I was reincarnated as bait for the summoned hero
The point accumulation in the Anaheim Dungeon is going smoothly.
Since Sheera can now transform into a silver crow, combat has become easier, and for the troublesome floors, we could ride on Rei’s back while he’s in dragon form. This has made our progress much more efficient.
However, it’s a bit of a problem when that capricious golden dragon peers down from the sky and mutters something like, “That one looks delicious.” The next moment, Sheera transforms into her beast form, wraps herself in wind, and dives down from above.
With a sigh, I lightly tap the neck wrapped in golden scales to get his attention.
“Alright, there’s no helping it. We’ll head down too.”
‘Understood.’
There’s a suspicious glint in Rei’s eyes as he soars through the air with excitement, making me suspect that this was all part of his plan from the start.
Anyway, right now, we’re hunting magical beasts.
Sheera charges at an enormous bull-like magical creature. Unfortunately, it’s not a Blood Bull.
‘That’s a Giant Longhorn. Though its meat isn’t as good as Blood Bull, its lean muscle makes for quite the delicious bite.’
‘Giant Longhorn…? It’s my first time seeing this kind of magical beast. If the meat is tasty, there’s no way we can ignore it, right?’
‘Leave it to me.’
‘Nyaah!’
Hunting them becomes difficult because they’re just too big. But Rei, who recently grew fond of transforming into a tiny dragon form, dives gleefully into a herd of Giant Longhorns.
The horns of the Giant Longhorn are massive. Just as their name suggests, they proudly boast magnificent long horns – each seemingly five meters long.
“This material will fetch a high price.”
Magical beast horns are often used as catalysts in alchemy. Back in my previous world, Longhorns were livestock cattle native to the American West, but here in this otherworldly realm, they seem to be particularly wild and aggressive.
Swinging their impressive thick, long horns in irritation, they charge at us with ferocity. Since getting too close might rile them up even more, I decided to take them down from afar using magic.
◆◇◆
“We’ve got plenty of both meat and horns.”
‘Meat…!’
I pat the silver crow flapping its wings happily to calm it down.
The magic stones we picked up are earth-attribute. They were scattered across the ground, so everyone helped gather them. As for the meat, we scored some beautiful red chunks.
“This is good quality meat. Let’s make roast beef out of it.”
‘Roast beef! That dish where the meat is arranged like flowers, right? Yay!’
Though it takes some effort to prepare, healthy and delicious roast beef is a favorite among us. With so much red meat in hand, tonight we’ll have roast beef bowls. While I can’t create a bouquet of red roses, I can certainly build a mountain of red meat.
“I’ll serve you all a generous mountain of roast beef bowls.”
Leaning my cheek against the silver crow perched on my shoulder, I whisper softly into its ear. With a shrill cry of delight, the crow leaps into the sky. Was it really that happy?
“It was a good floor. The boss even dropped some magical armor.”
It’s a large shield for earth-attribute magic. If infused with mana, it should be able to withstand a dragon’s breath – or so I hope. At least, it might hold up against a Red Dragon’s fiery breath during the first attack.
(But before the golden dragon’s breath, it’s probably useless.)
Rei’s dragon breath is a torrent of golden light. The holy-powered breath can obliterate anything in an instant. That’s unfair. Impossible. It’s practically the ultimate weapon. I’m glad he’s on our side.
“We’ve collected all the drop items. Let’s move to the next floor soon… Rei?”
The tiny dragon seems lost in thought, gazing into the distance. When I call out to him, he finally moves.
“What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”
‘Hmm… maybe. It might just be my imagination. Let’s hurry to the next floor.’
After calling back Sheera, who had been soaring in the sky, we all touched the teleportation gate, descending to the lower levels.
“Seventy-fifth floor, huh? This dungeon has eighty floors, right?”
‘Yes, that’s correct. There’s a Black Dragon in the deepest level.’
“That sounds tough.”
According to Rei, it’s a young, small dragon, so it shouldn’t pose too much of a threat.
Well, dragons are always a threat, though.
I’m not a hero; I’m just fodder!
‘But I hear dragon meat is delicious.’
