TL/Editor: Raei
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As Manaashi's trident flashed, Naga warriors were bisected and fell to the ground with a thud.
They were cut down effortlessly, like grass under a mower, an oddly satisfying sight to behold.
After the freshly spawned Naga warriors were sliced, it was the turn of the large egg sacks that looked like a production factory.
The party, as if they couldn't just stand around, hurriedly joined in.
Grace shot down the egg sacks hanging from the ceiling, while Katie slashed those growing on the walls.
Those awkwardly placed high up were dropped to the ground by Han Se-ah, who had recovered her mana, using Earth Control, bursting them open with a squelch.
"It doesn't look like this is the end. That passage seems to lead downward, and the stench is coming from that direction."
-Are, there, more, at, the, source?
With the Naga warriors wiped out and turned into mana stones, and the production factory destroyed, there was no one left to resist.
They burst open root-vegetable-like flesh chunks, collected the mana stones rolling on the floor into the inventory.
After clearing out the cavern that housed dozens of Naga warriors, they faced a dark passage.
With no forks in the path, it seed they'd have to repeat this process a few tis.
"Let's go down."
"Just a mont, let gather this."
In the anti, Han Se-ah collected flesh chunks and wood root fragnts into a glass bottle.
Reaching the 40th floor seed to have made submitting samples to the Magic Tower a habit.
[The untouched 40th floor marsh, where trees haven't been uprooted]
[There, they encountered a black Naga warrior, surprisingly maintaining its sanity]
[The source of the corruption that clones humans and Nagas... what could it be?]
The multitasking of a strear, collecting samples, updating the quest log, and chatting with viewers, was astonishing.
"If we can uproot it all at once, great. If not, we'll need to request the Magic Tower's help."
"This place might not be their main base. Just in case, if there are more dens like this..."
Irene quickly responded to Han Se-ahs mutterings, audible to both the viewers and party mbers.
Given the massive numbers they encountered on the 35th floor, it seed this floor's the was also sa.
In computer RPGs, boss monsters often cos with nurous minions, here, it was excessively so.
The Full Moon Wolves and Horned Wolves wave that appeared were handled by the Adventurer's Guild, and the overflowing orc army at the Orc Altar was taken care of by the mages of the Magic Tower.
Although I did destroy it, the giant tentacle tree on the 35th floor was ant to be dealt with by the forces of the temple.
"Let's destroy everything here first, then seek the Magic Tower's help to study the source of the contamination."
"After wandering for three days and finding this place, if there are more, we should inform the Magic Tower."
-Then, I, will, again, lead, the, way
Anyway, since we've co this far, we might as well smash it.
With that thought, as I stood before the dark passage...
Wait, why can I see ahead?
It was so natural that I didn't notice at first, but the tunnel was brighter than expected, allowing clear visibility.
Even without Han Se-ah using her Light magic, weren't we able to see the black Nagas being mass-produced in plain sight?
Entering a tunnel without any lighting, yet the cavity ahead was visible, but the passage remained dark.
As I paused, pondering this, a chill ran down my spine as if ice water had been poured over .
"What's wrong, Roland?"
-Uuum?
The tunnel, the underground, a deep-sea fish luring prey with light, the cavity, the brightness, the Venus flytrap closing its mouth when touched by an insect, the enticing scent of digestive juices from the Nepenthes*, a plant.
Everything felt like it was slowing down, as if the world was in slow motion.
While my jumbled thoughts spat out fragnted words, my body, honed over a decade, naturally grasped the warhamr.
There was no enhancent spell powerful enough to burn down a castle, but the divine energy gathering in my strengthened body was at least twice as fast as before Han Se-ah appeared.
"What, what is it?!"
-Shaah!
Just like when I blew away the tree on the 35th floor, I gripped the warhamr with both hands.
This ti, however, my target was not ahead but the ceiling above.
Recalling the struggle of pulling out stakes embedded in frozen ground, I infused mana into the warhamr and concentrated divine energy in my body.
Manaashi, too, sensing the danger as a warrior of high skill, gripped his trident with both hands, pointing its tip vertically towards the ceiling.
Simultaneously, there was a cracking sound as tree roots split apart.
Dirt poured down from the ceiling, and amidst the dust, a radiant white protective spell unfolded.
And beyond that, Han Se-ah's familiar blue shield appeared.
'Damn, these undead knockoffs even do self-destructs in their underground lair...'
