Shaved ice made of Snow Lilies.
Even just eating it feels sweet and delicious, as if drizzled with syrup.
Somehow, there was an inevitable feeling of regret.
Why? Because the true charm of shaved ice is revealed only when it’s topped with various toppings.
So, what I thought of was the dungeon 「Tropical Jungle」.
Can’t you imagine the landscapes when you hear those words?
Palm trees.
Snakes.
Insects.
Lots of mosquitoes, humid, hot, sweaty.
But as much as that, it’s a field where highly sweet fruits grow abundantly.
In the game D&A, the 「Tropical Jungle」 was a place where you could enter without penalties only after drinking a cool potion.
The penalty, ‘heat’, was a debuff that deducted a fixed HP of 5 on certain turns.
But if you eat 「Snow Lily Shaved Ice」, the situation changes.
Shalala-.
“A cool sensation flows through the body.”
「Heat Resistance – Level 2」
Perhaps because I ate a cold dish, resistance to heat has developed. At level 2, it nullified ‘Heat’ level 2.
The duration was about an ordinary hour.
Anyway.
Conquer 「Tropical Jungle」 using items obtained from the 「Snow Mountain Labyrinth」.
Then, attack another dungeon or field using the items that could be obtained when conquering 「Tropical Jungle」.
The strategy of growing step by step, like climbing a ladder, is a common tactic in RPGs.
“Victor, didn’t you say you were going to the jungle? The jungle is in the central field outside Ludens Academy. Why are we here?”
Enio seemed puzzled.
It seemed strange that I, who said I was going to a “Tropical Jungle”, was wandering around inside the academy instead of the external field.
Melvin and Dearmid had a similar reaction last time.
“This path is correct.”
I headed towards the central district’s cathedral.
A cathedral that served the seven gods.
Hidden here was the portal to 「Tropical Jungle」.
Just like the hidden dungeon, the 「Snow Mountain Labyrinth」, you have to talk to every NPC and explore every inch of the map, or you wouldn’t find it.
It was unrelated to the main episode, so no matter how much you wander around, it wouldn’t be a significant variable in the episode itself.
A quiet and serene cathedral.
Seven gods decorated in the interior where beautiful sunlight enters through mosaic windows.
Victoria, gazing at it, asked.
“Victor, don’t you want to pray to the gods before going to the dungeon?”
“No. The dungeon entrance is here.”
“Here?”
I entered a square-shaped room.
Confession booth.
A place for confessing sins, or so it was said.
But to me, it was just the entrance to the dungeon.
“If you input the specific page quote from the Bible placed here…”
In the game, it was entering a quote, but here, I had to read it out loud.
Of course, without even looking at the Bible, the information was already in my head.
“Behold, our land of play that we have created. A new self shall rise from this land.”
Uuuung-.
I clearly read the quote from Genesis 5:13 of the Ludens Bible.
It didn’t instill any newfound faith.
But a door that wasn’t there before appeared.
Uuuuuuuung-.
A green-tinted oval-shaped dimensional portal-like thing swirled inside the confession booth. When I opened the confession booth door and showed it to everyone, their reactions were fresh.
“Why is there a dungeon entrance in a place like this? Truly a miracle of the gods…”
Was Victoria quite religious?
It was no wonder, it certainly looked like a miracle of the gods.
For me, hidden dungeons like these were somewhat familiar, but for someone seeing them for the first time, it wouldn’t be strange for them to hold their forehead in surprise.
“Well then, before entering, let’s set up the party.”
As I placed my hand on the entrance to the dungeon, a familiar party matching window appeared. Seeing it, Enio’s ruby-like eyes glowed red.
“I’ve heard about it, but seeing it in person is amazing. This is the evidence that the gods exist…”
The status window was fascinating indeed.
The four empty squares that appeared in front of us.
Next to them, our names glittered, and we manually dragged them into the squares.
First, when I filled in the names of Victoria and Enio, familiar letters seemed to pop into my head.
「Antithese」.
Destined Rivals, Antithese.
This was the combination name that appeared when Victoria and Enio were in the same party.
There wasn’t any special effect based on the combination.
To accumulate achievement points, dungeons had to be conquered with various combinations.
However, the actual combination name couldn’t be known until the dungeon was cleared.
So, trying dungeon conquests with various combinations was the charm.
Now, drag Nike’s name into the empty space.
Three heroines in one party.
What combination name could it be?
I couldn’t stand the curiosity.
