Akatsuki Translations

“――――kh!!” -Echelle

Echelle felt her scream get crushed in her throat due to the sheer surprise. The monster that emerged from the waterway, a huge, overly huge mass of quivering flesh, was charging towards them with terrifying momentum.

As the ground-shaking roar instinctively made her aim her gun and ready to pull the trigger,

“Don’t move, Echelle!” -Ur

At Ur’s command, she immediately halted.

“Why not?!!”  -Echelle

“We don’t know if it’s seen us! Don’t attack recklessly!” -Ur

“It’s coming this way, isn’t it?!” -Echelle

“I know!! Rock!! Prepare to retrieve Lynne!!” -Ur

『I’d better not get scolded later for interfering! 』

Rock positioned himself in front of Lynne, who continued to focus on the White King Formation.

Ur carried all their equipment and sheathed his weapons. Although hesitant, he realized that if they truly encountered the monster, it was unclear what effect any attack would have on that monstrous sandworm. It was better to focus on escaping.

“Shizuku! The invisibility and silence barriers are still up, right?” -Ur

“They’re still being maintained!” -Shizuku

Even as they spoke, the sandworm was rapidly approaching. Its massive body moved at an incredible speed, and it was unclear how it was managing to do so. The creepy mass of flesh that looked big from a distance became almost wall-like up close.

“Ah, fuck, this is tough…!” -Ur

Ur removed the 【Black Sleep Patch】 from his left eye, exposing his 【Magic Eye of Future Vision】. He struggled to use the extremely difficult-to-handle ability.

“…!” -Ur

His vision blurred with multiple layers. His brain was in turmoil trying to process the information. Reluctantly covering his right eye, he focused the information a few seconds into the future to anticipate the sandworm’s movements and decide their actions.

“――――Stay STILL!!” -Ur

At that moment,

And in front of that wall, several monsters, including shadow wolves and a few poison claw birds, were also heading their way. Though not small in size, compared to the approaching sandworm, they seemed like mere gnats.

Those gnat-like monsters, aiming for the upper passageway where Ur and his companions stood――――

『ＢＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ！！！！』

Before them, the sandworm devoured those monsters in an instant, sweeping them away as it ate them. Then, as if to avoid Ur and his companions, the sandworm diverted its course sideways and moved away from them.

“…………………haaah……” -Ur

Only after the long body disappeared into the darkness of the passageway and the rumbling sound faded did Ur finally exhale deeply. The other members also relaxed their shoulders in relief. Echelle, for one, collapsed onto the ground as if her legs gave out.

“………………” -Lynne

Only Lynne continued to engrave the 【White King Formation】, undisturbed as if nothing had happened.

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One Hour Later

“…Alright, let’s start the strategy meeting.” -Ur

Sitting within the White King Formation and tearing into stewed dried meat, Ur and the others began their strategy meeting. Everyone turned their faces toward Ur while shoveling food into their mouths. Perhaps due to the dungeon’s nature, their physical and magical energies were severely drained.

Ur and his party had grown accustomed to the dungeon, and their bodies had become stronger. They should have been able to fight without losing concentration or physical strength for several hours, but here, they couldn’t last even an hour. The dungeon was more troublesome than anticipated.

However, that made the White King Formation’s barrier incredibly useful.

“Inside this, we’re not affected by the dungeon’s ‘magic drain.’” -Shizuku

“Exactly. You should all be grateful.” -Lynne

Lynne, though with a stoic expression, was visibly smug. Ur and the others expressed their thanks to the intricately crafted 【White King Formation】 beneath them. It was indeed a blessing. The complex barrier not only made them invisible and warded off magic but also perfectly blocked any external magical influences. Additionally, it absorbed magic from the dungeon, so there was no depletion of energy. Aside from the immense time required for preparation, it was almost a perfect resting place.

“But, creating it drained Lynne considerably.” -Shizuku

『She collapsed the moment it was completed. 』-Rock

“You almost died from magic depletion and malnutrition. Seriously, be careful.” -Ur

“I will.” -Lynne

Lynne nodded solemnly, clearly prepared to do the same thing again if it meant completing the formation. She decided to stuff her face with portable food even during the formation’s creation next time.

“But, creating the formation this time was easier. There were fewer disturbances.” -Lynne

Normally, creating a 【White King Formation】, or any barrier for that matter, would involve fending off numerous monsters to buy time, leading to significant exhaustion. However, that wasn’t the case this time.

“The scarcity of monsters around here… that’s because of ‘it.’” -Ur

‘It,’ as Ur referred to, was the enormous, overly large sandworm that had approached them earlier. The memory of encountering it made Echelle shiver.

“How can we deal with that…” -Ur

Faced with the sandworm roaming this waterway dungeon, devouring everything in its path, Ur and his party were at a standstill. There was no alternate route to bypass it.

