Chapter 52: I don’t remember
ㅤThe Abyss Worm’s gigantic body lost the ground it was supposed to burrow into.
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ㅤSuddenly thrown into the air, the Abyss Worm collided with the ground, which had lowered by several meters, with an earth-shattering sound.
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ㅤRururuguoooooooo!
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ㅤIt was only a fall of a few meters, but it must have been unbearable for the Abyss Worm’s massive body.
ㅤBeing a monster that originally travels underground, its body structure isn’t built for flying or jumping.
ㅤIt was like a whale suddenly being beached.
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ㅤ”Ahahahaha! It’s working, it’s working! Everyone, one more time!”
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ㅤImmediately after Minato’s command, the ground beneath the Abyss Worm disappeared again.
ㅤA fall of several meters.
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ㅤRurugoOoooo!
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ㅤThe Abyss Worm’s scream was weaker than the first time.
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ㅤ（Amazing… It worked perfectly.）
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ㅤPopolack was even terrified by the human adventurer’s cunning strategy.
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ㅤMinato’s plan was this:
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ㅤMinato would make a big commotion to lure the Abyss Worm.
ㅤOnce Minato had attracted the Abyss Worm, the Gnomes hiding in the surroundings would all dig out the ground around the Abyss Worm at once.
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ㅤThat was all.
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ㅤ（Not only using Minato-dono’s power, but also utilizing our power…）
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ㅤPerhaps she even gave us the opportunity for revenge, Popolack thought.
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ㅤ”What a person…”
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ㅤWhile Popolack was stunned, Minato was about to finish off the Abyss Worm, whose movements had become sluggish due to the fall damage.
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ㅤ”Explosion! Bombardment! Detonation! Scatter!”
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ㅤIt was like an ether bombing.
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ㅤA rain of Ether Shots poured down on the Abyss Worm, cowering at the bottom of the mortar-shaped depression in the floor.
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ㅤ”━━This is the finishing blow! Shatter!”
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ㅤA particularly large Ether Shot directly hit the Abyss Worm.
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ㅤThe scattered flesh and blood of the Abyss Worm turned into black particles in the air and dispersed like mist.
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ㅤ”Ahahahaha! Victoryyyyy!”
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ㅤStanding on the edge of the mortar-shaped ground, Minato struck a peace sign.
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ㅤWhen I woke up and left my room, the Gnomes were having a boisterous celebration.
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ㅤThe stagnant mood that had been hanging over the village was nowhere to be seen.
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ㅤ”Wh-What’s going on?”
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ㅤI looked at the Gnomes in astonishment.
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ㅤ”Oh, Minato-dono! You’re awake!”
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ㅤPopolack said so when he found me.
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ㅤ”We were worried because you collapsed after defeating the Abyss Worm.”
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ㅤ”I… defeated the Abyss Worm?”
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ㅤ”It was a truly demonic battle. You must have squeezed out all your ether. To go that far for us… This Popolack, on behalf of my clan, expresses my deepest gratitude.”
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ㅤPopolack bowed his head, looking deeply moved, but…
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ㅤ（Um… What happened?!）
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ㅤIf I remember correctly, what was served at the feast was alcohol… and I fell asleep, right?
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ㅤ”Yes, yes. We’ve also collected the drop items that the Abyss Worm dropped.
ㅤ━━Hey, bring that here.”
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ㅤOrdered by Popolack, several young Gnomes brought a jet-black messenger bag-like object.
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ㅤ（Well… Right. It was supposed to be automatically appraised if I lowered the difficulty.）
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ㅤI called up the options and looked at the difficulty level.
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ㅤ（Whoa?! It’s on Inferno?! Why?!）
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ㅤI’m sure I set it to Beginner Mode when we went down to the 16th floor.
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ㅤ（W-Well, anyway, let’s change it back to Beginner… and…）
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ㅤWhen I lowered the difficulty, letters appeared above the black bag the Gnomes were holding.
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ㅤAbyss Worm’s Infinite Stomach: The stomach of a particularly powerful Abyss Worm, transformed into a drop item reflecting the thoughts of the victor. It can store an infinite number of items. The volume and weight of the items stored are released into a different dimension. However, it cannot store anything other than drop items.
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ㅤ（Well, it’s a good item! It’s something I wanted!）
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ㅤBut I have absolutely no memory of what happened before or after!
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ㅤ”Minato-dono, you saved our clan from the brink of extinction. We thought about what we could give you as a token of our gratitude, but there is nothing in this village that is worthy of the Great Sage…”
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ㅤAnd somehow I’ve leveled up to Great Sage.
ㅤI’m just a Thief!
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ㅤIgnoring my bewilderment, Popolack continued.
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ㅤ”You said your goal was to hunt Cockatrices on the third floor.
ㅤI know it’s not nearly enough to express our gratitude, but as a token of our appreciation, we would like to offer you two things: to guide you to the third floor and to dig a tunnel to replace the vanished stairs.
ㅤOf course, as our benefactor, we will do anything we can for you in the future. If you ask us to give our lives, we will gladly offer them to you.”
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ㅤ”Th-That’s enough! That’s plenty! That’s what I was originally going to ask for.”
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ㅤKnowing the Gnomes’ tunnel-digging abilities, that was the first thing I thought of.
ㅤI wondered if they could make a tunnel connecting the second and third floors to replace the stairs that had disappeared due to the collapse.
ㅤIf they wanted me to defeat the Abyss Worm in exchange, it would be a bit scary, but I thought I could manage it in Beginner Mode, so I was willing to take on that much.
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ㅤ（D-Did I do something?! I don’t remember because I was drunk?!）
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ㅤCold sweat beaded on my sides and palms.
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ㅤ”…A-Ahaha. Well, it seems like I didn’t do anything bad… I guess it’s okay…”
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ㅤI muttered softly, making sure Popolack didn’t notice.
