Dungeon Refrigerator 165

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Jungle Of Paintball Field 1

In the world, there's a formula for victory.

It's a phrase that would be in self-help books or stock market books, but historically, the famous one would be 'timing, terrain, and harmony'.

In a formula, it's like 'timing × terrain × harmony = victory'.

This seems like simple multiplication.

The current weather is clear despite the cold wind blowing, and the battlefield is the playground of paintball gamers. My spirits are very high after receiving the heartfelt healing from the cute Ruu and filling up on crab to boost morale. Moreover, they were grateful to me for providing weapons to fight monsters.

Yes, timing, terrain, and harmony are perfectly aligned.

So, I casually asked the paintball gamers, "While eliminating monsters on the battlefield, would you like to explore a dungeon as well?" In no time, they discovered a cave-like dungeon nestled in a nearby thicket, close to the battlefield.

Truly paintball gamers. They're accustomed to walking in the mountains and fields.

"(Rustle rustle rustle... swish swish...) Hmmm, is that it?"

Visible on the slope covered with dry fallen leaves was the cave. It seemed like a place where one could easily slip if not careful.

"Huh?! ... What, a jungle. Hey, with that outfit, you'll get shot by someone who doesn't recognize you, you know?"

"Oh, what's that? Admiral, do you think so too? Well, it's okay since I've asked the pot crew to pass on the information. But let's be cautious."

Yes, my appearance has now magnificently changed from the Holy Salt Robe to the Bug King Suit.

Since Ruu brought it for me, I changed after lunch. After all, facing an unknown dungeon for the first time, I'd like to be fully equipped if possible.

"Ohhh~♪ The Holy Salt Robe is nice, but once you get used to it, this one definitely feels more calming, Master♪"

"That's right."

""Wow... (murmuring)""

As Serai-san, shining dimly in her metallic golden Bug Queen Suit, appeared behind me in my Bug King Suit, sighs of admiration escaped the assembled paintball gamers.

Yeah, I get that feeling. The suits are very snug, and you can see the body contours clearly. Even though no skin is exposed, it somehow feels very glossy and sexy.

"Now, let's do our best to catch up. Ruu-chan♪"

"Yeah, Shizu-chan. Let's do our best!"

""Wow...! (murmuring)"""

And when Nina-san and Ruu in their Bug King Suit Mk II appeared, the murmurs and sighs increased even more. After all, the helmets they wore could easily open and close like the lid of an electronic rice cooker, allowing the two beautiful women to show their lovely faces while chatting.

Hehehe, how about that? I made everything, and it looks super sexy-cool, doesn't it?

"Haha... My goodness, everyone looks amazing. We occasionally delved into dungeons, but we've never seen anyone dressed like this."

"Yeah. Well, this is our unique style. But not just appearances, the performance is top-notch too (nyoon~! Click! Click!)."

To surprise Admiral, amazed by our appearance, I moved the attached arm attachment on the back to demonstrate some of the suit's capabilities.

"Ohh~ I want one too!"

"Hahaha, once Serai-san gets more used to manipulating magic. So, Admiral, how about this area?"

Setting aside the eager Serai-san, I turned to the admiral to continue the conversation.

"Oh, it's fine here. Beyond that slope would have been troublesome. But up to this point, it's my acquaintance's land."

"I see. Then we should be fine even if something happens. Alright, everyone! We're starting the dungeon exploration now! Those participating, please be careful to avoid accidents or injuries!"

"""Ohh~!!"""

That's something I discussed with Admiral beforehand. While dining, I invited the Admiral to "join the dungeon exploration and take a bite".

If we fought conventionally, monsters like Aloe Spirits and Kung Fu Bamboos would be quite formidable. Especially for those without experience fighting monsters, it would be even more challenging. Those who have actually fought them would understand this well. However, with the salt weapons I created, the situation changed significantly.

Those tough plant-type monsters become surprisingly easy to weaken with salt, making it easy to exterminate them.

So, there's no reason to let this opportunity slip by. Equipping airsoft gamers with salt weapons to defeat plant-type monsters. They grow quickly with the life energy acquired from monsters. Eventually, even without salt weapons, they could defeat Aloe Spirits easily.

That way, they become stronger and happier. I can have them collect monster drops, and sell them to Sanada Pharmaceuticals at a high price, making everyone doubly happy by sharing the profits later with Admiral.

Well, it did take some effort to persuade Admiral. But with Shark joining the conversation and supporting me, in the end, Admiral nodded in agreement.

So, starting today, this airsoft field has transformed into an entertainment facility where you can 'become stronger and earn money', full of good things. Well done.

Anyway, cautiously exploring the cave, it indeed feels like a natural cave. Illuminated as if covered with glowing moss, the entire dungeon emits a faint bluish-white light. The terrain is somewhat distorted, but the dungeon generally continues in a fishcake-like shape with branching paths.

"There they are...! Over here!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

Once we, fully armed Dungeon Sabers, secured a bridgehead near the entrance, I left the task of sweeping the first underground floor to the airsoft gamers equipped with rock salt spearheads. As expected, the monsters on the first underground floor were Aloe Spirits.

But their numbers are not a problem.

After all, we're fighting genuine airsoft gamers here. Despite some age differences, they are enthusiasts who gather early on weekends to indulge in mock battles, obsessed with tanks, weapons, military history, and strategies.

"Come on! You monsters...! (Patata! Patatapata...!)"

"Good, keep drawing their attention! Now, strike!! (Thud!)"

The airsoft gamers split into small teams, devising their tactics to eradicate Aloe Spirits.

