We all cheered as we stepped on the thirty-fifth floor and saw the snowscape. The gently sloping snow mountains made it look like a white desert. Coniferous forests are also visible here and there.
As I took a step, I can feel the snow cover. My feet sink more than I expected though. I guess it will be hard to walk without a special tool or something. I decided to take out a few tree branches and string to create some makeshift “snowshoes”. When everyone is ready, we set off again. We moved forward, stomping on the snow.
“Snowy field is nice, right? I have a feeling that something exciting is about to happen.”
“Really? I don’t feel like it at all.”
“Hmm, maybe it’s because I imagine lovers huddling together in the cold. Wouldn’t it be nice to warm up with each other’s body heat?”
“Like that?”
In the direction I pointed my finger, there was the figure of Freya hugging Pero’s waist. But it doesn’t look like lovers warming up to each other. If anything, it’s a one-sided exploitation of body temperature.
But… Is Erna looking for such an outrageous act?
“No, that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m talking about something sweet and romantic.”
“Guu.”
“Hey, how long are you gonna be sleeping? Time to switch places!”
Erna gets angry at Liz for sleeping on her back. Liz, who was slapped on the buttocks, she just opened her eyes slightly and then she went back to sleep.
“Fufufu, you guys are such a clamorous bunch wherever you go. I never get tired of watching you guys.”
“By the way, Moore, is this really the floor that has taken the lives of so many adventurers? No matter how I look at it, this is just a snowy place though.”
Moore grinned as he walked through the snow.
“Let me tell you, there aren’t many adventurers like you who conveniently carry cold weather gear with them. In that sense, adventurers are first killed by the cold.”
“……I see. That’s how it is huh.”
“Secondly, there are dangerous creatures here. This unstable field make it very troublesome when dealing against them.”
“Hmmm, so what is that dangerous creature?”
The moment I asked Moore, the snow under my feet swelled up. Then, a giant centipede jumped out of the bulge.
“Aah! Ice Centipede!”
The blue-colored centipede stands up and looks down at us. Well, it’s a very nostalgic creature. This is where the two-pronged centipede I defeated earlier came from huh. I draw my sword and cut the centipede in two in an instant.
“Everyone be on alert. More enemy is coming.”
Bulges appeared everywhere, rapidly approaching us.
I see, this floor is a centipede’s nest. It became clear when I looked at the whole thing with my clairvoyance skill. A tremendous number of centipedes are crowded under the snow. I guess they are probably asleep normally. Most of them were motionless. But if given some kind of big stimulus, they will wake up for sure. For example, a large-scale magic attack.
“Flame Burst!”
With a thump, an explosion occurs and black smoke rises. Thanks to Erna’s use of magic, the centipedes begin to wake up all at once.
“Everyone, fly! They are coming from below all at once!”
Each of us took flight, the centipedes also broke through the snow and showed themselves. The floor quickly turned into a sea of centipedes.
“Awawa……What the hell…… It’s disgusting.”
“If Erna hadn’t used her magic, they wouldn’t have woken up all at once.”
“W-what!? Are you saying it’s my fault!?”
“…………”
Now, what to do?
In a way, we could burn everything down by making Erna take responsibility, but that would melt all the snow. I’d like to play in the snow once in a while.
“Father, leave this to me.”
Pero spoke and then he took a deep breath. What he released was a roar that shook the air. It’s probably Holy Roar. It is a holy attribute magic that only repels those who are hostile towards us. The effect was amazing. The centipedes tremble and flee under the snow. Having lost the will to attack, they seemed to fall asleep again. Even when we landed on the ground, the centipedes showed no reaction. The enemy seemed to have decided to ignore us.
“Ugh, it’s full of hole. I can’t stand the sight of it.”
“I agree. I don’t hate bugs, but this is terrible.”
As they talk, Erna and Liz were shoveling snow to make a small snowman. Pero howls as he runs happily across the snow. As for me, I put some snow in a glass bowl and sprinkled it with honey. When I put it in my mouth, I enjoyed the cold sweetness. Freya, who was watching my action, seemed to be shocked.
“It’s already so cold yet you are having shaved ice…… You’re insane.”
“Is that so? Actually, I think it tastes better when you are in the cold.”
While leisurely eating, we enjoyed the snow for a while.
◇◇◇
Having found the staircase on the 35th floor safely, we moved to the 36th floor. By the way, on the 35th floor, we also looked for the Temple of Teleportation so we can return at any time.
“I think it’s time to go somewhere warm.”
“Agreed. I can’t help but feel sleepy.”
“I think I’d prefer if it stay like this. It’s just the right temperature.”
“Sorry Pero-sama, but I’d like to go to a warm place too.”
The three of them, except for Pero, are wrapped in cloth and look cold. On the other hand, Moore, who was lightly dressed, looked calm and collected.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I have universal adaptation skill. This level of cold is no problem to me.”
I see. He had the same adaptation skill as me huh. As expected of Moore.
