“What’s a limestone cave?” said the delinquent. “It’s just a cave. Forget it. Let’s move on.”
He jerked his chin in that lazy, wannabe-tough way, showing not a shred of awe.
“It’s really rare though...” said Machina.
“It’s just something the labyrinth master made, right? That means it’s fake.”
“Huh? But...”
Machina looked down, shaken. Still, he wasn’t entirely wrong. For once, I found myself genuinely impressed by him. Whether or not labyrinth masters or dungeon lords existed, someone clearly created these places with intent, but whether they were truly divine trials like people said or something else, there was no way to be sure.
So yeah, it was beautiful but also fake, just made to look like the real thing. No way it had the value of a natural object formed over thousands of years. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s pretty, and there’s definitely something wrong with this delinquent for not feeling a thing!
“Damn,” he said. “Can’t really see ahead.”
“I-I feel a little mana...”
“Is that how they’re messing with guys trying to scout enemies?”
The ceiling wasn’t the only problem. The ground was crowded with stalagmites blocking the way. Huge stone pillars taller than us sprouted up, cutting off our view.
At first glance, the cave looks wide open, but maybe the formations turned it into a maze? Then climbing up might make things easier— No, that won’t work. I have a bad feeling. It’s like my intuition’s telling me no.
The black-haired duo seemed to feel the same.
“Goin’ up looks sketchy.”
“Y-Yeah. We might...die.”
They’re certain from just a glance. Is their intuition sharper than mine?
“There,” said the delinquent, hurling a stone up high.
Immediately, swishing sounds rang out as something sliced into the rock. Nearly ten blades of wind had attacked it. If we’d taken that hit directly, we would’ve been in a world of pain. And it seemed they triggered automatically, so it probably wasn’t going to stop after just one attack. A barrier could most likely block a few strikes, but repeated assaults would shatter it in no time. Good thing we hadn’t tried going up.
“Not good...!” said the delinquent.
“Y-Yeah.”
Even the confident—more like overconfident—delinquent looks shaken. I never expected to see him make that face.
They seemed to once again recognize the dungeon’s danger but didn’t stop walking. For better or for worse, they were optimistic, or simply confident in their abilities. Their pace was astonishingly fast and steady.
For one thing, they could instantly find and disable traps that were in our path. Sometimes, they’d trigger them deliberately, and other times, they’d destroy underground traps with magic. They were like veteran scouts.
They were quick to spot beasts too and even ambushed them at times. On top of that, they’d usually take them out in one hit. Most enemies were beaten to death by the delinquent’s fists. The tougher ones Machina finished off with her poison magic. For people who’d only been reincarnated a week ago, they were unbelievably efficient.
Their intuition lets them do all this...? I’d guessed it was like my intuition, but theirs is way sharper. Is it really intuition? It’s like they’re following a strategy guide. I actually think it’s more impressive than any cheat ability.
Just now, the delinquent had turned right without hesitation. Apparently, he knew it was the correct path. Seeing how fast they could explore, it was no wonder they’d reached this area in just a week. I’d thought they were just trouble, but maybe they were useful after all.
Actually, it was me—the kid unused to walking on uneven ground—who was slowing things down.
“Hang in there,” said Machina. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
She’d checked on me from time to time, but I was just slow, not tired. I was using body enhancement magic, but if I’d admitted that I wasn’t tired at all, they might’ve realized what I was doing. So I had to fake being tired, which was more trouble than it was worth.
Their smooth advance continued, with us really doing nothing but following behind. Watching them, I’d realized Machina was the more dangerous one. The delinquent was strong as a vanguard and had decent attack power. He could kill medium-sized beasts in one blow. But when it came to large, tough beasts, he had no means to finish them off. That was where Machina’s poison came in...and killed everything without fail. Enemies that inhaled her powdery poison froze, convulsed, and died. It didn’t just drain life—it likely caused paralysis and blindness too.
Even a giant beast the size of a deadly horn died in ten seconds or so. If we’d inhaled that supertoxin, we might’ve died instantly, without time for purification or detox. I should secretly set up a Detox Barrier. That should block the poison completely.
“Oh, looks like an exit!” said the delinquent.
“Y-Yeah. It’s bright.”
Peering past the duo, I saw strong light streaming in from the end of the limestone cave. It looked like the goal. The cave was shorter than I’d expected. Thanks to their intuition, it had felt like a simple hike. We’d cleared it in under an hour. If it had been just the three of us, we might not have finished in a day.
“No traps in this passage. Let’s go,” he said.
“Y-Yeah,” replied Machina. “You ready?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Myah.”
“Arf.”
We followed after the black-haired duo, who didn’t seem to have a care in the world.
Just being able to tell whether there’s a trap is seriously a cheat. And maybe I owe it to traveling with these two, but I feel like my own instincts have gotten sharper too. It’s like those vague hunches I used to get are turning into something more concrete.
“This way is dangerous.”
“I don’t like how this corridor feels.”
“This direction feels right.”
Those kinds of thoughts would cross my mind, but I never knew if I was actually right. Thanks to the black-haired duo’s intuition now backing up my fuzzy hunches, I finally felt confident that what I’d been sensing wasn’t wrong. Realizing I could trust my instincts was huge. Even after I parted ways with the duo, I’d be able to rely on my own judgment.
“Whoa, that’s nuts!” shouted the delinquent, who’d been walking in front of us, as he broke into a sprint. Whatever was up ahead, it seemed like it had genuinely blown him away.
He didn’t care at all about the limestone cave, so what could he have seen that made him react like that? We ran after him and, frustratingly enough, ended up reacting the exact same way.
“Whoa! What is this?!” I said.
“Mya ha ha! This is amazing!”
“Wuffu. Gorgeous.”
A world of green unfolded before us. The first thing I saw was the green surface of the water, like a layer of green sand and moss stretching out with a thin layer of water over it. I guess the best way to describe it is like a green version of the Salar de Uyuni? The vast green surface of the water stretching as far as the eye could see had an unreal, dreamlike beauty completely different from the cave.
On top of it lay ruins made of white stone—or maybe it’s more of a cloister. The ceiling and walls had completely crumbled away, leaving behind only pillars and a long passage which, if we followed it, would probably allow us to keep moving forward. What remained of the cloister, sitting a few centimeters above the water, was heavily weathered, barely holding its original shape, and the thick moss clinging to it made it easy to imagine just how long this place had been left untouched.