Day 29? The Farthest Labyrinth 92F
I'm currently picking up magic stones on 92F and taking a short break. I asked just to check—turns out Jito-eyed Armor Committee Chair doesn't need rest or sleep at all. I finally escaped that soul-crushing black company lifestyle, and now I can't even slack off in peace… Is this some leftover corporate slave mentality haunting me?
Munching on grilled mushrooms while lying down for a bit. Still only on 92F… This is gonna take forever. You drop people through pit traps like candy, but couldn't bother installing an up elevator? I can't even picture what an "up hole" would look like, but come on—elevators, escalators, dumbwaiters, cable cars, whatever. They're basically the same thing with different names anyway.
While lounging and recovering, I keep poking holes in the ceiling. Just to be clear, obviously, this is completely unknown territory up there. Since I'm horizontal, I have to say it: yeah, it's gonna be unknown ceilings from here on out forever. Dungeon life, baby.
Hm? "Anti-Magic Golem Lv91." Classic magic-immune golem type. Standard procedure: drop 'em.
"…Crack!"
One after another, they punch straight through the floor and plummet all the way to the bottom level. I opened holes everywhere—not just 91F, but now 92F's floor is gone too… Looks like they all fell to the absolute basement. Collapse is scary and all, but if the paths disappear, we can't climb back up either? Whatever, no magic stones is fine… They won't come rushing over, right?
I keep tapping the holes with a stick—tap tap tap—and sure enough, the Anti-Magic Golems start swarming toward the sound and vibration, then drop like rocks. Guess they react to noise since they're made of stone and probably blind. But hey, this world has people who can glare with empty eye sockets, so who knows—can't let my guard down. (Right now she's giving me the most exasperated stare, by the way?)
For about 30 minutes, I let Jito-eyed Armor Committee Chair do the tapping while I rested. Quick power nap.
"Fuuu～… No presences left… Yep, time to head up?"
While I was out cold, Jito-eyed Armor Committee Chair kept tapping the holes nonstop until every last golem was gone, then went all the way back down to 100F to collect the magic stones for me. I feel grateful and guilty at the same time, so I pat her head. She looks super pleased—despite being armor? Yeah, makes sense. Down in that endless dark abyss, nobody's ever gonna pat your head. Gotta treat her once in a while.
Stamina's back a bit, so onward to 91F. Next is 90F. Seems like bosses or floor guardians pop up every 5 floors or so, huh?
"Ooooh～ Treasure chest! This time for sure—affection points? Finally, the affection stats for the opposite sex that ran away from me all the way to another world!?"
Found another hidden room on 91F. "Spatial Grasp Lv1" really is stupidly convenient.
There was this super suspicious rock casually placed right next to the chest—I dropped it through a hole in the floor beforehand. …No, it wasn't casual at all! Why is there a random boulder smack in the middle of the room? Next to the treasure chest? If that thing wasn't a golem and was literally just a decorative rock, I'd be way more shocked! If it turned out to be pure interior design and not a trap, the interior coordinator would lecture me to death! If you're gonna go that far, at least do a full Zen rock garden. I'd drop those too, though.
"Ring!! …But? Not a pheromone one…? Kinda…? 'Ring of Fortune – Great Luck Boost (Large) – Calls happiness, wards off misfortune'… This is actually really good! Maybe I can finally ward off misfortune = lectures! Maybe it'll summon the door to adulthood or shady nightlife spots! And it might even cancel out my absurd bad luck like falling into pit traps despite maxed-out Luck that's already broken through the limit!? …But honestly, I don't think I'm the one who needs this. My Luck is already maxed, over-maxed, limit-break-maxed. Happiness never shows up, but… the person who really needs this is—"
"You here? Or, like… want it?"
Jito-eyed Armor Committee Chair shakes her head vigorously side to side. She's refusing, but come on—this ring is perfect for a skeleton, right? She was trapped in darkness, enduring alone in that pitch-black bottom floor forever. That's why she hasn't lost her humanity. She held on through endless time… She insists she's 17, though. Too scary to question, so I don't.
I force it onto her finger anyway—she happily slips it on. Bones and all, but it doesn't fall off? Cool.
Now, only one presence on 90F. Boss? Floor master? Loner? Comrade! Shut up, hot cake!
Is that a… ghost? Specter? Wraith? Rock-dropping time? "Element Wraith Lv100" — another Lv100? Bosses, floor lords, loner comrades—all Lv100. Not comrades, though. And even if I tried to employ her, she'd still be a loner? Guess the message is "make human friends"? Mind your own business! Too much meddling! Looks like bitches aren't counted as humans anyway. Normally you don't employ friends, I suppose.
"Element Wraith Lv100"? Wraith is a ghost, probably? Feels ghostly. But "Element"? What's that supposed to mean? Attribute? Component? Ingredient? In natural forces or four elements context, it could mean the primal stuff—or in theology, maybe sacrament? Original Latin was like "first principle" or something? Just saying "element" is way too vague—changes the whole interpretation! What's with the unhelpful labeling? Probably just an attribute-holding ghost…
Yeah, no bread or wine on me, so not a sacramental ghost. Phew, was worried it'd start the Last Supper or something.
It's blasting fire, ice, wind magic nonstop, so yeah—natural forces / four elements meaning. Seriously, just writing "Element" is too ambiguous! Too fuzzy! Makes me wanna go "mofu mofu" fluffy! …Not really, though?
So… what now? Exorcism?
"Rin・Pyou・Tou・Sha・Kai・Jin・Retsu・Zai・Zen?? Gonorrhea and working adults in line for wealth ahead??"
Nope, doesn't work? Yeah, figured. But come on, I wanted to try it at least once! I bothered memorizing the nine-hand seals and everything! Zero risk of catching gonorrhea anyway! Became a NEET right after turning high school sophomore, so no chance of becoming a working adult either! But why am I treated like a shut-in when I was summoned at school? Isn't that contradictory?
Whoa! Dangerous! It charged! Looks like Element Wraith isn't taking life consultation requests.
"Uh… dead?"
When it rushed in, I sprinkled salt on it. A ton of salt.
Jito-eyed Armor Committee Chair keeps her sword ready while stabbing me with maximum jito eyes.
"No? It's a ghost? So salt purification? Maybe it'll vanish～? Or something?"
She's ultra-jito-ing me! Ah～ right, purification salt is Shinto. Maybe it doesn't compute in this world? Back home, temple handouts, so maybe nobody understood it there either. Buddhist-style would be purification by fire, but it's got "Four Great Magic Resistance" anyway? Still, I've heard holy water in the West is sometimes salted too, so salt should be fine, right? Is this world secretly full of Buddhists? But I doubt it'll burn, Wraith-san?