Since fire was strictly prohibited, we ate the bread and canned food we’d kept in Spatial Storage, then decided to get some rest. It had taken a considerable amount of time to get this far, after all. It was a bit difficult to sleep with the surroundings as bright as midday, but getting proper rest was essential. We decided to set a night watch rotation. We hadn't encountered any monsters yet while lingering in the staircase plaza, but there was no telling when they might attack once we moved forward.
"For now, shall we just do rock-paper-scissors like usual?"
"Yeah."
"Fine by me."
As a result, the rotation was set: Yuji, then me, then Hiiragi-san. Though, with the area this bright, it felt more like a day watch than a night watch. Visibility was excellent compared to the cave-like floors we’d navigated so far, which seemed like it would make staying awake a lot easier.
As Yuji headed outside the camp screen to begin his shift, Hiiragi-san and I started setting up our beds.
"These beds are surprisingly decent for how cheap they were," I remarked.
"True," she replied. "I have a few complaints regarding the comfort, but compared to sleeping directly on the ground, it's a luxury. And since they’re collapsible, it's nice that they pack down small enough to fit in a bag."
Given the durability of the materials, they probably wouldn't last forever, but they were more than sufficient for dungeon use—where you might have to abandon your gear anyway if monsters attacked. Besides, I had spares tucked away in my Spatial Storage.
We finished assembling the beds in less than five minutes, then used rope and cloth to create a simple partition down the center of the camp screen. Even in a dungeon, a minimum of private space was important.
"Well, good night."
"Good night."
After that brief exchange, we both lay down. I reflected on how I’d developed the talent for falling asleep instantly regardless of the situation or location ever since we started camping in dungeons. I placed a towel over my eyes to act as a blindfold; even with my eyes closed, the ambient brightness made it hard to drift off.
A few minutes later, the steady sound of two people sleeping filled the tent.
I heard someone calling my name. The moment I recognized the voice, my eyes snapped open, and my drifting thoughts sharpened into focus. I sat up and turned toward the sound. Yuji was peeking his head through a gap in the camp screen, looking in at me.
"..."
"...Morning," I muttered.
"Yeah, morning," Yuji replied.
I got out of bed and stretched, working out the stiffness in my joints. The simple beds were better than the floor, but they still left you feeling a bit tight. I made a mental note to bring some air cushions for better comfort next time.
"Is it shift-change already?"
"Yeah. Fortunately, it was a quiet watch."
"That's good to hear."
"Though, well..." Yuji trailed off, his expression turning sour. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. It was uncharacteristically hesitant—did something happen? Did another explorer party show up?
"...They're growing."
"...Huh? What are?"
"The grass. That grass we cut down because we thought it was dangerous... it's already growing back."
"What...?"
I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me just hearing that. I’d assumed the floor would eventually reset the traps and environment, but for it to happen this quickly...
Once I’d packed away my bed and prepared for my watch, I stepped outside the camp screen. Just as Yuji had said, the grass we’d cleared away had already sprouted back up to ankle height.
"...It’s already grown this much?"
"Yeah. It was like watching a time-lapse video from science class... except it was happening right in front of me."
"Wow."
Watching grass grow in fast-forward sounded like an incredibly annoying way to spend a watch. Looking at the weary aura hanging over Yuji, I could understand why he looked so fed up.
Even if monsters didn't attack, I was going to have to spend the next few hours watching weeds shoot up. I was already feeling drained, and my shift hadn't even started.
"Anyway, that's the situation. I don't think there's any immediate danger, but... good luck."
With that, Yuji retreated into the camp screen, and my watch began.
Am I really going to spend the whole time staring at this...?
Several hours passed. The grass that had been ankle-high was now reaching my knees. At this rate, it would be back to its original height in half a day. To think it would fully recover in such a short time... it truly was a supernatural dungeon plant. Its vitality was on par with invasive herbs—maybe even worse. It was highly flammable, grew at high speed, and possessed terrifying reproductive power. This was definitely the kind of plant that should never be allowed into the outside world.
"..."
Spending hours doing nothing but watching grass grow taller and taller... it was mind-numbingly boring. Isn't there anything else to do?! I felt like screaming it at the sky.
I wasn't exactly wishing for a monster attack, but the sheer lack of activity was soul-crushing. I had things to pass the time with, of course, but I was on watch. I couldn't afford a lapse in concentration that might lead to us being ambushed. I had to exercise restraint.
"..."
I looked up at the bright blue ceiling. It felt strangely spiteful. If there were a pleasant breeze, it would have been a perfect spot for a nap, but instead, it was just... still.
Honestly, the previous floors—dark and cave-like as they were—had been easier to stay alert in because they felt dangerous.
"...I'm so bored..."
The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. I quickly covered my face, realizing this was a bad sign. I needed to find a way to kill time that wouldn't interfere with my duties.
But what could I actually do?
"...Maybe I'll make something with this."
I turned my attention to the grass I’d cleared earlier to make a firebreak. I’d thrown it into my Spatial Storage because I didn't know how else to dispose of it. It was flammable, but the stalks themselves were quite sturdy, making them decent crafting material.
