by Fujino Omori
The cliff we’re standing on is nearly perpendicular to the crossing. To our right is the precipice and to our left is a path that follows the round curve of the cavern. It goes without saying there’s no handrail or anything convenient like that, so if we slip, we’ll fall straight into the plunge pool.
I mentally unfurl the Guild map and take stock of our position.
The sheer cliff we’re standing on is located at the far southern tip of this floor, at the end of the connecting passageway from the twenty-fourth floor. The cavern and Great Falls directly in front of us are in the center of the floor. The passageway to the twenty-sixth floor that Aisha pointed out a minute ago is on the southeast side. Like she said, we’ll head west along the wall of the cavern and enter the inside of the cliff via the cave. From there we’ll move in a circle from west to north, passing behind the waterfall, and then east to the underground connecting passageway at the bottom of this floor. In other words, we’ll move clockwise from the south to the southeast.
We head along the cliff trail with me leading the party.
The trail is about three meders wide. To the left is the wall and to the right is a sheer drop. I’m sure Cassandra is avoiding looking to the right at all costs. In the area around the Great Falls, harpies and other bird-type monsters swim through the air, crying and screeching. Luckily, they don’t seem to have noticed us yet. Fighting on this narrow path is not something I want to do, so it does seem wise to get into the labyrinth as quickly as we can. If we’re attacked by flying monsters, our only options will be to respond with arrows and magic or to hunker down beneath our shields.
If I look very closely, I can see a bridge-like crystal pathway jutting out near the Great Falls.
Maybe we’ll be using that path as well…
“Hey, Bell, is everything on this floor made of crystal?” asks Welf, who’s right behind me. I nod.
“There are supposed to be some plants, too…but Eina told me that basically, yeah, it’s all crystal,” I say, looking out at the cavern to my right and the cliff wall to my left.
The precipice and the rock wall, the trail we’re on, and everything else making up this floor is deep-blue crystal. The color is much richer than that of the crystals on the eighteenth floor, with faint striations in it. At first glance, it looks like ordinary rock.
Translucent white crystals of various sizes are emitting the light illuminating the floor. They’re protruding from the walls and pathway like bamboo shoots, but each one emits only a small amount of light. Aside from the Great Falls, which sparkle emerald blue, everything else on the floor is wrapped in a dim blue haze.
“Haruhime, you’ve been here with Miss Aisha before, haven’t you…?!”
“Yes, Lady Chigusa. At that time, I was stowed away with the cargo and didn’t have much chance to look around, but I do remember being amazed.”
I can hear the two girls talking behind me in the center of the formation. I glance back toward them. Chigusa is admiring the scenery, while Haruhime is swishing the rear of her robe back and forth as she walks. She must be wagging her fox’s tail.
The girls seem completely taken by this “fantasy in blue” as well. Those are the words this floor brings to my mind.
“But where do you think the water in the falls goes? I can only imagine that such a huge amount of water would quickly overflow, no matter how many floors it passes through…”
“The water here flows from the base of the plunge pools up to the surface. You’ve heard of the port town of Melen outside Orario, haven’t you? The water connects to Lolog Lake, which is located there. Of course, it’s all sealed off now, like Babel…so I bet the Dungeon sucks up a surprising amount of the water,” Aisha says in answer to Mikoto’s question.
During the Ancient Times, water monsters were said to have invaded via that route when they conquered the oceans of the surface. That’s something else Eina told me during our seminars.
As we talk, the west wall of the tunnel comes into sight, marking the end of the long cliff trail. We’ve made it to the inside of the labyrinth without having to engage in battle on the edge of the cliff.
“Let’s take a minute to go over the plan,” Lilly says.
Inside the cave, tunnels split off directly after the entrance, just like in the Cave Labyrinth in the middle levels. It’s like the gray stone structure of that floor has been remade here all in deep-blue crystal. We pause in front of the tunnels to take a short rest and discuss our plans. Lilly leads this informal meeting.
