The Third Dungeon Battle: Combat (5)

# Team Demon King's Side #

 

The water current was more troublesome than expected.

Though they managed to hold their ground, they couldn't advance any further. By the time the water finally stopped, Team Demon King's dungeon's third floor had been flooded, and another bone fish boss came into play. This time, following their opponent's example, she went with small fish like sardines mixed with a single boss. That should buy some time.

… Good grief, the DP she'd saved for today was running low. Core 666 let out a sigh.

For now, she summoned Skeletons with [Summon Skeleton] and sent them into Team Sovereign's dungeon.

With many bones moving as one like a centipede, they somehow managed to endure the water current and advance.

… However, thanks to this, she found a new way to use them. This could work.

"As expected, 695 is fit to be my rival…"

When Core 666 advanced the Skeletons, she found a small room ahead of the ascending stairs. There was a descending staircase there filled with water. Had she taken a wrong turn—no, that didn't seem right. This floor must have been pre-submerged.

They were expendable anyway, so Core 666 sent the bones forward without hesitation.

It was like the ocean floor.

There was almost no light, and seaweed grew everywhere. It swayed back and forth, making the already poor visibility even worse.

Looking up from within the water, there appeared to be a small room letting in light like moonlight.

"Quite a stylish floor."

However, this was still a dungeon. Naturally, traps were set.

When she tried to have the Skeletons push aside the seaweed with their hands to clear a path, their hands suddenly fell off.

"…? Did something happen? No—is something there?"

To be sure, she advanced the Skeletons further and had them swing their arms (bones) the same way.

At a certain spot, the bone was sliced cleanly into rings.

"… This is… Jii-sama, what is this?"

At Core 666's question, Core 6 looked at the monitor.

It was hard to see, but 6 was able to identify what it was.

It was thread—orichalcum thread, stretched incredibly thin and taut.

"Hoh. This appears to be thread made from orichalcum… I see, so that's what happens when you make it this thin."

"Orichalcum! Come to think of it, 695 was wearing an orichalcum ring, Jii-sama."

"Was she? She must have a skilled dwarf blacksmith in her employ… Right, I'll show you an orichalcum ingot sometime. It's quite beautiful."

"Fufu, I look forward to it. It's a promise, okay?"

Still, thread, huh. Even if she wanted to cut it, she couldn't—it was orichalcum.

No matter how thin, orichalcum would never break without dwarven processing techniques. In other words, she had no way to remove this thread.

Upon investigation, she found the passage split into a straight path and a side path, with the thread set up on the straight path. Beyond that, the two divergent paths merged back together.

The thread was strung like a coarse net.

It didn't matter for Skeletons, but there was a small room beyond the net where one could apparently catch their breath.

If someone tried to take the shortcut and run straight through this passage—they would be sliced into pieces by the razor-sharp wire.

"… I see, so that's how it is."

Core 666 imagined combining this with the water current trap.

Thread sharp enough to slice bones on contact. If the water current pressed you against it, you'd be minced into a mesh pattern. Just imagining it was gruesome. Wonderful.

"What about my magic sword, Jii-sama?"

"Best not to let it touch. My magic sword has the [Indestructible] property so it could handle it, but even so, cutting through orichalcum would be quite an effort."

"Heh… even Jii-sama's magic sword…"

While continuing to use [Summon Skeleton], Core 666 smiled fearlessly.