Volume 1, 19: It’s Obligatory for the Elder to Lead the Younger
“So, you were a meek little animal in your previous life?”
I retorted without even looking back, and continued towards the source of the wind.
However, there was a slight difference to my prediction. The wind did not actually come from the passage we went through, but from a hole the Soft Soil Worm dug. In other words, the monster earlier, to a certain extent, actually helped us.
“Speaking of which, are these walls really okay? They were broken through just like that, and you call this a dungeon?”
“What did you expect?”
“I think this is better compared to a wall made of tofu.. Oh, right. The next floor you were talking about, is it right below us?”
Dale thought for a moment, and then he used his fingers to draw in the air, and estimated a distance of three meters.
“From my memory, I walked down a depth of this length when i went down the stairs. In other words, the next floor is about three meters directly below us.”
“Then we should dig our way down. It will be faster this way.”
“Hey hey! This is a dungeon!”
“So what if it’s a dungeon?”
I shrugged.
“In regular games, we have no choice but to follow the dungeons’ designated paths. However, in this case, there’s no need to follow the rules. Unless there’s something wrong with your brain?”
“If you have the capabilities, then dig down yourself!”
“I don’t have such capabilities, so I’m counting on you.”
I said as I patted on his shoulder.
“Why me!?”
“Your level is higher than mine. Leading someone with a lower level than yours is your obligatory mission.”
Dale’s eyes were saying “You bastard!” as he stared at me. I, on the other hand, was smiling wryly as I looked into the distance.
However, it was too dark and I couldn’t see anything clearly. What a pity.
“The hell! I’m not even an Earth-type, so let’s forget about digging. I’m rather convinced by your analysis with the wind direction, so why not we just keep moving forward?”
Don’t you understand that I’m tired from all the running just now, and I don’t feel like walking any further?
Ah, oh well. Let’s walk slowly then. After all, it’s still kinda fun to explore a dungeon.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go. Or else we won’t even finish by morning.”
“Isn’t it because you were thinking of unnecessary things?”
“Isn’t it because you were useless?”
We argued back and forth, and then helplessly sighed.
After moving in the correct route, we never encountered another monster. Following the source of the wind, we quickly reached somewhere close to the stairs leading to the next floor.
historical
However..
Dale suddenly stopped moving.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“These stairs are different from the stairs I saw when I came alone. The stairs we took earlier to the dungeon was the same, they were normal. But this.. no matter how I see it, it’s a spiral staircase.”
He was right. Before my eyes are a spiral staircase, unless what I’m seeing is an illusion.
And even if it’s an illusion, if both of us are seeing the same illusion, then this set-up is a little outrageous.
“Are you certain that the stairs you saw before was not an illusion?”
“Hah?”
“Or did you w*nk so much that you’re seeing double images?”
“Where are your morals?”
I pointed to the ground, and then to the sky.
“Did it fall to the ground and break, or did it fly to the heavens?”
“No, I’m only checking whether you’re seeing double images of my finger.”
“Stop it.”
“I also feel that my habit of ridiculing others isn’t a good thing. I’m a man after all..” I seriously stated.
“That’s not the problem..”
“Unless you have a problem with the thing in your pants?”
“Seriously, stop it.”
“Sorry.”
After all that, the atmosphere around us became less tense and I felt a lot better. As i thought, a tsukkomi a day keeps my mind healthy.
“Then what are we going to do now? Head down? Or do we go back?”
“Why do I feel that the first option isn’t that better off than the second one..”
“So you’re saying we should dig our way down?”
“Let’s head down the stairs! Let’s push forward, okay!?”
Dale did not have the strength to counter with a tsukkomi anymore, and proceeded forward. As I admired the beauty of tsukkomis, I followed after him and headed to the next floor.
However..
When I saw the view of the next floor, I started to suspect whether this was actually a dungeon. Dale’s face also told me that this view was different than what he had seen before.
“Are you sure this is an underground dungeon?”
I asked as I pointed at the familiar view in front of me.
“I don’t know.. At the very least, this place is different from what I saw before.. Unless I really did w*nk too much?”
“Young man, w*nking too much will harm your body.”
“Young man, w*nking too little will deteriorate your mood.”
“Alright, let’s stop discussing about the problems with the things in our pants. Unless we make clear of what’s actually happening, we will probably have problems with our lives in the future.”
That’s right, the structure of the second floor of this dungeon is not the same as any other regular dungeon.
Rather, it actually looks like..
A hospital!