Chapter 256

After the feast, satisfied with the day, the group decided the next day to rebuild the rhinoceros' carriage since they were still there. They spent another day in the dungeon.

Geshmagmin was a rare material, and they couldn't think of another place where they could work openly without being seen, with ample space, besides here.

But with that done, Tatsuro and the others were finally prepared to return to the outside world.

Before leaving, they decided to say a final word to the dungeon.

"We ended up staying here for quite a while. Was that okay?"

[Yes--It's fine--]

Tatsuro spoke toward the former sea, but a white vortex appeared directly behind him, and the voice came from there.

Turning to face it, Tatsuro continued.

"Good to know. Well then, it's time to say goodbye."

[Yes-- Thank you for your visit-- We look forward to seeing you again--〕

"No way, this isn't some convenience store I can just pop back into. It was tough enough with the level increase."

[Oh-- Sorry for the trouble--]

The tone, utterly unapologetic, left everyone with wry smiles.

"Well, if we ever run short on monsters to fight, we might drop by again."

[Yes-- That's perfectly fine. I have plenty of time, and so do you]

"Definitely a deliberate move, huh?"

[Yes- Of course]

Tatsuro was convinced the dungeon had intentionally placed that former boss before him and Ai, knowing they'd become ageless.

As long as Tatsuro lived, Cardina and the others, who were his "children," would live too.

[So, make full use of the power gained from my children as sustenance. Enjoy the world ahead]

"Got it. Alright, this time for real-- see ya!"

"Bye-bye!"

"Peewee!"

"Neigh!"

"Farewell!"

"Take care"

"See ya!"

Led by Tatsuro, Ai, Cardina, and the others, each left a word before diving into the vast, shimmering sea.

On the now-empty beach, the dungeon muttered to itself.

[Wow- What interesting people, I never expected it to be cleared so quickly. Probably the fastest in this world's history, right? But-- heehee. They'll be in for a surprise back in the world. Such a shame I can't see their faces]

With that, the dungeon's voice faded along with the white vortex, vanishing from the beach and sea dyed in twilight.

Tatsuro and the others passed through the dungeon's boss room, standing in the final room connected to the outside world.

First, they cast Curse Vision on Leah to disguise her appearance.

Then, together, they stepped onto the gently sloping stairs, ascending slowly in sync.

And -- breaking through a thin white membrane, Tatsuro and the others stepped out into the open.

"Biiiiii!"

"-- What!?"

The moment they emerged, four giant grasshopper monsters spotted them, flapping their wings and lunging.

But the combat instincts honed in the dungeon were still sharp.

Almost unconsciously, Tatsuro infused his coat with water magic to activate Secom-kun, skewering the closest grasshopper from all directions to halt its momentum, then blasting its head with a laser from his hand.

The remaining three were instantly dispatched-- Ai with a full-force punch, Jeanne with a body slam and horn skewer, and Athena with [Golden Lightning].

"Peewee --- Peewee."

"No other monsters, but there's a reaction from someone else's Dispel Magic."

"…Seems like it. That doesn't feel immediately dangerous, so let's set it aside for now. First, I'm wondering why there are monsters here when this shouldn't be the dungeon anymore."

"Right. These guys were only slightly weaker than the dungeon monsters—pretty strong."

"Way different from the weak monsters outside before. And-- look over there."

Following Athena's pointing finger, they saw a blue stone protruding from the monster's corpse.

"A Magic Stone?-- Wait a sec. Doesn't that mean these are dungeon monsters?"

"But this place… this place… where 'is' this?"

"Where? It's where we--…there wasn't a wall like that."

Looking ahead, they should have emerged at the dungeon's entry point, a spot they'd walked to from the mountain.

But two hundred meters away, a thick wall now stood, blocking the dungeon entrance behind them.

The wall was cloaked in black mist magic, making it look like mere fog unless closely inspected.

"The Dispel Magic user seems to be on top of that wall. Maybe a watchtower?"

