Chapter 140: The Classic of Classics

Originally, the dungeon had been located right at the heart of the city. But as the city expanded over the years, it now lay slightly to the northeast of the kingdom’s central capital.

A formidable fortress had been constructed around it, built to prevent any monsters from escaping the dungeon’s depths. Surrounding this fortress was a wide plaza, dotted with stalls and vendors selling food, adventuring supplies, and all manner of items, all catering to adventurers preparing to face the dungeon.

It was no wonder. This was the kingdom’s largest and most challenging dungeon of all. Its very name carried weight: The Infinite Layers.

The structure descended ever downward, layer upon layer beneath the surface. Not a single soul had yet reached the bottom, and rumors had begun to spread that the dungeon’s floors were endless. That was why it earned its ominous title.

“Wait—why do we have to start at a place like that?”

For someone whose first dungeon venture was about to be the hardest one in the entire country—and who had just moments ago completed their adventurer registration—this was far too cruel. And, to make matters worse, I hadn’t even planned to go into a dungeon at all just a little while ago.

“Don’t worry,” said Sarassa, her voice calm. “The dungeon only gets truly dangerous the deeper you go. The upper floors aren’t that perilous.”

“And if we bring the garden with us, we can always turn back if needed.”

Speaking of the garden, the one we were bringing into the dungeon was roughly the size of a single carriage. It had been carefully transported here using concealment magic so that it could pass through the city gates without drawing attention.

“Wait a second… that entrance is narrower than I expected. Can we even get through?”

The fortress gate had been deliberately built quite narrow, likely as a precaution against monster escapes. If we weren’t careful, the garden might not fit.

“What if we turn it upright? It can fly, after all, so that should work, right?”

“No, no… upright might be—ah! It worked!”

To my surprise, it slipped through perfectly. I’d never tried rotating the garden before, but apparently, it could be turned on its side as well.

“…I wonder,” Sarassa muttered, half-closing her eyes. “After seeing so many absurd things, rotating it almost seems natural.”

At the entrance, our adventurer permits were checked, and after passing inspection, we were allowed inside.

Inside the fortress, the space opened up dramatically. In the center of the room was a huge, gaping hole—the actual entrance to the dungeon. A spiral staircase had been built to allow descent into the darkness below.

And now came the real question: could we bring the garden down that hole with us?

If we couldn’t, all our effort registering as adventurers and traveling here would be wasted. Sena would undoubtedly hesitate to enter the dungeon, and it would inconvenience Sarassa-san greatly.

Heart pounding, I began descending the staircase with the garden in tow.

“…Did it fit?”

“Seems like it.”

“We did it!”

Before I knew it, we had reached the bottom.

“Well, I expected no less,” said Anii casually.

“Indeed. This garden has never once let us down,” Sena added.

Huh? They said that as if it were completely natural…

Despite my mild irritation at their nonchalance, it seemed we could indeed bring the garden into the dungeon.

“I’m glad. Now Geo can come with us too.”

“Yes! That’s great!”

Seeing Shifa-san so pleased made it all worthwhile.

And then, before our eyes, the staircase opened into a cavernous space, jagged rock walls looming around us.

“At first, it’s a cave. Classic dungeon design,” Ani murmured, surveying the area with a practiced eye.

Apparently, Arcel’s dungeon also started with a cave area before branching into other sections.

We were still near the entrance, and other adventurers were present, so we decided to move forward a little until we were out of sight.

After a short walk, several figures appeared ahead.

…No, they weren’t human. Their heads were clearly canine.

“Kobolds,” Anii said.

“Ei!”

““Gyaa!?””

Sena’s sword flashed. The invisible blade cut the kobolds in two before they could react.

As Ani had predicted, the dungeon’s early floors were weakly defended. Sena swiftly dispatched the few monsters that appeared without difficulty.

Soon, we reached a secluded area with no one else around.

“Let’s test whether we can teleport back to the garden aboveground from here,” I said, stepping into the garden and activating its teleportation magic. In the next instant, our surroundings shifted, and we found ourselves back at our home in Arcel.

It seemed that teleportation worked both inside and outside the dungeon.

“Well, I expected that,” Anii said.

“Indeed. This garden has never failed to meet expectations,” Sena added.

…Wait, they just said the exact same thing as before.

“I’m tired. Let’s end today’s exploration here.”

“We’ve barely walked any distance. Come on, we should test if we can return to the garden inside the dungeon too.”

“Ehh…”

Dragging my reluctant sister along, we activated the garden teleportation once more. The scenery shifted back to the cave inside the dungeon.

“Looks like we can return just fine.”

“Well, I expected that—”

“This garden—”

“…”