Descending the stairs, I was greeted by a sight all too familiar. If I had to point out a difference, it would be the sky—or rather, the ceiling. Thin clouds now stretched across the artificial blue expanse. But at its core, it was the same old grassland area overgrown with long grass.
...I knew it would be.
"Haa, do we really have to push through all this grass to find the stairs again?"
"It can't be helped. That's just the dungeon's specs," Yuji replied.
"He's right. There's no point in complaining," Hiiragi-san added with a wry smile. "So, what’s the plan? Based on our previous experience, should we try searching along the wall this time?"
As Yuji and I stared blankly at the prairie and grumbled, she took charge of our next move. It was much easier on the mind to have a plan rather than wandering aimlessly. Using our previous experience as a reference wasn't a bad idea at all.
Though I doubted it would be quite that easy.
"Right. For now, it might not be bad to do a lap along the wall. If we find something promising along the way, we can just head toward it."
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," Yuji agreed.
"Then let's start looking right away."
And so, our search for the stairs began. We started by walking clockwise along the perimeter wall.
However...
"Nothing's appearing..." I muttered.
"Nothing," Yuji echoed.
"Not a single one, is there?" Hiiragi-san finished.
By the time we reached the first corner without a single encounter, we all wore sour expressions. We had been walking along the wall for a while, yet we hadn't run into a single monster. Considering that on the 30th floor, Grass Lizards had been lurking all along the shortest route, there was a high probability that this direction was a dud. It was looking more and more likely that the stairs weren't anywhere near here.
At worst, we might end up doing a full lap of the floor along the wall.
"...Maybe going counter-clockwise would have been better?" I wondered aloud.
"Given how we haven't seen a single monster... yeah, we might have messed up the start," Yuji said.
The complaint escaped my lips involuntarily. Since our current goal was to find the stairs, not encountering monsters was technically a good thing, but the lack of progress and the unchanging scenery were starting to wear me down.
In this place, "many monster encounters" usually meant the stairs were close. Without running into monsters, we had no lead to follow.
"That said, even if we turned back and went the other way, there's no guarantee the stairs would be there. We just have to keep moving," Hiiragi-san pointed out. "If we go back and they aren't on the other side either, it'll just be even more wasted effort."
"Yeah... you're right."
Without any certainty, if you were torn between moving forward or turning back, the safe bet was usually to keep going. It wasn't like we had any other leads anyway.
Thus, we continued pushing forward along the wall.
After walking for a while, the long grass ahead of us swayed, and two Grass Lizards pounced. Unlike the ones on the 30th floor, who had abandoned their advantage to charge us blindly, the lizards here were patient. They waited for their prey to get within lethal distance before launching a surprise attack. It was proof that they understood their own strengths.
Though their failure to hide their hostility—which allowed us to detect them well in advance—was just as amateurish as their predecessors.
"Gyu-gyu-gyu!"
"Whoops!"
"Too slow!"
Yuji and I, being the closest, each intercepted one and swiftly took their heads.
If you want a surprise attack to succeed, you should start by learning how to hide that blatant bloodlust.
"Good work, you two," Hiiragi-san said.
"Nah, this was nothing," I replied.
"Yeah."
Yuji and I answered while using "Cleansing" to remove the grime from our weapons.
"I see. But since Grass Lizards appeared, maybe the stairs are nearby?" she asked.
"Only if we start running into them back-to-back," I said.
"Should we try searching around here for a bit, then?" Yuji suggested.
If we encountered monsters in quick succession, it would be proof that the stairs were close. Sticking to the wall was one thing, but since we'd finally run into something, using this spot as a starting point to scout the interior wasn't a bad idea. If we headed in the direction the monsters had come from, the stairs might just be there.
Well, it wasn't like we had anything else to go on.
"Right. For now... let's try heading straight in."
"Got it."
So, after collecting the drop items from the Grass Lizards, we decided to scout the surrounding area. I just hoped we could narrow down the search area even a little...
