‘’At this time, it’s highly likely that the phase transfer aligns with the last practical session. Although there are occasional exceptions, there’s no absolute guarantee… Will that be alright?’’
“Ah, yes, phase changes are a thing, aren’t they? Well, if we end up somewhere different, we’re still inside the same dungeon, right?”
“That’s right. This second dungeon has six phases, and it’s confirmed that you can reach the exit magic circle from any of them. We don’t know why it’s designed so that you can always get out, though.”
In the dungeon Beck’s party explored, it was common to find exit magic circles deep inside. These were either set up by whoever created the dungeon or had origins completely unknown.
As for how these dungeons in this world came into existence, there’s no way to know at present. All we know is that they began to appear suddenly across the world.
“Six phases, huh… If possible, I’d like to investigate all of them.”
“Does that mean you’re going to form a party six more times, including today? Haha, it looks like my after-school schedule just got filled up.”
“Ah, no, I’ll end the investigation once I get a decent feel for things. Or I’ll dive in alone when I have free time.”
“…Fujiwara-kun, do you like dungeons? I don’t dislike them either.”
“I like them too. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have come to this academy.”
As Futaba spoke, Haruka looked at her sister as if she had something to say—but Futaba didn’t notice either her intent or the fact that she was being watched.
“It would make me happy if you could get along with my sister, Fujiwara-kun, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“W-What are you saying all of a sudden…? When my sister acts sisterly, I start worrying that it’ll rain spears from the sky.”
“It’s no trouble at all, really… Wait, has the phase already changed?”
“From what we’ve seen so far, there shouldn’t be any changes, but again, it’s not guaranteed. If you end up in a strange location, use a disengage scroll right away.”
Taking Renjou-sensei’s advice, we head down the stairs. As before, the feeling of being transported washes over us as we descend—just before that, though…
――――――
It felt like I heard something. A voice, perhaps? As if it was speaking directly to me, though I couldn’t make out its meaning.
And then… we didn’t end up in the same large cavern as before.
“…This is a completely different place, isn’t it?”
The spot we were transported to this time had rocks with a bluish hue, and there were large pools of water—more like small lakes—scattered around. In the distance, fish leaped from the water.
“The phase changed, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, looks like it.”
Beep “You are inside the second dungeon, but this location has not been previously recorded.”
“Cipher, do you know where we are?”
“Yes, this time, a mapping program has been installed. It was developed based on the glasses Master was using.”
“…You mean the search glasses? If it’s the lab, I suppose that’s within their capabilities.”
“My deepest apologies for using your work as a reference without permission, Shiro-sama.”
“I’m happy you used something I made as a reference.”
Nanami-san pats Cipher on the head, making the camera on Cipher’s head whirr in slight discomfort.
“Ah… Head pats are supposed to be a privilege for Master only.”
“…This reaction really is adorable. I’d love to bring it along with me.”
“Autonomous dolls were developed to support small parties or solo explorers… Oh, but I’m not saying Fujiwara-san is a loner or anything!”
“Haha… I was a loner on the first day, but thanks to Cipher, I felt more confident.”
“Master, that statement just earned you 10 points.”
I wonder what happens if I rack up these points… but I set that thought aside for now.
“Cipher, what kind of information can that mapping program show us?”
“It can display areas already traversed, nearby map data, and estimate the relative depth of your current location. The area explored during your last visit is considered the first floor.”
“This is exciting… So, what’s the depth here?”
“…Depth 9. In Dungeon 2, no one has ever reached this depth before.”
We were immediately transported to the ninth floor—wait, there are floors? And on top of that, it’s an unexplored level.
“I didn’t know there was a ninth floor in the second dungeon… The furthest anyone had reached before was the sixth. You really are something else, aren’t you?”
Last time, we only explored the first floor, which was vast enough on its own. I’m curious about the skipped floors from two through eight, but for now, we have no choice but to start by investigating this area—though, before that…
“…What about the ‘disengage scroll’? Personally, I’d prefer not to use it just yet.”
“Yes, we may never get another chance to come here. What about the rest of you?”
“At this point, I’ll accompany you to the end. I’m nervous, but excited too.”
“…Same here. But with the party, I feel safe.”
“Beep Monsters detected, approaching this location.”
