Episode 135: The March Through Hell

The march through hell had begun.

Sleeping at the inn (Bamboo Course), waking up, diving into the "Dungeon," walking for about twenty hours, then returning to the "Adventurer's Inn" via the "Return Crystal"—repeating this cycle.

This routine lasted for about a week.

"...Another day with no收获 at all..."

Muttering with eyes as lifeless as a dead fish, the gambler sighed.

Incidentally, she’s currently copying down every piece of information she gathered at the tavern into her notebook.

“Let me ask again… Do I really have to write down even the stuff that seems pointless?”

“Of course.”

Even among the useless details, there might be a clue hidden somewhere.

I peered over her half-written notebook,

“Hmm.”

My eyes stopped at “Information #25.”

“Huh?”

“Something wrong?”

Looking up from the notebook, "Gambling Master" asks.

"Isn't this line—'The conditions for reaching the 'Boss Room' on that floor are somewhat fixed'—a bit suspicious?"

"Hmm? Isn't it just saying the 'Boss Room' is roughly in a set location?"

"No, no. If that were the case, they wouldn't write it like this."

"...Hmm. Now that you mention it, you're right."

"So, does this mean that you can't reach the 'Boss Room' unless you meet some kind of 'condition'?"

The "Gambling Master" still seemed slightly puzzled.

"Then, does that mean there's some kind of gimmick, like a 'Boss Room Appear Button'?"

"Could be."

For now, there was no information to contradict that idea.

But...

"Or maybe something like this: one of the slimes we've defeated so far actually carries a key item, and obtaining it unlocks the boss room..."

His face instantly lost all color, as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Wow, that's totally possible."

Since I hadn't really checked what would appear after defeating a "slime" (and depending on the key item's shape), it wouldn't be surprising if I missed something.

From now on, I’ll need to be more careful as I continue exploring.

"Tomorrow, shall we try changing our strategy a bit?"

"What kind of change?"

"For now, continuing our usual exploration goes without saying, but let's also try to defeat any 'slimes' we encounter along the way."

"Yeah... the problem is, I have no idea what the 'condition' even is."

"It could be something like 'defeating a certain number of slimes will reveal the boss room,' you know?"

"When my magic and supplies run out, shall we have the 'Gambler' use 'Dream Dice Roll' and then temporarily return?"

"Got it. Understood."

▼

And the next day.

As scheduled, we advance forward, one after another, hunting slimes without stopping.

"——Fireball! ——Fireball! ——Fireball! ——Fireball! ——Fireball! ——Fireball! ——Fireball!"

My stomach growled loudly.

Muttering bitterly as I chewed on a chocolate candy long since devoid of flavor,

"If I get a cavity, I'm charging the Dungeon Master for the treatment. ——Fireball!"

Using Fire Spell II, I systematically eliminate one red slime after another.

At this rate, over ten hours had already passed.

"——Hmm?"

It was the "Gambler" who noticed the change first.

"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately following up with "——Fireball!"

I swiftly obliterated the suddenly appearing red slime.

The topic of conversation had been completely exhausted for quite some time, making the words spoken by the "Gambler" after several hours of silence all the more striking.

"……Ah. Maybe I'm just imagining things… Hey, 'Warrior.' Give me a try with that Fire Magic II for a moment."

"Huh? But I just finished off all the red slimes with that."

"Just do it."

As instructed, I recite, "——Fireball!"

At the same time, the "Cardsharp" also cast "Fire Magic II."

" Hmm. Just as I thought... Is your Fire Magic II a bit bigger than mine?"

I squint at the flickering fireball hovering before me.

"Um... I don't really see much of a difference."

"Nah. The eyes of a con artist like me don't get fooled. It's definitely bigger."

"Really? Hmm..."

"Throw it against a wall, and it'll become much clearer."

With that, we casually toss the Fire Magic II at the nearby wall.

Two circular scorch marks appear on the white wall.

"Ah, I guess my burn mark is definitely larger."

"See? You can't deny it."

"I have a skill called Attack Power. Could that be affecting it?"

"Nah. When I first saw your Fire Magic II, I remember thinking, 'It's a bit smaller than mine.'...Meaning, while we've been here, your Fire Magic has gotten a little stronger."

"Really?"

I pondered that information again, then asked,

"So… what exactly does that mean?"

"I never noticed before, but maybe our magic gets better the more we use it."

Huh... I made a silly face.

That was a blind spot.

"Assuming that's true... Maybe we have some hidden parameter, besides our 'level'."

"A hidden... parameter?"

"Like, in games, stuff like 'magic power' or 'magic points.' You know, things like that."

"Yeah... that could be possible."

"We thought we couldn't get stronger here because we couldn't level up, but just like regular strength training builds muscle, that's exactly what's happening."

That's true.

For us, "getting stronger" had always meant "defeating enemies to gain levels."

But even normal methods should build muscle properly.

In fact, I feel we've become a bit more agile over the past week.

"…Hey. This is just a hunch, a gambler's instinct."

"Huh?"

"Maybe the key to the strategy is… that."

"Hmm."

"Let's say there's a parameter we can't see. As long as it doesn't reach a certain value, the 'boss room' won't appear… something like that."

I listen attentively to this one among the countless past discussions about, "What exactly triggers the appearance of the boss room?"

"But why do you think that?"

