Sure-Hit Archer 110

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Genesis Dungeon... The Threat of G

Running, climbing, and occasionally shooting. 

This dungeon, the colossal dungeon similar to the B-rank dungeon I explored before, has no rest points, so even after defeating the mini-boss, Iron Golem, I still have to run back for the marathon journey home.

Having defeated the mini-boss, Iron Golem, I continued running through the dungeon to make my way back swiftly. 

Well, at this point, it's relatively easy.

"And so, we've arrived."

After leaving the mini-boss's room, it took me about 2 or 3 hours to come to the surface.

"Phew, I'm tired."

"Good job."

I offered words of encouragement to Silphy, who was stretching in my inner pocket.

"Whew, when Kaede runs at full speed, even if I'm here, I can still feel the wind and get tired."

"Well, we did dive quite deep, so it's natural that we ran fast and long."

In fact, I even used [Kamikaze] to increase my running speed and get back faster for dinner.

"Well, let's have dinner for now. I'm starving."

"Yeah, me too. I'm so hungry."

As we exchanged these words with Silphy, we started walking from the colossal dungeon to the hotel. But something felt off.

While walking down the road, I noticed some people seemed quite flustered. 

Moreover, most of the people hurrying about seemed to be wearing armor. Dungeon exploration at this hour?

"Hey, Kaede, there seem many people in a hurry. Is something going on?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's been an incident?"

So, I moved to the side of the road to avoid getting in the way of passersby and took out my smartphone from the [Item Box] to gather information.

With so many explorers appearing flustered, something related to dungeons must have happened. 

I decided to search for information about dungeons since most people in a hurry seemed to be explorers.

"Let's see..."

I searched, and a news article popped up. 

Let me see.

"Oh... I see."

"What is it? Did you find something?"

Silphy asked as I looked at my smartphone.

"Yeah. I've got it, Silphy."

"What is it?"

I showed Silphy the screen of my smartphone that I had been looking at.

"Um... 'A new dungeon, Dungeon Origin, has appeared in the city, causing a new dungeon to emerge?'."

"That's right. That's the gist of it. A new dungeon has suddenly appeared in the city."

This phenomenon of new dungeons emerging out of nowhere is called "Labyrinth Genesis". Why these new dungeons are created is still under research, but for now, dungeons are increasing rapidly.

"It appears that Astral is handling it... Maybe it's Kanzaki-san and the others?"

As I scrolled through the content on the news site, it mentioned that Astral was taking care of it. 

According to the Explorer Association, it's provisionally an A-rank dungeon, and it wouldn't be surprising if Kanzaki-san and the others were involved.

"Wow. So does that mean they need many people for the new dungeon? Is that why they were so busy?"

"...Well, yes, that's one reason, but I think there's more to it."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I shook my head in response to Silphy's speculation. 

Initially, I thought that, but it seems like it's not that simple.

"It seems that the monsters and the environment in this new dungeon are quite troublesome."

I continued to examine the information available about the current dungeons. 

Yeah, this is bad. 

First, the dungeon's rank.

Even though it's provisional, it's recognized as close to an A-rank dungeon in terms of monster strength and environment. 

It's an A-rank dungeon, and it's close to S-rank. 

It's likely to have multiple types of monsters.

And as for the monsters that have been confirmed so far.

I don't even want to imagine with just this information.

They haven't decided on the name yet, but the monsters that have appeared are. 

Ugh, it's terrible. 

It's like a black, shiny insect that you'd expect to find in the kitchen.

It's a G-type monster, which is essentially a cockroach.

Additionally, this G-type monster is about the size of a bowling ball and carries poison. 

With these roaches continuously swarming in this new dungeon, it's a space filled with horror.

"Ugh...! I'm getting the creeps...!"

No, I can't think about it. 

It's a mental battle I can't afford to lose. 

Even as an explorer, who's used to gruesome and repulsive things, these G monsters are terrifying.

On top of the G creatures, the dungeon is described as an environment resembling a combination of a jungle and a swamp. 

G monsters carrying poison fly in from between the trees, dissolving weapons, infecting with poison, and inflicting status ailments.

Moreover, being G monsters, they are quite robust, and their numbers increase during combat. 

It's as if you find thirty of them as soon as you spot one.

Yeah, I absolutely don't want to go there.

"Ugh... The place is swarming with those...?"

Upon hearing my explanation, Silphy shivered inside my pocket, as if she were visualizing it.

"Well, I guess this is why the explorers seemed so frantic, right?"

The news site also mentioned the Explorer Association buying antidotes and weapons, armor, and perhaps the people who were in a hurry saw this.

"I see... So what about you, Kaede? Are you going into this dungeon?"

"No, no, it's impossible. Maybe if it were just an ordinary A-rank dungeon, I might have been able to go in once my level was a bit higher, but it's close to S-rank. And it's a dungeon that inflicts conditions like poison. I'm nowhere near ready for it."

Honestly, at my current level, even with the antidote to G's poison, I think I'd die.

I don't have any antidote potions because I've been avoiding dungeons where monsters that inflict conditions like poison appear. 

As for weapons and armor, they're the kind that ordinary explorers don't use. Well, I'd never sell my weapons and armor anyway.

"Well, it's just because the dungeon has recently appeared, all this fuss will calm down in a while."

"I see. Well, there's no need to go to a dangerous place on purpose."

"That's right. Besides, we still need to look for Silphy's friends."

For now, I think it's fine to leave the dungeon with the monsters that cause conditions like poison in an environment where G creatures don't appear. 

I really don't want to dive in there.

"Hehe... Thanks, Kaede."

Silphy looked surprised for a moment but quickly smiled and thanked me.

"It's okay. I had already decided to cooperate with Silphy, and having Silphy as a conversation partner is a great motivator for me, and I'm genuinely happy just having you with me."

Having Silphy as a companion has boosted my motivation, and I find it quite helpful to have someone to talk to instead of diving into dungeons alone.

"R-really? When you say that. I, uh. Hehe..."

Upon hearing my words, Silphy seemed a bit embarrassed and retreated into my pocket.

"Well then, let's head back and have a meal and get some sleep to be fully prepared for exploring tomorrow."

"Y-yeah, that's right! Let's go back and eat soon!"

While Silphy seemed a bit flustered in her response, I wondered if something had happened. Well, never mind.

I was concerned about Sylphy's reaction, but I returned to the hotel without saying anything.

It's worth noting that since I have Silphy with me, I'm staying in an expensive room with room service. I may have over-ordered, resulting in quite a high bill, but that's another story.