Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 66: Grade V Explorer ⑥
After the battle with the Water Sprite Dancer, Bid-san pressed up close to me.
She leaned in aggressively. Too close—way too close.
“What was that all about, Wof-kun?”
“T-The knife, it’s, uh—”
“That’s not what I mean! Well, that too, but I’m talking about you becoming the decoy!”
“I just thought… maybe that would be the better option.”
“I get that, but we could’ve taken a moment to plan together. We managed to win this time, sure, but it might not go that well next time. These kinds of situations risk lives, so we need to be more careful.”
“I’m sorry.”
She was absolutely right. I’d acted on my own again.
I apologized sincerely, and Bid-san patted me on the head.
“Still, that’s an incredible knife. Is it an OOPArt?”
“Well… something like that.”
“You could’ve just told me about it, you know.”
“I’m sorry.”
Bid-san kept patting my head with a smile.
Taking it as part of my apology, I just let her do it quietly.
When she was done, we made our way to the shrine.
Peeking inside, we saw a single boat floating on the water.
A black boat. Pretty large for just two people.
The front was shaped like a bamboo leaf, and there was an inverted tail fin at the back.
Even more, it had an oval-shaped guard on the front section.
There were four strange white boxes mounted on the top and bottom of the boat’s rear.
Behind the boxes were what looked like thrusters, all connected by tubes.
Looking closer, even the inverted tail fin was a thruster.
“Are these all connected…?”
Bid-san muttered.
“What is this? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“……”
This boat—it’s something really special.
I can’t believe it’s still intact. Maybe no one came out this deep into the forest.
Or maybe no one bothered to explore the forest at all.
Most would just cross the river by boat to reach the next level, so there’d be no reason to come this far out.
Even if someone had, they probably fled when they saw the Water Sprite Dancer—or fought and lost.
Still, it’s a little strange that no capable explorer ever made it out here.
But for me, with memories of my past life, I understood it.
This boat is a motorboat.
Or at least, something very much like one.
“Ugh… I mean, it is a boat, but there’s no way we can—Wof-kun? What are you doing?”
Bid-san looked at me curiously as I climbed aboard.
The interior of the boat was pure white, with a glowing blue line down the center.
There were three seats arranged in a triangle-like configuration.
I scanned the area and found the most suspicious-looking thing.
At the apex of the triangle—right below the front guard—there was a black pedestal.
On the pedestal sat a semi-transparent grey orb, with two black horns sticking out horizontally.
The horns weren’t sharp—they looked ergonomic and easy to grip.
I placed my hand lightly on the orb—and it lit up.
“Whoa!”
“What was that?!”
Startled, Bid-san climbed into the boat after me.
Letters began to appear on the orb—ancient script.
Hmm… it’s asking whether to [Start] or [Stop].
Looks like I can press the screen with my finger.
A touchscreen? Or maybe… a touch-orb?
I pressed [Start].
Fuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin.
“That sound…”
“Na?”
“Oh come on! What now?!”
A mechanical hum came from behind us—something was starting up.
The engine, probably.
Looking at the setup, those black “horns” next to the orb must be…
I turned back to look.
“Bid-san. Wait—wh-what are you doing?!”
She had taken off her jumper and was halfway through pulling off her shirt, giving me a blank look.
Beneath the black shirt was a light pink bra, completely visible.
Modest but… cute. Wait, no, that’s not the point.
“What do you mean? I’m not totally sure what’s happening, but you’re planning to ride this boat, right?”
“W-Well, yes, but—why are you undressing?!”
“Well, if I wear less, I can swim more easily if we fall into the river.”
“I-I guess that’s true, but still, you’re in your underwear!”
“This is a swimsuit.”
“A swimsuit?!”
“Yeah, totally.”
She said, taking off her shirt completely.
Then she reached for her spats.
“You’re taking those off too?!”
“Yup. Why?”
“……”
The spats clung tightly to her skin, so she slowly peeled them off.
At one point, they caught on her feet, and she had to tug them off—way too stimulating for me.
Why? I don’t know. But it was incredibly sexy.
Bid-san smiled sheepishly.