“In order to prove to the Guild that we’ve completed our mission, we need to have the following number and types of drop items: ten steel shells from blue crabs and either three aqua serpent fins or thirty raider fish fangs. For rare monster items, one secret carbuncle crystal will do it. For resources, we have to gather one thousand grads of azure stone to satisfy the requirements.”
Lilly adjusts her heavy-looking backpack and reads the memo she’s taken from her pocket.
It makes sense that so many of the items are related to the water, since this is the first watery part of the Dungeon.
“Please focus on searching for the monsters and resources I just read out. As for the extent of our exploration, we’ve already achieved our goal of reaching the lower levels, so I see no need to push on to the twenty-sixth floor.”
“In other words, you’re suggesting we spend our time thoroughly exploring the twenty-fifth floor?” Mikoto asks. Lilly nods at her.
“Yes. This is our first time in this area. We have six days left in our expedition, so Lilly thinks it best to use yesterday’s camp on the twenty-fourth floor as a base for going back and forth to the twenty-fifth floor.”
Welf and the others seem to agree with her explanation, and I don’t have any objections myself. Repeatedly entering the twenty-fifth floor from our camp on the twenty-fourth is likely a good way to adapt to the totally new environment of the lower levels.
As Eina likes to say, adventurers shouldn’t be too adventurous. We should probably take her advice on this expedition, even if it means passing through some unavoidable tough spots.
“I mentioned this before we left, but we’ll be encountering a lot of monsters that live in the water on this floor. This may sound like an unreasonable request, but please do not approach the water’s edge.”
We acknowledge these plans and warnings about the lower levels, and Lilly looks around at each of us.
“Finally, just to be sure…Does everyone have on the Undine cloth I handed out this morning?”
She looks at the new clothes we’re all wearing. My undershirt and pants, Welf’s kimono, Mikoto’s and Ouka’s Eastern-style battle clothes, Haruhime’s shrine maiden outfit…all of them have been remade in a thin light-blue material officially called “spirit protective cloth.”
It’s waterproof, exactly the opposite of the salamander wool we wore to get through the thirteenth floor. That one was linked to fire spirits; this one is linked to water spirits. We won’t be able to survive the Water Capital without this gear.
The most important thing about Undine cloth is that its protective properties become fully activated underwater. It reduces water resistance and water pressure and improves underwater movement. In other words, it will help us swim faster. I’ve heard Undine cloth called an absolute must for water quests.
Since Hestia Familia is the host of this expedition, we special-ordered all the Undine battle clothes from a specialty shop in Babel—not only for our own familia but for Daphne, Ouka, and the others as well. It wasn’t cheap, but fortunately we had enough savings to cover the cost. Only Aisha brought her own Undine gear.
As long as we’re wearing it, the danger associated with falling into the water goes way down.
“Can’t you see this bright blue stuff, Li’l E? Obviously we’re wearing it,” Welf says. Maybe because he’s always hostile to anything related to spirits, there’s something irresponsible about his answer.
“Didn’t I say, ‘Just to
be sure’?! We spent a fortune buying this protective cloth for everyone. I certainly hope you will all make use of it and earn enough from this expedition to cover the costs! And if you don’t…!”
“M-Miss Lilly is scary!” Cassandra says, petrified by Lilly’s sharp tongue. She’s wearing a dress made of Undine cloth.
Incidentally, we plan to split our haul from the expedition among the participating familias based on how many people each side supplied.
“Miss Aisha, am I forgetting anything?” Lilly asks, handing over the discussion to the party member with the most experience on this floor.
“Let me think…”
The Amazon rustles her blue clothes and glances at the faces of the Hestia Familia members.
“One of the key features of this floor is its large number not just of water monsters but of humanoid monsters as well.”
She must mean sirens, harpies, mermaids, and lamias. Eina mentioned the same thing in our seminars.
