Episode 17: Farewell, Gekko!

　Uwahahaha.
　We did it! It worked. I might be a genius. Poor gecko.
　
　The way it fell headlong while making a “Gekkoooooo~” sound at the end was almost sad, but this was also necessary for us to escape alive…… Sorry……

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　Let's go back a little in time.

　The problem was how to make it slippery without it being dangerous, but after walking around the hardware store and thinking about it, I came up with an idea that seemed like it might work.

"I'll use this."
"Nope, I don't understand. You're amazing, Maho. Even though there are soooo many things here, it's like you know all about what's kept here."
"Fuhaha……!　Even I don't know everything, you know. I'd say about 90% at the most. "
"That's amazing enough."

　Now that she mentions it, that might be true.　But the hardcore DIYers are much more than this. Of course, many people know what is in it and how to use it. My parents, for example.

"So, what exactly is this? "
"A pump and PVC piping. This will pour the oil over to the other side."
"Hhmm."

　Fiona's reaction was weak. I wanted her to be more surprised…… But, well, it's kind of plain, you know……
　Well, I'm sure there's a smarter way to go about it, right?　But it's difficult to get the oil to stick to the cliff on the opposite bank, which is a good distance away.

　I have some ideas, you know?
　Like setting up a huge scaffold and then using it to hook stuff up, then using the biggest pump to run the motor until it burns out by spraying out oil. Or like filling water balloons with oil and throwing them out.
　But if that thing starts moving while we're making the scaffolding, we're out, and I don't think the pump will be able to spray it far enough. It must take a lot of pressure to spray oil out like a water gun.
　I thought the water balloon strategy was pretty good, but if the opponent moves after the first shot, it's an instant game over.
　Any strategy that assumes the other party will quietly cooperate is a little iffy.

　Well, I'm not sure if the PVC strategy is the best. But it seems like we can slowly and surely get it covered in oil quietly. By the time that thing realizes it, it will be too late!　That's the key point.

　Also, I made some water balloons filled with oil, since I had the chance.
　When it starts to move but doesn't fall properly, we throw this.
　The oil-filled balloons were made using injectors.
　Simply put, an injector is a large syringe. Just add oil and push it into the water balloon. For a moment, I thought I had to use a pump.
　I threw it against the wall on the floor of the Hardware Store to check how it would do, and it broke without a problem, and the oil adhered nicely, so it wasn't bad.

　If we also pour gasoline on it and throw a torch at it, it might serve as a final blow……Hmm, my thoughts are taking a dangerous turn……

　Now, let's get ready for the main event.
　All I need is an oil tank and a quiet underwater pump. The pump doesn't need much pressure, so a hand pump should be fine, but if possible, I'd like to do it without taking too much time.

　I connect the PVC pipes to make them long enough to reach the opposite cliff.
　I'd say about 20 meters, leaving some room for error. It looks strong enough. Carefully install it so that it doesn't make a noise in case it reacts to sound. It lurks in the dark, so its eyesight probably isn't very good. Probably.
　Or is it seeing with something like infrared?　No, looking at its relative position, it seems natural to think that it is the type that attacks after hearing footsteps.
　I could wrap a thick sponge around the PVC piping.
　I mean, if it started moving immediately at the sound, it wouldn't have been strange if it had attacked while the balloon-shaped lighting was being installed, so it probably doesn't react to small sounds.
　Probably. I'm sure. Maybe.

"The oil is put into this drum, and then it is pumped through the PVC piping to the other side."
"There are so many, so how many do you need? "
"Let's try about five of them."
"……What does that mean? "
"We've got to get those oil cans out of here……"

　Pumping out a large amount of oil means you need a lot of oil……
　I hope that this is the last layer where I have to carry heavy objects over and over again.……

　While I grumbled, we went back and forth many times and piled up the oil cans in front of the door.
　Since it seemed to be the type that reacted to sound, we had to work quietly.
　It's safe as long as we stay inside the door…… right? I'm sure.
　
　Five empty 200-liter drums.
　Each one was filled with oil from the cans.
　Even so, I was surprised that I had become quite strong, even though I had only burned the paralyzing poison (hydra) grass.
　A little while ago, I would have found it impossible to lift a 20-liter metal pail and pour it into a drum. And because I'm trying not to make any noise, I can't even shout out in encouragement.

