Dungeon Refrigerator 56

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Psychic Battle

Today, Serai-san left energetically in the morning, saying "she had a meeting to attend.". It's probably a trip-planning meeting with Nina-san. Ah well, they've got me wrapped around their fingers. 

Anyway, as for me, I set out for a dungeon exploration early in the morning.

The destination was the Park Dungeon. It's called that because it's in the park. This dungeon supposedly has slimes on the 1st floor, goblins on the second, and kobolds on the third.

Slimes are already familiar monsters. I spent a week studying their ecology before my first battle with one. So, when it comes to slimes, I know everything down to the number of wrinkles on their butt. Well, there were no butt wrinkles on the slimes, though.

Goblins are just goblins. They have irritating faces, but they make excellent practice dummies for combat. That's also why I chose the Park Dungeon this time—because there were goblins. Ruu and the others used to fight them.

"Huh... What's that over there?"

When I went to the reception, I noticed an unusual number of police officers gathered.

[Could there be some incident!?] I thought as I approached. It turned out that the bald and crew-cut guys were causing a problem about whether they could enter the dungeon.

Of course, the police couldn't let these reckless folks, who use their bodies as canvases, into the dungeon. They'd undoubtedly use any power they gain in there for anti-social activities.

"Hey, you. Don't go to the 4th floor of the dungeon."

As I was heading toward the dungeon's entrance after completing the reception, one of the police officers stopped me.

"Oh, why is that again?"

"There are ghosts..."

(Ghost??)

What's going on? Currently, dungeons open to the public get selected by the Self-Defense Force and the police. They should be low-risk dungeons with little to no worthwhile loot—basically, dungeons that don't matter.

"By ghosts, do you mean undead monsters?"

"We don't know that much. After all, we're here to monitor the entrance to the dungeon. We're not allowed to go inside, so we can only rely on information from those who've entered."

"I see... So those who've been inside the dungeon have been talking about ghosts?"

"That's right. Several people have been sent to the hospital in a state of confusion. So, please be careful not to go down to the 4th floor."

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know."

I was warned by a police officer with strong, intimidating eyes, even in the scorching sunlight, and I decided to heed the warning for now.

I quickly descended to the 3rd underground floor. Neither slimes nor goblins can stand in my way.

And on this 3rd underground floor, there are kobolds. This creature is also a first encounter for me. Nevertheless, it's categorized as a weak monster, so many of its mages were circulating on the internet.

However, due to the regulations imposed by video streaming sites, I'm currently unable to upload anything related to dungeon combat scenes. The reason behind this restriction is dungeon battles involve violent and gory scenes.

As a result, the only available information online is limited to images.

While it would be much better to be able to watch the actual movements, there's nothing we can do about it. While contemplating this, a Kobold appeared before me.

Indeed, to put it simply, a Kobold is a dog-human hybrid. Visually, it can be described as a mix of a dog and a human. It stands about the height of an upper elementary school student. It is slightly taller than a Goblin, about one head taller. Its head is like a dog, and its body is covered in shaggy fur. But it has human-like features.

At this point, I couldn't help but think, "Oh, if it's a dog-human hybrid, is it quite strong!?" However, for some reason, that aspect seems to have been weakened in Kobolds. Its agility in its dog's gene is compromised by having human-like characteristics, and its instincts prioritize its dog-like traits, making them appear more foolish than humans.

Nevertheless, Kobolds possess superior strength and physique compared to Goblins, so I shouldn't underestimate it.

"Grrr!"

[Woof! (Oong)]

The Kobold attacked, but I swiftly countered with a flash of Excalibar. With that haphazard strike, the Kobold turned into smoke and disappeared. It's strange for them to rush head-on toward a human wielding a weapon, despite being physically inferior. Could someone command them to "fight aggressively" in the dungeon?

As I picked up the dropped magic stone and fur, I got approached by several men from behind.

"You're in the way, old man! Move aside quickly!"

"Oh, my, are you all alone? How lonely!"

Hey, stop. That hurts.

I stood up and turned around to see 3 young men standing there. They were probably in their 20s, had modern hairstyles, and wearing thick gold or silver necklaces around their necks.

(Hey, this is a dungeon, you know? Are you guys sane??)

I was astonished by the fashion of these young men, with their excessively revealing outfits that barely served their purpose as armor. 

Although they were wearing protective gear, they were so disheveled that their protective gear did not do what it was supposed to do. How can you call it armor when all they do is hang a half-cap helmet around their necks?

