Seeker 128

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Chapter 128. Dungeon (?)

A teleportation magic circle suddenly appeared at our feet in the cave's room. 

My vision was engulfed in a bright white light, followed by a sensation of floating. 

When the light subsided, we found ourselves in what seemed to be the interior of an artificially constructed room, distinctly different from the cave we were in before.

The room was made of stone, with walls and ceilings precisely laid out as if measured with a ruler. 

They emitted a faint phosphorescent glow, reminiscent of ruins floors part of our world's dungeon. 

However, it wasn't the same room that had transported us to this otherworld.

"Where are we...? Kazane-san and Yuzuki...?"

I hastily looked around, and there were soft sensations on both my arms. 

Kazane-san clung to my right arm, while Yuzuki held onto my left arm.

"Thank goodness. Daichi-kun and Hotaru-chan are both here."

"Hah, it's going to give me a heart attack. But as long as you are here, I feel relieved."

I was relieved. 

I would've cried if we had been separated.

"Where is this...? Could it be the ruins floors part of our world dungeon? Did we return to our world?"

Kazane-san and Yuzuki cautiously detached themselves from me and surveyed the surroundings. 

I, too, reexamined the situation.

The room was plain and made of stone. 

I saw a passage extending forward from a corner on the opposite side of the room.

Other than that, there were no apparent paths or eye-catching elements.

Well, except for one thing.

To be precise, it wasn't there anymore, but it had been "there".

"Who are you...?"

In a corner of the room, I saw a young woman crouched down, sitting cross-legged. 

She lifted her face absentmindedly and directed her gaze toward us.

Her hair was wavy and extended to her back, glistening in a golden hue, complemented by blue eyes. 

She seemed to be around the same age as Kazane-san and me, probably in her early 2os. 

Most likely, she was an adventurer.

Besides her clothing, she wore a slim sword and a metal breastplate.

Although she exuded an elegant aura, I also noticed a tinge of exhaustion.

 Her eyes lacked vitality, and she had dark circles underneath them.

As I gazed upon her, something clicked in my mind. 

I recognized her appearance, fitting the description I had heard from the Adventurer Guild.

"Are you Aria-san? The solo adventurer who accepted the orc extermination request 3 days ago?"

Upon hearing this, the face of the female adventurer, who had looked half-dead until now, quickly regained her vitality. 

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she displayed a mix of joy and relief.

"You've come from the Adventurer's Guild to rescue me ...?"

"Well, yes, that's technically true, but..."

I felt bad for dampening her excitement, but I couldn't help but hesitate with my words. 

The thing was, I looked around the room, and there was no sign of the return teleportation magic circle anywhere. 

In other words, it seemed like that teleportation magic circle was only a one-way ticket.

I recalled the saying, "A bandit gets a bandit.".

Though it was inauspicious, I couldn't deny the possibility in our current situation. 

Moreover, she crouched here was the most convincing evidence that there was no way to return.

A new notification box appeared when I thought that.

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Special Mission: Successfully escort the target adventurer out of the dungeon!

Experience Points earned upon mission completion... 10,000 points

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A special mission has come up. 

Setting aside the substantial experience points it offers, I considered it good news. 

That's because the appearance of this special mission implies that this place might be an escape route. 

I looked at Kazane-san and Yuzuki. 

It seemed they arrived at the same conclusion as me, and their hopeful gazes confirmed it.

I composed myself and addressed the female adventurer. 

"Could you tell us about the situation up until now?"

The female adventurer, Aria, nodded and explained what had happened to her. 

As expected, it matched what I had speculated. 

Three days ago, she received a quest to exterminate orcs as a solo adventurer. 

Guided by the villagers, she arrived at the cave inhabited by orcs. 

And like us, she got caught by the teleportation magic circle and was sent to this place.

However, the information she provided after that was worth listening to.

She pointed to the only passage extending from the room.

"Monsters are waiting ahead. But those monsters are strong, and I couldn't get past them. I barely escaped and waited here for the rescue."

"The monsters you encountered, what type are they? Not orcs, I assume?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't fall behind against mere orcs. Those monsters are... wait a moment."

Aria brought out her [Item Box] and took out a Monster Encyclopedia.

She flipped through the pages and showed it to us.

There were two pages she showed us. 

The first one depicted a picture of a stone statue with wings and horns.

The second one had an illustration of a skull with flames.

"These are two Gargoyles and two Flame Skulls. That's the group of monsters waiting ahead. As you can see from the stats recorded in this Monster Encyclopedia, they are formidable opponents."

"Ahh..."

The three of us responded with mixed feelings.

There are 2 Gargoyles and 2 Flame Skulls, huh?

Even the monsters resemble the ruins floors. 

Could it be that we've returned to the ruins floors?

No, that would mean Aria was also transported here, which doesn't sit well with the fact that we got a mission.

In any case, we need to focus on our current response. 

It's true that fighting all 4 monsters as a solo adventurer, even at level 25, would be difficult. 

It's understandable why Aria couldn't move from here. 

However, because we were here, they won't be a problem.

The escape route is becoming clearer.

"I understand the situation. However, if they're on that level, we can handle them as long as we're together. Can you walk?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Of course, I'll show you how I fight... Ah, wait...?"

As Aria tried to stand up and walk, she swayed and collapsed. 

I hurriedly caught her and supported her to sit on the floor.

"Don't push yourself. There's no need to rush. Take your time."

"Thank you..."

"Hmm, Daichi-kun's handsome attribute is on the rise. It's great that my boyfriend is becoming more attractive, but..."

"Speaking of which. Senpai, have you become immune to women? I feel like the old you would have been more flustered."

"Yeah, it does feel a bit odd."

"Hey, you two, cut it out. No need to say unnecessary things."

Isn't it too much though I'm just helping someone. 

Well, Aria is a beautiful woman of the same age, so it would be a lie to say I didn't feel a bit flustered while holding her. 

Meanwhile, Aria blushed shyly.

Just as I was thinking, "Oh?".

Aria said, "Um... I'm embarrassed, but I have a request. Could you provide me with some food, please?"

Her stomach growled loudly.

Oh, I see.