From the fiftieth floor onwards, it was an incomparably harsher place than before. However, the environment has not changed drastically. The strength of the magical beasts that came out jumped dramatically though.
The passageway had many pit-like holes, exposing reddish-brown dirt. I unleashed a lightning strike there. The Death Ogre hiding in, collapsed and its body is burning. Its height is about 4 meters, had dark skin and a single horn growing from the forehead. This one is a high-ranking ogre. A monster that can fight dragons on an equal footing. Such monster was roaming here.
“Huff-, I want to get back to the surface soon. When will we get to the bottom?”
“Fufu, we’ll be there soon. I told you before that it wasn’t that deep.”
Erna and Moore are sitting, leaning against the wall. It’s been about three months since we set out, and the only time I’ve been in the dungeon for this long was when it was just me and Erna.
“Father, I think this is edible.”
“Mmm, let’s dry it and make it into a preserved food.”
“Tanaka-dono, the meat here is quite fatty and looks delicious.”
“It’s not bad. We’ll have it for lunch today.”
“…Okay.”
“Right. I need to remember to save the materials.”
The four of them discuss the part that can be eaten while dismantling it. Although I said that the magical beasts became stronger, it is still a miscellaneous fish for the current me. They are nowhere near the strength of the angels.
I grilled the meat we just caught. The meat of the Death Ogre was surprisingly fatty and delicious.
“Moore, on what level is our goal exactly is?”
“Ah? Fua-fu-fua”
“I can’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
Looks like I asked the question at a wrong timing. Then, suddenly I saw multiple reactions from my enemy search skill. I thought it was about time they come.
“Erna”
“I know.”
Standing up, Erna raises her wand and prepares for the horde coming from the inner part of the passage. Multiple footsteps were approaching. The first thing that appeared was an ant about a meter long. Gradually increasing in number, it began to cling to the walls and ceilings, covering them completely.
The name of these magical beasts is Hell Ant. It is the highest level of the ant race. Their personality is extremely ferocious, and they try to prey on all the creatures they see. Its body is so hard that steel blades can bounce off. What is particularly troublesome is that they act in groups. They always move in groups of 10 or more, and if even one of them is killed, they emit a smell that warns the others of danger. When that happens, their companions will jump out of their burrows and rush in at once. On the surface, it is recognized as a disaster-class magical beast and is extremely dangerous.
“For the past three months, under the guidance of Moore-sama, I have stepped into new realm. Behold my powerful and unparalleled magic, Fairy Arrow!”
Countless shining silvery arrows appeared. In the Sacred Beast Defense Battle, it is the magic that defeated a Zazi. Now there is about 30 of them. The arrows fired without a sound, quickly piercing the ants one after another. Because of the tracking function, she never missed a single one. All that remained are the corpses of the ant, which has become a mountain.
“Your power is about to reach mine now. I’m sure you’ll surpass me soon.”
“You are being humble again. I am nowhere near as good as you Moore-sama.”
“…… I’m not as good as you.”
Moore straddled the ant, “Let’s hurry ahead.”
◇◇◇
We reached the fifty-fourth level. At this point, there are few enemies, only the familiar stone passageways. The walls were furnished with faintly glowing blue crystals, and only a strange silence lay there.
“This feels weird.”
“Tanaka-dono, was there a reaction to the search?”
“None. It’s eerily empty of enemies.”
I glanced at Moore, but he just walks forward without saying anything. He said we would soon reach the bottom, maybe it is just around the corner.
“!?”
Suddenly, a reaction appeared in my search. But it wasn’t a hostile response. And there is only one. It is heading towards us without hesitation.
“Moore, something is getting closer to us.”
“Don’t worry, it’s probably a welcome.”
A welcome? Is it a subordinate of the God of Destruction who is at the bottom floor?
If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to find out what kind of person the other person is?
Clank. Clank. Clank.
The sound of footsteps is getting closer and closer. Then, around the corner, a man in black armor appeared. Pale skin with red eyes. His long, black hair was tied at the back of his head, and his bangs were neatly trimmed. He had such a handsome face that you could easily mistake him for a woman. He stopped in front of us, gets down on one knee and bows his head.
“We have been waiting for you, our savior.”
The man’s eyes clearly looked at me.
“Hey, Moore! What does he mean by savior!?”
“Calm down. He is just calling you that because you have broken the seal. There is nothing else to it.”
I can understand that they want to be grateful to me because they have been sealed for a long time, but it is just too embarrassing to be called a savior. I looked behind me and saw Erna and the others grinning at me.
“Shinichi is a savior huh.”
“I’m proud that Father is a savior.”
“It’s interesting that someone from Homeless is a savior.”
“God of Destruction and Savior…… That’s Novel.”
Kuu-, I…… my iron heart should not hurt no matter what is said. I didn’t expect that being called a savior would be so damaging.
“So, how did you know we are coming?”
“It is the power of my Queen. Even while sitting on the throne, she knows what kind of being has set foot on this land. Therefore, it is known that the Savior has broken the seal and has come here.”
I guess it’s like a reconnaissance skill. If that’s the case, it seems safe to assume that she knows why I came here. So far, there has been no sign of hostility from this man either. I could decide that there is no problem with following him them.
“Well then, I will take you to my Master.”
The man stood up and began to walk in front of us. For the time being, I looked at his status with my analysis skills, he appeared to be a vampire. Well, that made sense. Eva’s race was a vampire. Her subordinates are also determined to be vampires.
I asked a question that has been bothering me along the way.
“What’s ahead?”
“A nation of what you call monsters. Well, we call ourselves demons.”
