Chapter 30: Hidden Elements

Entering Area 5.

With Tina’s radar and Saha’s flamethrower, beep, whoosh.

We could practically dash straight to the exit.

But.

“Ugh….”

“Rumi? What’s wrong?”

“I… I don’t know, woof.”

While breaking through Area 5.

Rumi kept sniffing around, restless.

Even while catching spiders, she would suddenly turn her head and stare into empty space.

While following the ‘right path’ Tina had pointed out, she kept wagging her tail and trying to wander off.

…………They say if a dog stares into empty space, it’s seeing a ghost.

“Rumi, are you seeing a ghost?”

Shakes head.

Phew.

I let out a sigh of relief.

After all.

Even if there were ghosts, wouldn’t Johanna take care of them?

“……Uh, there’s nothing there, right……?”

Excuse me?

Saintess?

“I, I don’t believe in ghosts, but, I’m a little scared………….”

If the Saintess is scared of ghosts, who’s going to exorcise them?

“Kyahaha! Johanna, scared of ghosts? Tina’s not scared at all, nyaaaah!”

Thud!

Seizing the moment, I poked Johanna’s side, and Tina’s forehead caved in.

“……I’m not scared of demons!”

Well, of course.

Even I can see that Tina isn’t scared.

“Waaaah…………! Master, the Saintess hit me……………!”

“Serves you right for teasing people. I’m scared of ghosts too.”

Manly trait.

Honestly admitting it.

Even as we finished purging Area 5, Rumi kept spinning around, seemingly uneasy.

…………It’s like she’s looking for a place to pee, but I shouldn’t say that, right?

“Rumi, what’s wrong? Do you need to pee, nyaaaah! Kyah!”

But Tina, oblivious, ended up saying that bad thing.

And was punished with a slap on the cheek.

A reward?

Tina looked at me desperately.

But I turned away.

Why bring a second round of punishment upon yourself?

There are things you just don’t say.

“Ark. Rumi’s strange behavior must have a reason. I feel something’s off too.”

“Even Saha?”

…….

To be completely honest.

I wanted to get through the labyrinth areas as quickly as possible.

We can’t make an infinite amount of antidote.

In such a confined space, there are too many factors threatening my life.

But still.

“Alright. Let’s break through Area 5 one more time. We can always give up and exit midway.”

I decided to trust Rumi’s sudden behavior.

No, her intuition.

When a dog starts doing something unusual, it usually means something’s up.

Therefore.

“Woof!”

This time, Rumi took the lead, using her dog intuition to guide us.

“Oh!”

Occasionally punching spider nests with her doggy punches.

“Woof, woof!”

When too many spiders poured out, she switched to autonomous Robo-Rumi mode, using taunts at the right moments to draw their attention.

“Tina-mng!”

“Rumi-na!”

When Rumi threw a spider into the air.

Tina finished it off with a magic bullet, showcasing their combo.

“……How long do we have to keep doing this?”

“Until the tide… no, until the danger is gone.”

I am.

While being carried princess-style by Saha, I enjoyed the cold metal texture of her armor all over my body.

“You were about to say until you’re satisfied, weren’t you?”

“No. That’s a misunderstanding.”

Hmm.

Was I being too self-conscious?

With her usual cold expression, she firmly said ‘No,’ making me feel incredibly embarrassed………….

Anyway.

Since standing on the ground risked being caught by spider webs and dragged away.

I ended up in this humiliating situation.

At least it’s armor…………

Saha…………… Just wait a bit…………….

Then.

“Woof! Woof! There’s something here, woof!”

“Ooh!”

Finally, Rumi found something.

Jumping out of Saha’s arms, I went closer to see.

A tightly locked giant iron door.

“Saha?”

Saha silently walked over.

Bang!

With a hammer strike, the door dented inward.

……………I really shouldn’t mess with her. 

Phew.

And so.

Bang!

Bang!

Crash!

The iron door) opened.

“Whoa…….”

“This is…….”

“Wow, Arachne. Bad taste…….”

“Goddess………….”

“Ugh, this is too much……!”

Thicker spider webs than before were everywhere, forming cocoons.

Inside the cocoons.

People were tied up, one by one.

Drawn in, I placed my finger under their noses.

Fortunately.

They were still breathing.

“Any sharp tools? Ari, even arrowheads. Johanna, please report their condition and heal them.”

Instinctively, I thought we had to save them.

“Evil things!”

Occasionally, some spider webs twitched and attacked us, but Saha burned them with flames, ensuring the cocoons weren’t harmed.

Burning them kept them at bay for a while.

And so.

We lost track of time, striving to rescue the people inside the cocoons as intact as possible.

“Haah, haah.”

Despite my weak body.

I did my best to carefully peel away one cocoon.

As slow as I was.

Rumi sharpened her claws and sliced through them.

