Pioneering the Apocalyptic World - Chapter 68

Chapter 03: dungeons are everywhere

For two days, I walked through the empty wasteland while leaving landmarks in the path.

“… As expected, I’m getting a little tired.”

Regulus murmured as if to say that the lack of ups and downs in our journey was disappointing.
“Let’s go, to the outside world!” He came out of the village with such excitement, but when an unchanging scenery just continues endlessly, I can’t help but sympathize with his feeling.
For me, as long as I have materials, I’d be happy to have the things peaceful, but these materials are a little too much.
If it was just Uru and Regulus, they might be able to run just for training, but they are they, I’m definitely do not have a such high stamina, so I’m definitely going to drag their feet.
If we could find a horse, we can shorten the journey. It wouldn’t be strange to one be in such location, but I couldn’t find one until now.

“Hmm, then I’ll go up again and see if there’s anything.”

I said up, but it doesn’t mean there’s a hill here. I have to stack blocks at my feet and climb to the top.
If you’re looking for something, it’s overwhelmingly faster looking from above, so I’ve often been observing from above from time to time. Well, I haven’t found anything in particular so far, so I’m tired of it now.

“Be careful.”

“Catch me if I fall.”

In response to Uru’s voice, I piled up more and more stone blocks at my feet.
Although it is a simple task, if you are careless and make a mistake in the pace, you will end up falling down, so you have to be careful. Also, you are going to be a high place with no ropes, so it’s really scary if you’re not used to it. Even more so because the wind is strong in the high sky. Even I, who is used to it in the game, became scared now that it has become a reality. The reason that I can climb is thanks to Uru being below me.
By the way, Regulus took an interest in it one time, so I brought him to the top once, but it seems that he was no good either. He turned his face pale, and since then he hasn’t said he wants to go up again. Well, it can’t be helped. There are no skyscrapers in Asteria, and unless you live in the mountains, you probably have no experience with high heights.

“Well, what’s going on this time…”

At a height of 100 blocks, about 50 meters, I stop piling up and turn my eyes to the south, stone pillars can be seen here and there as proof of the path that we have already walked.
From there I head my gaze to the east. I can’t find anything that stands out from all the similar scenery.
Then I turn towards the north. …… Hmm? I feel like the terrain have a little different color. But nothing stands out.
And when I tried to look at the west… On the way, my gaze stopped at the northwest direction, although it was quite a distance, I saw a black thing on the ground… A huge hole in the ground.

“… What is that, a dungeon?”

A dungeon can be created anywhere in the world as long as that place is not a place that is always a sanctuary. There are occasional cases when it didn’t have existed before, but in the blink of an eye It spawned. In that case, with some exceptions, it’s freshly made dungeon, so its floors aren’t that deep.
After confirming everything from the west to the south, I store the blocks one by one and go down. …… This part is also a little scary. That’s why I breathe a big sigh of relief when I safely put my feet on the ground.

“Good job, Rion. How was it?”

“There was a hole in the ground in the northwest, so it might be a dungeon.”

“Oh, seriously?”

With a change finally coming, Regulus’s eyes shined in an easy-to-understand way, and I couldn’t help but smile wryly. Sorry if it was not a dungeon!
I don’t think I’ll be able to find any clues about Wind God conveniently there, but there’s nothing else to do. So we decided to head for the hole.

“…… Mu?”

It was just about a little further to the hole? When we reached that point Uru suddenly stopped her feet.

“Uru? What’s going on?”

“Rion and Regulus, stay still.”

What happened? The two of us tilted our heads and stopped as Uru said.
Uru turned her gaze sharply to the surroundings, and then began to stare at one point on the ground.

“There is something below us.”

“Ueeh?”

Recalling the time of Evil Treant, I laid the stone pavement immediately. Luckily, I didn’t get stabbed at that time, but I will have to pass being impaled from the bottom!
Regulus also raised his fist and took an alert stance. It should be noted that his arms are equipped with gloves reinforced with iron plates that I prepared beforehand, and his legs are also equipped with reinforced boots.
Like last time, I also took out the Orc Fang Sword.

“It’s coming!”

??Gobaah!!!

At the same time as Uru’s scream, the ground exploded, and monsters jumped out of it.
It’s a Long Worm, a slimy earthworm monster. These earthworms aren’t that small, they’re probably dozens of centimeters thick and more than two meters long.
Moreover, it wasn’t just one, I wondered if they had figured out their position from our footsteps, five of them came out in a formation that carefully surrounded us.

“Hmph!”

The Long Worm that appeared in front of Uru had its body easily split into half by her fist.
But these guys don’t stop with just this. The body that was split in two attacks Uru! …… But, they were also repelled away without any danger. As expected Uru-san is reliable.

“Oraa!”

Regulus also attacked the nearest Long Worm with his fists. It doesn’t have as much power as Uru, but even so he bent back the body of the Long Worm and continued with a rush with more blows.

“Damn, they are so squishy that I don’t feel that I’m doing that much damage!”

Unless it’s a slashing weapon like the one that I have or a striking weapon that uses heavy weight like a hammer, it’ll be hard to work against their soft bodies. Should I have him learn something in the future as a secondary weapon other than just a fist?
While slashing at the most nearby Long Worm, I shout an alert to the two of them.

“Uru, Regulus! These guys won’t die easily, so either crush the magic stone or rip it out!”

“I got it!”

“O-Ou!”

While thinking about whether Fricka would have been able to see the position of the magic stone with magic power vision, I also consciously strained my eyes.
… Yeah, I don’t know! My magic skill level isn’t high enough yet!
For the time being let’s slash, slash, shred… Ah, I just saw it!

“Ugh, it feels so bad.”

When I thrust my hand into it to pull out the magic stone, my hand became covered in mucus and I felt a little bit of regret. But even still, I wanted the item…!
After somehow defeating one of them and looking around, Uru had already defeated three of them. …… Yeah, if they become minced meat, they can’t move, sounds right…
The only one left was Regulus’s opponent. Even looks that will take time, it doesn’t seem to be a dangerous opponent, so I wash my hands while observing them.

“Ugh, am I the last one…!”

While groaning in frustration, he kicked the Long Worm and like that he crushed it, and by repeating that, he divided the Long Worm’s body in parts.
Eventually, he reached the position of the magic stone and kicked it away, ending its life.

“Good job. Do you want water?”

“Thank you. Well I’m beaten.”

Regulus received the water and began to wash away the mucus that was sticking to his hands and feet. In the meantime, I’ll go pick up the kicked magic stone.

“Ah.”

“Rion, what’s wrong?…… Ah, I see.”

When Uru picked up my voice and also came, she must have realized the reason.
Yes, there was a hole we were aiming for.
And from that hole, a faint presence of the dungeon core wafts through, so it seems that this is a dungeon.

“I wonder if monsters were born because there was a dungeon.”

“I guess so.”

After confirming that there were no injuries, we ate snacks with movement speed buffs before stepping into the dungeon.