“Hehe… I almost tripped.”
She folded her clothes into her pouch, now clad in a swimsuit, and slipped her blue jumper back on.
“Huh? You’re putting that back on?”
“This floats if I fall in. Plus, it dries really fast.”
“That’s… actually really useful.”
“Liv-san gave it to me.”
“Ah, I see.”
Still… a swimsuit with a jumper. It’s…
“What’s wrong, Wof-kun?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. Just… it suits you.”
“R-Really? Hehe… thanks, that makes me happy.”
She smiled shyly, slightly blushing.
My heart fluttered a bit as I sat in the frontmost seat.
Even though it had been sitting in this shrine for ages, the seat felt brand new—soft and cushy.
Then I noticed something—the inside of the boat was spotless. Not a speck of dust.
And when I fastened the belt, I realized—I was a bit too short.
At that moment, the seat adjusted itself automatically.
Seriously impressive tech.
What is this boat?
I was starting to get nervous, but we’d come this far. No turning back.
“Wait… you mean I have to sit here?”
“Yes. Once you sit down, fasten the belt.”
“Belt…? Oh, here it is.”
Bid-san sat and buckled her belt.
Once I confirmed that, I gripped the two black “horns” extending beside the touch orb—
the controls.
The great river on the third floor of the Water Dungeon is the first large river that explorers encounter.
It’s so wide you can’t even see the opposite shore, dotted with islands of various sizes, which you must reach by boat.
Aquatic monsters lurk beneath the surface of the river. Among them, the most dangerous are large aquatic monster fish.
Some of them are nasty enough to swallow both the explorer and their boat whole.
This is only the third floor, so there aren’t any especially strong monsters here.
However, fighting while confined to the small space of a boat is extremely difficult.
And the river surrounds you. If you fall in, you risk becoming monster food.
Even worse is the danger of being swept away by the current.
If you’re lucky, you might wash up on an island.
But the end of the river is a waterfall—a huge one.
And it doesn’t lead to the fourth or even fifth floor—it connects to the thirteenth floor’s great river.
With that kind of height and the raging torrent of water, there’s almost no chance of survival.
“Uwoooah! Dammit, paddle, paddle, paddle!!”
More than ten explorers aboard a large boat were paddling frantically.
Chasing them from behind was a giant aquatic monster fish—Bao gong.
Its scales sparkled as it opened its massive jaws wide.
Some of the explorers tried attacking it, but their strikes barely landed.
Landing a hit from a rocking boat required the use of a Relic at this point.
Unfortunately, none of them possessed such relics.
Most of them had elemental relics or ones specialized for close combat.
“Uwooooahhh! The next island! Just get to the next island!”
“Leader! I see it! I see the island!”
“Alright! Just a little more! Paddle, paddle, padd—”
“Leader!?”
Something sharp struck the leader’s head, and he fell into the river.
Then, several small fish burst from the water.
Each had a single eye, and sharp mouths that looked like gun barrels.
Seeing them, one of the explorers screamed:
“GUNFISH!!”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me!!”
In an instant, the large boat was riddled with holes. The moment before it sank, the gunfish retreated.
They must’ve sensed Bao gong’s approach. Somehow, a few explorers survived.
But Bao gong was still right behind them, maw wide open, closing in fast.
The explorers, seeing this, fell into despair. It was over.
Then it happened.
A deafening, unfamiliar impact rang out—and Bao gong was sent flying.
The creature tumbled through the air, revealing its surprisingly scrawny lower body, and crashed onto an island ahead.
Once a fish is on land, it’s just a meal.
Whether or not Bao gong was edible didn’t matter—at that moment, it was like a koi laid out on a chopping board.
“Wh-What was that…?”
“W-We’re saved… somehow…”
“Y-Yeah…”
“What was that black thing…?”
They were saved, though the mystery remained.
Something black had passed by at an unbelievable speed, causing the incredible impact.
“W-Wait, wait, we just hit something!!”
“Huh!? Even if we did, it’s not stopping at all—!”
“W-Whoa, that’s an island!!”
“Waaaaaah! S-S-Slow downnnnn!!”
The black boat soared through the air.