"Hey, hey, being in a dungeon at this hour, are you unemployed or something? How pathetic! Just make sure you don't get injured while hunting in a corner somewhere! Gyahaha!"

Hmm... I have no words to respond to their remark about being unemployed. While I was thinking about that, the 3 young delinquents disappeared further down the passage, full of themselves.

The 3 delinquent young men who just left were probably around level 7 or 8. Their physique was not inferior to mine, so that's probably the case. 

They are indeed going through a growth phase and leveling up in the dungeon. It's understandable that they would get carried away, thinking, "I can become stronger no matter what!".

But it's dangerous. That's the very lure of the dungeon. It's a sweet trap. I sighed as I looked at the passage where they had departed.

.....

"Gaau! Gyan!?"

[Pegusha! (...bofunn)]

I crush the face of the Kobold that attacks me with my fist. There's no need to use Excalibur or expert footwork. But it might be a good opportunity to train Ruka and Serai-san by letting them experience combat rather than just attacking.

(Hmm, should I bring Ruu and the others here next time? There are Goblins, so I'll gradually let Ruu and Serai-san gain experience in attacking, and fighting too.)

As I walk through the 3rd floor, I spot the delinquent trio that I parted ways with earlier up ahead. And right before my eyes, they disappear from the passage. Curious, I go to the location where they were and find a staircase. It seems they went down to the fourth underground floor.

(Weren't they listening to the police officer's warning?)

No, that's not it, even after hearing it. They still went down to the fourth underground floor. They probably thought, [We can handle it! No problem!] or something like that. Yeah, that's probably it. They're like delinquent high schoolers doing a courage test at Okasakanagi Shrine.

After thinking for a while, I decide to wait for about 5 minutes on the spot before descending to the fourth underground floor.

The 4th floor. It has a different atmosphere from the dungeon, with half resembling catacombs and the other half a natural cave.

"Uhi~!"

"Gyaaa!"

And within that, the 3 delinquent is surrounded by white mist, crying and sniffling.

"D-Dajigee! Help us!"

One of the delinquents who noticed my presence shouts something. In response, I give them a smile and a thumbs-up. YES! All actions in the dungeon are at your own risk. If you're in a pinch, you have to resolve it.

(But that mist must be the ghosts the police officer mentioned.)

The white mist surrounds the 3 delinquents. Depending on how you look at it, it could resemble human figures. There's a thing where people imitate ghosts by wearing white sheets over their heads, and it doesn't seem entirely wrong. I thought ghosts would appear more like holograms, more distinct, but it's more like mist or fog. A very vague silhouette of a person.

(Hmm... a ghost, huh? In Western terms, it would be a ghost or a wraith.)

However, strictly speaking, a wraith seems to be an entity that magically detached from its body and can no longer return. So calling it transformed vengeful spirits would be more appropriate.

So, the ghost-like figure in the white mist seems to be surrounding the 3 delinquents, continuously stroking them with its hands. And every time that happened, the 3 delinquents cried out in a noisy panic. Hmm, it seems that's the method of attack by the ghosts.

"Auauu! It's too loose! Stop it!"

Shut up! You're interrupting my precious analyzing time.

I only think that it's convenient for them to act as decoys. Yes, this is a dungeon. A dungeon is a place of survival of the fittest. So the ones saying strange things are them.

Hmm, but I'm not a demon either, so as long as it doesn't put me in danger, I'll lend them a helping hand.

"Alright, let's go! Bring it on! Kuji-in! Rin-Pyō-Tō-Sha-Kai-Jin-Retsu-Zai-Zen! Kyeei Ichi-I!"

Let me explain. Otaku can use the esoteric art of Kuji-in, a nine-syllable self-defense technique, due to influences from manga and such.

(Glance)

"Oh no...?!?"

However, it had no effect. Just for a moment, I felt like the white mist, the ghost, was looking this way, but that was all.

"You dare defy me?! The Nine-Syllable Sword Seal should work...! Whenever the ninja I know used it, it resolved any situation...!"

Indeed, it seems that the Kuji-in only works if each seal is properly formed. But even if I try to remember the seals, I forget them since I don't use them regularly.

"Mugigigigigiyu...iihi...ihhihiiii~!!"

"Ahehe...pyoropyoropyoro...!!"

Hmmm, my first battle with a ghost.

Yet, the 3 delinquents keep falling into a strange state without being targeted. And the powerful Kuji-in doesn't affect the ghost whatsoever. What should I do?!