way before, but the Mecha-Ostrich dodged by leaping sideways.
Not as fast as Hime, but still quick.
Would my sword even land a hit?
Just as I thought that, Milk fired a round from her rifle.
Even the Mecha-Ostrich couldn’t react in time to dodge a rifle bullet. It took a direct hit—
And its speed plummeted.
「Heavy Bullet connected!」
「Nice one, Milk! Now—」
Dual-Wielding Advanced Sword Technique, First Style—
「Gale Twin Slash!」
A technique that combined both speed and power. My blades struck the Mecha-Ostrich dead-on.
…Huh?
That impact—
The insides were real monster flesh.
「Guess it wasn’t a Mecha-Ostrich, but a Cyborg-Ostrich.」
Whoever designed this thing had their own weird sense of aesthetics.
As proof, the drop item was ostrich meat.
More ingredients were always welcome.
Mom refused to accept money beyond a set amount, but she was always happy to take fresh ingredients. Plus, it meant our meals at home got more luxurious.
「Still, that laser was something else. We probably wouldn’t die from it, but Hime’s bunshins would be in danger, right?」
「With my indomitable skill, I wouldn’t die in one hit, but I wouldn’t come out unscathed either.」
We had been playing it safe, but it was always shocking how much stronger enemies got with just one more floor.
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