Chapter 55: Discovery

Original: Chapter 55: Discovery

Haa… haa… haa…

“I-I’m exhausted…”

I haven’t run this hard for this long since right after starting school, when my classmates abandoned me in the Dungeon.

“I-I managed to get away from the Killer Hornets…”

By ducking into trails and hiding behind trees, keeping my body as concealed as possible while running, I somehow managed to shake them off.

“Maybe they give up the chase once you get a certain distance from their nest…”

It’s just a guess, but it seems pretty likely.

I’ve had more than enough of being chased by swarms of Killer Hornets, so I should at least roughly note the location of the nest. I absolutely must not go near it again.

Even if I had Antidotes prepared, there’s no way I could handle that many Killer Hornets. I really felt like I was living on borrowed time.

Ah… I’m out of breath, and my legs have accumulated quite a bit of fatigue.

“Maybe I should drink a Potion…”

…Nah, that’d be wasteful. Potions are my lifeline. I need to save them properly for emergencies.

Even if I don’t use them myself, I might be able to sell them to someone seriously injured, like last time.

I hold down my skirt with my hand. Now that I’ve realized the immediate danger has passed, I suddenly feel embarrassed.

“My skirt must have been flying up the whole time…”

I hope no one saw me along the way.

I don’t think I passed anyone, so it should be fine. But if someone did see, it’s so embarrassing.

……. …… ……Actually, I probably don’t need to worry about that.

If a boy had been leisurely watching up my skirt, he’d probably be in serious trouble right now, surrounded by Killer Hornets.

I didn’t hear any screams or anything, so I think it’s okay.

Phew, my breathing has settled.

“Where am I?”

I know which direction leads back, but I have no idea how deep into the Dungeon I’ve come. I was running for my life without a single thought in my head.

“I don’t really feel like going back the same way…”

There might have been Fluffblooms along the path, but I can’t go back since the Killer Hornets are probably still on high alert.

There’s a trail right beside me, so maybe I’ll try going that way.

It doesn’t seem to head deeper into the Dungeon from this angle, so it shouldn’t be too scary.

My legs are still tired, so I walk slowly with small steps into the trail.

It reminds me a little of how my legs felt after middle school marathon runs. I hated marathon classes.

I walked with my hand against the earthen wall. I need to reduce the strain on my legs a bit so they can recover.

After walking for about a minute, my field of view opened up. It seems I’ve come out into a fairly wide Area.

“Ah, there are lots of white flowers.”

…Hm? …Wait?

No. They weren’t flowers.

Suppressing my rising excitement, I walk into the Flower Field. I feel enveloped by a somehow familiar scent. It’s like the scent I always carry with me.

I crouch down a little and touch what looked like a white flower.

Is it a fluffy, fuzzy flower? No, that’s not it. This looks like a flower, but it’s actually treated as a fruit, right?

Anyway, I’ve found a plant that produces lots of white fibers used for clothing.

“This is Fluffbloom.”

Finally found it. The plant I came here to gather.

It’s growing in mountains, so I think it’s fine to gather as much as I want. I’ll pick them without hesitation and put them in my bag to take home.

Miss Marta asked me to gather as many as possible. I have a very large cloth bag with me, and I can also put Fluffblooms in my Shark Backpack and Item Space. I plan to stuff them to the brim before heading back.

It’s not perishable, so the more I have, the happier she’ll be. I’ll gather them with gusto.

“But, the problem is—”

An unpleasant sweat trickled down my temple. It’s from the tension.

A little ahead, there’s a Mantis considerably taller than me. Its body color is blood-red.

It’s staring at me with murderous intent, as if targeting my neck.

“I have to deal with that Mantis, don’t I…”

Honestly, I don’t have the energy to walk around looking for Fluffblooms somewhere else.

I feel a Fighting Instinct bubbling up from the depths of my heart. My body is telling me. Come on, take it down—.