　After finishing adding the oil, it's time to work on the oil pump.
　It is submerged in a drum and the hose at the outlet is connected to a long PVC pipe that is laid across to the other side.
　The end of the PVC pipe has a V-shaped cut. And that lies on top of the giant gecko―― or rather, it is fixed in place by making contact with the vertical wall.
　In reality, it can't be locked in place, but as long as it doesn't move, that's fine.
　Perhaps because we were working quietly, the gecko didn't move.
　Its eyes are open…… But geckos don't have eyelids to begin with. It's unclear whether it's awake or asleep.

"Uhh…… We've managed to get everything ready. I'm glad we finished everything before it started moving."
"I was so nervous. I mean, you sneezed really hard, Maho."
"When I smell oil, I get all itchy."

　Even so, the fact that it didn't happen is probably because it wasn't the type of attack this system was designed to handle in the first place.

"Okay, here we go. Switch, on."
"ON."

　The five pumps started up simultaneously, and the oil, which had passed through the PVC piping, coated the wall without making a sound.
　The oil pump has a low discharge pressure, so the PVC piping will not move due to the momentum of the oil. This has been tested, of course.
　Oil flowed down the wall.
　It'll soon reach the gecko――

"It's not moving."
"Fuumu. I thought it would try to move at high speed because it didn't like the oil, and it would fall."

　Is it their nature to remain motionless even if something unusual happens until their prey arrives?
　Is it because oil cannot be considered a direct attack?

"Let's just wait and see."
"I wonder if it'll fall if I poke it."

　Isn't that what you do to tree snakes? This is a gecko, though.

　The oil was flowing smoothly, but because the gecko wasn't moving much, I changed the position of the PVC piping, and eventually, the entire wall around the gecko was covered in oil.
　The gecko is also covered in oil, but it doesn't seem to be fazed at all.
　Is it dead?
　While we were doing this, the oil in the drums ran out.

"…………Now what?　Maho."
"Alright. There's no other choice but to do it."

　It would have been nice if it had just fallen off with the oil, but it seems that things don't always work out as we'd like.
　Well, I prepared all this stuff for a reason, so there's no problem.

"Keep on throwing them!　If possible, to the hands and feet!　Go!! "
"Drop!　Drop!　Drop! "

　Fiona and I threw the oil-filled water balloons we had prepared.
　We had about 100 ready, some might say we went overboard, but you can never be too prepared.

　With our attack, the giant gecko finally showed signs of moving.
　Raising its right arm, it tried to stick it to the wall, but it didn't succeed, so it tried again and again.

"Whoaaa!　It works like a charm!　Keep throwing them! "
"Aaaaaaah!　Die, die, die! "

　Many water balloons hit the wall and pop, spilling the oil.
　The giant gecko was almost entirely covered in oil.

　Having apparently given up on sticking its right hand to the wall, the giant gecko now lifted its left foot.
　However, it would seem that it still couldn't stick to the oil-covered wall.
　We threw the balloons with reckless abandon.
　If it lifts one more leg, it will fall straight down.

　However, at that moment, the giant gecko took an unexpected action.
　It tried to jump to this side by putting all its strength into its body.
　An action I had not imagined. If the jump had been successful, we might have been eaten.

"Gekko～～～～～～～～………………"

　……Well, the jump was a flop, and it flew all the way to the center of the rift and fell down.

　After that, silence enveloped the entire area.
　I watched the crack for a while, but there was no sign of the gecko climbing up from below.
　It seems like it fell to the bottom of the endless abyss.

"……Did we defeat it? "
"Wait, we'll know soon……Oh, it's coming!　My body feels like it's on fire……! "
"Oh, I see!　Since it's such a powerful monster, acclimatization will occur if it's defeated, right? Whoa, it came to me too! "

　I don't know how it works, but in the dungeon, it seems that the power of the monsters you defeat is transferred to the humans who defeat them, and this makes up for the only flaw of the “falling-to-death strategy” - the fact that you couldn't check the bodies.
　Of course, I also considered the possibility that we wouldn't gain experience points from a falling death, but I also figured that on a stage full of pits like this, the dungeon wouldn't be so mean. That would make attacks that blow things up pointless.
　
　The two of us rolled around laughing for a while.
　Maybe because my body couldn't keep up with the sudden increase in level, I felt itchy and hot, but it didn't feel bad, it was a really strange feeling.

　We've defeated such a huge monster.
　I think I might have gone up by 10 levels at once!

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