Defense specialization and encounter.
Three thousand points surpassed!
Thank you!
"It seems we won't be leaving this cave today..."
"Then we should find a place to rest."
Adding safe sleeping quarters to their exploration goals, the three move down the passage, right, then left.
"Hope we find an exit by chance..."
"I'd prefer that too... I'm exhausted today."
Maple and Sally were fatigued. They longed to stop exploring and sleep immediately.
And when, after who knows how many turns, a large chamber appeared at the end of the passage—
"J-Just a quake!?"
"I know it too, this time!"
The ground trembled noticeably beneath their feet.
From the chamber ahead, a wet, sickening sound began to emerge.
The three, preparing to fight, turned to look into the chamber.
From a different passage, separate from where they stood, it emerged.
Judging by the ceiling height, it stood about five meters tall, and stretched seven meters in length.
A giant snail slithered across the hall.
It did not notice the three. It vanished into another passage.
………Bad. That’s bad.
No HP bar was shown.
How—how is it bad?
Maple cautiously asks the two, whose expressions are grim.
No HP bar means…… it cannot be defeated.
We must find a safe zone before we meet it head-on.
Their bodies are bound together by chains.
No one can serve as bait.
Let’s get away from here. Before it returns.
Yes. Let’s do that.
Then, that passage over there?
The three hurried toward a passage different from the one the snail emerged from and the one it vanished into.
So that’s why the dungeon is shaped this way.
Sally murmurs.
The dungeon stretches like an ant nest, with long corridors and many dead ends.
Everywhere, the ceiling is high, with no unnecessary obstacles.
The players are chained together by their bodies.
Thus, the structure favors the snail’s movement while hindering the players’ escape.
“Perhaps the difficulty of this dungeon changes with time.”
As Kasumi said.
At six o’clock in the afternoon, the dungeon transforms into a realm teeming with snails.
A time for it to end does exist, but the three of them cannot know it.
As time passes, the rumbling within the dungeon grows louder.
“…Not just one, though?”
“…Maybe.”
Sally strains her ears, trying to locate the source of the sound.
No wet squelching noise comes from nearby.
It seems not to be close.
Still, she knew vigilance was always necessary.
It wore further into Sally’s nerves.
After passing several branching paths, it finally happened.
“……!”
At the moment she turned the corner.
There it was—a snail.
“Run! Backtrack!”
Kasumi and Sally broke into motion, but Maple could not follow.
“Y-ya…!”
Before Sally could lift Maple, the snail approached.
It shook its body, spraying a viscous liquid.
“Kk!”
The large shield absorbed the fluid, but Maple barely dodged in time.
“Sally, run! [Hyper Acceleration]!”
“H-! Understood!”
A final measure, discussed only as a last resort when escape seemed impossible.
“[Hyper Acceleration]!”
Their bodies accelerated.
Maple’s form was dragged.
A normal player would be killed by this damage.
That would mean total annihilation.
But Maple is different.
Maple can survive without taking damage.
It is not comfortable, though.
That is why it is a last resort.
Clang clang—the armor clattered.
Maple managed to stow her great shield at once, but could not adjust her armor in time.
“Behind us—?!”
“Fine! They’re not catching up!”
The three barely escaped.
Yet they cannot use [Hyper Acceleration] for a while. If they meet an enemy before it can be used again, they must prepare to die.
Amidst this, the squelching sound began again without pause.
“…Damn… It’s coming from another direction too!”
“Over here!”
They darted left and right at the fork.
Maple removed her gear and handed it to Sally, who carried it.
As usual.
"Exactly! That slug—reacting to sound!"
After Maple’s armor fell silent, the wet squelching noise nearby faded into distance.
"Any luck? Found it?"
"...Not nearby, perhaps?"
"Hah... escaped..."
The three leaned against the wall.
This was the middle of a passage—far from safe—but better than being cornered.
"Need to find an exit... somehow."
"Uh-huh. Yeah..."
No need to discuss. The course was clear.
Staying longer meant greater risk.
They decided to search quickly.
"This dungeon doesn’t seem to have a Boss Room... collect medals and gear when found—just gather them."
"Right. That slug’s here... the theme must be exploration, then."
"So... is the whole dungeon like a Boss Room?"
"More or less."
Sally finishes speaking and begins preparations to depart.
"Let's go before we find it. The entrance was above... the exit must be below?"
"Maybe. Not certain... but possible."
"Then let's go down. Better than going up."
Some corridors slope gently downward. They will follow whichever path they find that descends.
The three move downward.
Several times, they catch distant glimpses of snails.
Sally confirms it.
Those snails move faster than Maple.
Normal running won't be enough to escape.
At a corner, if they meet face to face.
There will be a delay before Sally can carry Maple.
In that instant, if the slime lands—she will be caught where she stands.
Maple could not carry the large shield, and Sally could not bear her on her back.
They must avoid being brought to close range at all costs.
“Fuu… must not lose focus…”
Sally urged her weary body forward, sharpening her concentration.
Sally’s reconnaissance was the lifeline of the three.
Moving with care, making no sound, the appearance of the cave began to change.
“Beautiful…”
“Yes… truly.”
“Maybe… a little healed.”
Purple crystals glowed along the cave walls.
Though they could not be taken, the ethereal light soothed the weary hearts of the three, even slightly.
Further.
“The ceiling… is lowering?”
As Sally said, the ceiling grew lower in places. Some spots were barely tall enough for a snail to pass.
“But… the tremors are growing stronger.”
The terrain has shifted slightly in our favor, though the number has increased.
The three move forward.
Their wish is to escape before nightfall.
They pray the squelching sound does not return. They watch for ambush as they advance.