The upper maintenance pathways were partially destroyed, likely shattered by the massive sandworm as it passed through the waterways. Apart from the entrance where Ur and his party stood, no intact pathways were left.

“First, we need to decide if there’s a reason to proceed. Shizuku?” -Ur

“I can’t detect the presence of the dragon, but there’s a concentration of magical energy at the center of this waterway.” -Shizuku

“Could it be a true magic core?” -Lynne

“Unknown. The flesh roots are distorting the flow of magic and sound reverberations. I can only tell that magic is concentrated there.” -Shizuku

『If that’s the only lead we have… then we have no choice but to go, right? 』-Rock

“…” -Ur

It was certain they needed to proceed. Next question.

“What about that sandworm? What do we do?” -Ur

“It’s currently stationary again, but every time something moves in the waterway or through the flesh roots, it starts moving, swallowing them, then stopping again.” -Shizuku

“In other words, as long as we don’t enter the waterway, it won’t perceive us.” -Ur

『Does it even have eyes? 』-Rock

“Apparently, the sandworm has countless eyes. They’re extremely small and seemingly non-functional, though.” -Ur

A monster that becomes active upon entering a certain area, similar to a programmed puppet. Therefore, they would be safe in a secure location. However, the issue remains that to reach their destination, the center part, they must traverse the waterway.

“Can we escape if it chases us?” -Ur

“It would be difficult. Even with enhanced movement magic, its effect is short-lived in this dungeon, and that sandworm is fast.” -Shizuku

“What about Rock?” -Ur

『I might be faster, but I can’t guarantee how long I’ll last. The magic depletion here is extremely quick. 』-Rock

“So, the dungeon itself is the bottleneck…” -Ur

Their physical strength, mental energy, magic power, and the effectiveness of their magic were all rapidly depleted by this troublesome dungeon. Since covering the entire dungeon with a White King Formation was impossible, this problem would persist.

“Echelle-sama, do you have any thoughts?” -Ur

“Huh?!” -Echelle

Caught off guard and having been silent for a while, perhaps struggling to follow the discussion, Echelle was startled by Ur’s sudden question, spilling a bit of her dried meat soup.

“I-I think, I mean, we have to break through there or it’s a no-go.” -Echelle

“So, what do you think we should do?” -Ur

“…….That is……” -Echelle

“It’s fine even if it’s just a wild guess. At this point, we don’t have any good ideas anyway.” -Ur

Echelle fell silent, pondering. Ur also remained quiet in kind, with Shizuku and the others following suit, closing their mouths. During the brief silence, nothing could be heard but the distant sounds of the sandworm writhing and the screams of other monsters.

“…Maybe we could… h-hide and move forward?” -Echelle

“Shizuku, what do you think?” -Ur

“I can’t determine how the sandworm is currently perceiving us. However, since it’s utilizing the ‘flesh roots’ filled waterway, it’s possible it’s using the flesh roots as a sort of sensor.” -Shizuku

“Meaning?” -Ur

“Even if we hide our figures and silence our movements, we have no choice but to move through the waterway, so there’s a high likelihood of being discovered. Even if it doesn’t find us, the waterway is the sandworm’s path.”

『So we might get run over even if it’s not targeting us? 』-Rock

Simply hiding their presence seemed difficult. Echelle furrowed her brows in frustration.

“What about flying in the air?” -Echelle

“With magic? I haven’t mastered high-level magic that could levitate the entire group.” -Shizuku

“My White King Formation could do it with enhancement, but it would only last a few seconds. In this dungeon, it would be even shorter.” -Lynne

“My personal portable mobile fortress!” -Echelle

『Ah, the flying one? How much magic does it hold, and how precisely can it fly in this narrow space? 』-Rock

“……..” -Echelle

Silence fell again. Her face turned noticeably sullen. It seemed her mood soured as her earnest suggestions were systematically dismissed. However, placating someone in a brainstorming session without a feasible solution was futile.

“In the end, heading to the center without dealing with the sandworm carries significant risks.” -Shizuku

“…..What, so we have to fight it after all?” -Echelle

“But honestly, the risk and cost of fighting are too high. And the return is doubtful.” -Ur

The sandworm wasn’t the objective of their dungeon exploration, not a bounty head, nor the master of the dungeon. It was merely an obstacle. At best, defeating it might yield a large magic stone, hardly worth the effort and cost involved.

Fighting it directly would be a loss.

“Then we don’t have to fight it directly! Poison it or whatever!” -Echelle

Echelle snapped in frustration, her attitude suggesting she expected her idea to be immediately shot down. She clearly didn’t believe her own suggestion would work.

However, Ur and Shizuku reacted differently.

“”………I see.”” -Ur & Shizuku

“…Eh?” -Echelle

Echelle was taken aback by the unexpected agreement, her face blank with surprise.

