Side Story: Uzoh and Muzoh Now

Lake Izamu lies in a frigid region. On a solitary island in that lake sits a dungeon that can only be reached during winter when the lake freezes over: [Ice Mirror Labyrinth].

This dungeon was said to have a high drop rate for magic swords, making it quite popular.

Right now, a pair of adventurers was advancing through its mysterious ice corridors while staying alert to their surroundings.

"Hmm…"

"What is it, Uzoh?"

"Nah, just that we haven't found a magic sword, Muzoh."

"… Well, I hear they pop out one after another in the places where they do."

The duo of Uzoh and Muzoh had been searching for a magic sword to repay their lifesaver.

They had set a one-year deadline for themselves, but they still hadn't found a magic sword.

They had been building up savings as well, but still not enough to buy a magic sword.

"Well, Kehma-san did say we didn't have to push ourselves too hard."

"'I'd rather you take two years to return the magic sword than push yourselves and die on me,' was it? That message that came through the guild… Man, Kehma-san really is a cut above, Uzoh."

"Makes me want to work even harder and repay him sooner! Muzoh!"

"Speaking of which, Uzoh. Word is that Kehma-san became a village chief."

"Huh, he quit being an adventurer?! I hadn't heard that, Muzoh!"

"No, he's doing both. That dungeon… [Cave of Desires], was it? Apparently a village sprung up around it… oops."

He casually cut down a snowball-like monster that had lunged at them.

Snowballs, commonly called "snowballs," were a monster frequently found in this dungeon. Individually they were extremely weak, but in groups they could merge together into snowmen, making them a troublesome enemy.

"Still, that dungeon has apparently become quite a lucrative one, Uzoh."

"Really? Muzoh."

"Apparently they've been producing Iron Golems. And a fair number of magic swords, too."

"… If we don't find a magic sword here, should we go back to [Cave of Desires]? Muzoh."

"Could we show our faces there without having a magic sword ready? Uzoh."

"No way! That was a dumb question, Muzoh!"

Walking through the ice labyrinth, Uzoh and Muzoh searched for treasure chests. Along the way, they defeated cold-region monsters like Ice Goblins, Blue Lizards, and Cold Wolves. They weren't a C-Rank duo, known as full-fledged adventurers, for nothing.

They were also on guard for traps, but this dungeon didn't have many. At most, the footing was icy and slippery, but that wasn't a problem since they were wearing spiked boots.

Then, on the second day of exploring [Ice Mirror Labyrinth], they finally found a treasure chest. Two days of delving and just one chest. That said, since it was a popular dungeon with many parties diving in at the same time, the fact that they found a treasure chest at all meant these two were relatively lucky.

"… This is pretty much the normal pace, huh, Muzoh."

"Part of it was that we were among the first to dive in, but [Cave of Desires] sure had treasure chests popping up a lot."

Between the inn and everything else, Uzoh thought you really couldn't compare [Cave of Desires] to other dungeons.

"So, what's inside?"

"Hold on… Yeah, no traps, I think. Want to take a look too, Uzoh?"

"Yeah. I've had enough of getting locked in rooms, Muzoh."

Ever since that incident where they got trapped in the [Greed Trap] room, Uzoh and Muzoh had both been honing their understanding of traps. Having literally risked their lives learning while dungeon diving, not just Muzoh but even Uzoh had reached a level where he could work as a scout.

After thoroughly confirming there were no traps, they stood back and used a pole to open the treasure chest.

… It seemed there really were no traps.

"So, what's inside?"

"Let's see… It's not a sword. A magic tool, maybe? Want to take a look, Uzoh?"

Muzoh handed the magic tool in his hand to Uzoh.

In shape, it closely resembled a baseball. He couldn't tell how to use it, but there was a slot for a magic stone, making it immediately clear it was a magic tool.

It might be one of the ice-making magic tools this dungeon was known for producing. If so, it would fetch a decent price.

"Hmm? What kind of magic tool is this? Depending on what it is, maybe we could sell it and buy a magic sword."

"Best to take it back to the guild and have it appraised. Well, shall we call this a good enough haul for this trip? Uzoh."

"Yeah, even aside from the magic tool, we got monster materials along the way. Let's head back for now."

Uzoh and Muzoh decided to call it quits for this time. It was colder than they had expected, and wanting to hurry back to town for some warm soup, they retraced their steps at a brisk pace.