Labyrinth Renovation – 013 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 13: Hydra Grass

"Haa～. With this much, I can do this and that……"
"This and that? Do you think it will sell for a good price? "
"Oh, of course, I'll only take a small portion……? I didn't do anything…… really.…… Maybe a tenth…… a fourth……half……"

Fiona's voice gradually got quieter.
Did you have more money problems than I thought? Well, isn't the only reason for adventurers to do this to make money? I'm sure it's a job where you have to keep fighting monsters.

"Alright. I don't really understand the value of it. Let's think about it after we've escaped for now.”
"Auaauauau. Yes……"

I doubt we'll ever get our hands on that magic stone from that dragon again.
If I wanted to turn something into money, I could clearly get by with the infinite stock of the Hardware Store. I feel like it'd be a shame to cash the magic stones in.
Or does it mean that it has value other than money?

"Well, now that the dragon's gone, let's go to the next floor."

◇◆◆◆◇

We opened the door and went up the stairs.
Another long flight of stairs. It must be about 100 meters long.

"Come to think of it, there was no level-up by gaining experience points. Did you get it, Fiona? "
"Are you talking about labyrinth acclimatization? Ah! Come to think of it, it's definitely not there! I guess it's because we didn't do anything directly…… Such a waste……"

I understand the feeling. I feel like I missed out on getting the experience points for the final boss.

"Is it a specification that you can't gain experience points from a secondary attack……? "

No, poison attacks are supposed to be rather direct attacks. It's at least more physical than magic.
If so, is it a specification that prevents you from gaining experience points in boss battles?
After all, he's the final boss, so there's no need to level up as long as you've cleared the rest, right? Seems so…… To begin with, the whole idea of "labyrinth acclimatization" is a mystery.
Whatever…… Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about this.
I guess I'll just have to stick with being Level 1 for a while.

After climbing the stairs, there was another door.

"Speaking of which, are there no save spots in dungeons? Right…… Like a place where you can take a break."
"I don't know what a “save spot” is, but I think the places where monsters don't appear are around the transfer monument. If they were on this floor I could go home."
"Transfer monument? What's that? "
"If you use it, you can teleport to the transfer monument on another floor."

Wow! That's really convenient!
I thought it would be really tough to go down and up through the dungeon floor after floor, but it turns out there's an elevator.

"So, that means we just have to keep going up until we find it, right? What a relief."
"Y-Yeah."

I thought I had to clear all the levels to get out.

"Well, let's hope it's there as we open the door. At least anything will be easier than a dragon."
"……I guess so……"

I'm a little worried about Fiona's vague way of answering, but anyway, on to the next level.
In reality, there are more things to try on a level with a boss like a dragon, and for us, a horde of zombies appearing in a mazelike area would be more of a threat.
If we get unlucky and get that, we'll have a lot of trouble――

"Wow! What the heck is this?! This is amazing! "

What lay beyond the door was a field of flowers.
The room was a little brighter than the dragon floor. It's not as bright as the outside, but seriously, how? Is this like a safe floor? Maybe a floor where you can rest in a flower garden and regain your strength before the dragon battle?

"W-Wait, wait! Maho, don't go in! "
"What's the matter? You're looking so pale."
"That…… It's all hydra grass…… A poisonous plant that does not wither or die, and which will paralyze the whole body and render the victim unable to move with just a slight touch."

Can plants even live here?
Anything goes in the dungeon, I guess.

◇◆◆◆◇

Hydra grass.
According to Fiona, the flower is said to have great vitality and does not easily wither, and even if you cut it, it will quickly regenerate. It is also said to be a terrible flower that will paralyze your entire body if you touch it even slightly.

"Ah, why does this dungeon have to harass me like this!? You can't just cut Hydra grass, you have to burn it with fire magic or it'll regenerate quickly, you know? I think this is a level designed to wear down the magician. By the way, I can't use proper offensive magic."

Fiona was in despair, with her head in her hands.
It was hard for her to imagine that a colony of paralyzing flowers could be found at the bottom of such a labyrinth, so it must be quite rare.
That said, it seems that Fiona still doesn't know what a hardware store is.
Well, since I killed the dragon with gasoline, there is no choice.
This is my strongest area, you know.

"Fiona-kun. Normally, adventurers equipped only with the bare essentials for adventure would enter this level armed with weapons and armor. In that case, there's no other way to burn it than with magic, right? "
"Mm-hmm. Usually…… that's true. I don't think there's any way to deal with it other than magic."
"However, we are a different case. There are an infinite number of tools."
"R-Right……"
"In other words, a poisonous plant can be disposed of in a variety of ways. It's just a weed, right? "

So, let's get our grass-burning friend to do something about it.