We reached the 33rd level.
The scenery changed completely. We reverted back to the dimly lit cobblestone passageway. In this floor, it seemed that mainly insect-type magical beasts were growing in power. There are grasshoppers and crickets that are one meter long. And a swarm of bees, about 10 centimeters long, that attacks us mercilessly.
“Divine Power! Crush them!”
More than a hundred bees were crushed by the force that Freya unleashed, the bees were sent rolling on the floor in a ball. However, the next swarm of bees is already heading towards us. Liz quickly transformed the dark cloud into a net and stuck them to block the passage. Hundreds of bees are caught in the net one after the other, then they were rounded up in a ball. When the darkness suddenly subsided, the captured bees were cut into pieces, and parts of their bodies were scattered on the floor.
“There were so many of them, I wonder if there is a nest near here?”
“Maybe. It is possible that there is a better environment for these guys to live in at the lower levels.”
As I said this, I tried to held back my drool. When we talk of bees, there will always be honey. Moreover, if it is this large, it must have collected a lot of nectar. Kukuku, my dreams are coming true. It’s not bad to try pancakes after a long time.
“That sloppy face, I bet that he is thinking about how to eat honey.”
“I agree. But this time, I understand Oniichan’s feelings. When I’m tired, I like to eat sweets.”
“Un. It is quite exhausting. We just come back from a long voyage after all. I’m sure Father is thinking a lot for us.”
My comrades were whispering something, but I was preoccupied with honey.
Sigh. Human beings are strange creatures after all. When we think we can get it any time we want, we don’t really care, but when we can’t get it, we start craving for it. That’s exactly what I was like right now.
“Hoh~, you all seem to be excellent warriors. Are you interested in the Path of Fluffy? Being one with fluffy can lead to even greater improvements in your powers.”
Moore touches the fur on Pero’s back as he teases him. The person who was once called the Great Mage is now the Fluffy Hermit. The passage of time is indeed cruel.
Freya, who’s beside the Hermit, excitedly said,
“Did you hear the words of Hermit-sama? I you become a fluffner, you’ll become stronger! Come everyone, let’s all walk the path of fluffy together!”
Freya and the hermit shout in unison, “Mofu Mofu!”
This is a bit late, but I think two rather dangerous people joined up….
As long as we have free time, these two have been telling us about stories about being fluffy. I’m worried that we will be brainwashed without even knowing it. After all, it’s a horrible disease that even Edner has been infected with.
“By the way, Hermit-sama, why did you take Edner-sama to the path of fluffy?”
“That guy seemed to have awakened to the path of fluffy by a rabbit he bought for his daughter. Then he went super concerned as he was addicted to fluffy. So your brother gave him advice and introduced him to me.”
Freya nods her head.
“That makes sense. My brother is a cat lover and is very kind. I’m sure he couldn’t have left Edner-sama alone knowing he is troubled because of fluffy.”
“He is a splendid fluffner now.”
Freya and the Hermit start laughing at what seemed to be funny to them.
Stop it. Listening to such story makes me feel like I’m going crazy.
I guess I have no choice but to force them to change the subject.
“Why did Moore become a fluffy hermit anyway?”
“Mmm, it’s nothing big. I’ve been wandering around looking for peace, then I’ve found the ultimate healing. That’s it.”
Moore says as he collects feathers and tusks from the bees’ corpses. Then, we began to walk down the passageway towards the stairs again.
“Oh, by the way, it looks like Shinichi and the others are using my watch. Can you show it to me?”
I handed the pocket watch to him.
Moore looks at his watch, he narrowed his eyes and then he smiled.
“This brings back memories. The woman depicted on the lid is Elise, my second wife. She was a bit of a strong-willed woman, but she was also cute. Where did Shinichi find this?”
“It’s in the hidden room in the mansion on the twenty-eighth floor.”
“Oh-, The main body has used to live there for a while. I’ve completely forgotten about it until now.”
He gave me back his pocket watch. Moore doesn’t seem to have any attachment to what he left behind. He also called the pocket watch and the magic jewel I found as “the main body’s thing”. The thought of letting go of even the pocket watch with his wife on it made me feel that he is a little cold.
“Oops, right. I had to tell you the secrets of the dump and stuff.”
He stopped abruptly and moves to the wall. He then raised his staff in his right hand and suddenly unleashed a spell at the wall.
“Nuaaaah!?”
We were caught in the explosion and rolled on the ground. I was very dumbfounded. If he is going to use magic, he should have told us beforehand. Suddenly, I noticed a soft touch on my face. My vision was pitch black and I felt something on my face.
“O-o-ouch…..Even if you are Moore-sama, this is too much you know.”
“Mmmph….E-Erna…. is that you on top of me?”
“Eh? On top? Kyaaaaaaaa!”
My dark vision brightened, and nearby, Erna was glaring at me while holding her buttocks.
Oh~, so that was her butt on top of my face. No wonder it was so soft.
“Ahfu!?”
“I got blown away too and ended up on top of you.”
Suddenly, Liz leans her butt on my face.
No, no, it’s clearly intentional! But… Kuku, it’s soft and feels good!
I pushed Liz up and then I also stand up. I saw Liz and Erna glaring at each other.
“Little girl…… How could you….…”
“Mmm. Now Oniichan can’t forget the feel of my ass.”
Sparks fly with their intense gaze.
Quarrel again? Sigh. I’m worried that it will escalate into killing each other someday.
“Freya-san!?”
Pero ran up to the pile of rubble. Then like an inugami with only his legs sticking out, he hurriedly dig Freya out. Freya coughs as she brushes the dust off her body.
