Concrete_Jungle Dungeon Day 5 Part 2
"...Cough...Cough... I guess this is the end..."
"...Sob...Sob... Vier..."
Felin holds my left hand tightly with both of her hands as I lay on the ground coughing that mouth-drying bread and biscuit out of my mouth.
"Felin... Listen up... Cough...Cough... I don't have much time..."
"No... Sob...Sob... Don't give up... Vier..."
"Felin... Please tell my parents that I'm sorry for being a naughty child...
...Tell my brothers that I'm sorry for hiding our snacks when we were kids...
...Tell Misaki-sensei to stop getting drunk while she's still at work...
...Tell Miko-sensei that a Valkyrie is just a female version of a Knight...
...Tell Master Berlin and Master Arenea to stop acting like a child...
...Tell Char-senpai to stop being haunty...
...Tell Sakura-san that I'm sorry for trying to secretly break an Art_Phone...
...And finally...
...Tell that loving and understanding Heleen-san that... Cough...Cough...
...Tell her that I hate her more than anyone else in our town...
...Cough...Cough... Ugh... ... ..."
"Vier... Don't close your eyes... Sob...Sob... Wake up..."
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"So what exactly are you two doing, Vier-chan, Felin-chan?"
Mifumi-sama asked that question while looking at Felin and me with a blank stare on her face.
"We're just practicing... Cough!...Cough!... Argh, the biscuit got stuck in my throat... Cough!...Cough!..."
"We're practicing play dead, Mifumi-sama."
"That's right... It's for the situation if we encounter a bear-like Mecha_Droid again."
"I don't know what play dead actually means but that's definitely not how it is."
"Yeah... You're probably right, Mifumi-sama. Besides, playing dead leaves you with too much opening to be attacked and it's not like a bear would believe that."
"Then if you're done with playing, let's continue moving towards the old ruins in the third layer of the Dungeon."
""Mhm!!...""
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Our group took a short rest near the border of the third layer after we had escaped from the bear-like Mecha_Droid.
Then after walking for a while towards the old ruins, we're now in the streets of the ruined concrete skyscrapers.
"It's a gigantic building..."
"Mhm!... It's a weird house."
Mifumi-sama and Felin stretch their neck as best as they can to look above trying to see the peak of one of those skyscrapers.
I can clearly see in their eyes how curious and surprised they both are upon seeing up close as to what the old ruins are like.
For me, I'm also curious but I'm not that surprised since I saw this kind of view at some of the movies that Onee-chan had shown me inside my dreams.
"Mifumi-sama, Vier is doing her smug face."
"Don't bother her, Felin-chan... Let's just start looking for a way to climb this building."
"Mhm!... Let's climb this weird house."
Well, that just how curious they are. Of course, anyone would want to try climbing the top of these concrete skyscrapers... Uh-huh?...
"Wait, wait, wait... Stop!... Both of you!"
I grabbed Mifumi-sama's left hand and Felin's right hand and forced them to stop their joyful dash toward the ruined concrete skyscraper in front of us.
"Mifumi-sama! Please clarify what you just said."
"Uh-huh?... I said we're going to climb this building, Vier-chan. Right, Felin-chan?"
"Mhm!... Let's climb it, Vier."
"Stop answering me like it's the obvious thing to do after getting here at the third layer!"
"Then what do you expect us to do?"
"Mhm!... What do you expect?!"
"I expect us to keep heading towards the Dungeon_Core and finish the Adventurers' Academy Entrance Exam!"
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After convincing Felin and Mifumi-sama that we can just climb those concrete skyscrapers after the entrance exam, we're now back at solving this puzzling street inside the old ruins at the third layer.
Yep!... The roads and streets here at the old ruins will make any groups run in circles if they can't follow exactly the route drawn on their map. Not that we're one of those groups though...
"I'm sorry, Vier-chan, Felin-chan... We're definitely lost..."
"Those Guild's staffs bast..."
