"Oooh"
When I stepped into the cave-like dungeon at the foot of the mountain -- grassland spread in front of me.
There is a forest in the distance and even a river running through it.
I looked up and saw a beautiful sky that seemed bluer than the outside.
Even though we were inside a cave, I couldn't help but be amazed at the grassland as far as the eye could see.
(It's a dungeon with a different atmosphere than Naraku....)
In my mind, I compare it to the dungeon we're currently based in.
Naraku is basically a cave, and no matter how far underground you go, there are no grasslands, volcanoes, or glaciers.
Most of the dungeons I entered during my days in the Race Union are also cave-type dungeons. So it is a refreshing surprise to see a grassy plain spreading out like the outside world when I'm entering this dungeon.
There are several types of dungeons. Some are caves like Naraku, some are grasslands like this one that is no different from the outside world, and some are intricate labyrinths.
In fact, it's a mystery even to experts, and there's even a tendency among researchers to assume that it's created by the Evil God's power.
As you can see, there are several types of dungeons.
"Dark-sama."
"The other adventurers will come. Let's move quickly."
Nemumu, who is standing behind, called out to me, and I started walking.
I started moving so as not to get in the way of the adventurers coming after us.
We continue walking towards a secluded place - a forest that can be seen in the distance.
Gold, who is walking in front of us, also looked around with interest.
"It's really big. It's probably bigger than the city."
"Probably. However, during my days in the Race Union, I heard that it was a great dungeon where you could easily earn money and get treasure chests. But seeing ... is much different than hearing. With such a large area, outdoor equipment will be necessary. Still, on the other hand, if we stay inside the dungeon for a certain period and kill monsters, we can get materials and magic stones at once. We can spend less time going in and out, which will increase our chances of coming across a treasure chest."
I chose this dungeon because it is far away from the city where I had stayed during my Race Union days. Less chance of meeting people who would recognize me.
I thought it would be easy to raise my rank because of its good reputation among adventurers.
But when I actually came to this place, I realized that it is a dungeon that required outdoor equipment. ...
"Dark-sama, would you like to change the location?
Nemumu calls out to me from behind.
After entering the dungeon, she takes her hand off my shoulder. She keeps a slight distance from me, looking behind and around us carefully.
Since we were not far from the dungeon entrance, we could see other adventurers here and there. No one knows when monsters would attack them, so even though they were paying attention to us, none of them tried to overhear our conversation.
I shook my head at Nemumu's question.
I was surprised to see how big each floor is, but that's it. It doesn't change what we're going to do.
Our goal is to raise our adventurer rank to a higher level and obtain information.
All we have to do is defeat monsters and raise our rank.
What we need to do is still the same.
"Besides, this dungeon is fresh and interesting. Since this is a good opportunity, why don't we stay here for a while to raise our adventurer rank?
"Hahahahaha! It's true. Usually, everywhere we look is nothing but rocks.
"But I like it because it's a dungeon ruled by Dark-sama."
I had only ever been in cave-type dungeons. This dungeon has grasslands, forests, and rivers inside. So honestly, it feels fresh and interesting to me.
Gold and Nemumu agree with me, and we will raise our adventurer rank in this dungeon.
We walk lightly as if we are on a picnic.
☆ ☆ ☆
We arrived at the forest without being attacked by any particular monster.
We proceeded further into the forest to avoid being seen.
"Nemumu."
"..., monsters 100 meters around, no sign of people."
"R, Detect, R, Silent, SR, Magic Interference released."
It's not that I don't believe in Nemumu, but just to be safe, I use the "Infinity Gacha" card to check my surroundings.
After confirming that there is no one around, I use "Silent" to keep my voice from leaking out. I also use "Magical Interference" to block or make it impossible for any surveillance by magic or any other means.
After securing the safety, we proceed to the next action.
"So let's just find the stairs on this level and go to the second level."
"My Lord, do we have to kill the monsters on this level?"
"It's easier to raise our adventurer rank by killing monsters on the second, or the third, level than by killing monsters on the first level, right?"
