V7C152 (2/2)

Saying that, Carol separated from my body.

Then, I heard the sound of Carol leaving.

Is it okay to leave it like this?

Thinking that, I once again heard the sound of Carol approaching. I instinctively turned around.

“Carol! I — !”

Looking around, I saw,

“Uki?”

In front of my eyes was a large white monkey. It was a 1-meter tall goblin-sized monkey.

“Carol became a monkey!?”

“No, Ichino-sama, it’s a monster!”

Carol hid her chest with a towel and shouted.

What, damn it, I didn’t notice the monster approaching due to the pleasantness of the hot spring and the tension from just now.

I immediately stood ready — eh?

The monkey did not appear to have any intention of attacking me as it walked by and soaked in the hot spring.

Just like the Japanese macaques that love hot springs.

” … Ichino-sama, look there!”

” … Eh?”

Near the ice, I saw a bizarre scene.

Monkeys were springing out from within the hot spring.

There were probably close to 50 of them.

They all did not seem to wish to fight me as they merely enjoyed the hot spring.

“A hole where monsters pour out from … ?”

Nevertheless, it would be dangerous if I was attacked there so I left the hot spring.

The monkeys completely ignored whatever we did and they didn’t seem to want to attack us.

The monkeys increased slightly after that but it stopped short of 60. It looked like they won’t increase any more than that.

“Is that by any chance the entrance to the hidden labyrinth?”

“It’s certainly a hidden passage but I have not heard of labyrinth monsters not attacking humans. Although it is possible to determine it by killing them and observing if the corpse remains.”

“That’s not a good enough reason to attack them and more importantly, I don’t want to dirty the hot spring with blood.”

“Carol feels that the order of the reason is reversed but Carol also agrees.”

“Then let’s ignore the monkeys … and try diving in?”

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But in this situation, we don’t know the depth of the tiger’s cave nor the value of the tiger’s cub. (TL: It’s the idiom, ‘If you don’t enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub’.)

Nevertheless, I knew something. Although, even knowing that you know nothing can also be counted as knowing something.

I knew that there was something inside the cave and that I was sent to this island for some reason.

If that reason could be found inside the cave, I must then enter the cave.

“Carol, enter My World. Since it isn’t a good idea to either have you wait here or to return to the beach.”

“Understood. Please call Carol once you reach the other side of the cave.”

I used my Hikkikomori skill to open a portal to My World and let Carol enter.

Then, I entered the hot spring with my shoes and clothes on while holding my sword. The monkeys did not stir at all even after seeing my rude behavior.

Perhaps due to the effect of the ice chunk, the water was less warm but still at close to 40 degrees, but I didn’t have the leisure to stay in the water for long.

Looking at the location the monkeys came from, although I didn’t notice it earlier, there certainly was a large pit there. Like a theatre basement.

I took in a deep breath and dived into that hole.