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Using poison against monsters is generally believed to lack decisiveness for several reasons:

・ Many monsters do not require food or drink, making oral ingestion of poison unreliable.

・ The diversity of monster species necessitates specific poisons tailored to each.

・ Even if prepared, it’s uncertain whether an effective amount of poison can be produced.

There are endless reasons why poisoning as a method faces significant barriers due to the vast diversity of monsters. Since nobody uses it, there’s no development or widespread adoption, leading to its decline, except when used against humans.

Therefore, Echelle’s frustrated suggestion of “poisoning” would normally be dismissed outright under normal circumstances.

However, Ur and his party have a weapon, a poison obtained during a previous showdown with a bounty head.

　The【Purple Flower Spear】

A dragonfang spear blade forged from the talons of an omen bird. This spear, endowed with the attributes of poison and magic, produces poisonous magical energy. Not an imperfect human-made poison, but a curse-inducing, rot-spreading poison created by monsters.

“…Can something like this really work?” -Echelle

“Who knows.” -Ur

“Come on.” -Echelle

“We don’t know until we try. Keep your distance; it’s dangerous.” -Ur

Ur covered his face with a handkerchief, gripped the dragonfang spear, and inserted its tip into an empty glass bottle fixed to the ground. He then gripped the handle tightly. While no physical strength is needed to channel magical power, for Ur, this action served as a switch to start the flow.

『Ho~, that looks quite malicious…』-Rock

Rock, holding the glass bottle with both hands, collected the dripping droplets of poisonous magical energy. A stray droplet hit Rock’s body, sizzling and dissolving the spot it touched.

『…You’ve been swinging around something this dangerous? 』-Rock

“Apparently, if you don’t inject a large amount of magic, it just causes burns upon touch. But if you overcharge it with magic, the blade acts as a conduit, transforming the magic into poison… or so it seems.” -Ur

Magic is a versatile substance that can transform into anything, including poison, given a strong enough catalyst. The alchemist who created this probably meant to caution against injecting magic, but now it’s being exploited for the exact opposite purpose.

“…But… it’s not that strong of a poison… supposedly.” -Ur

Fighting off the draining feeling that comes with rapid loss of magical power, Ur continued explaining while gritting his teeth, trying to distract himself from the fatigue. Sweat appeared on his forehead, which Shizuku diligently wiped away.

“Since it’s not derived from a material substance but magic itself… it’s influenced by the target’s magical power.” -Ur

“So, what does that mean?” -Echelle

“Simply put, it doesn’t work on strong monsters.” -Ur

It could be considered exclusive for weaker foes. If a monster with a large amount of magical power ingests this poison, its own magical influence would alter the poison’s properties, rendering it ineffective. Thus, it makes more sense to use it as a blade, as the poison’s potency is maintained at least minimally when near the magical core. The original use of the 【Purple Flower Spear】was intended for combat.

“So, something like that won’t work on that giant creature.” -Echelle

“…Maybe.” -Ur

Hearing Echelle’s protest, Ur loosened his grip on the spear. The release of magical power stopped, and the bottle was now filled with magic-transformed poison. Rock carefully sealed the bottle. After ensuring this, Ur relaxed and sat down. The spear, now released, no longer leaked poison. It was merely a weapon imbued with poisonous magical power, harmless when not wielded by Ur.

“…I’m exhausted.” -Ur

Lying down wearily, Ur receives a water bottle handed to him by Lynne.

“So, are we using this?” -Echelle

“No… I’ll make a few more bottles. It’d be a mess if it only partially works and causes a rampage.” -Ur

“Shall I do it instead?” -Shizuku

Shizuku checks, perhaps out of concern for Ur. Indeed, while the dragonfang spear is Ur’s equipment, injecting magic into it could also be done by Shizuku. Being adept at magic, she could likely do it more skillfully than Ur. However, Ur shook his head.

“No, currently, I’m the only one with spare magical power that doesn’t have another use for it.” -Ur

Shizuku can handle all sorts of magic adeptly. No amount of conserved magic power is ever enough. Lynne is drained from creating the White King Formation, Echelle uses her magic to power her rifle in combat, and Rock becomes immobile once his magic power is depleted.

So, Ur is the only suitable candidate. The slight weakness from using his magic power could be compensated for with his physical strength.

“So, I’ll need the next batch prepared, Rock.” -Ur

『That’s fine, but don’t you collapse on us, alright? 』-Rock

“If the sandworm would collapse too, that’d be great.” -Ur

『HAHAHA, as if things would go that smoothly. 』-Rock

Of course, they wouldn’t. Ur laughed weakly. His time as an adventurer was short, but during it, he’d rarely encountered easy monsters.

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One Hour Later

“The sandworm is dead.” -Shizuku

“No way.” -Ur

Ur couldn’t believe his eyes as he looked at the giant corpse of the sandworm.