Chapter 119

Experiment Start

Even though I told Meat something like, “Leave the rest to me,” it just wound up with me getting eaten as usual.

As her Goshujin-sama, I can’t leave her with a bad example!

“… I wonder what I can do~”

I was absorbed in thinking about it while eating onigiri in the dining room. It was a lunch that Kinue-san made. When I bit into one, it had an omelette inside.

The heck is she putting in these…? Well, I don’t dislike it though.

Rather, I’ve been thinking how to defeat that wolf… defeat Rin. But I have no clue what’d be effective. I want to investigate a little more first. Alright, let’s start experimenting next.

Still, our DP income exploded upwards with Rin being here. At this point I’m inclining towards wanting to make it a comrade. I can’t sleep quietly because of the uneasy feeling of having that fellow keep staying for a long while though… yep, I want to hurry up and defeat it and turn it into a comrade.

… That guy also hasn’t particularly made any moves against the dungeon core (it’s a dummy one though) huh. It’d be great if we could just get it to promise to keep on not attacking it.

If it turned into a situation of Rin going for the real core in Rokuko’s room, it’d be scary. Like how dangerous it is if a burglar rushes in—well, I don’t think that’ll happen though.

Hmm, I wonder if I should strengthen Rokuko’s room’s security?

Just when I started thinking about that, Gozoh walked into the dining room.

“Oh, Kehma.”

“Hm? Ah, Gozoh. It’s been a while huh. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’ve been spending time at the bar after all! … I’ve been thinking about accepting that investigation commission, but hey. Want to accept it together?”

“The commission put out from the village? I’m the village chief though.”

Rather, what does he intend to do if something happens to the village chief? Well, the bar’s master—the village sub-chief—would just become the village chief I guess.

“There’s nothing saying you can’t accept a commission you put out yourself. The guild acknowledged the commission, so adventurers can accept it.”

Is that really alright? Couldn’t you just put out tons of commissions without having to actually pay anything and rank up super quickly…? Maybe that’s the thing aristocrat children use to raise their ranks? It seems like they get ranks as nobles if they have a high rank.

“Raising through the ranks like that’s limited at C-Rank though. The guild checks to see whether or not the commission is appropriate, so it can’t be too easy of a commission for the rank. You need a recommendation to get B-Rank or higher, and there’d be no meaning if you can’t pass the examination.”

“So it was something like that huh… But they can still get C-rank huh.”

“That much is possible from just getting a rare item or something; they just pay a large sum of money to get it.”

But C-Rank huh.

Right now this dungeon’s limited to C-Rank, but thinking about being able to buy the privilege of C-Rank and go wherever… that may be good to do, depending on the price. Ah, but there was talk about there being a written test for ranks above C huh. It seems like people that are irregularly strong are exempted though.

“So the commission’s asking for what?”

“Aye, the investigation commission is asking to… investigate whether or not there is the existence of a demon that threatens [Cave of Desires] floors two and three.”

That didn’t answer me at all though…

“Whether or not there’s a demon that’ll be a threat huh, so how do we go about looking for it?”

“Human wave tactics. If we can’t find it in a few days, we’ll assume it went back farther inside. By the way, since the transition phase’s investigation is going to be held along with this, the compulsory participation in lookout duty will be waived.”

“Got it, I’ll do it. Can Mea—… can Kuro and Ichika come along as well?”

Knowing that there won’t be anything showing up makes it seriously hard to get through. Moreover, it’s cold.

It’s troublesome doing work though.

“Aye. I’ll be participating together with Roppu after all. We’ll all get along; it’s been decided that we’ll be separating parties in the labyrinth though.”

“I’d be relieved if Wataru came too.”

… I’d love somehow being able to throw Wataru at Rin… That guy’s a hero. He wins in the DP department. He could use some kind of magic that goes bang! Like Thunder Storm or something.

“What are you worried about?”

While sitting down next to me, Gozoh put up a flask of alcohol to his mouth and drank some. A product of the dungeon, a high performance flask that provides a heat insulation function. Among other things, you could put hot sake into it.

“Ah, wait… there was those ‘tamers’. What do you know about tamers?”

“Tamers? Those guys that tame monsters? There’s stories that they’re able to communicate with monsters, but are you thinking of switching?”

“Converse huh, no… well, it’s all good. I mean, that’s all huh.”

“It’s hard to learn how to speak to a monster! To buy the skill for it, even a single weak monster’s language is ten gold… ah, right. That much is easy for you to take out isn’t it, Kehma? Then isn’t it fine?”

Eh, so there was a skill for monster languages after all? I didn’t check!

Let’s check secretly so that Gozoh doesn’t see… hmmm, nope, not there. I wonder if there’s some condition to unlock it?

“So, what about slimes?”

“Slime? Ah, they’re pretty tough, good against blunt attacks. They’re weak to magic though.”

“So they’re like that huh. Another question, I heard something about slimes normally being trained to take the shape of a wolf or something…?”

“Yeah. You can even keep them inside of a cylinder. They’re convenient to carry that way.”

“Heeeh…. Wait, wouldn’t it turn into a magic sword if you put a small cylindrical slime into the sword’s hilt and had it use magic?”

“Hahaha, what d’you think a magic sword it… hmm? Wait, could you? Huh!? W-wait a sec, I need to talk to Kantra!”

With that, Gozoh dashed out of the dining hall, leaving his flask on the counter.

Huh? Why does it feel like I just accidentally gave him a technological breakthrough? Well, it probably won’t be stronger than a magic sword.

Let’s tell Meat and Ichika about that commission for now.

… Then maybe I should talk to the guild about me participating in the commission just to make sure. Gozoh even forgot about his alcohol after all.

Well, the commission to search for the demon that appeared and was menacing the second and third floors was settled, they even gave out maps.

But for them to make such an accurate map… they’ve practically found all of the moving and non-moving walls. It’s good that it finished easily, but maybe I need to alter the labyrinth area’s design? Maybe I’ll change some of the wall and wall golems’ positions?

*

While the village’s stuff is proceeding smoothly, let’s return to the dungeon’s side.

It said something about thinking the flavor would be different… maybe I should try seasoning the golem a bit?

Because of that, I made the next haniwa golem with magma in it. Its body’s insides are boiling. Let’s feed this to Rin.

It looked hot enough to turn my hands into charcoal if I’d touched the magma directly, so I had the golem put the magma into the hollowed out area inside of it that I made, paying careful attention so that none would spill.

“Ooi, Rin. It’s lunch time!”

[Kuaaah! You’re still, alive, after all, Kehma!]

Just as Rin started waking up, I walked in with the messenger golem with magma in it.

“Now then, eat me.”

[… Kehma, is your, head alright? Normally, people don’t want, to be food.]

It’s alright, so please hurry up and eat me. The magma’s cooling down.

“Isn’t your stomach getting empty? It is right? Besides, you know I won’t die even if you eat me.”

[Ah, well, then, I’ll eat now, but… Kehma, you taste bad.]

“I remembered you say that, so I changed my flavor today. Now then, go on!”

[G-got it. I’ll do it now, so… time to eat!]

With a snap, I was eaten in one gulp. I looked for its reaction on the monitor, but it didn’t look like it really took any damage.

… Maybe its weak point isn’t magma? I was off the mark huh. Or maybe there just wasn’t enough?

Well, it’s fine. There are still more things to try out.

Next is sulfuric acid, then a strong alkali solution, then various sleeping drugs, there’s gotta be something this guy can’t eat and I’ll find it. Whether this guy becomes a companion or stays as an enemy, its useful knowing its weak spot.