"Hmm... impressive. Everyone seems to be in good spirits, aren't they? (Kyuwawawa)."

"Well, yes. They are all obsessed with tanks, weapons, war history, and strategies. By providing them with a stage to freely engage in battles like this. It's only natural for them to thrive like this."

Indeed, Admiral's words make perfect sense.

"Excuse me~! We need more supplies, please!"

"Sure thing~. Take as much as you need from here~."

I just stationed myself near the entrance and produced rock salt spearheads, a simple job.

Why, you ask? There's a secret to the spearheads I'm making. Ordinarily, the salt weapons I create with the [Salt] skill are exclusive to me. With my skill, I can freely adjust the hardness or softness of the salt weapon by infusing it with magic later.

For example, after hitting a plant-type monster with a rock salt sawblade, I can explode the salt inside the monster's body as a toxin, or crush it finely, among other tricks.

However, once the salt weapons I create leave my hands, such manipulations aren't possible unless I'm nearby. So, the rock salt spearheads I give to the airsoft gamers are intentionally made fragile and prone to crumbling. This way, when they pierce the enemy, the salt residue remains in the body more easily.

That allows them to efficiently inflict poison damage with salt on plant monsters even without magical control over the salt. That's the idea.

"Thank you. Here you go."

After replenishing their rock salt spearheads, the airsoft gamers leave monster drops in return. The drops from Aloe Spirits are magic stones and 'agged Aloe Leaves.

While defeating them on the surface would yield a significantly larger quantity, since we're defeating them with salt, the materials suffer from salt damage. So, as ingredients for medicine, they might not be useful. We'll have to thin out the monsters inside the dungeon eventually, so we'll gather enough materials in due time.

"Flash! Excalibur! (Gosha!)"

"Ah, Zurii Machi! It was my turn next~!"

"That couldn't be helped! The Aloe just came at me on its own!"

Yeah, Serai-san and the others can defeat Aloe Spirits without salt weapons, using their usual Excalibars. Oh, Shark casually switched to a Damascus knife again.

"Ruu-chan, that way!"

"Yes, I got it! Hyah! (Gosu!)"

Oh, Ruu's weapon is now the nostalgic Katsuo-kun bat. It's currently her main weapon, doing its job well. I wonder how much monster blood it has absorbed, considering my time with it. Thinking about it feels eerie, almost scary.

"Shizu-chan, behind you!"

"I got it... Hya! (Gusha!)"

Nina-san flashes a glance toward me, and the ghostly aloe is explosively shattered by the Excalibur swung down with force. The weapons I used as Double Excalibars are now being used separately by Nina-san and Seki-san.

Me...? Ah, well, I still haven't used a jumbo-sized golden lever or anything. Plus, by creating rock salt with magic like this, it become a splendid weapon already. So, weapons have become not really necessary anymore. Well, I still have lingering feelings of admiration for weapons, though.

Thus, we descended to the second underground floor. The monsters in the plant dungeon's second underground floor were Kung Fu Bamboos. It seemed like monsters from shallower layers had crawled out to the surface as they were.

"Hmm... these guys are slower on land than underground!"

"Look! They're too tall and stuck on the ceiling!"

And the Kung Fu Bamboo, almost reaching a height of 4 meters, for some reason, had its head stuck on the dungeon's ceiling, making it very difficult to move.

"It's our chance! Let's get them!"

""Ohhh!!""

Due to the mismatched terrain, the Kung Fu Bamboos were beaten by airsoft gamers on their home turf. It's clearly a placement mistake. If there were Dungeon Masters or something in the dungeon, they should change the location.

"Sorry! We'll need more supplies again!"

"Alright."

The monsters defeated in the dungeon turned into smoke and dropped items. The drop from the Kung Fu Bamboo given by the airsoft gamers was a magic stone and a 'bamboo tube filled with liquid'. It was about the size of a mini beer can, and when shaken, it made a bubbly sound like there was liquid inside. What's this? Does it contain bamboo extract inside?

"Hmm... it's an easy win. With this, we should be fine descending one more floor, but what do you think, Jung?"

"Yeah, it seems fine at first glance. But maybe we should hunt a bit more here, let everyone level up, and then descend?"

"I see, let's do that. Hey everyone! If you've leveled up, report during resupply!"

And so, we continued battling for about an hour on the second underground floor.

After all, everyone here is a military enthusiast and an airsoft gamer. Therefore, they were well aware of the importance of building formations consciously for the frontline and covering each other in battle.

So, they tactically lured the Kung Fu Bamboos into confined spaces, making them unable to move and steadily stacking up wins without danger.

Yeah, they're really reliable.

I used to play a lot of online games. But when playing team battles without voice communication, I suffered greatly from teammates who didn't consider frontline formation and either died quickly or cowardly attacked from the back with projectiles.

Moreover, not content with just that, I started foolishly chasing after a single stray enemy after breaking the frontline, like some childish soccer player imitation, and was intensely stressed by those teammates who turned into enemies rather than the actual enemies in online games.

But how about here?

These people here are well-trained soldiers, and it seems like they have the basics of combat ingrained in their bodies. Of course, there are differences in individual abilities. But whether they have learned to cover each other in battle or not seems to make a huge difference, and it's really impressive.

"It's quite impressive..."

"Hm? Oh yeah, indeed. Since we often compete with other airsoft circles, everyone here has that awareness."

Admiral standing next to me noticed my unspoken thoughts and replied.

Hmm, but even so, things often don't go well. I wonder if this splendid achievement is also because of Admiral's charisma and leadership.

Hmm, could it be that Admiral is secretly an excellent commander?