Beyond the Wall

Morning arrived, and the camp began to stir. By then, Halfa had fully recovered and was back to her usual self.

For breakfast, I served steamed Horn Rabbit meat—thinly sliced and wrapped in crepe dough with leafy greens. They were convenient, tasty, and easy to eat. Of course, that was mostly thanks to my Cooking Skill. I was finally getting used to the ingredients of this world; I felt like I’d at least reached the level of a novice chef.

However, reproducing the dishes from my previous life remained a challenge. I lacked the necessary seasonings and convenient modern tools. If I only had a bit more knowledge in that area, I might have been able to spark a culinary revolution.

"All right, today we're going to explore the Fifth Floor."

At Rei’s words, we all braced ourselves.

In the Cygnil Dungeon, the Fifth Floor marked the beginning of the Middle Floors. For an adventurer, being able to explore this deep meant they had officially reached the mid-tier ranks.

It felt surreal to be considered mid-tier when I'd only been an adventurer for about a month. I knew I was just lucky to have such talented party members; Rei and the others had been highly capable even as rookies. But I knew things wouldn't be so simple from here on out.

The monsters were getting stronger. Between Poison Spiders and Fire Lizards, one moment of carelessness could easily lead to a total party wipe.

On top of that, we had to be vigilant against traps, which added to the mental fatigue. To ensure we stayed in peak condition, we made sure to take breaks relatively frequently.

"Man, even so, Tort, your luck really is something else," Dolga-san remarked during one of our rests.

He was likely referring to the treasure chests we had found along the way.

"You're right. My senses have gone a bit numb to it, but this really isn't normal, is it?" I admitted.

"Definitely not," Mil added. "I thought today and yesterday were relatively modest, but even this would be a jackpot for anyone else."

"But we still haven't found any magic tools~. I'm so disappointed!" Sally complained.

『Not much food comes out of treasure chests,』 Shiroru chimed in. 『I’m disappointed too.』

"It's fun for me because I'm seeing so many of these things for the first time," Halfa said.

The items we had obtained over the last two days included a Gold Ingot, a High-Level Healing Potion, a Silver Tableware Set, and several ornaments with no particular magical effects. Since there was no equipment or magic tools, it felt somewhat lackluster to us, but selling them would undoubtedly yield a small fortune.

"You young masters have a seriously warped sense of value..." Dolga-san said with an exasperated look.

His words were surely directed at the group, yet for some reason, his gaze was fixed squarely on me. I hadn't even said anything!

However, since I was well aware that my luck stat was bizarre, I decided not to offer a pointless defense.

"If any fine liquor drops, make sure to let me have it," he added.

Wow, look at this deadbeat adult mooching off kids.

Well, considering how much he’d been looking after us, I didn't mind letting him have a bottle if we actually found one.

『What's that? It sounds like something delicious! I want some too!』

No, you don't! It’s too early for Shiroru!

Besides, we hadn't even found any yet.

After finishing our break, we resumed our exploration. Aside from the occasional monster encounter, nothing noteworthy happened for a while. Eventually, after scouring every nook and cranny, we discovered a treasure chest at the end of a dead-end passage.

"Bring on the booze! Bring on the booze!"

"I hope it's a magic tool~!"

『Food! I want food!』

Ignoring the torrent of selfish desires, I carefully inspected the chest. There were no visible mechanisms at a glance, and peering into the keyhole revealed nothing suspicious. I doubted there were any physical traps. But—

"<Detect Magic>."

I cast the mana detection spell to check for magical interference. From the Fifth Floor onward, treasure chests were frequently rigged with magic traps.

As expected, there was a faint mana reaction from the chest. While <Detect Magic> couldn't identify the specific type of trap, I could make an educated guess by comparing the intensity of the mana to the dungeon's known data.

"It’s probably an Alarm trap."

"A magic trap, huh? That’s the kind you can't disarm, right, Tort?" Rei asked.

"That’s right. Though maybe I could have disarmed it if I still had the Rune Breaker."

As Rei noted, I could find magic traps, but I lacked the skill to disarm them. The Rune Breaker, which could destroy infused formulas, would have done the trick, but I had left that with the Guild Master. We currently had no way to bypass magical triggers.

"The idea of using a Rune Breaker to disarm a treasure chest... That's not exactly an item you're supposed to use so casually..." Dolga-san muttered, covering his forehead with his hand.

I heard the Rune Breaker was the kind of thing nations kept under lock and key, but if you have a tool, why not use it?

"What kind of trap is an 'Alarm'?" Halfa asked.

"Oh, well—"

Leaving the grumbling Dolga-san aside, I explained the trap to her.

An Alarm wasn't particularly dangerous in a direct sense. It was a trap that let out a loud sound when the chest was opened, which would then attract or spawn monsters nearby. Since the monsters would be standard for this floor, we could handle them as long as we remained alert.

"In that case, wouldn't it be fine to just open it?"

"I suppose so."

That said, there was no guarantee the trap was definitely an Alarm. There was always a slim chance of an unknown trap type appearing. Still, based on the mana levels, I didn't think it would be anything catastrophic. Truly dangerous traps usually gave off a much larger magical signature.

After consulting with the party, we decided to go for it. While everyone stood ready for the Alarm, I slowly pried the lid open.

Suddenly, a piercing siren rang out. In the narrow passage, the echo was deafening, making my ears throb.

We spun around, bracing for a monster assault, but nothing appeared. We waited, weapons drawn, but after a few moments, the alarm simply cut out.

"Nothing’s showing up?" I asked.

"Seems not," Rei replied.

We exchanged a confused look. The trap had definitely triggered, yet no monsters had arrived. I wondered if the dungeon was malfunctioning or if we had just been lucky.

"Ooh, isn't this liquor?! Hey, Tort, lend me the loupe!"

While we were trying to figure out the trap, the old man was busy cheering. The contents of the chest were indeed alcohol. To a veteran like Dolga-san, the monsters on this floor probably didn't feel like a threat, but I really wished he’d show a bit more caution.

Reluctantly, I handed him the Appraisal Loupe. After inspecting the bottle, Dolga-san’s eyes widened, and then his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"No, not this. I would've been happy with just normal booze. I can't just drink something like this on a whim."

It seemed the alcohol was a rare item.

When I appraised it myself, I saw it was called 'Spirit Liquor of Life.' It significantly boosted the user's Vitality and recovery rate for a short time. It was definitely too precious to waste on a casual nightcap. In the end, Rei decided we wouldn't be handing it over to Dolga-san just yet.

『Hmm? I hear something coming from the other side of this wall.』

Shiroru suddenly spoke up.

The other side of the wall? According to our map, there was nothing there. Was it possible that the Alarm had triggered monsters inside a hidden passage?