“Ugh…”
That’s very tempting. Dragon meat is pure fantasy. Even wyvern meat, which is technically considered a lesser dragon, was so good it almost made my cheeks fall off.
“Dragon steak… I wonder what it tastes like…”
‘Fwaaah…! The wyvern steak was already such a melt-in-your-mouth delicacy that I can’t even imagine!’
Thinking about dragon meat, the crow drools. So cute, yet so ruthlessly part of the food chain.
“Well, that’s still a story for later. Let’s see what appears on this floor…”
This floor is a mix of plains and forests.
Considering two types of magical beasts might appear, I was about to activate my [Presence Detection] skill when suddenly…
A shiver ran down my spine.
“What is this…?”
The ground trembles slightly.
An earthquake? No, it’s more like a rumbling sound.
It feels like a massive horde of something is moving toward us.
“Wait, could it be a large group of magical beasts?”
We’re still near the teleportation gate, inside the safety zone. As long as we stay within the safe area, magical beasts shouldn’t detect adventurers.
“But they’re heading straight for us. Fine, let’s intercept them.”
“Nyaa!”
‘We’ll defeat them!’
Kotesu and Sheera, brimming with determination and glaring fiercely ahead, look reliable. Especially Kotesu. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that “bring it on” pose. His fur standing on end is just too adorable.
‘…Here they come. A swarm of Arachne nesting in the forest.’
The tiny dragon, Rei, raises his chin confidently.
In the distance, a dense swarm of Arachne crowds together. Invisible to them, they glare at us with hostility.
“Such a grotesque appearance.”
The pitch-black spiders have human-like upper bodies attached to their abdomens. All of them are female. Their beauty only accentuates their ominous nature.
‘Be careful. They’ll shoot webs to restrain you. Their eight legs have sharp claws, and if bitten by their fangs, you’ll be poisoned.’
Thankfully, Rei’s precise advice is helpful.
‘Their upper bodies are the real trouble. Some wield bows, spears, or even use magic.’
“That does sound problematic. Let’s whittle them down little by little while staying within the safety zone.”
Within the safety zone, magical beasts usually avoid coming near and won’t attack. So, I figured we’d safely attack from a distance to thin out the swarm.
‘That’ll be difficult. It seems like this is the beginning of a monster outbreak.’
“Outbreak… You mean stampede?! Any signs of that…?”
‘Yes. Large groups of High Orcs, territorial Wyverns launching coordinated attacks, and even the Giant Longhorns – normally forming herds of ten, but didn’t we see over two hundred grouped together?’
Now that you mention it, there were unusually many.
I assumed they were just that kind of magical beast, but those numbers were signs of the outbreak.
‘Normally, the number of beasts in the upper floors would increase first, giving the adventurer guild time to formulate countermeasures. For them to conceal this so well and increase the number of higher-level monsters means…’
The amethyst-colored dragon eyes gleam with a combative light.
“…Is a demon involved?”
‘That’s highly likely.’
“For real…?”
Demons targeting my younger cousins, the heroes.
This will be my first encounter with them.
As support for my cousins, I want to take them down if possible, but…
(Aren’t these demons insanely powerful enemies of heroes? Can I really win…?)
I have no confidence. None at all. But there’s no time to hesitate now.
First, we need to stop the dungeon stampede.
The swarm of Arachne numbers roughly five hundred.
If we don’t crush them thoroughly, eggs will spill from their abdomens, and baby spiders will burst forth. While I don’t dislike spiders as beneficial creatures, having this many gathered is seriously unpleasant.
I grip the magical spear obtained from the Demon Mountain Dungeon and carefully channel my mana.
“The meat doesn’t look appetizing, but with so many of them, this will provide great experience points. The loot from magic stones and drop items will also bring in a hefty profit.”
‘Great! I want to eat tons of cake tonight.’
“Sure, eat as much as you want tonight. I’ll open a special bottle of wine too.”
‘Then I’ll go for conquering every type of convenience store bento.’
“Alright. Consider it unlocked.”
Nyaa Nyaa! Smiling, I nod at the adorable plea. Premium cat food and treats? Understood.
“Well then, let’s crush them steadily without overexerting ourselves.”
Nyaaah! With Kotesu’s brave battle cry as the signal, we all launch our attack.