"Well... we've used the 'Dreamweave Dice Roll' countless times before, haven't we?"

"That's right."

"Based on experience, it's about time we started seeing hints about how to beat it. And yet, not even a single clue is visible."

"Hmm."

"And so, I started thinking—maybe the reason we can't find the answer and are just wandering aimlessly... is because there's a problem on our side too..."

"Hmm."

"And did you notice? None of the 'luck' I've summoned with my 'Dreamlike Dice Roll' so far has been something like 'not encountering a slime.'"

Huh?

Was that right?

Something like that. Or maybe not.

"In a situation like this, even something as ordinary as 'luck' would be plausible. That means there must be some connection between defeating the 'slime' and our goal—'the boss room' appearing."

"Then, is it simply that defeating a large number of 'slimes' is the condition for the 'boss room' to appear?"

"That might be it... No, if that were the case, it feels more like 'the appearance of a large number of slimes' is the kind of 'luck' that brings it about."

Her words were definitive.

If she said so, it was easy to almost accept it without question.

Well, she always talks like this, so I've gotten used to it by now.

"...Then, what should we do?"

"From now on, I'll be joining the slime hunts. In exchange, though, I won't be able to use the 'Dream Dice Roll' anymore."

"Well, if the Gambler's satisfied with that, then it's fine by me."

If we're hunting slimes together, my workload will definitely be lighter.

But to be honest, I couldn't help feeling that the Gambler's opinion lacked solid grounds—too vague to be a decisive answer.

One of the many topics we've discussed repeatedly—whether "◯◯ is not the condition for the boss room's appearance?"

I had thought that much.

Well, you never know until you try.

It wasn't until three days later that I found out it was actually correct.

▼

I dealt with the red, blue, and yellow "slimes."

Dealt with them, dealt with them, dealt with them over and over.

By then, we had grown so accustomed to the rhythm that every time a red, blue, or yellow object blurred across our vision, we instinctively cast spells in perfect sync.

And then—finally.

"There it is," it appeared before us.

"Ooh."

"Aah."

"Wait… could it be…?"

What lay before our eyes.

A door that was clearly not shaped like the Adventurer's Inn.

The feeling upon discovering it… well, how should I put it.

Not exactly joy—more like a feeling of utter exhaustion and helplessness.

There was no surprise in that.

After all, the door to the "Boss Room" had appeared on the wall directly opposite the Adventurer's Inn.

After exchanging glances for a moment, my companion and I muttered in unison:

“…When we meet the Dungeon Master, I’m definitely punching him in the face.”

“Completely agree.”

Then, the gambler collapsed as if his strings had been cut.

"Ugh... Finally... You're here..."

And grumbled.

I feel an overwhelming urge to smash the cute bunny-shaped sign that reads "♪Boss's Room♪"

"...In the end, what was the condition?"

The fact that the "Boss Room" appeared so clearly means without a doubt that we've met some kind of condition.

"Maybe it's the number of slimes we've defeated... but I think it's more likely because our 'magic power' has grown stronger."

It seemed to be an established fact in the "Gambler's" mind that hidden parameters existed.

"Exactly right now, the size of our two《Fire Magic II》spells just exceeded sixteen centimeters in diameter."

"Is that so?"

"No doubt about it. My estimation is accurate within a millimeter's margin of error."

Hmm.

That's handy, this "Deception" spell.

Now that you mention it, my Fire Magic II seems to have increased in power.

I remember when I first used Fire Magic II—it was about the size of a fist.

Incidentally, I used Fire Magic as an example, but I'd also realized that all my other magic skills had collectively grown stronger.

Just like physical strength, our "ability to use magic" seems to grow stronger the more we use it.

"Then... let's go."

"Yes."

After our final preparations in front of the "boss room," we turn the doorknob.

What awaited us beyond was—

"Hello! Welcome!"

A woman with a cheerful smile.

She looked to be in her early twenties, perhaps.

She was so busty, I thought she could probably make a living off just that one asset alone.

Her outfit was the kind of goth-loli fashion commonly seen in Harajuku.

With a bright smile directed at us, she said,

"Oh wow. You're the first 'player' I've ever had wait this long to get here! What kind of torture are you trying to pull, you damn fool? I'm half-ready to send you straight to hell~"

She spewed venom with such intensity.

What I hate most is being stubborn. So, I already absolutely hate all of you guys♪

Uwaaah.

Something heavy-duty showed up.

Hey, "Warrior." What are you spacing out for? Get on with the Skill Assessment already.

Oh, that's right.

I've been using only magic-type skills for so long, I'd completely forgotten about it.

Job: Wizard

Level:?

Skills: Fire Magic I–II, Water Magic I–II, Thunder Magic I–II, Magic Control V, Magic Barrier V

Hmm?

What's this... What?

This skill setup looks rather inconsistent...

▼

"Information 26"…… The name of the first floor's "Floor Boss" is Ayukawa Haruna.

"Information 27"…… The job of the first floor's "Floor Boss" is "Mage".

"Information 28"…… The condition to defeat the "Floor Boss" can be learned directly from the boss themselves by asking.

"Information 29"…… The first floor's "Floor Boss" loves strawberry shortcake.

"Information 30"…… The first floor's "Floor Boss" once had a shortcake carefully saved for later, but a friend ate it. At that time, the friend was nearly killed.