Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 279

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 279 – Advancing Through the Dungeon with Him Part 2

“…You’re not the type to back down now, are you?”

Then explain why.

Cain asked Ain, who was already eager to leave, with his arms crossed.

Ain replied, his feet tapping impatiently as his footsteps echoed in the hallway.

“Because this is the place!”

The place where those two left is said to be haunted by a phenomenon akin to a divine abduction.

Even Sylvird had told him not to go to this place, and Ain himself had been careful.

When he told Cain the reasons, Cain looked totally fed up.

“You idiot.”

He ruffled Ain’s hair a bit.

Then, he slaps him hard on the back and heads deeper into the dungeon alone.

“That story is a bit far-fetched. There’s no need to believe it.”

“B-but, the two of them are…”

“Then let me ask you this. Who knows where they are? Who knows if they’re alive or already dead?”

“That…”

“You don’t know, do you? Even though we’ve already been here, it doesn’t look like we’re being transported anywhere. That’s just how it is.”

It was convincing. But Ain couldn’t make up his mind.

Ain, who usually made his own calls, felt like he had to go along with Cain for some reason.

So, in the end, Ain followed him as he walked forward.

“Well… Sylvia also seemed interested in the deepest part, saying there might be something there.”

“…What do you mean, there’s definitely something there!”

“Relax. We don’t even know how long it’ll take to reach the deepest part, and it took us several hours just to get here.”

He said he was trying to reassure Ain.

The pale blue light of the dungeon highlighted Cain’s silver hair, making him stand out in a unique way.

Meanwhile, Ain wasn’t sure if he should follow him.

“If I sense anything unusual, we’ll turn back right away. So don’t worry—and I’ll fill you in on how we defeated the red dragon.”

“…You promise? If I have to, I’ll use my power to escape, even if it means losing control.”

He could’ve just decided not to go, but being with Cain made it tough to make that call.

He also had a peculiar notion that Cain’s judgment was sound.

On top of that, maybe because of the story of the red dragon they’d dealt with, Ain took a step forward, feeling brave.

(Sigh… Loli Goddess. If you’re living deep inside here, please don’t do anything…)

He silently sent his prayer to the heavens.

Soon after the two left… the floor and walls of the dungeon started to flicker blue and white, as if to grant his wish.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

After walking for a few minutes, the two of them entered an open space.

As Ain admired the spaciousness, he heard a voice.

“It’s like a castle hall, right? There were a few similar rooms underground.”

“What a waste of space…”

“Haha… It does seem like a waste. I don’t really get the purpose of this place, and I don’t see the point of making so many identical rooms.”

With that, Cain slowly raised his sword.

As Ain was thinking about what to do, Cain suddenly slashed at the stone pavement without warning, and a dull sound of metal hitting stone echoed throughout the room.

“It’s odd, but this room is the only one where the walls and floor seem to repair themselves naturally.”

The broken cobblestones clattered and returned to their original positions.

In less than ten seconds, the room went back to how it was before Cain cut it.

“Huh… what is this?”

“I’m not sure either way, but Sylvia’s been taking the pieces back to the castle.”

“Wait, you can take them back?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure if the connection is actually broken, but it seems like the force that pulls them back goes away when they’re far away.”

(They’ve already verified it, so I’m not needed. Oh, well.)

He felt torn between wanting to sigh and feeling indifferent.

Ain decided to relax his posture and draw his sword, following Cain’s example.

“…I’ll take a piece home with me, too.”

“Ah, you’re planning on giving that to the Cait Sith princess, right?”

“I think so. Is that okay?”

“Yeah.”

They exchanged a few words with each other, and Ain put the piece of cobblestone in his jacket pocket.

“I’ll get someone to check if it’s the same material as the one from the Ancient Biological Research Institute later.”

“And what if it’s the same material?”

“…It’ll just be more trouble.”

Why would they even have material from a place like this? He didn’t want to prove how capable they were of taking action.

But he couldn’t just leave it unchecked.

“Don’t complain. I’ll tell you something that’ll cheer you up.”

“Is it really something good…?”

“Fufu… Of course.”

Not long after Cain said that.

The room where they were standing began to shake slightly.

Dust particles were falling from the ceiling.

“Well, it’s really something good, right? It’s not something bad for me, right?”

“Absolutely. For now, it’ll be easier if you get your sword ready.”

“…Huh?”

“Okay, the good thing has started. Hey, don’t just stand there. Look over there.”

Ain looked at Cain, who had slumped his sword onto his shoulder, and then looked in the same direction.

Then, he figured out what had started it and what the good thing was.

“Monsters…?”

At the back of the room, where they were headed, they were there.

They weren’t there just a moment ago. When did they get here?

He was confused, so he grabbed his sword and looked at the monsters he’d never seen before.

(Are they aliens? Nah, Cain-san said they were monsters…)

There were dozens of figures wearing armor, holding curved swords and spears.

They walked on two legs, so you couldn’t really call them monsters, but they kept multiplying along with the pillars of light.

“They look like lizards, don’t they? At least we can’t talk to them. That means they’re monsters. Basically, they were around before Ishtalika came into existence.”

Their skin was green or blue and covered with scales of various colors.

They resembled lizards that had assumed a two-legged form, with a distinctly shaped body.

“…They’ve got armor and weapons.”

