arc2 · 123-ch123

Chapter 123: The Second Livestream ③

After defeating the Possessed Wonder Armor, the members of Kokushi Musou continued progressing smoothly while defeating monsters, and in about an hour, they reached the staircase leading to the 32nd floor.

"Alright, let's take a short break here."

Shinonome-san sat down on the stairs, wiping away sweat. The other members also sat in their own spots, drinking water I took out from Storage and eating light snacks. Meanwhile, I was busy filming the stairs at the professor's request. (I wonder if this'll actually be useful for anything.)

By the way, the next floor was the 32nd floor—the highest point anyone had reached in this dungeon. The four people here were the ones who'd achieved that, but apparently last time they'd only advanced a little before sensing danger and turning back.

After I finished filming the stairs, I heard about the 32nd floor from Shinonome-san and the others during the break. According to their story, everyone in Kokushi Musou had apparently encountered a rare monster on the 32nd floor last time. Its name was Terror's Symbol. Literally meaning "Symbol of Terror."

This monster was said to be the ghost of a top-class sword master, appearing as a translucent specter in pitch-black armor. It walked while dragging the greatsword it held, so apparently the word was that if you heard that sound, you should just run.

Overseas, there were even reports of A-rank parties taken down by this thing, and its existence was revealed by the one explorer who managed to escape. In Japan, the only ones who'd ever seen this monster were the members of Kokushi Musou, and they said just seeing it from a distance had made them tremble uncontrollably.

And according to overseas reports, there were rumors that this monster was a free-roaming type that moved between floors. Shinonome-san seemed convinced it was a free-roaming monster too, since its aura was completely different from the other monsters that appeared on this floor. The one weakness of this Terror's Symbol was apparently that its movement speed wasn't all that fast.

In fact, last time when they spotted it, it apparently hadn't caught up to them while they were escaping. So this time too, they'd decided to move carefully and run immediately if they found it.

"Next up's the highest we've ever reached—the 32nd floor! Let's get pumped and go!"

As if shaking off the fear from last time, Nishikyo-san punched a fist into his palm and stood up with renewed energy. Following his lead, everyone else started preparing to head for the 32nd floor.

They descended the stairs and began walking cautiously through the dimly lit corridor. Moving slowly, making sure not to miss a single sound—they looked like a beginner party. But that was probably just how terrifying the monsters roaming here were.

"Here they come—Skeleton King! Got a Knight and a Mage too."

The first enemies on the 32nd floor were a party of skeletons. Even though they were skeletons, the Skeleton King was A-rank, and the Skeleton Knight and Skeleton Mage were B-rank monsters. With them attacking as a party, you couldn't let your guard down.

"Leave the Mage to me. Soraku, you take the King. Ryuga, I'm counting on you for the Knight. Soraku, you don't need to force a kill—just hold out until Ryuga or I take ours down. Shizuka, stand by outside the Mage's spell range."

"Okay, leave it to me!"

"Understood."

"Got it."

The plan was set, and the four immediately moved into action. (I'll keep filming, but I'll prepare to jump in if things get dicey.)

The Skeleton King was equipped with a one-handed sword and—cheeky bastard—even a round shield. (Where'd you even get that thing?)

It was equipment excellent for both offense and defense, but Nishikyo-san was fighting skillfully within his spear's range, not letting it get inside his guard.

The Skeleton Knight, meanwhile, was swinging around a massive greatsword. But the nimble Kitora-san slipped right through its attacks, landing precise blows with his silver knuckles. Being just bones, it seemed weak to blunt force.

The Skeleton Mage, coincidentally, used the same earth attribute as Shinonome-san. Shinonome-san's Earth Wall blocked the Mage's Stone Needle, and his Stone Lance pierced through the Mage's Stone Shield to deal damage. It seemed Shinonome-san was superior in both casting speed and magical power.

While Nishikyo-san was holding off the Skeleton King, and Kitora-san and Shinonome-san were pressing the Knight and Mage, things were going according to plan. That's when my camera spotted something stirring in the King's shadow.

"Nishikyo-san, there's something in the Skeleton King's shadow!"

After alerting Nishikyo-san to its presence, I immediately circled Hayate around behind it.

"KISHA―!"

Right after that, a black mass burst out of the Skeleton King's shadow, heading straight for Nishikyo-san.

"Flashlight!"

Without missing a beat, I hit it with an intense burst of light.

"GYOOO―"

The black haze-like mass, bathed in the Flashlight's light, stopped moving before it could reach Nishikyo-san.

"Take this!"

Nishikyo-san's silver spear shot out, piercing the black mass.

"WOOO―"

The black mass let out a lingering howl as it vanished.

【You defeated the Parasite Shadow】

【You have leveled up】

(Oh, I finally reached level 19. Just one more to level 20. But still, no need to rush. Right now, I need to focus all my energy on support.)

"You saved me!"

Nishikyo-san, who'd finished off the Parasite Shadow in one hit, refocused on the fight with the Skeleton King. Then Kitora-san, who'd just taken down the Knight, and Shinonome-san, who'd finished the Mage, joined in, and they crushed the Skeleton King in one go.

"Man, you did well to spot that Parasite Shadow. You saved us!"

Shinonome-san thanked me right after the battle ended.

"For real. That thing's C-rank, but if we'd taken that surprise attack, it would've been bad. I owe ya one!"

Nishikyo-san thanked me too. (Since it was like a shadow, I figured Flashlight might work and used it on instinct. Seems like it paid off. Either way, glad we got through that unscathed.)

The four members of Kokushi Musou put the drop items into Storage and began moving again. At Nishikyo-san's request—he was at the front—I sent Hayate a bit ahead to report on what was coming.

Doors occasionally appeared on the left and right of the dim corridor. Nishikyo-san would open the door, and Hayate would slip inside to check the situation. Sometimes the corridor just continued, other times it opened into a room. When it was a room, there were usually monsters inside, so if it sensed danger, I'd dismiss and resummon it immediately.

We advanced while trying to avoid combat as much as possible, but when there was a passage continuing beyond a room, we had to defeat the monsters inside.

"There are two Dead Wizards."

Two A-rank Dead Wizards—the same ones that appeared first on the 31st floor—were circling around inside the room. It looked like we couldn't go any further without getting past this room. Shinonome-san formulated a plan, and once we confirmed it, I first sent Hayate charging toward the room's exit.