The Empress Ant had fallen.
At almost the same time, a great sense of relief washed over me.
I felt sore and in pain all over.
Reflected in the black blade of Tyrfing, my appearance was akin to someone who had just returned from a battlefield, tattered and torn.
With blood flowing from my eyes, nose, and ears, I looked like someone on the verge of death.
“Victor, you can’t die! Victor!”
Nike screamed wildly, perhaps worried about me.
But to be honest, my current HP, having just received a fatal blow from the Ant Empress, was probably higher than Nike’s, who wasn’t doping.
I was more life-threatening when I used up my quota of lies against Flora.
I found it somewhat amusing to think about.
Victoria, not letting her guard down, observed the retreating ants.
“The ants are backing off.”
Once you defeat the boss, regardless of how many minion monsters remain, the battle phase ends.
Whether reflecting this or not, after the death of Empress Kucl’kan, the remaining ants retreated into the jungle, hiding their presence.
Victoria and Enio, who had been dealing with the ants, also rushed to my side.
“Victor, you’re so injured…! Your blood, it’s flowing…!”
“Victor, are you okay? Shouldn’t you go back to the healer quickly? Or eat some soup…!”
They were right.
But despite everyone fussing over me, I was still able to move somehow.
There didn’t seem to be a need to waste soup that could be eaten.
This Victor guy, he’s really tough.
I addressed my party, who were fussing over me.
“We don’t have time to dawdle. Let’s collect the loot before the dungeon’s owner catches onto us.”
Victoria, with a serious expression, tilted her head.
“The dungeon owner…? Wasn’t this one the dungeon owner…?”
“No, this one was a mid-boss. I said it earlier, didn’t I? We came to defeat the elite monster, the mid-boss. That was this one.”
It was impactful, but still just a mid-boss.
The owner of this jungle was someone else.
Unless we were in full condition, we couldn’t beat him with our current strength.
━━────!!!
At that moment, thunderous sound erupted somewhere in the jungle, causing all the birds to fly away at once.
The dungeon owner must have noticed our presence.
“Grab the fruits. There should be fruits scattered around that the ants have collected. Hurry up and grab them.”
Before encountering the dungeon boss, I decided to grab the loot and escape.
Everyone, perhaps invigorated by the roar, hurriedly picked up the fruits nearby.
Seizing the opportunity, I decided to collect the loot from the Empress Ant.
Swoosh, what remained in its place was the reward.
Jangle.
1 million Rene.
Divided by four, it’s 250,000 Rene each?
The Rene reward was quite meager compared to the danger.
Even for an elite boss of Nightmare difficulty, this mid-level elite monster is barely worth it. No wonder everyone hates going to dungeons.
However, I quite liked this reward.
「Empress Ant’s Horn: Resembles that of a dragonfly’s, a very splendid horn. It would be nice to display it somewhere.」
Trophy of subjugating an elite monster!
Although I didn’t know what effect it had, obtaining a housing item felt really good.
It’s not a loss to have it.
This should increase my achievement points from 87 to about 87.5%, right?
「Radiant Duel Energy: A bead containing the essence of Ludens. It seems like it can be used somewhere or exchanged for something special.”
I also got a Radiant Duel Energy that can be obtained when defeating an elite monster.
It looks like an orange bead, and when you touch it, it feels soft and bouncy like a stress ball.
Four of them, according to the number of people.
It’s the first time I’ve seen the qualifier “Radiant” attached to it, but it didn’t seem to be a problem.
Alright.
“If you’ve all got everything, let’s make a run for it.”
Upon my words, Enio asked.
“Run? Where to?”
“There should be a canoe nearby.”
Near the nest of the Queen Ant, which originally appears as a mid-boss, there was a large river and a canoe.
Such structural details hadn’t been overlooked even in the DLC; near the Empress Ant’s Earthmount, there was indeed a small river and a canoe.
A boat of just the right size for four people.
We all got on it, and the boat began to move on its own.
“It was more fun than I expected.”
I should come again next time.
By then, the Empress Ant, a mid-boss, will have respawned.
I’ll also get to see the patterns I didn’t see today.
As I thought about it, words floated before my eyes.
「Obtained Dungeon Rewards」
「Achievement – Sammihee (Waltz of Princess).」
Is this the combination name for the three heroines?
Sammihee (三美姬), right.
If it fits, it’s a fitting combination name.
“Everyone, look at this. Don’t you think it’s a fantastic combination name?”
Before the words disappeared, I wanted to show everyone quickly.
But there was no reaction, and when I turned my head, Victoria, who had slumped down, was breathing heavily.
“This is a dungeon… I almost lost a few years of my life.”
Even Enio, usually relaxed, murmured with a cold and expressionless face, not her usual self.
“…My Shadow Pierce…”
Seems like everyone has their own thoughts.
“Victor, look at this, Kongkong has become this close to me. Kongkong, try saying ‘Hiyooong’.”
━Hiyooong…!
Only Nike is bright.
Even I find this party strange.
* * *
Outside the dungeon, the sun was still shining brightly.
Time hadn’t even passed an hour since we went into the dungeon.
“I’ve heard about it, but it’s really weird.”
Victoria seemed to find this peculiar flow of time fascinating, like Dearmid or Melvin.
Enio also said, “It feels surreal.”, trembling and shivering.
“Then let’s settle the score.”
Rene obtained by defeating individual ants.
Rene obtained by defeating soldier ants, officer ants, and the Empress Ant.