“Well, if they’re monsters that fight, of course they would.”

“Hey, what kind of monsters are they, anyway?”

“I’m not sure. Sylvia said she didn’t know their names either.”

That’s fine, it’s really uncharted territory.

When the lizards started acting aggressively, the two of them slowly began moving forward.

“I see… Lizardmen.”

That name fits perfectly, he thought, remembering it from way back when.

Cain nodded in admiration at his muttering.

“Hmm, not bad. It’s simple, and it fits.”

But could they be invaders?

He thought about it, but since they appeared out of nowhere, it was impossible to believe they were native to the area.

For starters, the fact that they showed up with pillars of light made it clear that they were monsters from the dungeon.

“I’ll take care of anything you miss in the back. Don’t show them your childish side.”

“I don’t really like being treated like a child.”

Those words got Ain’s heart going.

If they weren’t invaders and this was part of the dungeon’s system, then there was no choice.

It might not be the best time to go on the offensive with his sword, but thinking about it as part of the investigation made him feel better.

The Lizardmen closed in, but Ain closed the distance at more than twice their speed.

There were already more than 50 of them, all working together as one army.

“Siiii… Aaaah!”

One of the Lizardmen faced Ain like the first spear.

It threw a long spear at him, but Ain dodged it after observing its path.

“…You’ve got a bad habit, like always.”

“I-I know, I know! I’m not trying to act like a tough guy, I’m just being cautious!”

Cain criticized Ain for letting the first move slip, and Ain explained that he was just trying to gauge the situation.

While they were chatting, Ain got into the Lizardman’s guard.

The Lizardman’s body was massive.

Even Ain, who was almost the same height as Lloyd, and even Cain, who was taller, seemed tiny in comparison.

Perhaps that’s why it was easy to slide into its huge frame.

“What… It was surprisingly weak…”

All he had to do was raise his sword, and it would all be over.

The Lizardman’s knee was aimed at Ain’s stomach, and it bared its sharp teeth.

“What…!?”

It wasn’t a difficult fight.

But he couldn’t hide his surprise at the counterattack.

He dodged the knee strike and took a step back.

“I should’ve mentioned, but they’re stronger without weapons. They’re several times stronger when fighting bare-handed.”

(What? Are you kidding? Why are they using weapons…?)

Their fighting style was all about physical ability, but the question was why they’re carrying weapons.

Even Ain was impressed by the quick counterattack they just launched.

But there’s no way he could argue that they’re putting up a tough fight.

Cain conveyed the same sentiment with his gaze.

This monster was different from the ones they’d encountered before, but it was still a good experience.

Ain laughed defiantly at the existence of the monsters in the dungeon.

“Shhhhh!”

The Lizardman threw its spear at Ain, who dodged it and attacked.

Its movement, as if it were waiting for an opening, is fresh and somehow cunning and clever.

But Ain didn’t even try to dodge the spear, and…

“Sorry, but I’ll fight you my way.”

“――!”

He cut the spear with his sword and swung it at the charging giant.

The sound of the sword cutting through the air shook the bodies of the other Lizardmen, but Ain was even faster than that.

The first Lizardman to charge saw Ain appear out of nowhere and felt a searing pain in its chest.

“Gah…”

“No way. I won’t let you escape.”

“…!”

The Lizardman tried to escape, flailing its body, but Ain thrust his sword even deeper.

The Lizardman began shaking uncontrollably and eventually fell to the ground.

“The body is disappearing…?”

What Ain saw was a scene that seemed almost unreal.

The Lizardmen he’d just taken down were turning into particles of light and vanishing.

It was like they had never been there at all, except for the magic stones that fell to the ground with a clatter.

“Don’t worry. Hey, the magic stone is still here, right?”

“N-no, no, no! That’s not what I meant…”

He was relieved to hear those words, but he had never seen anyone die like that before.

Meanwhile, the Lizardmen were confused by their comrade’s death and stood frozen, staring at Ain.

“They’re not too tough to beat, but think of this as practice and fight with your swords alone. If you go deeper, you’ll find monsters that are more challenging.”

Come on, let’s go.

Cain pointed at the remaining Lizardmen, making it clear to Ain that he wasn’t planning on helping.

He already knew that, but seeing how many were left, he was a little discouraged.

“I get it! There’s no need to fight them one at a time…”

“Of course not. You can finish them all with one swing if you want.”

It’d be possible with the power of a demon lord, but it’d be tough with just the power of a sword.

He could only defeat a few at a time, so Ain picked up the magic stones from the Lizardmen lying on the floor.

“…If you say so, I’ll finish this quickly!”

Earlier, he was set on fire, but now it was as if oil had been poured on him.

He immediately turned the magic stone he was holding into a crystal ball and attacked the Lizardmen as a group.

“Hey, what did the Lizardmen’s magic stones taste like?” Cain asked.

“Fuh…! Zaa!”

Before the Lizardmen could do anything, Ain swung his sword and took out several of them at once.

As expected, he can’t defeat them all, but he does answer Cain with a hint of regret.

“It had no particular taste… like salad!”

After that, the attack he swung down was probably caused by all the frustration he’d been holding in, which made Cain mutter, “Hmm…”

In the end, he took down all the Lizardmen in less than a minute and absorbed all the magic stones that had rolled around.

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