After wandering for a while, we reached a conclusion.
"The encounter rate is definitely highest when we walk in this direction."
"Yeah. Well, we haven't covered that much ground, so it's more like a gut feeling that there are slightly more," Yuji added.
"But since we don't have any other leads, I think the probability of finding the stairs is higher if we head that way," Hiiragi-san said.
"I guess so."
With that, our immediate direction was set. I just hoped the choice was the right one.
Even so, the long grass made visibility so poor that searching was taking forever. I wondered if there wasn't some kind of trick to speed this up...
"Well, shall we go for now?"
"Yeah, let's go."
"Right."
Praying that the stairs were ahead, we pushed through the grass and moved forward.
Roughly an hour after we started our search, we finally found the stairs leading to the 32nd floor. They were located in the far-right corner of the floor. If we had stayed on our clockwise path along the wall, they would have been at the literal farthest point possible.
...I'm really glad we changed our strategy midway.
"We finally found them."
"Seriously. If we'd kept looking along the wall..." Yuji trailed off.
"It would have taken twice as long. Well, maybe not that long, but it certainly would have been a while," Hiiragi-san said.
It was taking far too much time; I had to come up with some kind of improvement. The fact that monsters were clustered on the shortest route could be seen as a way to hinder explorers, but it could also be viewed as a countermeasure against certain search methods... wait. As I let my thoughts wander, an idea flashed through my mind. I looked around the area of the stairs to the 32nd floor, glanced back toward where the stairs to the 30th floor were, and felt a surge of confidence.
However, was it really okay to use this idea? It felt like a total violation of the rules, or rather, like I was ignoring them entirely...
"So, what's the plan? Want to head down to the 32nd floor?" Yuji asked.
"The info said the next floor is also a grassland area... It's going to take time again," I noted.
According to the Association's reports, the next floor followed the same pattern. That meant another long search....I had to try it.
As I made my decision, Hiiragi-san checked the time and called for a halt.
"More importantly, you two, it's almost time to head back. Even if we go down now, we won't have time to find the stairs."
"Huh? Oh, you're right. Hmm, yeah, considering how long the search took this time, finding the stairs to the 33rd floor would be impossible before our deadline."
Just as she said, when I checked my watch, there were less than thirty minutes left before our scheduled return. If we searched the same way we had been, we’d definitely run out of time. Rather than a half-baked attempt, it was better to take a break here and then head back up. Yuji and Hiiragi-san seemed to be in the same mindset.
However, there was one thing.
"Hey, Yuji, Hiiragi-san? I agree we should end the exploration here, but there's one thing I'd like to try..."
"Hm? What is it, Daiki?"
"Well, you know how these grassland floors take forever? I came up with an idea that might make finding the stairs a lot faster, and I'd like to test it on the 32nd floor before we leave."
"...What?"
The air around them shifted at my words. I had successfully piqued their interest.
Though, to be fair, I wasn't even sure if it was possible yet.
"So, Kokonoe-kun, what is this idea? You aren't... planning to burn down the entire grassland, are you?"
"No, of course not. That would be the fastest way, but I'd never do something so dangerous."
"Right, of course. If another explorer party happened to be nearby, it would be a disaster. I knew you wouldn't overlook something like that," she said, looking relieved.
If an explorer died because of an intentional fire, it would be treated as arson and murder. I didn't want any part of that.
"Then what's the idea? Is it something easy?" Yuji asked.
"Oh, yeah. We don't need any equipment, and there’s no special setup required."
Well, for anyone other than us, the "setup" would probably involve a lot of level-grinding first.
I then explained my time-saving trick to them.
"..."
"..."
Both of them wore deeply skeptical expressions. If I had to translate those looks, they were saying: Is that really allowed?
Since the rules didn't explicitly forbid it, it should be fine... probably.
"Well, anyway, I'd like to see if it even works on the 32nd floor."