Let’s try to raise my achievement points that have been stuck at 87 percent for over 10,000 hours this time.
* * *
Entering the dungeon, a humid energy clung to the skin.
It was the sticky feeling characteristic of high-humidity areas.
It was more severe than the heat after a day of pouring rain.
“So hot… Even after eating shaved ice, it’s this hot….”
Victoria was already sweating profusely from her forehead.
Taking out a handkerchief, she wiped her forehead.
It seemed hot for Enio as well.
“…A bit hot. I should take off my stockings.”
Enio pulled off her black stockings smoothly.
When her white bare legs began to show, Victoria asked in shock, “What are you doing right now?”
Enio calmly responded, “What can I do about the heat?” and, with a slightly mischievous expression, looked at me.
“Victor, do you need stockings too?”
“No, I don’t need them.”
Where would I use them?
Or maybe make them into a fishing net?
“I changed my mind. Give them to me if you’re going to throw them away. I’ll pay for them.”
But surprisingly, Victoria was more upset than Enio.
“Really, Victor, why would you take those!?”
The one who organized our confusion was an external voice.
━Hoouuu.
━Meuuuu.
━Hioooong…!
━Miooong…!
Unidentifiable animal cries echoed from all directions.
This was the 「Tropical Jungle」.
An unofficial dungeon that required a total stat sum of 100.
By the way, my current stats were as follows.
「Name: Victor
Title: Hound
Quirk: 《Steel》
Strength: 32/100
Agility: 2/100
Stamina: 83/100
Mana: 0/100
Charm: 2/100 (+10)
Skills: 《Fire Starting》 《Intermediate Cooking》」
Strength 32 points.
Agility 2 points.
Stamina 83, with the charm adjusted by items, adding up to 12. My total stats were 129.
Since the recommended stat requirement here was roughly 100, I was on the safe side with a total stat of 129.
In simpler terms, in a level 10 restricted dungeon, I, at level 12.9, was safe.
Even in a world where dungeon conquest was not well-developed, both Victoria and Enio must have easily surpassed the 100-point stat mark.
The issue was with Nike.
“It’s incredibly humid. It feels different from the Leshgad Forest where I live!”
Nike seemed oddly pleased after entering the dungeon.
Well, if the original place she lived was a forest and this was a jungle, they were somewhat similar.
Anyway, there didn’t seem to be a need to worry.
Still, I decided to briefly explain the precautions like a local guide.
“This is a dungeon with a stat limit of 100. The monsters that appear are three types of swamp snakes, three types of legion ants, and apes. Except for the apes, it’s not dangerous.”
“…Victor, do you oddly know a lot? I never thought there would be a dungeon in a church. ”
At Victoria’s question, I felt the timing.
It was time to reveal one-third of the lies I could use today.
“When I was an executive. Information I read in the student council warehouse. The original was burned, so there’s no trace left, but it’s trustworthy information.”
“Indeed, if it’s a student council warehouse, there should be all sorts of items.”
Victoria seemed to pass over it smoothly.
That’s when it happened.
“Victor, look at that! That!”
Nike, who had been wandering around, suddenly dashed somewhere.
With the speed of a beekeeper protecting bees from wasps.
What Nike grabbed in her hand as she rushed away was a large spider. To give an idea of its size, it was as big as a person’s palm.
━Thunk!
…Why is a spider making a thunking sound?
“Hey, there’s a wolf spider here! It’s amazing! Look at this pattern! I’ve never seen such a pure white color. Wow, it’s incredible. Is it a rare species?”
Nike was delighted like an elementary school student who caught a dragonfly.
However, Victoria and Enio couldn’t hide their disgust as they watched Nike, who was happily showing the spider around everywhere.
“Miss Mo-Mokemoke, move away. It’s dangerous!”
“Miss Nike is a bit clueless. What if it bites you? It’s a big spider. Be careful; it might have poison or something.”
“…Is, is that so… These spiders, despite their appearance, are timid and gentle; they don’t bite people. Should I let it go?”
Nike’s enthusiasm deflated noticeably.
It’s not strange for people to be scared when shown a giant spider like that.
But I understood Nike’s feelings.
Spiders.
In D&A, spiders are quite special animals.
The silk they produce can be used extensively in crafting high-level equipment items.
If Nike can tame them well, she might expand her crafting skills beyond just food to include equipment like clothing!
“Nike, don’t lose that and keep it.”
“…Okay! Now, let’s go inside here.”
━Thunk!
