Standing atop the centipedes that had been reduced to rich soil, I listened to Rusty's report.
When Rusty first reached the dungeon entrance, unlike our arrival, members of the Giant Race had been there to greet her. They led her deep into the dungeon to where Makura was located. Apparently, Makura had been busy repairing a collapse site in the dungeon. He had been working while I was relaxing in the hot spring... I felt a little ashamed of myself.
Around the time Rusty and Makura joined forces, something went wrong. Smaller centipedes began crawling out of the hole created by the collapse. "Small" was a relative term, however; compared to the massive ones, they were still about two meters long.
Rusty and Makura fought off the smaller centipedes together. Meanwhile, Zabuton's Children, who had accompanied Rusty, guided the Giant Race through an evacuation. Unfortunately, more centipedes appeared at their evacuation site as well. They were eventually pushed back into the large cavern where we had found them, and they held their ground there.
If Rusty and the spiders had been alone, she could have ended the fight instantly with a breath of fire, but the proximity of the Giants made that impossible. After they managed to deal with the smaller centipedes through conventional means, the truly massive one appeared, leaving them pinned down.
Listening further, I learned they had been fighting for two full days without food or water. I made sure to praise Rusty and the others, telling them they had done an excellent job.
Next, I spoke with the Giants they had protected. While there were several injuries, fortunately, no one had been killed. They were incredibly profuse with their gratitude.
"Are these centipedes common in this area?" I asked.
"We see much smaller ones occasionally," one replied.
By "much smaller," they didn't mean the two-meter ones, but centipedes about thirty centimeters long. That still sounded plenty big to me...
"There were two-meter ones in the Earth Rat Tunnel," Progenitor-san added. "Though since Hakuren and Rusty breathed fire the moment they stepped into the tunnel, I only saw the carcasses."
I see. Because she had been scolded for that back then, she had refrained from using fire where the Giants were. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky.
"But I don't think there were any Hekatons of that size back there," Progenitor-san continued.
"Hekaton?"
Apparently, that was the name of the monster. Specifically, a Poison Rock Hekaton.
Wait... was it venomous? I hadn't even considered that. "Are Rusty and the others okay?"
It turned out that poison had no effect on dragons. As expected of the species. Regardless, we needed to completely seal the hole caused by the collapse. Otherwise, the Giant Race wouldn't be able to live here in peace.
I took a moment to ask if they were interested in relocating, but they insisted on staying here. I suppose that made sense; moving an entire community isn't easy.
We moved to the collapse site to seal the hole. Likely because the massive Poison Rock Hekaton had been moving in and out, a gigantic cavity had formed.
"It's even bigger than before," Lu murmured. She had been here once before and noted that it was more than twice its previous size.
The most effective way to seal it would be to collapse the ceiling, but the area around the hole had already been reinforced with Makura's silk. I felt bad about destroying his hard work, so we decided to head into the tunnel and collapse it from the inside instead.
Before heading in, I asked Hakuren and Rusty to blast the interior with fire. I really didn't want to see any more centipedes. Worried about oxygen deprivation, I waited outside the tunnel while they worked.
After about thirty minutes, Hakuren and the others returned.
"That took a while," I said.
"We ran into a few guests," Hakuren replied.
Apparently, more large centipedes had been approaching from the East Tunnel. However, once she was given the green light to use fire, they weren't even a threat. Dragons truly were on another level.
Following Hakuren's lead, we entered the tunnel. The west side was clear, but the east side was buried under a staggering amount of ash.
"Not just charred, but actual ash..."
"I got a little serious," Hakuren said with a bright smile.
"You breathed fire on the west side too, right?"
"I handled that side..." Rusty said, raising her hand with a slightly dissatisfied look. It seemed she had wanted to burn a few more things herself.
At any rate, there were no more obstacles in our path. I wanted to collapse the tunnel quickly, but doing so too close to the entrance might compromise the dungeon above. We moved further in.
Before we started, Progenitor-san cast a spell on me just in case. He said it was magic to protect against "poison in the air," but I wondered if that was his way of handling oxygen deficiency. Or perhaps he just called a lack of oxygen "poison air"? Either way, I accepted his kindness and thanked him.
