第３７７堀：ダンジョンアタックする魔物たち (Part2)
It’s a bit strange that no information has leaked out, but if they’ve been telling everyone from the start that this place is a separate facility, then no one would really question it.
If they’re claiming it’s a national stockpile facility, thieves wouldn’t even think about trying to break in.
Even if a group attacked, they couldn't leverage their numbers, and once they finally reached the gate, they’d still have the chore of breaking through.
Besides, it’s likely set up to notify the Ex royal capital immediately, and since it’s not that far away, reinforcements would arrive in no time.
That said, it’s not really a problem for us right now.
If this were a high-security iron gate, it would have been a massive pain, but since the top is open...
(Everyone, the gate is closed, so we’re going over the top. Watch your noise.)
(((Understood.)))
In a typical movie, you’d have to hook something, climb the wall, and navigate through barbed wire—a high-difficulty maneuver. But here, there’s no need to climb, and there’s no barbed wire, so it’s a breeze.
I think being "overpowered" at a high level is just wonderful.
Well, there are plenty of monsters around who are bigger freaks than me. Like the Boss, for instance...
Eh, that doesn’t matter. No point in thinking about it.
While those thoughts crossed my mind, we easily reached the top of the gate.
It felt almost anticlimactic, but since they can’t see us, it couldn't be helped.
Actually, if we’d needed to eliminate them, there was a chance we would have had to take out all those gate guards, so it’s a good thing it didn't come to that.
(As planned, we’ll investigate this place on the way back if we have time. For now, we’re passing through and checking what’s inside.)
I gave the hand signal, and everyone nodded.
So far, so good. I sent a progress report to the Boss with photos, and we pushed further in.
Then, the area opened up, and a town spread out before us.
It didn't have a fake sky like the dungeons the Boss creates, but the ground had changed from the stone of the ruins to dirt, there was no darkness, and trees were growing here and there. It was somewhat similar to Weed.
Perhaps because it was around midday, people were walking about as usual.
For now, we watched the scene and stepped into the town.
Oh, and it’s a bit late to mention this, but wouldn't optical camouflage make it impossible to see each other's hand signals? Well, we only deactivated the camouflage on our arms for that moment.
We were tracking each other’s positions via thermal sensors, so it wasn't an issue.
Even if someone saw us, it would just look like floating hands, so they’d probably just think it was a trick of the light or that they were losing their minds.
Exploiting human psychology is the Boss’s specialty.
The town was reasonably sized, and it looked like quite a few people lived there.
They had a map of the town set up in a plaza-like area, surprisingly enough.
It looked to be about five kilometers square.
It feels like one of the Boss’s early dungeons.
After taking a picture of the map, we climbed onto the roof of a building away from prying eyes.
We aren't going to go to typical places like alleys.
This is safer.
"Well then, should I say it went as expected, or perhaps better than expected...? Regardless, let’s report to the Boss."
"Understood."
Only here did I finally use my voice to give instructions.
"For now, the investigation of the interior is left to us. Let’s start by looking at the map and narrowing down where to search."
I projected the photo of the map onto the call screen, and we all checked it.
"...This side is likely the residential district. There are densely packed, small buildings. Conversely, the other side has many large structures, so we should treat that as a facility for organized work."
"That makes sense. So, what’s the plan?"
"We’ll split into two teams of two. You guys take the residential district. I’ll handle the large buildings and the workshops. According to the Boss, there’s no sign of Noble or the Ex army moving, but don’t let your guard down. Keep your comms open at all times."
"Understood."
With that, we headed toward the large buildings.
I suppose our side is the more dangerous one.
Still, it really feels like they built a town inside a dungeon.
If they’re managing things this thoroughly, there are bound to be documents, so targeting those is a good idea.
Also, since the people we passed in the corridor earlier were talking about magic tools, there’s likely a place related to that, and it would be great if we could investigate that too.
But, honestly, just as the Boss was worried, things are going so well that it’s actually making me nervous.
What if we get surrounded while we’re busy investigating...?
Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Right now, the most important thing is to gather as much information as possible.
I just hope there isn’t some "boss fight" waiting for us, like in those infiltration games or special agent movies.
The real world doesn't need those kinds of tropes.
Actually, why are we monsters, who should be stationed in a dungeon, the ones doing a dungeon attack?
I probably shouldn't think too deeply about that.
Steve and the others have begun their infiltration!!
The long day has already begun.
With Popuri and the others acting as a distraction, Eris, Steve, and Kirika have all begun their operations simultaneously.
Who knows what might turn up.
This is what it looks like when everyone is working desperately to make use of that convenient phrase, "just in case."
In everything, steady, ground-level work is what’s important.
A task that can be summarized in a single sentence is often a massive undertaking behind the scenes.