“You might feel confused at first, but don’t hesitate. If you’re standing there wondering if a monster is about to start talking, it will take you down.”
“…!”
No doubt those words are aimed specifically at Hestia Familia. Aisha knows about the Xenos, and she’s giving us a strong warning not to waver under any circumstance. Welf, Lilly, Mikoto, Haruhime, and I nod gravely and keep our mouths shut.
“Also, be careful not to look away even if your opponent’s face is incredibly ugly…Okay, break time is over. Here they come,” Aisha says, wrapping up her warnings with a joke and grabbing her podao, which she’s stuck into the ground.
Surprised by her last words, Welf and the others turn their heads and see a swarm of crab monsters with blue steel shells approaching from the far end of the cave.
“Don’t overdo it just because this is your first battle in the lower levels. Just do what you always do.”
Aisha’s advice, shouted as she nonchalantly takes up her position at the rear, is the signal for us to attack.
The vanguard runs forward, toward our first battle in the lower levels.
The battle with the blue crabs ends without incident.
The crabs, which are categorized as metal monsters, have irregularly developed claws on either the right or left side, depending on the individual. Although their hammer-like attacks are menacing, even Level-2 adventurers like Welf are able to work together to take them down quite easily by following Aisha’s advice to remain calm. Their steel carapaces are even stronger than those of the deadly hornets, but the seams are wide, and the dexterous Mikoto and Daphne remove them in a few swift strokes. The most shocking thing for everyone is probably the surreal sight of the creatures advancing toward us head-on, instead of walking with a crab’s usual sideways scuttle.
Personally, now that I’ve confirmed that Hakugen can tear through the crabs’ steel shells, I can move forward with some confidence.
“I’ve got two blue crab shells and we’ve only just begun! This is quite the start!”
Everyone smiles wryly at Lilly, who is in a good mood due to finding some drop items so soon. We start down the crystal cave.
Our positions in the formation have not changed since the middle levels. To be safe, though, I take the lead because of my Level-4 status. Aisha, of course, is still at the tail end. As we proceed, the people in the center of the formation spread out across the path, which is at least five meders wide. Lilly acts as guide, carrying the map of the floor and keeping us on the main route.
“…I hear something mixed with the sound of the waterfall…” Haruhime whispers, her fox’s ears quivering.
“Yeah, I can hear water flowing…” Daphne answers.
The sound of the Great Falls echoes ceaselessly through the crystal labyrinth like the sound of distant waves. But as the two girls whisper to each other, something changes in the passage.
“A stream…”
Just as Chigusa says, a stream is running alongside the path we’re walking down. As tributaries from other passageways flow into it, it grows into what could accurately be called a river. The water is another fantastic vision, its surface sparkling deep blue as it reflects the color of the crystals.
“Streams like this run through every part of the labyrinth. Basically, though, the dry parts make up the main route, so you don’t have to worry about swimming,” Aisha explains to us as we stop to gaze at the water.
We start walking again. The path is more like a riverbank than a road, with the water flowing to our left. The stream is about as wide as the bank and seems quite deep. It’s flowing remarkably fast. If we let down our guard and slipped in, we’d be in trouble.
“Uh, what if we fall into the stream…?” Cassandra asks, eyes wide.
“Get back on land as fast as you can. You won’t die the moment you fall in, but you will get killed.”
“Huh?”
“The monsters will torture you to death. The water is their world, so you’re at a huge disadvantage. I’ll be honest with you. If you’re not used to underwater battles, Undine cloth is no more than a security blanket.”
Cassandra’s eyes widen as she blanches at Aisha’s response.
“I may be Level Four, but I’ll be damned if I’m going for a swim down here,” the battle-hardened Amazon says with a shrug. “If you fall in, you’re done for. Keep that in mind.”
Water-dwelling monsters display an overwhelming potential underwater. Land-dwelling adventurers are the reverse—our performance drops drastically in water. As our party listens to the Level-4, second-tier adventurer speak, fear of the water finally begins to settle in.