“Demons huh……”
The generic term “monster” is only given by humans. It’s not surprising.
“Maybe everyone sees us, the ones underground, the same way as the ones in the surface.”
“Is there a difference?”
“Broadly speaking, we are the same. But in reality, there is a slight difference. We don’t desire for blood.”
“You don’t desire blood?”
His words caused a stir not only in me, but also in my comrades. It’s natural for vampires to want blood. Even Eva lives by drinking human blood. But the vampires here don’t ask for blood. It’s not a very believable story.
“Do you know the story of the gods who trapped us here?”
“I’ve heard the gist of it from the God Tree.”
“But did you know that the Creator God was against sealing us?”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
All I heard from the God Tree was only the general outline. I don’t know the details of how the Creator God felt and how the God of Destruction was defeated and sealed. However, I don’t see any connection between the fact that the vampires in the bottom level don’t want blood and what that has to do with the story. The man smiled and then held out the water bottle on his waist. When I opened the water bottle, I could smell the harsh smell of blood. Inside it was a thick red liquid like blood.
“It’s the water that springs up in our country.”
“Is there blood coming out of the ground?”
“Blood is a misnomer. So to speak, it’s the excrement of this giant sacred beast.”
He puts his hand on the wall and continued,
“When the Creator God sealed us in, he created an environment in which we could live without inconvenience, not just vampires. He gave the same amount to other demon races.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know the details because I didn’t live at that time, but maybe the Creator God had mercy on his brother, the God of Destruction, and his subordinates.”
I see, so that is why the vampires here underground can live without starving…… Hmm? Wait… Did he just say that the God of Destruction and the Creator God are brothers?
“Brother!? What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, we’re almost at the stairs, I’ll explain that to you when we get there.”
The man dodged my question and led us to the stairs. We then went down the stairs that appeared to be the last.
“Oooh!!”
“This is the bottom level of the Great Dungeon!?”
At the end of the stairs, a strange sight unfolded before us. There, a vast purple meadow sway in the breeze. A brilliant crimson full moon shines in the sky. And there are also lights that are twinkling faintly like a star.
—Then, I immediately noticed that something is wrong. The ground is gently distorting, and we are taken inside.
“Don’t tell me….this is…”
“Yes, as you can imagine, it is a spherical space.”
Yes, we are inside a huge sphere. I didn’t know there was such a place in the bottom of the Great Dungeon.
“Then, those lights that shines like a star are coming from people?”
“Yes, there is no such thing as a starry sky here.”
I’m speechless. I’ve seen a lot of things since I was reincarnated, but this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this. I had heard urban legends about the existence of an underground world on Earth, but I didn’t know that I would actually see it in another world.
“Uwaa! What kind of creature is this!?”
There was a dark green creature that looked like a ball at Erna’s feet. It was about 30 centimeters in size and had only one large eye. Tentacles grow all around it, and some of the long tentacles are dexterously used like limbs.
“It’s a pet animal that is loved in the Demon Realm. It is called Nyoropi and has a friendly personality.”
“Hehe… this is a pet here huh……”
The man crouches down and holds out his hand, then Nyoropi approaches his hand and rubs it with its tentacles. I secretly wondered what it tasted like.
“Sorry to keep on asking, but what is the Demon Realm?”
“That’s the name we gave this place. If we don’t have a name for it, it’s kind of inconvenient you see.”
He smiles wryly when he answered Freya’s question. Since it’s the place for demons, it can be said to be a world of demons indeed. Thinking about it, it made sense.
“I’m late to introduce myself, but I’m Arim Ferm, the eldest son of the Duke of Ferm. I will take care of the Savior and his party. Please to be your acquaintance from here on.”
“I’m Shinichi Tanaka. She is Erna, then Pero, Freya and Liz.”
“I have heard of the names of the Saviour and his party. Now, please follow me.”
There were two carriages at the place he led us to. It is painted black and golden, pulled by a jet-black six-legged horse. Me and Moore got on the first one. Erna and the others got on the second carriage.
Arim, who was in the same car as me, gave instructions to the driver, who was clad in a black cloak. Then the carriage slowly started to move.
“How is the Demon Realm, Savior?”
“Stop calling me that, I’m embarrassed.”
“May I call you Tanaka-sama then?”
“That’s fine.”
The view from the window is different. I can see flowers that glow yellow green on the purple grass. The river was red and bloody, and there was a swarm of bats flying in the sky.
“Why don’t the demons that came to the surface come back? Life here is good, isn’t it?”
“Well, it is a fact that they can’t go back even if they want to. As you all have seen, the path to get here is long and difficult. You can’t travel back and forth with half-baked abilities. Only those who are called high-ranking demons can go back and forth to the surface.”
I heard that high-ranking demons get caught in the net that seals them. As such, only low and mid-level demons can go to the surface. But it seems they cannot reach the surface alone. They can only do so in groups. In other words, once they are on the surface, they cannot come back unless they go back in group again.
“Eva-sama’s clone has parted ways with the Demon Realm, so many of the vampires who accompanied her have no choice but to live on the surface.”
Maybe Federer was trying to get back here. However, it is impossible to think about it with that ability of his. He couldn’t return to Eva’s country, and he couldn’t go back to the Demon Realm. So he just ended up wandering in the Great Dungeon. Now that I think about it, he may have been a poor guy.
“Please take a look. That is our Royal Capital.”
I could see a big city on the horizon. Rising in the center of it is a Black Royal Castle. Even from here, its ominous presence can be seen.
“I’m finally back……”
Moore muttered, narrowing his eyes.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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