Chapter 70: Impromptu Wolf Pack II①

At the table seats of the Cider Inn.

Since we’d been on the second floor for so long, this felt refreshing.

I wasn’t hungry after just eating, so I ordered lemonade.

Agaro-san didn’t order ale, just tea. It made sense—not drinking before work.

Juicy-san and Narcissus-san also chose fruit water. Daga drank milk.

Agaro-san sipped his tea and spoke.

“The job is an investigation of the ruins on the 20th and 44th floors of the Hydrangea Dungeon…”

“Ruins?”

“Huh. What kind?”

“Na?”

“The ruins are control facilities of the Great Waterway connecting the Water Dungeon and this city.”

“Um, um… that’s quite an important ruin!”

“That’s right.”

This city has abundant water; drinking water is never a problem.

That’s because it connects to the Water Dungeon. Some parts even connect to the sewage system.

I asked:

“Investigation? Did something go wrong at the ruins?”

“…Actually, the request is to search for workers and guards who went to inspect the ruins.”

“Oh, so it’s a missing persons case.”

“They haven’t returned even after the expected number of days.”

I imagined the worst. Agaro-san understood too.

“But why was such a request assigned to the Level I Destruction Sword?”

“The guard… is an acquaintance.”

“Agaro-san…”

“He’s Level III, but skilled. Also, we need to confirm whether the ruin’s inspection was completed. For a Level I, it’s not a bad assigned request.”

“…I see. Definitely the type that causes unnecessary trouble.”

“Shut up.”

As expected of Narcissus-san—blunt to the point of mercilessness.

“Um, um, I really admire that sense of loyalty and righteousness—it’s very explorer-like!”

Juicy-san quickly chimed in, eyes sparkling. Agaro-san looked slightly taken aback.

“I-I see. So that’s the situation. Ready to leave immediately?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Um, yes. That’s fine.”

“Na!”

“Uh, um… shouldn’t we prepare for the 20th and 44th floors first?”

I understood her concern.

But dungeon explorations can easily take a week or more.

Reaching the 20th or 44th floor couldn’t be done in a single day. Proper preparation was essential to avoid worst-case scenarios.

“No worries. The 20th and 44th floors are special because they’re important facilities. There’s a teleport gate from the guild basement to the 20th floor. From the 20th floor, you can teleport to the 40th. And the 44th floor is normally off-limits—you can’t enter without this key.”

Agaro-san placed a key on the table for everyone to see.

A silver key embedded with a crystal. All eyes were drawn to it.

“Hmm.”

“Woof.”

“Na?”

“So this is it.”

Hmm? This key… looks similar to the dimple key from my past-life memories. Well, just similar, I guess.

“Then let’s go immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Then let’s get going!”

Narcissus-san stood up energetically.

Exploration, huh. Something’s definitely going to happen.

Guild Basement

There were many small rooms here that could teleport to various locations.

This was the third time I’d used it.

It was the return point after finishing previous dungeon anomalies, or when I went with Pakira-san, Juicy-san, and Daga to collect Monoceros horns.

“Here, here.”

Unlocking the door revealed a small room with a green glowing teleport circle.

Entering, there was a brief sense of disorientation and darkness. Looking up, I saw the same room—but opening the door completely changed the scenery. I could hear the roaring flow of water.

“A waterfall, huh.”

Exactly as Narcissus-san had said. Beyond the door, it was slightly dark and a waterfall cascaded down.

Water plummeted from far above, its sound echoing. I summoned a light orb for better visibility.

The rocky cave-like surface continued like a bridge down to the cliff beneath the waterfall.

The sky was dark—not night, maybe a ceiling above?

“Um, um, there’s something over there!”

Juicy-san pointed. Near the waterfall was a dull blue structure.

Four square Hydrangea-style buildings stood in a row.

The largest building had a dome. It was perched at the cliff’s edge, with several blue pillars stretching into the waterfall basin.

“That’s the 20th-floor ruins?”

“Looks like it.”

“Surprisingly large.”

“Um, um… I sense something.”

“Na!”

I snapped to attention and activated my relic, Crisis Detection.

Countless red dots approached from above the waterfall, the basin, and below the cliff.

“Enemies incoming!”

What appeared with a tremendous splash was a group of half-fish men—Sahagin.

Their fish-like heads loomed over, with bulging, glaring eyes.

They wielded tridents; their upper bodies were covered in scales and bare, and below the waist, they wore only loincloths.

One after another leaped from the water, and in an instant, they surrounded us.

How many were there? Dozens, perhaps. Yet, we felt no sense of danger, despair, or hopelessness.

Of course.

I had no intention of losing. I gripped my Mokusen.

Now, the real battle begins.

“Gyop gyop gyop!”
“Gyop!”
“Gyopuu!”
“Gyoppla!”
“Gyogyopraa!”

The Sahagin attacked—simultaneously. Is overwhelming numbers really overwhelming?

I wondered about that.

At the same time, Juicy-san released arrows, and Agaro-san drew Flame tongue.

But the fastest of all was Narcissus-san.

With the two-handed sword created by [Vanish], she cut through several Sahagin at once, erasing them.

Then she laughed.

“Ahaha, that head… it’s just like Gymnema Sylvester!”

Ah, even though I was thinking it, I hadn’t said it.

Well, the difference is that its head was literally a whole fish.

Laughing, Narcissus-san plunged boldly into the swarm of Sahagin without hesitation.

The Vanish sword erased anything it touched. Terrifying.

“Woof. Destruction Sword. Tasan. This looks like it’s going to be fun!”

Narcissus-san acrobatically flipped in the air, slicing the Sahagin.

Glad to hear it’s fun.

I deflected a trident with Mokusen and thrust.

“Sei!”
“Gyopaa!”

Quickly drew it, swung under, and thrust again.

“Taa!”
“Gyoppaaa!”

Thrust.

“Zei!”
“Gyoppoaa!”

Phew. This is going pretty well.

Mokusen is easy to handle.

The wooden shaft is smooth, almost sliding through the hand, making it easy to wield the spear. Yet, when gripped firmly, it feels as if it sticks.

The spear technique I learned in the training room was Sokyuu Topparyu—its philosophy: “Blue Sky Full Bloom, Single Breakthrough.”

It’s a thrust-focused style, emphasizing the precision and power of the spear thrust.

And beyond each thrust, there is a blue sky, a vast expanse—so I believed.

Honestly, I didn’t fully understand that part, but I liked that it focused on thrusting.

A daily practice of ten thousand thrusts? Impossible. I couldn’t do it.

But a hundred thrusts a day? That I could manage. I liked this spear technique.

“Waooooonnn!”

A cute, bell-like bark echoed.

It was Juicy-san. Not with her bow, but using her fists and kicks to beat, throw, and knock back the Sahagin.

Agaro-san erased everything in his path with Flame tongue.

And Narcissus-san… well, of course.

“Ahaha! Ahahahahaha! Weak! Weak! Weak! Too weak! Just like Gymnema Sylvester!”

She laughed uproariously atop a pile of Sahagin corpses.

Indeed, battle isn’t about numbers—it’s about quality. I could feel it.

Soon, the Sahagin were annihilated.

Once again, the Impromptu Wolf Pack was in top form.