Earth Dungeon 105.2

Test

Chapter 105.2. Annihilation

"Three teams got wiped out? I thought they were quite capable teams."

When they got assigned to the dungeon entrance, they were with the Minamoto family. The mana they contained was high, and judging from their movements, I thought they were skilled soldiers. If they were at the same level. It meant all the soldiers from the 3 teams had been wiped out.

"This seems serious. It appears to be a humanoid and quite a powerful enemy."

"...That's bad. The monsters here aren't considered strong because they don't stampede, but if they get out, the entire area will turn into an extremely cold region. It would cause significant damage."

Frost Trees and Snow Wisps were environmental change-type monsters. If they got out, the inner town would change into a region colder than the Arctic. It was an unprecedented situation. I considered whether it was because Sakimori-san had destroyed all the fused dungeon cores, but that seemed unlikely. 

In the past, we had done similar things multiple times. When we investigated before challenging this dungeon, we found records of clearing fused dungeons every year before participating in the Snow Slime event. It hadn't been a problem to make it an event, as it was so easy.

Was there a hidden boss here that we hadn't encountered yet? Konoha was staring at me with a worried expression, but...

"W-what should we do? Can't Rei defeat it? You're strong, right?"

She came with hopes of gaining fame and an opportunity. It was clear she was overestimating Shizuku's power, likely due to the strong impression from the Dragoon battle.

It seemed she believed Shizuku could defeat the monster that wiped out three teams. Shizuku couldn't help but smile wryly at those words.

"The other teams should have been equipped with fire gear... What about the reward?"

The weaknesses of the monsters were too obvious in this dungeon. Equipping fire gear and getting wiped out without being able to escape was unexpected. If so, the monster that could counterfire should be quite dangerous.

"I-I'll add another billion!"

"The reward for a monster that defeated 3 teams is too low... However, fine. It sounds interesting."

Launching the snow bike, I once again aimed for the bottom floor, wondering what awaited them.

Upon reaching the bottom floor, I noticed something abnormal right away. Large snowflakes were fluttering down in the dungeon. The crystals of those snowflakes, compared to the previous levels, covered the ground with deep snow.

I might sink waist-deep. If I got off the bike, there was a possibility of my body getting submerged.

Frost Trees were broken from the middle of the trunk and wouldn't move. Instead of a Golem, there were large shards of ice scattered around. Snow Wisps were nowhere to be seen. In the snow, there were countless fresh footprints, indicating that other teams had arrived and exterminated the enemies.

However, despite that, there was a strange silence, and the other teams were not visible. They seemed to have managed the crisis well and evacuated quickly.

"Well, considering this view, it's obvious."

When I eased off the accelerator and moved forward, the snow began to get rough, revealing a translucent, cloudy ice floor. As I progressed, it seemed like there had been explosions; there were several craters, signs of intense battles.

"W-what is this?"

Konoha clung tightly to Shizuku in fear. Her voice trembled, and she looked around anxiously, finding it hard to believe the scene unfolding before her.

"It seems they couldn't defeat it even with guns. Some traces look like grenades. They probably prepared to fight, expecting disqualification due to a crisis, but it seems to have been in vain."

The automatic rifles were frozen, crushed, and scattered around. What caught my attention even more were poorly crafted ice objects scattered in the vicinity.

These ice objects revealed cross-sections of flesh, some with shattered necks or lower bodies missing, lying in disarray.

"It's powerful, but the enemy level is low."

"H-How do you know? Everyone has been killed!"

Observing the surroundings and making an inference, Shizuku responded while Konoha asked with a bewildered expression. Shizuku pointed to the ice where a former human with shattered fingers lay and nonchalantly shrugged.

"They were killed meticulously. There seem to have been area attacks, but each one left intense resistance marks. Destroyed guns, few who fell while facing away without attempting to escape, and even magic weapons get shattered."

Weapons that once possessed the power of fire were scattered around. Swords and spears without power lay on the ground. Magic weapons stuck in trees or on the ground were precisely targeted at their fragile points and meticulously destroyed.

"They weren't killed by overwhelming force. The deceased believed they could defeat the enemy to some extent. In other words, the opponent might be strong, but its strength is probably at C-rank."

"You can tell just from this? Truly, you're amazing, Rei."

Konoha praised Shizuku, who waved her hand as if it was nothing.

"Damn it!"

A loud, coarse voice echoed from the forest's depths, and Shizuku tilted her head. After that, a powerful roar resounded, shaking the ground.

"It seems the survivors are still in combat."

"I'll go help them!"

Konoha immediately responded with a sense of justice. I let out a faint sigh and accelerated the snow bike. The engine roared as they advanced, narrowing their eyes at the unfolding scene ahead.

"I thought it was a pattern I hadn't seen before, and it turns out I was right."

A large man in magical armor, wielding a giant axe engulfed in flames, had just struck the ground, creating a large crater. Standing precariously close to it, a non-human girl with blue skin narrowly dodged the attack.

"Is that the monster?"

"Yes. That's the snow fairy Frokis-chan. It seems a formidable enemy has appeared."

While calmly explaining, Shizuku gazed at the blue monster, tightening her lips.