Encounter: Air Fish (1)
(That fish… is it going to attack us?!)
A fish suddenly launched out of one of the nearby ponds, darting through the air like a spear.
“Haruka-san!”
The Air Fish was aiming at Haruka-san, who was standing in front of me, but she simply flicked her hand in a graceful motion, causing the fish’s attack to miss entirely as it whizzed past her.
On the back of Haruka-san’s hand, a glowing emblem appeared—that must be the skill of a Mystic.
“‘Kagerou’s Secret Mark’… No one can touch me.”
“Onee-sama!”
Responding to Futaba-san’s call, Haruka-san leapt back. As Futaba-san played a note on her flute, the Air Fish collided with an invisible barrier and fell to the ground, flopping about.
“Magic Craft… Ice Ball!”
A sphere of magic appeared in Nanami-san’s hand, transforming into freezing energy and flying at the Air Fish. It instantly froze the fish solid, ending the battle without trouble.
“Whew… not bad as bait, wouldn’t you say?”
“I wouldn’t call you bait, but your coordination with Futaba-san was perfect.”
“My sister just gave me the chance to act. Nanami-san, that was an impressive skill.”
“…For a monster like this, Fujiwara-kun doesn’t need to get involved.”
The monsters here seem to be about as strong as a Green Balun, so even though this is the ninth floor, there’s no need to be overly cautious—unless there are stronger creatures lurking around.
“Well… let me show you my own skill, then.”
‘Compression’ doesn’t work on living creatures—that was something I instinctively understood from the beginning.
But a frozen fish? That should be fine. As expected, it worked perfectly.
Skill ‘Compression’ activated. Target item has been converted into a single chip.
Chip contents: [Frozen] Air Fish x1
I clenched my hand, and a chip appeared in my palm. My companions—especially the Mikuriya sisters—looked stunned.
“…Does mastering ‘Baggage Carrier’ unlock spatial magic? No, this isn’t on that level… You’re far more mysterious.”
“The issue with being a ‘Baggage Carrier’ is the limited amount of stuff you can carry. This skill solves that problem.”
“No, I mean… how are you shrinking things like that?”
Nanami-san said it might be a skill that manipulates concepts, but the real answer? Only the goddess knows.
“Beep Numerous monsters detected, approaching.”
“Fujiwara-kun, leave this to us…”
Their coordination is top-notch—I’m confident they can handle it, but, unfortunately, the fish seem to be targeting me.
Skill ‘Fixation’ activated. The spatial coordinates of the target object have been fixed.
“This skill is also meant to solve ‘Baggage Carrier’ problems, but it has other uses… Whoa…!”
Sensing the Air Fish coming at me, I used ‘Fixation’ before it could strike—and now, countless Air Fish that leapt from the nearby ponds are suspended mid-air, completely frozen in place. It looks like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie.
“A fish joke, huh? ‘Whoa…!’ because it’s a fish. Hehe, I couldn’t help but laugh.”
“…I’m honestly envious that you can make puns at a time like this, Sister. I’m so overwhelmed I feel like I might faint.”
“Fujiwara-kun, isn’t it tough to keep them all stopped like that?”
Nanami-san seemed to be interpreting it as exhausting to stop so many monsters at once, but once something is stopped with ‘Fixation,’ it doesn’t actually consume any more energy. If the opponent is too strong or resists, I might drain my magical power or the ‘Fixation’ might not work properly.
(…Wait a second. If I can compress these frozen Airfish, does that mean I can also add a ‘plus one’ to them?)
I wasn’t sure if that would serve any purpose. For one, I had no idea how to even use Airfish in the first place, and there wasn’t enough information—this monster wasn’t even listed in any of the bestiaries.
“Nanami-san, I’m sorry, but… do you think you could freeze all these fish?”
“…I’ll give it a try. I still have plenty of magical power left, so I should be fine.”
Nanami-san activated her ‘Magic Craft.’ She shaped her magical power into a sphere and processed it into ice attributes—it seemed she could also convert it to other attributes, something I’d definitely have to ask her about later.
For now, she managed to freeze a total of 12 fish, and I decided to experiment with adding ‘plus one’ to them afterward. First, I just wanted to get out of this pond-filled area and take a breather.
