Labyrinth Renovation – 020 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 20 – Treasure Found!

In the end, it took a long time to drain the water, so we went back to the Hardware Store and spent some time there.
I don't feel nervous at all, but I've gotten used to this situation.
At least, if we can get to the transfer monument, we'll have reached the end of the troublesome levels, and that will probably be soon.
……Or rather, we are able to clear it because we had the Hardware Store, but I don't see how a normal adventurer's party can clear this, I have no idea how this was designed.
Or, are strong adventurers so strong that they can crush water, darkness, poison, and dragons with their sheer power? They're not human in that case.

I went to check it every half day, but the water kept coming out of the hose.
The pump has been running non-stop around the clock.
It was quite a lot of water, but the infinite pit swallowed it up without any problems at all.
If this really is linked to the infinite, it seems like it would be the ultimate garbage disposal site. If this were modern Japan, I'm sure I'd be able to make a lot of money. Compared to a hardware store, this is a much bigger cheat.
Well, it'll probably be hundreds of years before people from this other world understand the value of this.

In the end, the water stopped coming out of the hose…… In other words, the drainage was completed in the afternoon, five days after the start of the operation.
We've thrown away a huge amount of water……

"Wow. This is amazing! That's really deep, Fiona! It was deep after all! "
"Waaaaaah. Do you mean all that water is completely gone? "
"That's right. It took a whole five days, though."

The pond, which had completely drained, now had a completely different appearance.
Like the other rooms, it was built with stone layers, and the place where there used to be water was essentially a deep hole. It was about 20 meters deep.
There were holes here and there, with water trickling out of them. Apparently, it is designed to be resupplied with water. It's not clear where that water is coming from, but I wonder if it's groundwater or something. Did the hardware store sell something like a water-quality test kit?

"Ah! There's something over there! Wow, it's huge!"
"Huge! What is that? A fish? "

At the bottom where the water had run out, a huge fish-like or maybe snake-like thing was flapping around.
There was no sight of another monster.
Apparently, this level also had a single monster.

"Maho... that's probably a water dragon. It has horns."
"A dragon? Is that a dragon? That thing?"
"Maybe."

When I brought my binoculars and had a closer look, it certainly looked more like a snake than a fish.
I see, so it's a dragon.

Judging by the way it is flopping around at the bottom, it seems to be almost completely helpless without water.
At least it doesn't seem like it will climb up the wall like a snake.

"If we leave it like that, will it die? Shall we try attacking it? "
"What are we going to do? "
"Well, in this situation, the only option is a kinetic attack."

After all, it is several meters below. The fact that only our attacks can reach it is a big plus.
Why not light a fire and grill some fish, while we're at it to give it some oxygen deprivation?
If this is a dragon, it must be very resilient, so it's better to go a little overboard.

I worked with Fiona to bring in some rebar, dumbbells, and hatchets from the Hardware Store.
Then, we poured kerosene into it and lit it on fire.
I'm doing whatever I want, but I don't have much time to spare either. After all, groundwater is still trickling in.
In addition, it was hard to drain the water over several days.

"Competitor Fiona, go all out! "
"Yes! Take thiiiis! "

The rebar that Fiona threw like a javelin stabbed the water dragon's body.
Surprisingly, it seemed that its defense power was not very high. Perhaps because it was specialized for the environment, its base abilities were not that high.
It's probably a monster that attacks from the water at a tremendous speed.

I also threw things like dumbbells and hatchets.
It might not be very successful, but we have to go for quantity over quality.
The fire attack seems to be working well. I wonder if fire attribute is strong against water. In games, lightning is very effective, but I've also heard that fish can get burned by the temperature of human skin, so they're actually sensitive to changes in temperature. The gills and other weak points are all exposed after all.

As we continued to attack, the water dragon's movements gradually slowed down, and then it popped with a bang.
Although not as much as with the Red Dragon, a reasonable number of magic stones were scattered.

"Alright! Well done, Fiona! "
"Ahh～～～～! Magic stones! I have to pick them up! "
"Fiona, you're actually pretty stingy sometimes.……"

Well, I know that money is important.
But right now, we're in the middle of a survival battle for life or death, you know?
Well, it's okay. I like money too!

"Whooooaaaaa! Here it comes! Level up! "
"Me too! "

I must have gained the same amount of experience as with that other lizard.
But I don't know because it's mostly a sensory thing. Please give me some figures.

I brought a rope ladder from the hardware store and went down.
If we don't pick everything up quickly, it's certainly going to be covered in water soon.

"Uh? Is something there? "
"Eh? "
"Look, over there. It's like a box."
"Oh, wow! Maho, that's a treasure chest! "
"A treasure chest? "

Does such a thing really exist?
When, who, and for what purpose are they putting them here? Dungeons are full of mysteries.

"Well then, let's open it up right away."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Maho, don't you remember why I was alone at the bottom? "
"Hm? What was it? "
"A trap! Didn't I tell you I'd fallen into a teleporting trap?! "
"Oh, ohhhh! Then, that too? "
"Maybe…… Sometimes there aren't any traps, but it's in a place like this."

That's a problem. I don't have a way to disarm traps.
Even when I looked at Fiona, she just shook her head.
Apparently, disarming traps is the job of someone with specialized skills.

"So, are we just going to give up?! "
"Eh!? No way! It's a treasure chest on the very lowest floors! It might even contain magical items! And maybe even magical weapons."
"Is that a thing? Hmm. What kind of traps are there? What are the conditions for them to activate? "
"Normally, it works when you open it, but……"

Apparently, there were all sorts of things, like explosions, poison needles, teleportation, and paralyzing poison.
Although quite a bother, if we can move the box itself, I think we'll be able to manage it somehow.

From below, I brought a belt harness for slinging and a rope hoist.
After setting up a stable tripod, we pulled it up to the top.
To be honest, for those of us who have become acclimatized to the labyrinth, pulling out a treasure chest or two is a piece of cake.
However, we had to be careful not to set off the trap by accident, so we were very careful when we were working.

To avoid causing a shock, we prepared blankets and mats, and slowly lowered it down so quietly that it was almost soundless.
"Good, good. All that's left to do is open it. That said, this floor is not good……"

If it explodes and the contents fly off and then fall into the water, it'll be no laughing matter.
The gecko floor is even worse. I'd rather avoid the field floor, so I guess that leaves the dragon floor.
That room is just perfect for fooling around.

"Are we going to carry it somewhere? "
"Yeah. We need to carry it down to the floor where the dragon was, but do you think we can get it down the stairs without dropping it? "
"I don't know, but I think it's possible. "
"I wonder…… Stairs…… stairs…… ah."

That's right! I just thought of a good idea!