"Then I'll do my best to find the stairs on this level!"
Nemumu's eyes sparkled as she thought, "It's my turn," and I let out a small chuckle and waved my hand.
Even if this level is large, with her 5000 LV, Nemumu can find the stair within an hour.
However, even with her power, it would take around an hour.
It is a waste of time, so I use the "Infinite Gacha" card to locate the stair location, so we can go there immediately.
I had come all the way to the depths of the secluded forest for this reason.
"Nemumu, sorry to burst your excitement, but I'm going to find the stair with the 'Infinite Gacha' card, SSR Clairvoyant."
"I'm sorry I've got too excited...."
"There's no need to apologize. I'm glad to see you're so motivated."
"...Dark-sama!"
Nemumu was so happy to be praised by me. Her face is blushing red, her eyes moist, and her body is trembling.
Ignoring her, Gold peeked at my hand curiously.
"Hoo, I've never seen that card before. So you will use it to find the stairs on this level?"
"This is another useful card. I'm really amazed at how many cards the Lord has. As expected from my Lord! Hahahahahahaha!"
"It is convenient, but it also has a lot of limitations. So it's not that great."
"Yes, it's called SSR Clairvoyance..."
"The SSR Clairvoyance is a card that allows the user to find and see things in the distance that they desire. But it can't see things that the user doesn't know about, or that are too far away, or where the conditions are unknown."
When Gold's laugh loudly, I imitated him and shrugged my shoulders.
After that, I use the card.
"I'll use it now. "Release 'Clairvoyant'!"
I imagine the stairs and use the "SSR Clairvoyance".
Even though my eyes are closed, I can see a remote area far away from the forest.
The viewpoint automatically moves forward. I discover a staircase in the depths of a cave hollowed out of a mountain surface.
At the same time, the clairvoyant card disappeared from my hand.
"Okay, I've found the location."
I explained to Gold and Nemumu the location of the stairs to the 2nd level.
I explained to them that if they went straight into the depths of this forest, we would find a cave hollowed out of the mountain surface.
"Luckily, it's so easy to find. Let's move quickly to the second level then."
"I'm glad that it's easy to find. If we used the same method as when we came somewhere near this city, it would only need a moment!
It is quite a distance from my former hometown to this city.
Normally, we would have to travel down the river and take a carriage for a couple of months to get there.
However, with the combination of the "SSR, Existence Concealment" and "SR, Flight" cards, we can quickly travel through the air to this city without being seen.
This way, we can literally move to the first level stairs in a single leap.
"You've calculated the distance to the forest as well, haven't you? As expected from Dark-sama! You've got a great eye for detail!"
"Thank you, Nemumu. Now let's get moving."
It's nice to be praised, but honestly, it still makes me feel embarrassed.
As if to disguise my embarrassment, I immediately use the card.
"SSR, Concealment of Existence, SR, Flight, released!
First, "SSR, Existence Concealment" to hide our existence.
It makes us unrecognizable to the five senses, magical powers, and magic items.
SR, Flight, is a card that literally allows you to fly for 24 hours.
The card allows me to fly for 24 hours a day, and when I say the word "fly" in my mind, my body will softly rise into the sky.
Once I have gained some altitude, by imagining the direction, I can fly toward that direction.
"Great view, it's really a great view! My Lord's power is truly amazing. No earthly being will ever be able to see such a view!"
"I hate to agree with Gold, but you'd have to be a bird, or even a dragon, to enjoy this view. It's really a good thing we were summoned by Dark-sama."
"This alone made it worth to come to the surface world---- even though we are now inside a dungeon. We're really grateful we were summoned by Dark-sama."
"I'm glad you're both happy. Now, let's move on to the stairs to the second level."
After hearing Gold and Nemumu's replies, I led the way and fly in front of them.
We continued to fly towards our destination while looking at the adventurers walking on the ground below us, fighting monsters, and the magnificent scenery of rivers, forests, and mountains.