I’ve heard that the only way for an adventurer to fight an equal match with a water-dwelling monster in its own territory is for them to acquire special development abilities that majorly improve their underwater activities. For those of us who lack such abilities, we don’t have a chance.
If I fall in the stream, I’ll be in a tough spot. That’s what I need to remember.
“Miss Aisha, all these streams lead to the Great Falls, right?” I ask, fixing my gaze on the water that speeds along noisily.
“Right. Some of them change the direction of their currents over time, and there are traps where a geyser suddenly shoots out of the floor or the ceiling.”
According to what Eina taught me, all these streams converge at the origin of the Great Falls in the center of the floor. In other words, if you fall in, you’ll eventually be swept into that huge cascade of water and pounded down into the plunge pool. Plus, like Aisha said, most of the traps in this zone use water.
Everywhere I turn there’s a stream.
That’s probably another reason why this is called the first waterside floor in the Dungeon.
“Oh, and also…make sure you’re always alert when you’re walking along the water’s edge like we are now,” Aisha adds nonchalantly.
“Huh?” Haruhime asks, tilting her head. Just then, a powerful splashing sound comes from the stream.
“OOOOOOO!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!”
An enormous fish measuring 160 celch suddenly breaks the water’s surface and soars into the air.
It’s a type of monster called a raider fish.
Haruhime lets out an astonished scream as it bears down on us, water droplets flying and sharp fangs glittering.
“You see, if you let your guard down, this is what happens.”
“GYAA?!”
Before the fish can strike, a podao and a katana slice it to pieces and knock away its fangs. Aisha, a smile on her calm, cool face, and Mikoto, drenched in cold sweat as she shields Haruhime behind her back, successfully intercepted it.
Lilly and the others in the center are as astonished as Haruhime. Up front, Welf, Ouka, and I stand frozen, facing the sudden commotion in the rear.
“The monsters are constantly watching us from underwater. Take that to heart…But good job reacting, Eternal Shadow. Seems I can leave the protection
of this worthless fox to you.”
“N-no, it was so sudden, I was acting on reflex…And also, since Sir Bell is up front now, it’s my job to guard Lady Haruhime…”
Lilly, the brain, and Haruhime, the sorcerer, are simultaneously the core of our party and its weakest points. Mikoto seems to have understood that and made it her mission to prevent any harm to those two. As a result, her nerves are twice as on edge as normal.
Overwhelmed by emotion at Mikoto’s speech, Haruhime throws her arms around her, tears streaming down her face. For some reason, the rest of us clap our hands at this mini romance, or rather friendship, between the lady and the ninja.
“Uh, um, you’re welcome?” the embarrassed Mikoto says, lowering her head.
Meanwhile, maybe because she’s envious of their friendship, Cassandra quietly reaches out her hand to Daphne, but Daphne bats it away coldly, eliciting a surprised yelp from Cassandra.
“So the fish down here will jump onto land to attack us…” Welf says as we start walking again. He sounds worn out.
“What a pain.” Ouka comments as well, as if bracing himself for the worst. I silently agree with them both.
I hear that, unlike the blue crabs that inhabit both land and water, purely water-dwelling monsters spawn by breaking through the beds or crystal walls of the streams. We’re able to notice irregularities on land because we have good visibility there, but monsters that multiply underwater are harder to track. It’s also harder to sense their presence and bloodthirst. In fact, dozens of enemies could be hiding in the stream running alongside us at this very moment.
I glance toward the water. A faint black shadow disappears toward the bottom exactly as though it was sucking its teeth at me.
My nerves are going to get a serious workout until I’m used to this.
I move forward cautiously, scanning our surroundings both wet and dry.
“Hey, what’s that…?”
Welf has noticed something.
We follow his eyes. A mass of branch-like forms is growing out of the crystal-strewn shore on the far side of the stream. Their bright coral color sparkles like a jewel. They must be…