Volume 2 Chapter 22 (1/2)

THE DUNGEON SEEKER – VOLUME 2 CHAPTER 2 PART 2

CHAPTER 2 – THE PHANTOM FOREST AND KRAKEN ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ (PART 2)

When Henry’s story had a pause, Junpei opened his mouth

「That was a very intense story, but……in short, it’s the pattern where the Brave Party who defeated the Deed this labyrinth head on huh……really, my condolences」

Henry laughed wryly weakly

「Haha, that’s really true」

「It seemed like that Brave-sama was a faker, but……so, what happened to that Brave and the reainst the Kraken here?」

Henry shook his head sidewards

「No, they passed by the Kraken Four of the two advanced to the next floor The Brave and Sage」

「What about the reician?」

「We decided to remain on this floor」

「Remain……what do you mean?」

Henry said uncomfortably

「We had……a child」

「Haa? Within the labyrinth?」

「U〜n, how can I say this……Narwick the Brave, Sage Gato, Great Magician Cecilia, and the Sword Saint……ation, and was also the ed this labyrinth And……Cecilia, the Great Magician She’s a great beauty that has the sah……」

Not knowing how to react, Junpei assented vaguely

「She was a genius When she was around ten, she graduated in the royal capital’s ot jealous of her treenius that’s why she was solitude」

「Well, it’s a co the Deenius」

“Ahh”, Henry nodded

「That’s why, I honed my sword」

「……the reason for that?」

「In her surroundings, if someone who can stand in the same place as her was there, if I would at least hone one skill, and although it’s a different field, I tried to be someone who can stand beside her…… unlike her, I didn’t have talents that can be called genius, well, I had a hard time But my efforts fruited, and when I noticed it I’m a member of the Brave Party And that’s ell, how can I say this……in thethe Deet married」

「And why did that beca the labyrinth?」

「That’s why I told you……I don’t know」

“Anyways”, Henry hit his palm

「Cecilia was pregnant I noticed in the ht beto et ation……」

「I see……huh Really, that Brave one was really a rascal huh」

「ーーwell, with this and that, Cecilia and I gave up clearing this labyrinth This floor has abundant greens and there’re also aniht that we can live here……there’s also the precedent of the cannibal village too」

「But, I’ the labyrinth……battle strength is valuable right? Even if you say you’d stay, I don’t think that that would get through」

「Ahh, we received a huge objection But, e told theedーーeven in his head, there’s probably a fragiven to remain on this floor And, well, that’s the reason why I’ in this floor」

「But, well, how can I say this……you’re really unlucky huh」

After thinking for a bit, Henry made a wry smile

「I mean, this story is only unlucky, that’s your comment……it’s quite a terrible story you know?」

After thinking for a bit, Junpei also made a wry smile after all

「If it’s a contest of bragging misfortune, I don’t think I’d lose」

Did he felt the darkness dwelling deep in his eyes, Henry once again made a wry smile

「Both of us, we aren’t lucky huh」

“And so……”, Junpei said while looking around the room

「I can only see this log house as for soh?」

It doesn’t seem it expects visitors in the first place There’s a bed in the end of the room, but that’s also for one

There’s also only one chair in the table, and Henry is drinking the herb tea while standing

「Ahh, I’ here alone」

「Uh, in what you said earlier……」

「She got crazy and died」

「Died, you say……?」

And there, Henry shook his head sidewards and spat out

「Thinking about it now, it was all strange from the start First, this forest itself is covered by mist I noticed it later, but when you’re wrapped in the et out Your sense of direction would go nuts, and when you notice it, you’re turning around in the same place, it’s “that” pattern in the fairy tales」

「……it seems like that And……?」

「Cecilia and I who accidentally entered the forest, we made a hovel in this place since we couldn’t help it, and started to live here……」

「……」

「The babies that were born were sextuplets boys It’s a sextuplets, a sextuplets And……on top of that, the child’s groere abnormally fast」

「Abnorrohat happened specifically/」

「They were very cute when they were born They had silver hair and round eyes……and, that, their appearance changed to about 20 years old after a year And they can’t understand hue Probably, they were affected by the evil of the labyrinth, and becaine that An appearance of a well-grown youngtheir body excretions and says “AuAu”? They were crawling like a baby you know? Haha, it’s not that hthtmare」

Junpei

「Well, that’s……harsh」

「And, after they were two, they wereat them become an old ed」

「Old ed her personality you say, what happened?」

「First, she started to take Mandragora again」

「Madra……gora……you mean……that……」

「Ahh, it’s the de at our sons’ speed of grohen looking at that disastrous scene, I couldn’t blaht at least, I will support her」