I could weave it into a basket or something. Bushcraft, essentially.
"I don't know the proper technique, but I can probably manage if I just cross them over each other. It's just to pass the time; even if I fail, it'll kill the hours until the shift change."
And so, I began my grass-weaving project.
Time actually passed faster than I expected, likely thanks to the crafting. By the end of it, through a lot of trial and error, I’d managed to produce a small, pouch-like object. It was functionally useless given that it would ignite at the slightest spark, but it was surprisingly sturdy—tougher than a cheap plastic bag, at least.
"All right, time to wake Hiiragi-san."
I used Cleansing magic to get the grassy smell off my hands, then walked over to the camp screen to signal the shift change.
In the end, literally nothing had happened. I knew I should be grateful there were no monster attacks, but part of me had been impertinently wishing for something to show up just to break the monotony. I had been that bored.
"...Hiiragi-san, it's time for your shift."
"...Mm... Huh?"
"Morning, Hiiragi-san. It's time to swap."
"Swap... Oh, is it that time already?"
Hiiragi-san sat up, rubbing her eyes as she responded to my voice through the partition.
"Yeah. Not that there's much to report. It was perfectly quiet."
Unbearably so.
Once Hiiragi-san had finished her preparations and stepped outside, I retreated into the camp screen. I noticed the grass had reached about waist-height by now. It didn't even need half a day; it looked like it would be back to normal in a matter of hours.
I had finished my watch and was resting in bed when Hiiragi-san’s warning voice rang out.
"Everyone, get up! We have company!"
"——!?"
The warning snapped me wide awake. Yuji and I vaulted out of our beds. We grabbed our weapons and rushed out of the camp screen, immediately scanning our surroundings.
"Hiiragi-san, status!?"
"Enemies approaching, type unknown. Probably one or two. Also..."
"Yeah, I see it. I guess it was inevitable..."
As Yuji and I stepped outside, our eyes fell on the grass. The firebreak we’d spent so much effort clearing was gone; the grass had returned to its original, towering height.
I checked the time. It had been about six hours since we cut it. It had reached full height in a quarter of a day... I felt like I’d wasted my EP for nothing.
"I figured this might happen, but having our line of sight cut off right before a fight is annoying," Yuji muttered.
"Given the growth rate, it was only a matter of time."
Considering how fast the grass recovered, we probably only had a two or three-hour window after clearing it before it became a hindrance again. Trying to keep a large area clear during combat would be an exhausting drain on magic and stamina, making it barely worth the effort. Even for a bivouac, clearing the grass was a fool’s errand if it just grew back in six hours. It was a vicious cycle: mow the grass to rest, and by the time you've rested, the grass is back.
Grumbling aside, Yuji and I moved to either side of Hiiragi-san, bracing for the encounter.
"Our first real fight on the 30th floor, then."
"We've been so focused on surveying that we haven't actually hit anything yet. Look on the bright side: at least we didn't have to fight while the grass was actively sprouting under our feet."
"I guess so?"
"You two, stop talking," Hiiragi-san interrupted. "They're almost here."
"..."
At her prompt, Yuji and I tightened our grips on our weapons.
A few seconds later, two monsters pushed through the tall grass. They moved on four legs in a low-slung crawl, swishing long tails. Their wide maws were filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth, and their eyes gleamed with a cold light from within their rugged, reptilian skin. They were Grass Lizards—creatures that looked like a cross between a lizard and a crocodile.
I’d seen the illustrations in the Association’s database, but seeing them in the flesh was far more imposing.
"Careful. The files said they’re fast and have a powerful tail-whip," Yuji warned.
"They really do look like crocodiles. Smaller than the ones on TV, but definitely more dangerous."
"Their heads look more like lizards to me," Hiiragi-san noted. "Don't rule out a tongue attack."
"Tongues, huh..."
I really hoped that wasn't the case. Getting licked by a giant lizard sounded disgusting. I’d heard that Komodo dragons carried thousands of types of bacteria in their spit; who knew what kind of dungeon diseases these things had?
"Right, let's keep that in mind. For now, let's start with some feints to test their reactions. We need to know their speed and attack range."
"Agreed. This is our first encounter here; let's be cautious. They might have special abilities we don't know about."
"Special abilities... maybe something involving the terrain?"
"It’s possible. Look at their scales—they’re colored exactly like the grass."
"So they're ambush predators that hide in the thicket?"
Yuji's theory seemed highly likely. But if that was the case, it was strange that they had intentionally left their ideal environment to come out into the open plaza.
"Maybe they got impatient because we weren't wandering into the grass?" Hiiragi-san suggested.
"If so, they’re pretty bad at their jobs, throwing away their advantage like that," Yuji sighed. Part of me felt slightly guilty; we’d been standing around in this one spot for so long that we’d essentially forced the monsters to come to us.
However...
"If they're that desperate for a fight, let's give them one they'll regret."
"...Yeah, let's."
"Agreed."
We set our sights on the Grass Lizards and raised our weapons.
The monsters had finally lost their patience.