Ari used her hunting dagger to cut through.

Tina used her magic to melt them safely, though not as effectively as flames.

Whoosh!

Saha maintained vigilance, occasionally tearing them apart with her hands.

………

Impressive strength.

After rescuing people from the cocoons.

We made them swallow antidote using our experience.

“Ugh, ugh…….”

One by one, they began to wake up, staggering.

…………Really.

It was a relief.

As they regained consciousness, they joined the rescue efforts.

The moment we saved everyone.

[Tower of Desires 11th Floor – Great Labyrinth Area 5 Hidden Clear!] 

[★★★★: Destroy Arachne’s Storage.]

[Hidden condition achieved! A hidden quest has been triggered.]

“Haah.”

Originally.

I would have thought, ‘So there’s a hidden route like this.’

But.

“Sniff, I was so scared……………..”

“Thank you, thank you!”

“I can go back now…………….”

Like when we saved the villagers on the 6th floor, Area 9.

Something warm welled up in my chest.

Savoring the emotion.

I checked the quest.

-Hidden Quest▶ Arachne’s Storage 

※Destroy all of Arachne’s storage. (1/3)

※Reward: 5,000 points / 3 Magic Random Boxes

“……?”

The points are generous, but.

What are Magic Random Boxes?

Somehow.

It smells like money.

A very strong scent…………

On top of the satisfaction.

A sense of contentment covered me, and my lips curled into a perfect smile.

Rumi…………

This treasure of a dog……………!

Even if you lick my face and run away while I sleep, I’ll forgive you!

***

Fortunately.

Like the villagers we saved on the 6th floor.

The people we saved on the 11th floor were also NPC-like entities created by the tower.

But what does that matter?

They’re still people.

One by one, they scattered, expressing the joy of survival and their worries as they headed towards the tower’s exit.

I wondered if another dimension lay beyond where they exited.

Maybe.

But I decided not to think about it.

The world-building would get too complicated.

Unless it’s an immediate problem, keep it simple.

“Woof!”

Rumi looked at me with sparkling eyes, seeking praise.

Pat pat.

“Kyauu.”

Hmm, so cute……….

Tina jumped around beside me.

But affection is given one at a time.

Otherwise, you might end up with a nice boat.

“We’re out of antidote, so let’s end the labyrinth exploration here. We still have some entry chances left, so let’s finish up on the 10th floor.”

With the hidden quest clue secured.

And people were saved, feeling good.

We also gathered quite a bit of alchemy materials from spider carcasses.

I could proudly say we had a good day in the tower.

Our heroes went to the guild house for a shower, sticky from the adventure.

I headed to the shop with Tina, our future shopkeeper.

“Welcome back! But, sniff sniff, what’s this smell? It reeks of spiders! Here, here.”

Sprinkle sprinkle.

Ellis sprayed something like Febreze.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a perfume that removes bad odors. In the demon world, bathing is hard, so it’s a must-have.”

The demon world sounds like a tough place to live…………

Anyway, after reducing the smell a bit, I dumped the materials we had stuffed into our inventory.

While the future shopkeeper grumbled and organized, I took some materials and requested alchemy from Ellis.

[Ring of Poison Resistance (RANK 4)]

[An ordinary iron ring imbued with alchemical energy, granting special abilities. Increases the wearer’s resistance to poison.]

[Grants immunity to level 2 and below poisons.]

I put the completed ring.

On my finger.

Fortunately, it slid on without any issues.

………I guess rank restrictions don’t affect me.

Now to test its effectiveness.

Being a demon, Tina was unaffected by poison.

She made a disgusted face while holding a flask of collected poison.

“Ellis? If I start feeling unwell, make me drink this.”

“Hohoho…….”

What’s with that ominous smile?

Anyway, with Tina around, even if something happens, it should be fine.

Carefully opening the flask, I sniffed.

……

Drip, drop.

……

Even touching my skin.

“Thank goodness…….”

No reaction.

I was a bit worried that I might not benefit from the item’s effects, cursed to live as a weak, frail pack mule.

Though the heroes’ equipment is too heavy and female-oriented, making it impossible to wear.

At least I can share accessories and enjoy some minimal perks.

With a lighter heart.

“Ellis? Can you prepare about 200 bottles of antidote by tomorrow noon?”

I outsourced the task.

Elis looked overwhelmed by the workload.

But betrayal requires extra effort.

And now, the other reward I had been eagerly anticipating.

The additional shop feature unlocked by clearing the 10th floor.

Previously displayed as ‘???’ in the UI.

What could it be!

It’s!

“…?”

[Additional Feature: Secret Workshop]

[Not constructed.]

[Construction Requirements: Clear Tower 10th Floor / 2,000 points]

What’s a Secret Workshop?

Is today a hidden paradise?

Why does it cost so many points?