「……」

「Iain The way she took care of our sons……no, if you’d just say on how it looked, it was coradually became crude The disposal of their wastes, their food, and……all of the others In the end, she even started to punish theed to hitting And when she saw that the blood that caot broken」

「Their blood……is blue……」

“Ahh”, Henry nodded, and spoke elatedly

「The dinner that day was really extravagant 『They say that there’s a custo them raw in an island country to the East you know』, that was Cecilia said I lost my words The table was served with Sashi+mi for six after all」

「Sashi+mi?」

「Ahh Human sashi+mi The old men that were butchered were lined up on top of the table Sashi+mi……or maybe was it called Ikizukuri? The nerves of the people who had that kind of cooking, I really couldn’t understand it at that point It’s only the difference of whether it is fish or huht? That was, a scene that s come up out from the bottom of my stomach you know?」

「……」

「Before the sashi+ as a deliriu with a great expression She, Cecilia was probably co, 『Henry, sorry』……」

And there, Henry looked up the ceiling, and continued

「She was a great ician before after all She didn’t even need to make the hovel on fire On top of that, what she used was a forbidden technique Incinerate one’s soul and envelope everything with the hell’s blazeーーafter that, everything, including yourself, will disappear without leaving behind dust, it was that kind of ic」

「……」

「……our house blazing behind et out of the forest But, even if I run and run, I was not able to run away froain I also made a field while I’m at it」

Henry shrugged his shoulder and made a wry smile

Silence filled the small room

After thinking for a while, Junpei threw out words to Henry

「Really……you’re unlucky」

Whilea smile, Henry continued

「Hearing up to this, that’s still your reaction, unlucky……」

「Ahh, right now, in a contest of ainst you」

Making a sullen face, Henry let out

「What kind of like have you walked through……」

“Even so……”, after taking a breath, Henry let out a very deep sigh

「I understand that Cecilia got broken and became like that But, we had raised them for three years you know? The time when the violence started until they were killed……it was really fast For me……I don’t understand why Cecilia suddenly did a violent move like that…」

「Hey, Henry-san? Is the thing you say the Mandragora, is it that cigarette placed there?」

Junpei asked while pointing at the cigarette that was placed in the corner of the table

「Ahh, I don’t knohen it would be useful so I left it This isn’t soht?」

「【Appraisal Eyes】is really convenient huh I got……most of what had happened」

「……?」

「Mandragora is……well, it is a proper ic and alchemy Of course, there’re ora itself shows hallucinations, but as its side-effect, it has the effects of erasing the hallucinations other than the hallucinations that the Mandragora made Most probably, to Cecilia-san who started to take Mandragora again, your sons……they probably saw the different」

「……what, are you saying?」

「Well, Cecilia-san also probably was bugged with the drug……but in reality, Sashi+」

「……really, what are you saying?」

「The reason that she tried to suicide, I think that it wasn’t because of the abnorht be also a reason……but I think, the real purpose was so different」

And there, Henry had veins popping in his temples

「What the hell are you saying since earlier……on top of that, as if you knowーー」

Getting his collar grabbed, Junpei as hanged up had choked

Unless it was a speed coth competition

If Henry wanted to do it, he could’ve broken Junpei’s neck right now

But, Junpei made a fearless smile

「As if I know……the hell In fact……I really know it Also, it hurts……so let o……」

「……?」

Junpei who got released proo outside

Henry who seemed to not understand why, followed him

When the door was opened, a suffocation smell of the chestnut flowers enveloped them

And, Junpei spat out as if to curse

「Henry-san……you……have you seen the Kraken’s pond?」

「If I’ht? Its depth was more than ten meters……」

「And, Kraken, it’s a giant squid whose body is at least ht?」

「Well, it’s called Kraken, it should be at least that long」

And there, Junpei lightly spread out both of his arusted

「That size of a pond, how do you think would a Kraken get nutrients? It isn’t the ocean you know? It would devour all food in an instant right?」

“Let me think”, Henry tilted his head

「Being told by that, that’s true」

And, Junpei pointed at the surrounding trees

「To live on this floor, the Kraken had a special evolution Do you know about photosynthesis?」

「Kougou……sei?」

「Well, in the level of this world’s civilization, and a muscle-brain on top of that……there’s no way that you’d know huh…… Anyways, the Kraken chose chlorophyll to gain nutrients And for that it wasーーa special organ」

「Oi oi, wait……I can’t understand it you know?」

To Henry’s question, “It just means……”, after a pause, Junpei answered his question

「This forest itselfーーit’s the Kraken」

With a dumbfounded face, Henry asked Junpei

「Haa? It’s a Kraken you know? It’s a ht?」

「In reality, an appraisal result like that is co out so it can’t be helped The plants in this forest are already infested by the Kraken」