"Ah, yeah. I guess it’s fine to just try it out once..." Yuji said.
"I suppose so. We won't know unless we try," Hiiragi-san added.
A slightly awkward atmosphere lingered, but we decided to give it a shot. I figured it was best to treat it as a bonus if it actually worked.
And so, we descended to the 32nd floor. Compared to the 31st, there were more clouds in the sky, making it noticeably dimmer. Apparently, these floors adjusted their lighting by changing the fake sky. At this rate, we might run into floors with sunrise, sunset, or even total darkness. Surprise attacks from monsters hidden in the dark... that would really ramp up the difficulty.
But for now, I had to confirm my theory. We were short on time.
"Okay, I'm going to try it... Yuji, give me a hand?"
"Sure thing."
I took off my backpack to make myself light; it would only get in the way. Once I was ready, I stepped back from Yuji and called out.
"Here I go, Yuji!"
"Right, come on!"
I took a light running start toward him. Yuji clasped his hands in front of his waist, taking a stance like a volleyball player preparing to receive a serve. Meanwhile, Hiiragi-san kept watch on our surroundings.
"One, two, jump!"
"Heave-ho!"
I stepped off with my right foot onto Yuji's clasped hands, and he swung his arms upward with all his strength to match my leap. The result sent my body soaring high into the air.
I felt exactly like a trampoline athlete.
"Ooh, I can see! I can see! Let's see, the stairs are...?"
As I continued to rise, I scanned the area. The view was a vast expanse of long grass and shrubs, but in the distance, I saw a spot where the vegetation was conspicuously absent.
"Oh, is that it!?"
I had tried this with half-expectation and half-resignation, but seeing it work so perfectly made me break into a grin. If this trick worked, searching for stairs from here on out would be over in seconds.
However, that momentary lapse in focus—that instant of celebration—was my undoing.
"Ow?! Agah?!"
The very moment after I spotted the stairs, a dull, crushing pain shot through the top of my head—no, it felt like my whole neck compressed—and my body rotated violently around the point of impact. I was slammed face-first into something hard.
W-What?! What happened?!
"Daiki?!"
"Kokonoe-kun?!"
From below, I heard Yuji's and Hiiragi-san's frantic voices.
A second later, my body peeled away from whatever I had hit and began a freefall.
"Daiki, get a hold of yourself!"
"Kokonoe-kun, quickly, fix your landing posture!"
While listening to their shouts through a dazed fog, I tried to process the situation. Slamming into something and sticking... a brief pause... freefall...?! Ah, I see! I crashed into the ceiling?! Wait, the landing!
My mind and body had frozen from the shock, but once I understood the meaning behind Hiiragi-san's shout, I scrambled to twist my body. However, it was already too late to get into a proper landing position. By the time I managed to flip over, the hard-packed dirt was rushing up to meet me.
"——?!"
In a panic, I bent my knees and thrust both hands out in front of me.
A split second later, a massive shock ran through my limbs, and the sound of my body slamming into the ground echoed across the plain.
"Hey, Daiki?! Are you okay?!"
"Are you alright?!"
"...Yeah, I'm fine."
Still on all fours—a position uncomfortably close to a prostrated bow—I replied in a tiny, fading voice. To be honest, I was so incredibly embarrassed that I couldn't bring myself to lift my head. I mean, really? Launching myself so hard I hit the ceiling, only to follow it up with a pathetic, groveling landing? How was I supposed to look them in the eye?!
I crouched there for a while, my ears burning bright red, then took a deep breath to compose myself before finally looking up. To the two of them, who were waiting with worried expressions... I said just one thing.
"I think the stairs are over that way. Let's go!"
Acting as if the last minute had never happened, I shouted with unnecessary cheerfulness while avoiding their gaze. I felt like I was being hit with stares from behind that said I looked incredibly pitiful... but yeah, that was definitely just my imagination! Just my imagination!