Chapter 112: Escape to the Dungeon
ㅤI run through the dungeon, still carrying Almirash-san.
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ㅤWhile using my Thief skills to check for traps, of course.
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ㅤNaturally, my checks are a bit less thorough while running, but there shouldn’t be any ridiculously brutal traps near the entrance. I hope not. I’d really prefer if there weren’t.
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ㅤJust kidding, actually. There shouldn’t be any instant-death traps near the dungeon entrance that are hard to spot, like a gag you’d see at the beginning of a comedy routine.
ㅤThe whole point of a dungeon is to lure people inside, after all. They wouldn’t make it a death game that requires you to keep using continues.
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ㅤBut,
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ㅤ”━━Whoa!”
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ㅤGlancing back, I see one of our pursuers━━Grunblin, one of the Four Heavenly Demon Generals・━━caught in a simple wire trap back there.
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ㅤ（She hasn’t had a physical body in this world for very long, apparently.）
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ㅤNo matter how strong she is, she’s not used to the laws of physics in this world. Her movements are clumsy.
ㅤNaturally, she also doesn’t have the knowledge to avoid simple traps that even a novice Thief wouldn’t fall for.
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ㅤGrunblin tumbled headfirst with a spectacular crash.
ㅤAs she gets up, I see a red scrape on her face.
ㅤIt ruins her beautiful, Nordic-looking face.
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ㅤGrunblin looks back at the wire that tripped her and starts laughing.
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ㅤ”Fuhahaha! How amusing! I see, if you stretch a rope low to the ground, it will catch your feet and make you trip! The people of this world are quite clever!”
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ㅤ…She seems impressed for some reason.
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ㅤ”She’s like a baby.”
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ㅤSmall children are surprised and amused by things that adults take for granted.
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ㅤ”Indeed, in the sense that we have only recently acquired physical bodies, we are like infants.”
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ㅤAlmirash-san said in response to my murmur.
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ㅤ”Maybe we have a chance to beat her?”
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ㅤ”…I think it’s best to avoid that. Grunblin the War Banner is known as a true warmonger, even among the Four Heavenly Demon Generals. I hear she learns her opponent’s tactics during battle and eventually gains the power to overwhelm and defeat them.”
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ㅤ”So, she’s like a shonen manga protagonist…”
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ㅤIn that case, our only option is to run.
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ㅤI quickly make my way forward, turning several corners in the dungeon to escape Grunblin’s sight.
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ㅤHowever, monsters appear wherever we go. Grunblin is likely to sense the signs of us defeating them and catch up quickly.
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ㅤ”Abyss Worm! Long time no see! Bye!”
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ㅤI fire an extra-large Ether Shot into the mouth of the Abyss Worm as it lunges at us with its mouth wide open, then rush into its mouth myself.
ㅤA moment later, the Abyss Worm explodes from the inside, and I（, along with Almirash-san） in my arms, emerge, having escaped harm thanks to a protective barrier.
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ㅤ”A-Are all human adventurers this strong!?”
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ㅤAlmirash-san asks from within my arms.
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ㅤ”It depends on the person! Oh, it’s a dead end!”
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ㅤWe’ve arrived at a small room.
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ㅤIt’s about the size of a school gymnasium and covered in white, polished rock.
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ㅤOn the floor opposite the entrance we came through, there are several strange symbols that look like crests.
ㅤThey’re about two meters in diameter and look like magic circles to my gamer brain.
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ㅤ”What’s that!?”
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ㅤI shout, even though I already have a pretty good idea.
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ㅤAlmirash-san’s words confirm my suspicions.
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ㅤ”That’s…a transfer formation!? A warp gate that connects distant spaces! However, it seems to be one-way…”
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ㅤ”It’s like the ones you often see in game dungeons! In that case━━”
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ㅤI create a wall of flames with magic at the entrance to the small room, blocking the view, and run towards the middle of the three transfer formations.
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ㅤ”W-What makes you think that’s the right one?”
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ㅤ”Nothing!”
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ㅤI jump onto the transfer formation, still holding Almirash-san.
ㅤJust before my body disappears, I take out a white board from the Abyss Worm’s stomach and hold it above my head.
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ㅤImmediately after, I’m struck by a sensation similar to lightheadedness.
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ㅤThe next moment, my vision blurs for an instant, and then I find myself in a white room that looks just like the last one.
ㅤHowever, this room is slightly smaller, and there are no transfer formations on the floor around me.
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ㅤ”I tried to camouflage it, but she might notice. Let’s get out of here quickly.”
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ㅤI say as I head towards the only exit in the room.
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ㅤ”Uh, um…what did you do just now?”
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ㅤ”Oh, right before we transferred, I left a white board behind to hide the transfer formation. Since it was the middle one of the three, it shouldn’t look too out of place with one hidden.”
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ㅤBy the way, that board was also a drop item.
ㅤI think it was called a White Coral Decorative Board.
ㅤBasically, it’s a white board that’s light, durable, and fire-resistant, apparently.
ㅤThe color happened to be the same as the floor of the transfer room, so it was perfect for hiding the transfer formation.
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ㅤ”Of course, if she looks closely, she’ll notice, but judging from Grunblin-san’s behavior, I think she’ll miss it.”
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ㅤIn the Netherworld, the concept of something being hidden from view or camouflaged doesn’t exist.
ㅤShe was impressed by a classic wire trap, so I think she won’t notice such a crude hiding method.
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ㅤ”The reason I blocked the view with the wall of flames was to hide which of the two transfer formations we entered━━that’s what she’ll think. She wouldn’t imagine that a third transfer formation was hidden.”
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ㅤ…Well, that’s what I’m hoping, anyway.
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ㅤ”I-I see! As expected of Minato-san!”
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ㅤAlmirash-san sounds genuinely impressed.
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ㅤ”W-Well, there’s still a chance Grunblin might be more cautious than I thought, or the white board might not have covered it properly, so let’s hurry.”
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ㅤIdeally, we’ll find a few more multiple-choice transfer formation rooms like that one.
ㅤ…Though I can’t deny the possibility of us going in a circle and running into Grunblin again at the original location.
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ㅤ”Also, you can just call me Minato. It’s an emergency.”
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ㅤ”Then, please call me Arsh.”
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ㅤWe continue through the dungeon while chatting, and as I hoped, we find several more transfer formation rooms. We hide the formations we used, or intentionally hide the ones we didn’t use as a feint in case we’re discovered, and repeat the transfer process several times.
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ㅤ”…Phew. Let’s take a break.”
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ㅤFinding a suitable room to hide in, I say that and lower Arsh, whom I’ve been carrying, to the ground.