「……haa?」

He stopped Henry as about to say so with his hand

「……that’s right, the roots of the plants should be connected with the Kraken’s tentacles underground Itsits nutrients by that……was the Kraken living in this labyrinth for a long ti like that from the start, I don’t know Nonetheless, while photosynthesizing as a plant, the main body of the ani in the water」

Henry who lost his words with that, asked Junpei again

「Infest……no, special organ?」

「Most probably, the child that was born between Henry-san and Cecilia-san……they’re your children, but they aren’t your children I told you right? This whole forest is the Kraken And the dense smell that the chestnut trees releases……and that with itsitself, you can take it as “that”」

「……”that”, you say?」

「Well, it’s the smell of the chemical substance called spermine……and that is, how can I say this huh It means, that this whole area is always filled with the Kraken’s sper And, when there was a child in the wo seeds, the special organ had its effect It meansーーit infests the animal, or the animal’s baby」

「Our sons……were?」

「Henry-san, you said that your children were affected by the labyrinth’s evil and changed like that……but there was also reproduction in the cannibal village The people there, they had taken the abnormal choice of cannibalism because they were forced to, but they were normal other than that At least, I didn’t see them as if they were affected by the evil you know? Was that floor special, or is it only this floor’s special cause……well, at the least, I’ll believe the appraisal results of my own skill」

「That means……Cecilia……she……?」

「They were children that she gave birth with pain after all Her intuition was probably sharper than ora? Thethat has the effects to erase the hallucination the Kraken give…… And she confirot broken As a result, she did that h it was only half She probably took suicide because she couldn’t bear it anymore」

「You roas it……a hallucination?」

「No, I don’t know about that……I don’t know, but their life forces were absorbed the daed But, even so, the true appearance of the things that you saw as your child, it should’ve been a completely different monster……」

Silence

A very, very long silence

And finally, Henry, he threw out his last question to Junpei

「In the first place……why, is this functioning as a phantom forest?」

「Can I take that as what’s the s in this forest right? One is, ani their wastes……even their corpses can be nutrients And when a huot lost in here, unable to run away, and started to live here, there would be harmony inevitably and they would take care of it by their own On top of that, if it was, fortunately, able to infest the babies of huher efficiency to collect nutrients and life forces When your children were forcefully grown in a high speed, and at the say was absorbed and became an old man……well, I think, that they were used as live stocks efficiently」

「I see……huh」

“And with that”, Junpei clapped his hands

「Leaving the glooo」

「……to where?」

「The root cause of this phantom forestーーto the Kraken’s place」

「……?」

To Henry’s dubious look, Kokuri, Junpei nodded

「We’re going to score a Namasu」

And there, was Henry finally able to understand the situation, no, it was because he understood that he made an expression that he couldn’t understand

「It’s true, that to be able to get out of this ridiculous forests, there’s only flying to the sky or kill it But, I had seen that once before, but……it isn’t so that a human can kill you know? I’m a man as once called a Sword Saint I know that you’re also not normal, butーー」

“Ahh”, Junpei nodded

「Even so, we’re gonna score a Namazu」

And, he continued

「Follow ーーthat’s the reason why I entered this forest」

【Kraken】

Danger Specification ▼▼▼ SS

Characteristics ▼▼▼ A race that is alest within the irth is four th of its tentacles is added, it’s a monster that is more than twenty meters

It inhabits the deep sea that is far frooes near the land with empty stoers It is being told by the men of seas as synonymous to fear from everywhere at all times Furthermore, it is alation by humans when the Kraken is under water

「Even so……you really think of ridiculous things」

In front of Henry and Junpei, is an artificial pond that has a two-meter radius And water channels extend from there, and connects to the Kraken’s pond

The width of the water channel is about a meter, it’s depth is ten meters, and it extends for a kilometer

ーーten days

That was, the number of days Junpei and Henry needed to spend to prepare for this ti catch

Junpei by himself, who had placed most of his level up parath, it would’ve been ie of a construction

Without needing to say, it is the Sword Saint Henry who had donehis sword as a hoe

「If it can’t be defeated by nors that aren’t normal」

The artificial pond that exists in front of Junpei who answered se

And in the htly

「But……slime……huh It’s true that I have seen it before that they were being sold dried in the food market……」

Originally, most of the slime’s volume, is made out of water

The state of a normal slime, is a sphere that was about a ht now, because of Junpei as a Slime Tamer, they released all the th, and had a size of a volleyball

And their numbers, they were more than thousands, so their specific numbers were unknown

And within those, about ten percentーーthey entered the artificial pond that connects to the Kraken’s pond, and absorbed the water as if they were getting stained

