CH 420

「Taking out a Sandsnake in a single attack. As expected of Rei’s magic power.」

Looking at the corpse of the Sandsnake, a snake like monster that had been completely crushed by Rei’s magic, Sharl murmured in amazement.

However, her amazement was more towards Rei’s ridiculous magic power.

Sharl, of course, could use the same magic Rei had just used. After all, shooting balls or arrows of water, fire, wind, and other elements was considered basic. However, in Rei’s case, the power of his magic was clearly distinct to the same magic used by others due to the difference in magic power contained, method of composition, and difference in visualisation.

「……I might have over done it.」

Hearing what could be considered words of praise from Sharl, Rei’s shoulders dropped as he looked at the corpse of the Sandsnake in front of him.

Fortunately, the highest priced material, that Rei had no intention of selling, the magic stone, was still safe. However, all other materials, including the proof of subjugation, had been blown to pieces.

Rather, from the perspective of Pleiades and Otis, they were wondering how the magic stone had even survived the explosion.

「W-Well, I guess it’s better than being careless? It has a fairly strong poison. ……Oh, by the way, there are many poisonous monsters on certain desert floors. What countermeasures do you have for that?」

Pleiades glanced at Elena as he asked.

He didn’t have any particular motives for asking Elena instead of Rei……Elena was simply taller and looked older, so Pleiades felt that she would be the steady one.

Aware of that, Rei had a someone unhappy expression on his face, but he couldn’t really defend himself considering that he had just blasted a Sandsnake with what could be considered an excessive attack.

Elena nodded with a smile.

「We bought some things yesterday, including antidotes for use in the desert.」

「Then you shouldn’t have much of a problem. No, there is one thing. Some people think that because they had bought antidotes for previous floors, they don’t need to prepare any specifically for the desert floors.」

As a result, those people would often by hurt by the desert poisons. Pleiades said that with a bitter expression on his face.

(Maybe he learned that from his own experiences.)

Elena thought that, but decided that she wouldn’t ask if Pleiades didn’t bring it up as she kept quiet.

「Right then, let’s move on. If we continue at our current pace, we should reach the stairs to the 12th floor in less than two hours. Let’s remain careful」

Following Pleiades’ words, their group proceeded along the desert peaks.

In the sky above, Set flew through the air, ready to warn them of anything dangerous. But, as expected, the desert monsters didn’t touch them if they knew they would have to deal with a Griffon. There were a few bird monsters flying through the sky as well, but they didn’t attack Set.

As promised when Rei had agreeed to escort Pleiades’ party, they talked and listened about things they needed to know when moving through the desert and things that would be useful if they knew.

「In other words, by the time you feel thirsty, it’s too late. It’s important to drink plenty of water before that happens. ……But, with water from Rei’s Dagger of Flowing Water, you won’t have to worry about dehydration.」

Elena smiled back silently as Otis looked at her with envy.

She understood how big of an advantage it was in a dungeon to have Rei’s Misty Ring.

That was proven even more so just a little while later.

「……I’m a little hungry, why don’t we have lunch?」

Rei spoke up.

Hearing that, Pleiades looked confused.

There were no rocks, like the one they had previously taken a break at, near where they were currently walking. There was barely some shade from the desert peaks, but it was very limited. Pleiades and his party really didn’t want to have to eat under the direct sunlight.

「We’re hungry as well, but we wouldn’t like to eat lunch in this environment. If we keep walking like this, we should reach a rock in under two hours, so why don’t we wait until then?」

It was natural for Pleiades to propose that as he mainly worked on the desert levels from the 11th to 15th floors. However, the sun wasn’t a problem for Rei at all as he looked around for a relatively flat area. Finding a good spot, he took out his magic tent from the Misty Ring.

The reaction of the group was split in two.

Elena, who knew what the magic tent looked like, gave a smile. On the other hand, Pleiades and the other two frowned slightly because it looked just like an ordinary tent from the outside.

Pleiades spoke out on behalf of his party.

「Rei, I’m sorry, but it doesn’t make sense to bring out a tent in this situation. If you don’t place it under the shade, the sun will only make it hot and humid.」

「That’s true for a normal tent, but……well, come on in.」

「……I don’t see the point.」

While replying as such, Pleiades entered the tent on Rei’s invitation.

「Uooooh-, what is this!?」

An astonished voice could be heard from the inside.

It seemed to draw the interest of Otis and Sharl. Turning to look at Rei, who gave them a small nod, they entered the tent to similar voices of surprise.

「This type of magic item is precious, so it’s no wonder that the three of them were surprised. ……By the way, Rei, what about keeping guard? It’s true that this tent can keep D rank monsters away. However, C rank and higher monsters are common on the 11th floor.」

「That’s true. In that case……Set!」

He probably heard Rei’s voice calling from the ground. Set descended as he flapped his wings.

「Gururururu~?」

What’s wrong? Set seemed to ask with a cry.

