Chapter 129: Dungeon Conquest—Served with a Side of Absurdity

"Reima, Reima! Look, a giant beetle!"

"Yeah, I see it. It’s huge—actually, isn't it a bit too huge?"

After leaving the cave section and exploring the forest for a while, we ran into them: massive rhinoceros and stag beetles. Kaiser’s eyes were practically sparkling at the sight of these giant insects; they were the embodiment of "a man’s romance." In typical Kaiser fashion, he seemed to find it almost painful to think about killing them.

"Still, aren't reports of insect-type monsters pretty rare?" I asked.

"Indeed. They are considered rare specimens, usually hunted so their shells can be processed into armor," Kaiser replied.

"Then we should probably take them down without damaging them too much. If I use my sword, I’ll just end up hacking them to pieces."

If they could yield high-quality armor, it was better to get the materials onto the market in good condition. Besides, doing so would eventually lead to better protection for other Adventurers. I decided to handle this carefully. I could store the materials in the Soul World, and given its capacity, I didn't have to worry about running out of space. Plus, with Kaiser here to help, the logistics were covered.

"[Weapon Summon]: Jarngreipr."

It wasn't exactly what they were designed for, but these gauntlets would allow me to crush monsters with hard exoskeletons without any real risk. They were packed with various auxiliary effects, making them surprisingly suitable for a slugfest against giant bugs.

"Are those the gauntlets of the god Thor?" Kaiser asked.

"Good guess."

"Now that I think about it, how do you acquire such things, my friend? These aren't merely weapons that have borrowed a name, are they?"

"My blacksmithing specialist is an expert at crafting gear based on various mythologies. I just have her prepare them for me."

Inside me resided a Summoned Beast—a Serpent presiding over the forge. She was the one who kept me supplied with weapons and armor. While she specialized in items related to Japanese mythology, she was talented enough to reproduce armaments from any Scripture as long as she had the materials.

According to her, the nature of a world like Mythologia made materials easy to come by. Some of the other Summoned Beasts would even "donate" parts of themselves to the cause, so the work was relatively easy... or so she claimed.

"A blacksmithing specialist? Hmm... I wonder which mythology she hails from?"

Watching Kaiser tilt his head and groan in thought, I was reminded of how studious he was. It was very like him.

"You’ll probably meet her eventually. Though she’s a total shut-in, so I doubt she’ll want to come out."

Some of my Summoned Beasts had different genders than their counterparts in the original Scriptures, which would likely make it even harder for him to figure out. Kaiser seemed like the type who wanted to find the answers himself, so I decided to keep my mouth shut and only offer the occasional hint.

"By the way... Shiki and the others are doing okay, right?"

"I have a bad feeling about it, but surely nothing too catastrophic will happen—probably!"

"Could you please not say 'probably'—wait. What was that? My mana just took a massive hit."

I knew this sensation. It was the feeling of a Summoned Beast reverting to its true form.

But the only one I had out right now was Shibaru, and there was no reason for him to... My thought trailed off as I looked into the distance. There, looming over the horizon, was a bat so gargantuan it made the "giant" insects we were fighting look like gnats.

"Oh, come on. Why?"

"...That is a staggering presence," Kaiser remarked.

"Kaiser, we’re moving. We need to find out what happened."

"Understood. Though, if there’s a boss in this Dungeon... I wonder if it can even survive that."

"It probably can't."

Shibaru was my strongest asset for a war of annihilation. That didn't mean he was weak against single targets, but his skillset leaned heavily toward "erasing everything in the vicinity." I didn't know who the boss of this Dungeon was yet, but I couldn't imagine it standing a chance against him.

"You've got to be kidding me! Seriously!"

"As expected of Shibaru... No, this isn't the time for compliments!"

Above us, a war was unfolding between a kaiju and a swarm of giant insects.

In his beast form, Shibaru beat his wings, and anything his shadow touched was instantly shredded. Because his massive frame drew every ounce of aggression from the monsters, not a single one was coming our way.

"I’m telling you now, this is your fault," I snapped. "When Reima starts lecturing us, you’re the one standing in front."

"Hah! Is the great Carnage actually... scared of his best friend’s nagging? Yeah, that sounds about right."

The kid probably knew Reima better than anyone. He’d tried to provoke me, but then he paled, likely remembering one of those lectures himself.

"I’ve never been on the receiving end, but he just calmly dismantles you with logic until he looks disappointed in you, right? I'd hate that. I heard his eyes get freezing cold, too."

"Don't ask me how I know that—more importantly, how do we fix this?"

"We kill the boss and apologize. We’ll make it work somehow, kid."

"...I hate it, but I agree. Since this is a cave-type dungeon, the boss shouldn't have appeared yet, right?"

There had to be a boss room somewhere. We started heading deeper, but if the monsters didn't start spawning in ridiculous numbers soon, we were going to run out of things to hunt, meaning we’d have to share our points.

"I hope it’s a swarm-type boss... or at least something that summons a lot of adds."

"Right—whoa, look out, Strategist! Scythe coming in!"

"Wait, what?"

A massive, crescent-moon scythe swept through the air. Shibaru swung the blade with terrifying force, tearing the very earth asunder and vaporizing the insect swarm that had been huddling there.

The shockwave must have reached the boss room. Suddenly, a Heracles beetle at least eight meters long erupted from the ground.

"That... is definitely the boss, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Looks like it."

"And if we leave it alone, Shibaru’s going to poach it, isn't he?"

"Yeah... he is."

"Temporary alliance, Carnage. I’m going to buff you with everything I've got. You take it down."

"Sigh... Fine. If we let him hunt everything, we're done for. I'm trusting my back to you."

It was a shitty situation, but we didn't have a choice. I waited for the buffs to take hold. The moment I felt the power surge, I launched myself into the air, charging toward the Heracles beetle that was already squaring off against Shibaru.

"Heh, the kid can use elemental imbuement? He’s actually worth something."

I felt a heat like the sun blooming inside my chest. Channeling that power, I wove a single verse of magic, coating my strike in fire and lightning.

"[Hell-Flame Vajra]!"

The monster hadn't even noticed me. I obliterated its body with a single, overwhelming blow.

"Alright. That should do it."

"Like hell it will, Ouma, you idiot!"

In that exact moment, something pointlessly powerful slammed into me, driving me straight into the dirt. As I hit the ground, my vision blurred, but I saw Reima standing there. He was wielding a harisen—the giant paper fan I’d seen a thousand times in Shakra’s memories.

Just before I blacked out, I glanced over and saw the Strategist lying nearby with a massive lump on his head. Crap.