Nike put the peculiar spider, which she had been carrying on her hip like a collection pouch, into something resembling a gathering bag.
Initially, it was a bit frightening, but as Nike said, it was a creature that didn’t bite people.
Maybe it was because Nike was a druid.
* * *
“It’s hot….”
Enio’s body slumped.
Enio, who always showed a relaxed attitude, seemed unable to endure the merciless heat of nature.
“Victor, do you have any water left?”
“No. But I have just harvested some 「Sugarcane Coconuts」.”
With a swift motion, I tore open the coconut, and the juice flowed down my hands.
Before everything to drink disappeared, I brought it to Enio’s face.
“Bend down and open your mouth.”
“Ah—.”
Gurgle.
The pale flesh flowed down Enio’s face.
Watching the tongue, smooth skin, and the liquid seeping into the deep throat, for some reason, Victoria became angry.
“…What are you guys doing? Shameless!”
What is she talking about?
“What’s shameless about this?”
“Anyway! Enio, drink your share and cause trouble for others!”
Ignoring Victoria’s advice, Enio said.
“But it’s so hot. Blackstar’s nature is in the northern regions. I can endure the cold, but this heat is a bit….”
With a slurping sound, Enio licked around her lips. Somehow, her appearance seemed a bit better than when she was suffering from the heat earlier. That’s when it happened.
Pop—
A sound like something snapping taut was heard, and Victoria floated into the air.
“What, what is this…!?”
Upon closer inspection, Victoria’s arms and legs were entangled with a strange vine-like thing, restricting her movement. Because of this, her school uniform skirt was lifted up…
“You must not look, Victor.”
Something covered my face with a swooshing sound.
Was it Enio’s hand?
With wriggling sounds, Victoria shouted.
“Hurry, untie me!”
“Miss Victoria, amazing underwear…”
“Mo-, Miss Mokemoke, stop with the nonsense! Hurry up and untie me!”
Because it took a lot of work.
But that’s how the first conquest of the dungeon usually goes — stepping on traps, falling into ambushes, and so on.
Swoosh.
Victoria, finally freed, rubbed her wrists and ankles, muttering, “What on earth.”
Then she poked my side with her hand.
“Hey, di-did you see it?”
“See what?”
“…Never mind if you don’t know!”
*
*
*
*
This was a quiet room.
On the table lay a small map and meticulously carved pieces resembling figures.
The only light illuminating everything was unusually dazzling.
In the quiet room, a few shadows revealed themselves in front of the map.
“How is it? Will it go well this time?”
“Don’t be surprised when you hear it. The ‘Forsaken’ has already fallen.”
The atmosphere changed in an instant at someone’s words.
It was an unbelievable reaction.
“Already? But that guy’s plan was meticulously crafted. It took two years. Why would he fail already? What’s going on?”
“We’ve never encountered such enemies before, right? So, should we send out Torneo? That priest guy.”
“Yes. But look at these guys. They’re in the dungeon. 「Tropical Jungle」. Does this make sense? Those strange grazing guys.”
“…Have they already gone there? We haven’t even prepared a plan for that place yet. We deliberately concealed it so that no one could enter. What are we going to do now?”
“But it seems interesting. These guys are newcomers to dungeons. Especially that weird guy. What is he doing? Was he even in Ludens?”
At the enthusiastic admiration of the one holding a hammer, a languid voice of a woman responded.
“He’s interesting, but… I can’t get too involved this time. I couldn’t even take a sip of water for a few years after that guy died. Thinking about him still makes me sad.”
The atmosphere became awkward with the tears in the woman’s eyes.
Some were shedding tears.
Then, the shadow holding the sword, with a hearty exclamation, spoke while shedding tears.
“Talking about the guy wearing a lion’s hide, right? He was truly a magnificent fellow! But rules are rules. There’s no favoritism. Got it? This time, it’s my turn.”
He rolled the dice.
A mysterious eight-eyed dice.
On the map.
Rolling and tumbling.
The result was 7.
Sighs arose from various places.
“…Hmm, I told you not to draw anything above 5.”
“You did very well. Indeed, well done. A 7, after all. I thought some interesting kids had finally come out. These guys will fall before they even bloom. They’ll be crushed.”
“…Damn it, does the dice not work as I want it to? I’m sad too!”
Nevertheless, they couldn’t take their eyes off the map.
No matter how sad.
Or happy.
‘Watching’ until the end was the only rule.
This was Ludens, the game of watching.