「The pond that the Kraken lives……it’s only a hole that’s disconnected to a river It’s really doubtful how it appeared, but nothing will happen asking for logic in this labyrinth huh You should just get convinced about it as it is, and use it as it is」

The sli the water caiant sli here and there very satisfied

「And……it’s invincible within the water If that is so……」

Next, Junpei looked at the sli their turn to absorb water New sli into the pond

「Then, you should just dry the pond itself I don’t know if the water circulation is underground water or rain, but as long as it isn’t connected to a river, the water capacity isn’t that many If that is so……with a lot of slimes, it can be adjusted as much as you want」

To not let the Kraken notice, very, very slowly, the reclamation work advanced

Asten percent of the slimes for the reclamation work

Twenty-five thousand tons of water is needed to be drained in siain, released water asreused like that There’s of course, a different reason that he was not using the re ninety percent of the slimes

Within the narrow pond, the Kraken is always in a half hibernation state, and the artificial pond is also a kilometer away from there, so it would be hard for it to notice the work that was being done

Even so……if there was a chance that the Kraken would notice and the water channel would be blocked, it would be out Everything’s going to be finished

That is why there’s a need to do the work very, very slowly, and carefully

Spending whole four days, right now, the water level was only one-third of what it had, it fell by a total of three meters

And, there, Junpei as observing ahead of the channel clicked his tongue

「Well, yeah……you’d notice that huh」

At the sa could be heard from far away

And the water level of the artificial pond before Junpei had clearly gone down

And iale’s speed

「Follow me! Slimes!!」

Henry’s rough voice could be heard behind Junpei

「Oi, what the hell happened?!」

「It noticed……it destroyed the water channel in the middle! Even if the water here was absorbed, there’s no !」

“Leta while, Henry’s face turned to blue

「There’s still around three ht? Well, that would really be hard to th probably decreased drastically, but……even so, isn’t the Kraken still in good health?」

「That’s right Exactly And I……expecting this situationーー」

The forest opened, and the pond spread ahead

And at the same time, Junpei immediately opened his item box

「For this, I had re slimes!! Goooooooo!!!」

That’s right, that was the use of the re ninety percent of sli its moisture, they rushed to the pond from the item box

On one hand, the Kraken controlled its ten tentacles freely, and met the slimes

It crushed theled them to them, but they were too many It wasn’t able to completely deal with all of them

And while that was happening, the water level of the pond clearly fell with an abnormal pace compared to earlier

That should be the case, after all, all of them was sent this ti

Nine times of earlier……maybe speeds more than that, the water level fell at once

But even so, the sliot plump, and proportionally to that, the speed of the water level falling got dull

And finally, when there were only about two , the water level co

「Oi oi, isn’t that a failure after all!」

In a blink of an eye after Henry let out a voice of confusion, Hyun, a wind cutting sound

One of the tentacles came out of the water, and was shot towards Sword Saint Henry

At the nick of the tied the tentacle as if to dance, a slash with the Holy Sword that was covered with rustーーthe tentacle ounded for around twenty centimeters

When the Kraken was faintly stunned with that counterattack, he took a back step

And with a voice that was close to a scream, Henry shouted towards Junpei

「Oi, boy!! Let’s retreat! The slimes wouldn’t be able to absorb water more than this! The slimes would be annihilated without ten minutes!!」

Hearing that, “Yare yare”, Junpei shrugged his shoulders

「Henry-san……the !」

And, he continued with a er

「Surround it! Slimes! Contain it!」

The slimes that easily exceed a thousand On top of that, each of them that exceeds a diameter of one meter piled up on top of each other and became a wall, and surrounded the Kraken that enty

In other words, is the embankment with the slime That made the pond into a half

Junpei who looked at that very satisfied, threw the item box itself into the embankment

「ーーgo!! This is the end!! You damn squid!!」

Froain However, it was the size of a human’s fist

It looks like a dried jellyfish, orcalled a dried Jew’s ear

「Oi, what is that……? Isn’t that a dried food? It looks alive, but……is that……a slime?」

「It’s……Sand Sli called slime is weak And since it’s weak, it can adapt to any kind of environment That’s……the species that I adapted to a desert environment」

「Desert’s……slime?」

「It just means, it’s the slime that can maintain water in its body even in dry desert lands Even if it’s called “desert”, it’s not like it’s dry for the whole year The dry season is only very long, and although rarely, it also rains “That”, so that it would be able to survive with rare rains, it had evolved」

「……?」

「It’s the species that can contain unbelievable a times Its absorption rate is as you can see」

As if water had stained the desert……the slimes inside the bank that had surrounded the Kraken decreased the water level at frightening speeds

In opposite of that, the capacity of the Sand Slime increased unbelievably

In sorew to more than four meters of diameters