We headed to the west side first. We walked for what felt like a kilometer, the whole group strolling along casually. Rusty still looked a bit pouty, but seeing the piles of ash where two-meter centipedes had once been made her feel better. Every time I praised her for a pile of ash we passed, she looked increasingly happy. Kuro and Yuki occasionally scouted ahead and returned to report that the path was clear. I made sure to praise them as well.
"This should be a good spot," Progenitor-san signaled.
With a magic-induced boom, the tunnel collapsed. The Universal Farming Tool didn't even get a turn. I watched as the dust from the collapse literally swerved around me, confirming the effectiveness of Progenitor-san's magic. It was incredible.
Then again, since everyone else was using the same magic, it might have just been a basic spell. I really wanted to learn how to do that.
With the west side finished, we headed east. When we got back to our starting point, I briefly thought about splitting the group, but immediately reconsidered. We had no idea what else might be lurking down here. We stayed together.
After another kilometer-long walk, we triggered another magic explosion. The collapse was a bit messy, and Lu, who had cast the spell, looked frustrated. She fired off a second spell to finish the job, successfully sealing the passage.
That should be enough for now. Still, since there were magic beasts like Earth Rats capable of digging, I couldn't be entirely complacent. I wished I could set up some kind of alarm... I pulled out the Universal Farming Tool, but there wasn't much I could do with it in this situation.
Whenever I'm at a loss, I rely on Progenitor-san.
"If I were staying in this dungeon permanently, I'd have plenty of options, but that's not the case," he said.
"So there's nothing we can do?"
"I wouldn't say that." Progenitor-san gave me a look that seemed to expect something.
"...Is this about burying the statue of the Creator God?"
"I can sense a certain ominous aura here, so I understand the desire to bury it. However, as a believer, it pains me to simply bury an image of the Creator God. So, I have a proposal."
Progenitor-san suggested that while the entrance should be sealed, we should create a proper space for the statue. It was my fault for carelessly carving the Creator God's likeness in front of a devout follower like him. At the time, it had seemed like the best solution.
"I understand. Let's do that. And since it would be lonely for the statue to be all by itself, let's build a shrine... or rather, a temple for it."
"Ooh!"
Progenitor-san had done a lot for us. This was the least I could do.
"We'll build the temple in the winter. Can I rely on your teleportation magic for the construction?"
"Of course you can!"
I felt like I was the one doing favors for him sometimes, but when I remembered he was Lu and Flora's grandfather, it was easy to be kind.
Progenitor-san's solution was simple: we just needed a gatekeeper. Near the hole leading into the tunnels, he chanted an incantation that caused ten stone pillars to rise from the ground. With another chant, the pillars crumbled away to reveal sculpted forms. They looked like winged demons.
"These are Gargoyles. Normally they're just statues, but if an intruder appears, they act as both sentries and an alarm system."
"Are they strong?" I asked.
"They'll have no trouble with Earth Rats. Even if they face something they can't beat, they can buy time. If these Gargoyles are activated, I'll be able to sense it immediately."
I was impressed. It was a solid plan. The others seemed to agree.
"I've never seen that technique before," Lu noted. "Rusty, did you memorize it?"
"He created ten at once, so I'm not entirely sure... I'll need to confirm the procedure later. It's twenty-seven steps, right?"
"Lu-san, can you do this too?" I asked.
"No way. These are the same guardians that protect Progenitor-san's personal bedroom. They could probably buy time even against a dragon."
Makura, Kuro, and Yuki seemed to sense something powerful from the Gargoyles and kept a respectful distance.
I decided then and there to make the temple a magnificent one.
We left the tunnels and returned to the main part of the dungeon. I explained the sealing of the tunnels to the Giants and told them about the Gargoyles installed in the depths. The Gargoyles were programmed to activate if anything entered from a passage other than the hole we had used. While the Giants would be safe even if they wandered in, I asked them to avoid the hole as much as possible. I also requested they find a way to cover the opening permanently. For now, it was only blocked by Makura's webbing.
After saying our goodbyes, we used Progenitor-san's teleportation magic to return to the village. I had intended to be back quickly, but we had ended up staying away for quite a while. I hoped the party hadn't gone on without us...
It turned out the banquet had been waiting for our return. I felt grateful, but also terribly apologetic. The festivities officially began the moment I finished my apology.