“Cough. Cough. Cough. I remember up until Hermit-sama shot a magic, but I don’t remember anything after that. By the way, why do you all look at me with such sympathetic look?”
““““Nothing””””
We turned our heads to the person who had caused the incident. Moore sits on the rubble and smiles.
“Alright, everyone’s good. Let’s resume the explanation.”
He points his staff at the wall. There was a large hole that had been magically drilled. I tilted my head in confusion as to why it was necessary to tear down the wall just to explain it.
However, it soon becomes clear why.
A kind of mud began to spill out of the walls, eventually plugging the hole.
“T-this…!? What’s going on!?”
“As you can see, the dungeon is repairing itself.”
The hole was completely closed after about ten minutes, and it reverted back to its original state. We doubted our sanity at such strange sight.
No way. What’s going on?
Moore grinned as he slammed the wall with his staff.
“You must have figured out what the Great Dungeon is, right?”
“Don’t tell me…… But, for Mohed Great Dungeon to be……”
Moore anticipated what I am about to say, so he added,
“The Mohed Great Dungeon is a huge creature.”
It is as a I thought huh.
From the day I found the dump, I had a faint feeling that it was like that. The process of collecting and disassembling corpses was like the stomach of a living creature. But even so, new questions arise.
Why does the Great Dungeon look like this?
“You have heard about the origin of this world from God Tree-sama, right?”
“Yeah. It is the prison for the God of Destruction created by the gods.”
“Right. So, how do you think did they imprison the God of Destruction, who destroys everything?”
“That’s ……….…”
I couldn’t immediately respond to his question. I can’t think of a way to trap an entity that destroys everything. The only thing that came out was to build a prison with something so sturdy that the God of Destruction couldn’t break it.
“The answer is for it to keep regenerating forever. That no matter how much it was damaged, it will be repaired every time. So, if it is restored back to original, even the God of Destruction will not be able to come out.”
“No, wait. I know what you mean, but I don’t think it will work just like that. If you can get through while the hole is open, then….…”
“What if you can’t get through?”
I was shocked. Yes. If the hole couldn’t be restored in an instant, then what I just said might be possible. But what if there were multiple walls blocking the way? Even the God of Destruction would have a hard time escaping.
“The place where the God of Destruction is trapped is not actually made up of walls like this. Well, that will become clear in time. In other words, a prison that regenerates forever is created by an eternally living creature.”
I touched the wall while listening to him. I could feel the coldness of an inorganic substance that I couldn’t think of as a living thing.
“A creature that lives forever huh…… It doesn’t look like it though.”
“It’s natural. According to God Tree-sama, the Great Dungeon is a structure-type sacred beast created by the Creator God to contain the God of Destruction.”
We were stunned. I never thought that the dungeon was a sacred beast. If that’s the case, then the Sacred Beast Barrier System must be a super-giant seal that includes Mohed Great Dungeon.
I feel like I understand a little bit how much the gods were afraid of the God of Destruction.
“But if that’s the case, why did they need to make it such a complicated maze? If they were just going to seal him away, wouldn’t a vertical hole have been fine?”
“If they just want to seal him, why do you think there are magical beasts living in the dungeon? What is the purpose of the rich environment that exists at each level? And what do you think does it need to survive?”
“What is necessary for survival…… Oh I see! So that’s what it meant!”
Perhaps the Great Dungeon is getting the nutrients it needs from the corpses. If this is the case, the intricate and complex maze is a mechanism for catching prey and not letting it out, and the rich environment that exists in each level is a biotope for breeding these creatures. Furthermore, humans come because of those magical beasts. For the Great Dungeon, the magical beast is both food and bait for catching humans.
“So that is why microbes and viruses don’t grow in the dungeon huh.”
“The Great Dungeon isn’t just alive because of corpses. It actually absorbs a small amount of life force. Well, you can think of it as the raw qi it needs to survive. It is collected from the things inside its body. But not all living things can withstand that absorption. I’m sure the rest makes sense.”
Raw qi…. that is a difficult word to interpret.
But to put it simply, I can say that the Great Dungeon is draining energy from all of us. Small organisms can’t tolerate such absorption thus they disappear. That is why we don’t see any small insects or viruses here. It’s a convenient environment for magical beasts and humans.
However, that’s exactly what the Dungeon is aiming for.
“Then…. what’s in the bottom layer of the Great Dungeon is either the head or the ass huh.”
“Fuhahaha! Head! Ass! Hahaha!”
Moore rolled around on the floor laughing out loud with his hands holding his stomach. I was getting more and more angry, so I reached for the hilt of my sword.
“Alright. Alright. I’ll explain it to you, so don’t be so angry.”
“……So. What is it?”
“As I said before, the Great Dungeon is a structure-type sacred beast, so it can’t have the shape of a proper creature in the first place. There may be a brain somewhere, but no one knows where it is. Even if you are at the bottom level, you won’t know what part of the dungeon it is.”
Hmmm, thinking about it carefully, it may indeed be so. In the first place, I had never seen or heard of a building-type creature. It is my mistake to think in terms of common sense.
Moore stands up, thinking he’s explained enough.
Well, if we spend too much time talking, progress will only slow down. However, another question popped into my mind.
“One last thing, what is the Temple of Teleportation?”
“It’s a device created by the gods to move around the dungeon. It seems to be something that this creature doesn’t originally have. Well, most of what I talk about is what I heard from God Tree-sama. Judge for yourself whether it is true or not.”
I felt a slight dizziness at the facts that were revealed one after another.
What kind of developments await us in the future?
With a sense of apprehension, we walked towards the bottom.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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