At the bottom of the long staircase, I can see the light of the 36th floor. The temperature seemed to drop even further, and Erna, Liz, and Freya were shaking. Well, that was only natural. Cold air escapes downward. It is normal to get colder.
When we set foot on the 36th floor, we were just as surprised as we were on the thirty-fifth floor. It’s a flat world covered with ice. No, there are cracks in some places and looks like the ice is moving. When I looked under the ice beneath my feet, I could see a fish-like creature swimming around. Being that the case, this area should be a large frozen pool then.
“Is there another centipede-like creature here?”
Moore laughs at my question.
“There’s no such thing here. It’s just that the environment here kills people. Oh no, let me correct that. There was one kind of incredible species here.”
After his words, a beast emerges after breaking the ice. It was a four-armed polar bear that was ten meters in height. It had a sea lion-like creature in its mouth, and its white fur was dyed red in some places. I don’t think it noticed us as it was engrossed eating the raw meat.
“That’s a White Death Bear. It’s so ferocious and brutal that it can destroy a city by itself. Even so, that should not be much of an enemy to you guys.”
“Hmm, it’s certainly not a threat. However, it might be troublesome if we are chased by more than one.”
When I gave Pero a wink, he instantly understood and starts to take action. I feel bad for the polar bear, but it is in the way, so I’ll have to ask it to leave.
“……!? Grrrrrrr!”
Noticing Pero, the polar bear stands up on two legs and made a threatening growl. However, Pero remained undaunted and unleashed a Holy Roar to it.
“–Gugaa!?”
The White Death Bear fled the scene out of fear. It seemed a little pitiful that we had interrupted its meal, but we had to move forward. Our target is to eliminate any enemy that stands in our way. We started walking on the ice and peered down as we went. The ice is very transparent. I licked the pieces I picked up, but it didn’t seem to be seawater.
We jumped over crevasses as we look for the stairs. The ice is constantly moving, and from time to time, we can hear the sound of ice rubbing against each other. In the distance, a group of creatures that looked like sealion were doing something like a sun bath, which was quite a nice sight.
But that doesn’t last long. We have found an amazing creature.
“Gwawawa!”
It’s a penguin. A group of hundreds of penguins gathers and chirps around. Moreover, even as we approach, they weren’t afraid and just came towards us. Their color kind of resemble that of the emperor penguins. They are also about the same size. The penguins rubbed their bodies against Erna and Liz. On the contrary, they did not try to get close to Pero at all. Well, that may be because he is recognized as a carnivore.
“I want to touch them too……”
When Pero approaches, the penguins run away like baby spiders. My son was so heartbroken that he snapped on his knees.
“Haa-haa-, this is quite good.”
“Gufufu, it’s nice. This fluffy feeling.”
Freya and Moore have sloppy faces as they hugged the penguin chicks. The chicks wrapped in gray fur are fluffy and cute.
A chick came up to my feet and chirps.
“There, there, do your best and grow bigger.”
“Cui”
The sight of them waddling around is something that could bring you smile. I can understand a little bit of the feeling that Freya and Moore are fussing about.
“Alright, it’s time to go!”
As we moved on, the penguins squealed and saw us off. Maybe we can come here again.
◇◇◇
We now reached the thirty-seventh level. It was a completely different place from the previous floors. It was like a maze of ice. The walls and ceiling are covered with ice and icicles protrudes from the ceiling, furthermore, the floor is slippery and cold. We decided to stick some of the dark cloud on the soles of our shoes to prevent us from slipping.
“The magical beasts that come out here are probably stronger, aren’t they?”
“Yes. Watch closely. They can sense the body temperature of their prey and shows up.”
Shurururu.
Shurushuru.
Something was approaching us, crunching through the ice. The speed of progress gradually increases, and a peculiar sound could be heard. Appearing from the depths of the passage was a huge light blue snake.
“That’s a Cold Snake.”
Its total length is about 20 meters. It raised its sickle-shaped neck while sticking out its long tongue.
“Hueeeee!!! S-Snake!?”
Erna hurriedly hid behind me.
It’s a splendid serpent though. I’m looking forward to seeing how much meat it produces once cut into pieces. I draw my sword and steps forward.
“I forgot to mention, it can spit cold air and poison.”
“No problem, poison doesn’t work on me.”
The serpent immediately spat poison at me. My skin was slightly tingly, but I didn’t have any major problems. If I had to say it, it is sticky and disgusting.
“Fufufuu, as expected of the man who has been recognized by God Tree-sama. You calmly took a poison that could melt flesh with ease huh.”
Uh-……Was it such a deadly poison?
I should have listened to him before exposing myself. Well, for the time being, the result is alright. I quickly closed the distance between me and the serpent and slashed my sword diagonally upwards. A large head flew through the air and rolled to the ground with a thud.
I immediately begin to dismantle the serpent that I’ve killed. After cutting up the belly and taking out the entrails, I peel off the skin and cut the meat into appropriate sizes. I’ll slowly grill and eat it later.
After making our way through the thirty-seventh floor without any danger, we found the stairs safely and then we went straight down.
Next is the 38th floor. I can’t wait to see what awaits us.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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