Dungeon Refrigerator 167

Test

Jungle Of Paintball Field 3

Bloody Carrot is a monster that is quite confusingly similar to a mandrake. I've never actually seen a real mandrake, so that's based on the atmosphere.

But a plant monster with roots shaped like a person's body, other than a mandrake, is hard to imagine. So, mistaking Bloody Carrot for a mandrake is not unreasonable.

The Bloody Carrot's size is small, bigger than the carrots commonly seen in supermarkets, but smaller than daikon radishes. It has twisted roots growing like limbs from its red-black carrot body, using them to attack.

It is said to be extremely agile, piercing its root-like limbs into prey and sucking nutrients from them, even resorting to blood-sucking attacks. And its temperament is ferocious; upon spotting a human form, it attacks regardless of the power difference.

It excels in swiftly engaging in close combat, using its small size and exploiting the difference in body size. That overwhelmed even airsoft players who were knowledgeable about military tactics but weak in straight-up brawls.

Despite its small size, it can be quite a formidable monster.

[Pugyee! (Thud!)]

"(Oof) Ouch... Got me there!"

However, even Serai-san, who is not much tougher than airsoft players in terms of resilience, only staggers lightly and utters an "Ouch." when getting hit by Bloody Carrot's attack, all thanks to his suit.

His suit is special indeed.

It's the exoskeleton of the boss-level monster on the 10th floor, the Fly Queen. Even though it's thinner than King Cockroach's exoskeleton, it's sufficiently durable. It boasts the highest defense as the Queen Suit among my armor. So, there's no way monsters on the 3rd floor can pierce through it with their attacks.

That's why as we bid farewell to Trident's airsoft players and remain on the 3rd floor of the plant dungeon, we are the Dungeon Savers clad in tough exoskeleton suits.

I've been acting as a coach, giving instructions and guidance from the rear.

"Pugyee!"

"Alright...! Ha! Wha... ahh!"

"Serai-san, watch your movements closely! Keep your weapon swings compact!"

"Ugh! Yeah, I know. But..."

Being toyed with by the agile Bloody Carrot, Serai-san's attacks unintentionally become wide swings. And with all attention on the enemy, he fails to notice Ruka and the others. Hmm, that's risky. If Ruu wasn't shorter, that axe would've hit her head.

"Machi, take over for a moment! Axe Shield!"

"(Thud!) Pugyii!"

Unexpectedly, Nana has already devised a countermeasure against Bloody Carrot.

As Bloody Carrot leaps towards her, she grips the nail-pulling part and spins Excalibar. Swinging the spear to drop arrows, the lightweight Bloody Carrot is easily repelled, its body significantly shaved by Excalibar.

It's terrifying when a monster leaps at you, but once it's airborne, its trajectory becomes predictable. Nina-san calmly observes well.

"Take this!"

[Clang!... Thud!]

Then, as Bloody Carrot struggles to rise from the ground, Ruu, following Nina-san's instructions precisely, delivers a clean swing with the Katsuo-kun bat to finish it off.

"Nice one, Ruu-chan!"

"Hehe..."

Yeah, things seem to be shaping up quite well.

Serai-san is like a 'low-damage attacker' in a way. Low in extermination power but good at drawing enemy hate with flashy moves. That's her style. Nina-san is a 'calm defender'. She always observes enemy movements well and excels in countering attacks to deal damage. One could say she's a rational thinker.

And surprisingly, the one who often delivers the final blow to monsters is none other than Ruu. She's shy and never takes the lead, she observes enemy and ally movements remarkably well, choosing ideal actions each time.

If Serai-san messes up and loses balance, she's quick to step in. When Nina-san and Serai-san finish their attacks and can't move, Ruu swiftly steps forward to swing the bat. Yes, her hit-and-run tactics are truly splendid.

From the enemy's perspective, it's a finishing blow from an unexpected angle. Let's dub Ruu as the 'Swift Finisher'.

Well, Serai-san is still a bit precarious. With adjustments, she'll gradually improve.

.....

"Haa... haa... Whew, I'm tired. Hey, Master~ can we wrap this up soon?"

After about an hour of intense combat on the 3rd floor, it was no surprise that Serai-san, who seemed to make the most unnecessary movements, was the first to speak up.

"Yeah, I'm starting to feel it too."

"Alright, let's call it a day then. Time to retreat to the upper floors."

"Yay, finally going home~!"

"That's great, Machi-chan."

The three of them sighed in relief knowing they could finally leave. The battle with the Bloody Carrots was the first time the three had coordinated from start to finish, proving to be a valuable experience.

Unlike with slimes where coordination wasn't crucial, and Goblins I neutralized and let them hit, today marked a significant step from farmed to natural foes, a shining moment of growth.

As they chatted and walked back along the path, an unpleasant sensation ran from their necks to their backs.

(Huh, this feeling...!)

I stopped in my tracks, holding my breath as I scanned for signs of danger.

"Hey Sensei, what's wrong?"

Serai-san, who hadn't noticed the situation yet since she was at the front, asked. That's bad.

"Shh! Quiet..."

Where is it...? This feeling? It's not the pressure you'd feel from regular monsters. Without a doubt, it's the presence of a boss-level monster.

"There it is! It's them...!"

As I stared intently at the cave ahead, bathed in a pale dungeon light, five monsters appeared, their backs against the blue-white dungeon glow.

"What are those... more carrots?"

"But they look different in color and size from the ones we've seen before."

About 50 meters away, yet the aura of strength was palpable. Damn... Boss-level monsters appearing on the 3rd floor...!

"Everyone, retreat! I'll handle them!"

"Huh? But wouldn't it be better if we attacked together—"

"No! Retreat now!"

[[[Dash...!]]]

(Oh no!)

I was distracted by Serai-san behind me, and the five monsters started moving for a split second.

There were five Bloody Carrots. Four smaller ones in pale blue were likely their entourage, while the crimson, slightly larger one was probably the boss.

[[[Scurry...!]]]

The five Bloody Carrots, in a low crouch like crawling on the ground, zigzagged to avoid projectiles and closed the distance rapidly. Hmm, those are definitely movements of battle-hardened creatures.

(Gah... [Agility]! [Footwork]! [Fighting]...!)

In response, I activated skills for close combat, but...

(3, 2, 1... Now!)

"[[[Crash...!]]]"

"Mucus Wall - Mucous Shield!"

As the boss-level Bloody Carrots leaped towards us and kicked the ground, I timed it perfectly to create a mucus wall.

[Shlurrrrrrrr...!]

[[[...Huh!!]]]

[...Papapapang!!]

A thick mucus wall rose from the ground, making a sound, blocking the path of the Bloody Carrots who couldn't change direction mid-air and crashed into it with a loud impact.

[[[G... Gyutchii...!]]]

Buried in the thick mucus wall, nearly 80 cm thick, the five Bloody Carrots couldn't move an inch.

The mucus was stubborn and heavy, like persistent oil stains. I packed it with magic, ensuring no attack could penetrate it! With this, it could surely stop even King Cockroach's charge.

"Amazing...! Th-this is the power of Mucus!?"

Serai-san was stunned by the ultra-thick mucus wall. Hehe, pretty impressive, right? Ah, but I'm glad the mucus wall held. If it hadn't, we would've been forced into a tough fight with the boss again.