""Language, Vier / Vier-chan..."
"Fine... But at least they should have made a proper sign that shows us which is left and right!"
Unlike the instructions for the first layer which is the forest area and the second layer which is the rocky terrain, the third layer of the old ruins doesn't use landmarks and directions to show which route should we be heading to. Instead, the instructions are based on the number of streets we passed by and only with left and right as directions.
"Because we got lost in the outpost town on our first day, it's no wonder we're having a tough time finding our way in this kind of place."
Mifumi-sama is right. Our group is bound to get lost upon entering this place. It's like the case of a country bumpkin Adventurer getting lost in the city upon arriving at the Royal Capital.
On another crucial matter, getting lost is not our only problem.
Since we're probably not in the safe specified route anymore, high-ranking monsters living inside the third layer may come to attack our group.
If it's the case of metal Golems appearing like Iron_Golem, Steel_Golem, or other unique Golems, then we might stand a chance to fight while trying to escape. But in the case of Mecha_Droid monsters, then we're definitely in a dangerous situation.
I just hope that the Guild's staff, Mr. Mikael, who is following our group from a faraway distance outside the range of my odd feeling perception, can save our group in case we're in danger.
...TREMBLE!...TREMBLE!...TREMBLE!...
Uh-huh?... Did I just raise a flag for a dangerous situation?
"Vier-chan, Felin-chan!... Let's hide!"
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"Where it is?"
"What kind of monster it is?"
"It doesn't appear yet, so let's just wait."
After hiding inside a ruined building, the three of us lay in wait as the source of trembling sounds reveals itself.
Considering the trembling of the ground, it's mostly likely to be a Metal_Golem. Since our location is still close to the border of the third layer and second layer which is their territory, they might come around wandering here. Not unless it's a giant Mecha_Droid much bigger than the bear-like Mecha_Droid that we encountered upon entering the third layer.
...TREMBLE!...TREMBLE!...TREMBLE!...
A few minutes have passed since that trembling sound started, and as we lay in wait behind the wall of the ruined building, the monster we're expecting finally made an appearance.
"IT'S A FREA... HUMMM....HUMMM..."
Felin and Mifumi-sama cover my mouth with both of their hands to stop me from shouting due to my amazement.
I mean how could I not.
The monster that appeared in front of us is a freaking walking treasure, a money shaped in a humanoid form, and one of the embodiments of greed itself.
It is a 3-meter tall Golden_Golem!
"Fufufu!..."
"Stop with that greedy smile of yours, Vier-chan..."
...Slap!...
"Wake up, Vier..."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Why did you do that, Felin?"
"Mama said to do that."
"Do what?"
"Slap Vier in the face if she makes a creepy face."
Leaena-san!!!... What are you teaching to your child?
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...BAMMM!...BAMMM!...BAMMM!...
The Golden_Golem began destroying everything in its surroundings trying to find where we were hiding.
"Let's get out of here before that Golden_Golem finds us."
"Mhm!..."
"Wait, wait, wait... Stop!... Both of you!"
I grabbed Mifumi-sama's left hand and Felin's right hand and forced them to stop their escape.
"Please explain what you are doing, Vier-chan."
"Mhm!... Explain yourself."
"We are taking that treasure... I mean defeating that Golem."
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Golden_Golem Monster.
A Rank_5 monster that excels at both physical and magical defense and can only be challenged by a Silver_Rank or higher ranking Adventurers.
Its body is made of pure gold which is a great conductor of Mana and can produce great Magic output when used as Magic_Circuit.
They rarely appear inside the Concrete_Jungle Dungeon at a rate of one spawn per quarter year.
If you ever encounter a Golden_Golem, immediately report it to the Adventurers' Guild and you will receive 5 percent of the total market value as a reward.
Don't let your greed take over you and try to defeat the Golden_Golem at risk of losing your life.
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"5 percent of what?!!!... I want the whole treasure as my reward!"