In total, about 4 million Rene.
With four people, each can get 1 million Rene.
Making 1 million Rene in just one day?
“An incredible harvest.”
Is it okay to risk this much?
Should we go again next time?
Since the dungeon will likely be reset by tomorrow, we can go again, defeat the ants, and gather lots of fruits.
“Yeah, fruits.”
I checked the fruits brought from the 「Tropical Jungle」.
There were plenty of sweet fruits like bananas and mangoes.
It would’ve been nice to have some Tier 2 fruits like 「Pineapple Mango」. It seems like such luck doesn’t follow me.
“This alone is enough of a harvest.”
Although they were ordinary Tier 3 fruits, fruits are quite rare on this blessed island of Ludens, so this much was sufficient.
Now I can tune up my shaved ice even more.
“Now, I’d like to discuss how to distribute this Empress Ant’s horn.”
The reward for defeating an elite monster for the first time.
I wanted it myself, but since we did it as a party activity, I can’t be selfish about it.
Then Victoria spoke.
“It’s okay. You take it. I didn’t do anything special. Except for Flash, it hardly even affected it.”
She seemed somewhat self-deprecating.
She didn’t seem to be in a very good mood.
The same was true for Enio.
“My Shadow Pierce…”
Continuing to murmur about Shadow Pierce, it seems she was quite shocked that her attack didn’t work against the Empress Ant.
It’s quite an achievement for us, with a total of only 100 stat units, to defeat a monster with a 300 stat limit.
It would have been quite difficult for me too if it weren’t for Tyrfing’s effect.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Me too.”
Victoria and Enio almost left at the same time.
They’re busy people, so even on weekends, their schedules are likely packed.
I wanted to suggest going again tomorrow, but there wasn’t a good timing for it.
Now, only Nike and I are left.
━Kongkong…!
No, there’s also a strange spider.
“Come to think of it, thanks to this spider, we were able to discover the Altar.”
If we hadn’t restocked there, we would have used up quite a lot of items. Thanks to that, we saved money, which was nice. Then Nike corrects me.
“His name isn’t just Spider, it’s Kongkong!”
“Yeah, Kongkong.”
Nike grinned.
“But why was there an Altar in such a place?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Perhaps it was the God of Adventure who helped us? If that’s really the case, we should offer a tribute to the statues in the park! Let’s leave a fruit in front of the statues!”
“Putting fruit there would just mean others would take it. It’s better if we eat it ourselves.”
“I-is that so…?”
Anyway, with this feeling, our exploration of the dungeon 「Tropical Jungle」 came to an end.
* * *
Sunday.
The church, located somewhere in Ludens, had just been bustling until a moment ago, but now it fell silent as if that were a lie.
The radiant sun shone through the stained glass onto the floor, creating a beautiful sight.
Someone revealed themselves in the church where the seven statues were lined up and gazed upon.
“Shadi, Milone. Are you ready? It’s good to have lots of shaved ice and soup, so make sure to check how much we have.”
It was Victoria.
Vice Student Council President Victoria, and the Student Council Secretary, Shadi Franco. Student Council Treasurer Milone, also known as “Gold Coin”. They appeared in the church one by one.
Shadi, who had been looking around, asked.
“Is there really a dungeon here? This is a church, isn’t it?”
“A dungeon… honestly, it’s scary… but… I also want to see for myself how valuable a place it is…”
Someone revealed themselves behind Milone, who was trembling.
“Anyway, it’s okay. Since I feel like punching someone.”
She was a woman as tall as Shadi Franco, who was being eyed as a powerful candidate for Miss Ludens.
However, unlike the slender Shadi, her solid physique was clearly seen even under the uniform.
With her fierce red hair tied back.
Sharp fangs.
Clenched fists.
Her name was Skadi.
Skadi, B-1 class, second-year.
“If we expose the dungeon here, won’t that Victor guy’s dignity as a disciplinary committee member be restored? Because of that guy’s brokenness lately, I’ve been in trouble too.”
Skadi was the current executive member of the disciplinary committee after Victor was expelled.
Due to her aggressive and reckless personality, she caused many problems and was demoted to Class B, but her personality remained unchanged, earning her the nickname ‘Mad Dog’.
She looked around with her blue eyes shining.
“More importantly, why is there a foul smell here? Tisiphone. Are you here? How about revealing yourself instead of hiding?”
At Skadi’s shout, the serene scenery of the church was distorted.
Soon, four women revealed themselves amidst the distorted scenery.
Megaira, Alexto, and Tisiphone.
Lastly, Enio, the Princess of Blackstar.
Enio and Victoria locked eyes.
At the same time, the Student Council Executives and Enio’s group are busy looking at each other with hostility.
Only Milone, the first-year student, trembled, asking, “W-what’s happening now?”
As the tension mounted, Victoria was the first to speak up.
“Enio. Meeting in a place like this?”
“Yes, Miss Victoria. What is going on in this church with even the Student Council members hanging around? It doesn’t seem like you came to pray.”
“It’s an investigation. It’s our duty to investigate whether the dungeon here will be beneficial to the students or not. What about you, why are you here?”
“It’s a matter of the Delegates. I don’t have an obligation to tell you more than that.”
Even though they hid their cards from each other, the two princesses could feel it.
Their purpose in coming here was the same.
At the same time, they made a silent vow.
‘I absolutely don’t want to lose.’
─ That’s what they thought.
For them, the dungeon’s conquest had only just begun.
