Chapter 36: Reunion
ㅤ”Would it be alright if I took a quick look at the second layer?”
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ㅤAt my words, Arne-san made a dumbfounded face.
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ㅤ”You’re something else. Aren’t you tired after coming this far?”
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ㅤ”I’ll be fine if I rest a little.”
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ㅤ”Well, if that’s the case, I won’t stop you. Or rather, I’d like you to take a look if you can.
ㅤ――Right, then I’ll lend you this.”
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ㅤArne-san takes a rolled-up paper from her pocket and hands it to me.
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ㅤI spread it open.
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ㅤ”This is――”
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ㅤ”It’s a map of the second layer. The party that reported the Cockatrice mapped it. Although, it’s full of holes since they were half-forced to proceed by the Fairy’s Guidance. At least, the route to the stairs down to the third layer is marked.”
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ㅤ”Is it alright?”
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ㅤ”It’s actually quite expensive, but I’ll lend it to you for free if you’ll scout it out. But in exchange, don’t do anything reckless.”
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ㅤ”Understood. Thank you very much.”
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ㅤ”Yes. Be careful. I’ll be waiting here.”
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ㅤ”Then, I’ll take a look without keeping you waiting too long.”
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ㅤ”Ahaha. I’m nervous.”
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ㅤI go down the stairs while laughing.
ㅤThe stairs were quite long. It seemed to be the equivalent of several floors of a building on Earth.
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ㅤ”If we can set up camp, other adventurers will come this far too. I have to explore ahead.”
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ㅤIf I could just get the Cockatrice beak, I wouldn’t need to be the first one, but I don’t want other adventurers to see me fighting.
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ㅤ”Well then, the second layer.”
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ㅤWhen I descended the stairs, the atmosphere of the floor changed.
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ㅤThe stone walls and ceiling were a darker color.
ㅤA purple moss-like substance was clinging to the walls.
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ㅤ”I feel Ether. Is the Ether seeping into the rocks, and the moss is absorbing it……?”
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ㅤI spread out the map I received from Arne-san.
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ㅤ”Let’s see, it’s that way.
ㅤWait, what’s this reaction……?”
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ㅤJust as I was about to move forward, a green light appeared on my minimap.
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ㅤ”Red is for monsters, but……”
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ㅤThis is the first time I’ve seen green.
ㅤThe people in town don’t glow red or green.
ㅤSo I thought it was just a radar map that showed enemies.
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ㅤ”Ahaha. I guess I’ll go check it out.”
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ㅤIt’s in the direction I’m heading anyway.
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ㅤBefore a few minutes had passed, I felt a familiar presence in the depths of the dungeon.
ㅤAs I got closer, I could see a large purple back.
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ㅤ（That’s definitely……）
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ㅤBefore approaching, I change the language in the options.
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ㅤWhen I got within two blocks, the furry back turned around.
ㅤThe hawk’s head, positioned high up, looked at me.
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ㅤ”Oh, if it isn’t Minato.”
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ㅤ”Bearnov.”
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ㅤThere stood Bearnov, the Hawkhead Grizzly bear — officially known as the 🔹Adventurer🔹Killer🔹Hawkhead🔹Grizzly （So long!） — with whom I had a fierce battle on the first layer.
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ㅤ”What are you doing here?”
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ㅤ”Well, I’ve been encountering more adventurers on the first layer lately. I’m fine with it, but some of my companions aren’t ready to deal with humans yet. So we’ve moved to the second layer.”
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ㅤAh, Latifa-san and that Special Envoy Knight have been active lately.
ㅤThere are also adventurers who dive into the dungeon following in their footsteps.
ㅤThe Special Envoy Knight is hated like a snake or scorpion by adventurers, but apparently, he has real skills and can defeat the monsters on the first layer without any problems.
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ㅤ”Yeah, I think that’s for the best. They’ll be able to set up camp at the end of the first layer soon.”
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ㅤ”Hmm. Our living space will shrink.”
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ㅤBearnov becomes pensive.
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ㅤ”By the way, why are humans actively diving into this dungeon in the first place?”
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ㅤBearnov asked a question that was quite belated.
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ㅤ”The prince has contracted Stone Fever, and they’re looking for the Cockatrice beak, which is a specific remedy.”
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ㅤ”The Cockatrice beak, you say. So, they’re hunting the Cockatrice. That’s quite a reckless story. Well, I think Minato might be able to do it.”
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ㅤ”Is the Cockatrice that strong?”
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ㅤ”It’s not strong, it’s just troublesome. If it sees you before you get close, you’ll be petrified.”
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ㅤ”To begin with, what happens when you’re petrified? Do you instantly turn to stone?”
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ㅤ”No, not quite. Petrification by the Cockatrice’s gaze is when the surface of your body is covered by something like stone that appears out of nowhere. On the other hand, Stone Fever is when the body itself turns to stone. The Cockatrice’s petrification is instantaneous, but Stone Fever can take more than half a year.”
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ㅤ”Heehhh……”
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ㅤI often see “petrification” as a status ailment in games, but I wondered if it was really that easy to petrify and un-petrify.
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ㅤ”Since only the surface turns to stone, I could probably break through it by force and get close. However, if there are multiple Cockatrices, that would be impossible.”
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ㅤ”Even Bearnov can’t do it. What does 『gaze』 include? Is it just being in its line of sight?”
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ㅤ”Hmm. I haven’t tried it, but if you’re stared at directly from the front, you’ll definitely be petrified. If it’s just in the corner of your vision, you might not be petrified immediately, but unlike me, their eyes are on the side.”
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ㅤ”So their field of vision is wide.”
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ㅤBearnov, with his head of a predatory eagle, has eyes that face forward.
ㅤIf the Cockatrice looks like a chicken, its eyes would be on the side, and its field of vision would be quite wide.
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ㅤ”That was helpful. Thank you.”
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ㅤ”You’re welcome. Does Minato want to help the prince too?”
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ㅤ”No. I have other business. I don’t really care about a prince I’ve never met.”
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ㅤI don’t feel like going out of my way to help someone who lives a comfortable life as royalty, just because they happened to contract a serious illness.
ㅤPeople like the Special Envoy Knight should take care of that.
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ㅤ（Am I being cold?）
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ㅤThe same goes for Bearnov.
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ㅤBearnov is a monster, so if he encounters an adventurer, there will be a fight.
ㅤBearnov says he needs to kill humans and take their factors or whatever to survive.
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ㅤIn other words, if Bearnov is left alive, sooner or later an adventurer will be killed.
ㅤBut, comparing a stranger adventurer aiming for a windfall and Bearnov, I’m not sure which life I should prioritize.
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ㅤ（In the first place, it’s not my place to judge.）
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ㅤIt’s the same as a documentary crew filming animals in the savanna not helping a zebra being eaten by a lion.
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ㅤ（But I felt sorry for the female adventurer who was eaten by the goblins.）
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ㅤI feel like my standards are vague, but I empathize with what I can empathize with, and I don’t with what I can’t. That’s all.
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ㅤ”Well then, I’m going to go ahead and see what’s up ahead.”
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ㅤWhen I said goodbye to Bearnov,
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ㅤ”Up ahead? There’s nothing there.”
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ㅤ”Huh?”
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ㅤBearnov said something that caught my attention.
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ㅤ”To be precise, I should say there’s nothing there anymore. Come on, I’ll show you.”
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ㅤAnd so, I ended up proceeding through the second layer with Bearnov as my guide.