「We’re going to have lunch in the magic tent for a while. I’m sorry, but can we leave the guard to you? Call me if anything dangerous happens.」

「Guru~……」

Set gave a regretful cry at not being able to eat lunch with Rei. But, even Set understood that there could be C rank or higher monsters that the tent couldn’t handle. He felt a little lonely, but decided it would be best for Rei and Elena’s safety. He looked at Rei with round eyes before lying down next to the magic tent.

Fortunately, he was in a spot shaded by the desert peaks, so while it was hot, it wasn’t unbearable as he closed his eyes to monitor the surroundings.

「Sorry Set. For now, this will be your lunch, so please enjoy eating it.」

Rei felt a little guilty for leaving Set out here alone. He took out a block of Lemrace meat, from the giant monster he had killed in the port city of Emoshion, out of the Misty Ring. It was a block of meat that had been roasted at high heat to trap the juices inside. The seasoning was simple, just salt and herbs, but it really brought out the flavour of the Lemrace meat.

「Gururu~, Gurururururu~!」

Set gave a cry when he noticed the delicious smell of the meat in front of him.

Seeing that, Rei and Elena both smiled at each other before entering the magic tent.

「Hey, could this be a magic tent!?」

Sharl’s shout echoed through Rei’s magic tent.

Pleiades, who had entered the tent first, wasn’t hurt by Sharl’s loud shout as he was a bit further away. However, it wasn’t the same for Otis, who had walked in with Sharl.

The sudden shout caused her to clutch her ears involuntarily.

「Keep your voice down!」

「Ah, I’m sorry. ……But, look at this. It’s a magic tent. Where did they get this? Normally, if you wanted to buy one, wouldn’t you need light gold coins!?」

Sharl’s voice was quieter after being told off, but it was still loud with excitement.

Whether it was Otis or Pleiades, who were looking around the magic tent curiously, they gasped at Sharl’s words.

For the three members of a D rank party, they had never seen platinum coins, let alone light gold coins.

「It was a reward for participating in the spring war.」

A voice called out to the three shocked people. They didn’t have to think to know who it was.

「You seem quite surprised.」

「Most people would normally be surprised.」

Seeing Rei proudly enter the magic tent, Elena muttered with a sigh.

However, while Elena was responding to Rei, her gaze was directed to Pleiades’ party of three.

「……Speaking of the spring war, that was the one with the Bestir Empire?」

「That was the war where Rei got his title, right?」

Rei nodded at Pleiades and Otis’ questions and took out his own lunch while Sharl looked around on the other side of the magic tent after recovering from her sudden shock.

On the table were two lunch boxes prepared by the Golden Wind. They were both quite large and were packed with a number of sandwiches that even an adventurer who ate more than an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to finish it. Whether he smelled the sandwiches or felt the coolness of the magic tent, Yellow appeared from Rei’s chest pocket and flew over to Elena.

They were surprised by the sudden appearance of Yellow, but the sandwiches on the table seemed to stimulate the appetite of Pleiades’ party as their stomachs began to assert themselves loudly.

「Hm? You didn’t prepare your own lunch?」

Rei asked while he washed his hands using the Dagger of Flowing Water and a bucket. Sharl replied with a frown.

「You know, ordinary adventurers don’t bring sandwiches into a dungeon, they can’t in the first place. Preserved foods such as dried meat are the best that can be done. If you have a porter, you might be able to bring some better food, but soft breads are still impossible.」

Rei nodded at Sharl’s clamorous response.

Even for ordinary adventurers, if they weren’t in the confines of a dungeon, the food situation would be a little better. They could make a simple soup by just setting up a fire and boiling some dried meat.

However, in an area like a dungeon, you couldn’t do such a thing. Doing that would only invite monsters over.

That said, in a place like the 11th floor, where the entire floor was a desert, even if they started a fire, it was unlikely to attract enemies. But in the case of Pleiades’ party, they were travelling light. So, when it came to food, all they had were some dried meats and fruit.

「……Well, if we eat like this, it will leave a bad taste in my mouth. It can’t be helped. Have some of this.」

Saying that, Rei took out more sandwiches from the Misty Ring, but not ones from the Golden Wind. He placed some that he had previously bought from some stalls on the table.

A characteristic of the Misty Ring was that time didn’t flow inside it, so the sandwiches placed on the table were still fresh despite being purchased a long time ago. It was a simple stir fried meat and vegetable sandwiches made with soft white bread, perfect for eating when hungry.

「I-Is this okay?」

「Yeah. No way Elena and I can just eat delicious food in front of you. Well, you can just think of it as a fee for teaching us about the desert floors.」

「……I’m sorry. We were supposed to give you that information in return for your escort.」

Pleiades mumbled an apology as he reached for a sandwich.

Following that, Otis and Sharl also reached out for sandwiches and the five of them finished what could be called the best meal they could eat in a dungeon.