BB Gas' love for cliches seed more severe than I thought.
As I realized this, the dust and debris from the shattered ceiling rained down on my head.
---
Raei Translations
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If there is a villain hiding in a dark underground base, there's a 99.95% chance that the base will self-destruct at a mont of crisis.
The villains seem to have a malicious intent to take the protagonist with them, even if it's as a last act of resistance.
The 40th floor's production base seed to have that kind of vibe.
I'd need to progress further in the story to know for sure, but there's likely a real boss sowhere else, and entering a dummy tunnel might just cause it to collapse.
"Are you okay, Katie?"
"Yeah, I'm not hurt. But the others..."
"Don't worry. I saw Irene spreading a protective spell, and Han Se-ah was using Earth Control and a shield simultaneously to protect Grace."
So that's how we ended up divided: Katie and I, Han Se-ah and Grace, Manaashi and Irene.
Though it seems only Katie and I were actually buried.
Reflexively, I had smashed the collapsing ceiling, which was good.
The problem was that I couldn't get out because I was protecting Katie.
Fortunately, we were able to enter a space created by entwined tree roots.
Manaashi, radiating mana from his trident, had encapsulated Irene in a protective spell and pierced through to the surface, prioritizing her safety.
Han Se-ah, with Grace, was slowly recovering mana within her shield, gradually ascending to the surface using Earth Control.
...The strear cara is indeed handy.
"What do we do now?"
"We're not buried too deep. Since Han Se-ah has made a way to the surface with Earth Control, the temple or the Magic Tower will co looking for us. Don't worry."
However, Katie, unaware of the situation, tried to hide her anxiety, but her voice trembled uncontrollably.
Even a skilled swordswoman couldn't overco being buried alive in a collapsing underground cavity with swordsmanship alone.
Her body, lying on top of , trembled so much that I could feel it through the armor.
...Knowing the situation through Han Se-ah's stream and that we could reset if needed, I couldn't help but have so other thoughts.
in thick plate mail, and her in light armor.
Although her armor was thin and ornate, armor is armor.
There's no skin-to-skin contact, but the feeling of a beautiful woman, who looks like she's out of a painting, lying on top of as a cushion, naturally makes my heart race.
"That's right, we must not be too deep since we just went around in a circle..."
"We're also not scattered but in the sa clearing, so they shouldn't have trouble finding us. The broken ceiling should make it clear."
Her quick breaths tickling my chin made lift my head unconsciously.
The space created by the tree roots wasn't very wide, so while I could stretch out my legs, we were still pressed closely together.
If I were alone, I would have surrounded myself in mana like Manaashi did and dug my way to the surface.
But doing that now would definitely crush Katie under the dirt.
I know how to concentrate mana in a weapon and strengthen my body, but emitting it to envelop soone else is the work of a mage's shield, not a knight's aura.
"Whew... When I decided to climb the Tower, I knew it would be hard, but I never imagined being buried alive. Especially not by the undead. It's infuriating to be outwitted by rotting corpses."
"That's true. We let our guard down, thinking they were mindless."
"But Roland, how did you know the ceiling was going to collapse?"
"...The clearing was too bright. Sothing felt off, so I looked around and just instinctively sensed it."
It seems there's no risk of suffocation, either because I smashed the ceiling thoroughly or because of these tree roots.
So now, all I can do is keep an eye on Han Se-ah's stream and converse with Katie, who is lying on top of .
---
Raei Translations
---
The clearing collapsed, plunging us into darkness as the unknown source of light vanished.
While I can watch Han Se-ah's stream and surf the internet through the hologram window, Katie is left in the dark.
Even if she doesn't have claustrophobia, this situation could induce panic, so I keep talking to reassure her.
Any unnecessary movent in this tight space might bring more dirt down on us, forcing a reset.
Thats true, the clearing was bright even without Hanna's light magic. Could it be due to the tree roots? I heard from a rcenary that moss growing in the south emits a faint light in the darkness, used as a substitute for torches at night.
Right, it gives off a weak, non-smoky light that doesnt reach far and doesnt attract monsters.
You knew already, Roland? Or, have you used it before?
But seeing Han Se-ah's cara burrowing through to ans rescue won't take too long.
That cara isn't sent to a specific location but is one that is ant to attach to NPCs, so it finds its way eerily well.
---
*Basically Nepenthes are a genus of carnivorous plants, known for their trap chanism to capture and digest insects.
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