Chapter 86: To the Red Zone of Passage Four for the Second Time

Original: Chapter 86: To the Red Zone of Passage 4 for the Second Time

I warped to a spot just before the Red Zone of Passage 4.

This was my second time coming here.

As we proceeded deeper, a lovely flower field welcomed us. Being full of flowers is a distinctive feature of the Red Zone of Passage 4.

Even though I know this is a Dungeon, perhaps because I’m here with the beautiful Miss Himeka, it feels like a truly wonderful place.

Miss Himeka stretched. While her school uniform makes her look somewhat slender, when she stretches, her chest definitely becomes noticeable.

Miss Himeka looked at me with a refreshed expression.

“Ahh, somehow I’m getting pumped up. I might be feeling more energetic than usual.”

“Yes. The flower field is incredibly cute, isn’t it?”

“Huh? The flower field? No, I was just thinking about how delicious the hot dog and fruit juice were earlier.”

…… . …… . …… Oops. I, I missed the mark. I had no idea she was talking about the hot dog we just ate. Unexpectedly, it seems Miss Himeka is more of a ‘dango over flowers’ type of person.

“S-sorry? I kinda ruined the mood, didn’t I?”

“No, not at all. It’s just that my skill for reading the air was insufficient.”

“That’s not true. I’m the one who couldn’t read the air.”

“It was me.”

“It was me.”

Puffing out our cheeks with a bit of force, we both stubbornly stared at each other for a moment. Then we chuckled and laughed lightly.

“The fruit juice was delicious, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. I think it would sell even if they opened a shop in Tokyo.”

“I think so too. …But, we ended up with a sweet scent on us, didn’t we?”

“Ahh, true. We might have become more likely to be targeted by insect Monsters or something. But, if anything, isn’t the smell of the hot dog stronger? Carnivorous Monsters might be more likely to approach.”

“Carnivorous Monsters would still be okay, but…”

“You’re more scared of herbivores?”

“Not herbivores, per se… The ones that should love sweet flower nectar… Um, well, I was thinking I’m scared of bees. You know, the Monster called Killer Hornet?”

“Ahh, those guys are fast, aren’t they?”

“The last time I came here, I was attacked by a huge swarm.”

“Eh, wouldn’t you die? It’s often said that once a huge swarm of Killer Hornets targets you, survival is difficult. Little Sayuki, it’s amazing you survived.”

“I escaped by sheer grit… I ran for over ten minutes straight and was completely exhausted.”

“Impressive. I heard there was a guy in my grade who fell behind while running and died. Kinda pathetic, huh?”

“Eh, was he an acquaintance?”

“Not really an acquaintance, more like a guy who persistently hit on me. He was the type who touched a lot and his gaze was always sexually harassing, so I wouldn’t be sad at all.”

If you die, you can’t adventure in the Dungeon anymore… I thought that was really sad. My chest started to ache.

“I’ll offer a silent prayer in my heart. At least, I hope he rests peacefully in this Dungeon.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, no need for that.”

“But, isn’t it pitiful?”

“It’s a Dungeon where survival of the fittest is the norm. If you die, it’s your own fault. That’s all there is to it, right? If we died, we’d be told it was our own fault too, you know?”

“But, might he not come back as a ghost?”

“Ahahahaha. If he came back as a ghost, I’d beat him to a pulp. I don’t know how much stress I built up because of that guy. And you know, there were many victims of his—like secretly taking pictures of girls whose clothes came undone in the Dungeon, or touching injured, fallen people under the guise of treatment—”

“Eww… He was that much of a lowlife, huh?”

So there really are people like that… I need to be very careful in the Dungeon too. You never know where dangerous people might be lurking.

“Well, but still, I’ll offer a silent prayer in my heart. I want him to attain peaceful enlightenment.”

“Ehh, you really don’t have to. Little Sayuki, you’re too kind.”

Having such a conversation, we proceeded deeper and deeper into the Red Zone.

Looking carefully, I sometimes found Medicinal Herbs mixed in with the flowers. I gathered them properly.

Also, a few Slimes of different colors than usual appeared. Probably each color has its own characteristics, but checking was a bother, so I just squished them underfoot to defeat them. Sorry for not checking your features.

By the way, the Drop Rate for Mana Gemstones still seems high, which made me very happy.

Several times, we entered a trail and came out into a wide area. We repeated that.

Whoa, we came out into a flower field area that was exceptionally more beautiful than any before. It’s full of vivid red flowers like roses. I think this place would make a great picture.

“Little Sayuki, do you remember this place?”

“Huh? I don’t have any memory of it.”

“Ehh, that’s a bit of a shock.”

Miss Himeka put a hand to her chest and made a dejected face. She genuinely looked like she’d received a shock from the heart.

“Was it some special place?”

“Yeah. Because in this place, Little Sayuki took my first time.”

I was startled and looked at Miss Himeka. Miss Himeka blushed shyly, fidgeted, and then took on a maidenly expression. It was incredibly cute.

“Little Sayuki, you were so passionate.”

Now that she mentioned it, I thought it might indeed be the place where I met Miss Himeka. Ah, I remember. Miss Himeka was collapsed behind that tree trunk over there.

“I remember now. Miss Himeka, you were collapsed over there.”

“I’m glad. You remembered it properly.”

“When I first saw you, such a beautiful person was collapsed, and I was so surprised—”

I stopped my words. I had no choice but to stop.

Because right at the midpoint between where Miss Himeka had collapsed and where we were now, a presence suddenly began to materialize.

What is that? I feel a very ominous pressure.

“Armor…? Right…?”

What materialized from within the flower field was Armor that an Adventurer might equip. A metal breastplate, greaves, and gauntlets for the hands—.

I sensed Miss Himeka entering a state of alert before I did.

“Hey, Little Sayuki. Maybe, just maybe, that’s this time’s Subjugation Target?”

“It might be. Is it an armor ghost?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. Look, pitch-black bones are materializing too.”

“Eeek, I don’t need horror elements in the Dungeon.”

“Ah, Little Sayuki, you’re not good with scary things?”

“In real life, I’d rather pass.”

Even though I look ghost-like myself, I don’t want to fight an enemy that looks like a ghost.

That thing… it’s pitch-black but bones shaped like a human’s, right? All the bones materialized, properly forming a humanoid shape. It’s too scary.

The pitch-black bones were equipped with the Armor. Then it picked up two Swords that had fallen on the ground and took a stance.

A System Message appeared before our eyes.

『A Dead Adventurer has appeared』

“Little Sayuki, get ready! That thing is absolutely, unbelievably strong!”

Miss Himeka drew her Sword and took a stance.

My Fighting Instinct surged up simultaneously, and I readied my Hammer. The Shark Backpack would only get in the way, so I stored it in my Item Space.

The Dead Adventurer began gauging the distance between us.That’s the Monster with a Recommended Conquest Level of 85. My intuition told me it was a formidable foe that wouldn’t allow even a moment’s carelessness.