"There's what looks like an entrance over there."

"True."

To the right, there was a door just big enough for one person to pass through.

Tatsuro collected the monster corpses and cautiously approached the door.

Along the way, he deployed Secom-kun and used the [Map Function] to check their location.

"Our position… the mountain's shape seems slightly different, but it's the same place we entered."

"Phew—That's a relief. I thought we'd been teleported somewhere weird again."

"But this wall is quite imposing. If the location hasn't changed, maybe the dungeon's level increase raised the alert level?"

"Could be. Either way, let's get out of here fast. Being surrounded by walls and probed with Dispel Magic is unsettling."

"Yep."

To avoid leaking their info, Tatsuro shielded everyone with a mix of Darkness and Lock Magic against the probing Dispel Magic, approaching the wall's lone door with maximum caution.

Checking for traps with Dispel Magic, he found the handle rigged with Lightning Magic current.

"To keep monsters from opening it?"

"Or to trap us inside?"

"Unlikely, but -- should I just break it?"

"Who's there!?"

Just as Tatsuro considered smashing the door, a gruff, adult male voice boomed from a thirty-centimeter square hole in the walkway above the door.

Annoyed by the rude tone right after emerging, Tatsuro opted to avoid trouble and answer while assessing the situation.

"Who? Just adventurers who came out of the dungeon!"

"Adventurers? Which guild do you belong to? If you didn't enter without permission, you should've signaled your return with the flare we gave you, indicating your guild by its color! Why didn't you do that? Did you lose it!?"

"Huh? We never got any flare, right?"

When did that system start? They were the ones who wanted answers.

Everyone nodded at Ai's words.

"We didn't enter without permission, but we never received any flare! Maybe there was a mix-up!"

"A mix-up? Impossible! We've been guarding here for over thirty years! We don't let anyone enter without permission, nor do we issue permits without flares! I'll ask again, state your guild!"

"We don't have a guild! We're just adventurers!"

"What! You lot are monsters, aren't you!"

"Huh? Oi, is that old man okay?"

If a being could speak intelligently, the system should be installed.

Leah had explained that in this world, any race with the system was called human, not a monster.

By that logic, calling Tatsuro, who was conversing fluently, a monster made one question the

man's sanity.

Athena and Nana seemed to agree.

"What's that old man on about? Sounds like he's lost it."

"Could be. Poor thing. Hey, you! Your head's clearly off! Come down here, and I'll take a look!"

"What did you say!?"

Fuming as if to say, "How dare you!" the man raised his staff, preparing to cast Lightning Magic.

Tatsuro pulled his Rifle Staff from [Infinite Item Field], constructing magic faster and firing a laser.

"—What!?"

"Try attacking again, and I won't miss next time."

Despite preparing his magic first, the man saw a far more powerful attack, completed faster, that punched a hole in the wall beside him.

The shooter's casual demeanor suggested he wasn't even trying.

Stunned, the man realized he couldn't win and lowered his staff.

"Glad you've calmed down. Now, please listen to us with that clear head."

"Fine."

Still wary but cooled off, the man listened as Tatsuro spoke.

"If we were the monsters you claim, don't you think we'd have killed you by now? We're talking properly, and honestly, we could break through this wall anytime. We could also neutralize everyone watching us, including you, if we wanted. So, can you let us out peacefully? We can prove our identities if you do."

"…Give me a moment. I don't have the authority to permit that. I'll need to consult my superiors."

"Understood. But please hurry if you can."

"I'll do my best"

The man withdrew his head from the hole and left.

But as Tatsuro had noted, Cardina's Dispel Magic and Tatsuro's [Spirit Eye] easily detected others on the wall probing with Dispel Magic or preparing magic and martial skills for attack.

"What's going on here? What happened in just over six months?"

"We might find out based on that old man's actions. But if they refuse to let us through, I'm ready to force our way out. So, everyone, be prepared."

At Tatsuro's words, everyone nodded silently, bracing themselves to move at full force if needed.