(Rin PoV)

「Rin-chan, there’s nothing in the next room」

During a run on the 2nd day of dungeon clearing, Nana who ran ahead clearing the path suddenly stopped and called out.

A combination of her detection skill and her accurate sense of hearing. It also might have been because she already started to memorize the paths. Nana’s detection gradually increased in precision.

「What do you mean?」

「Usually there are monsters or items on the ground, right? The next room, there’s probably no traps either」

Her expression is sloppy as always, but compared to yesterday, her tone of speech is clear.

Stardust Labyrinth is not a rogue-like dungeon.

The map is not randomly generated, but formed by selecting ten out of the twenty-one available floor plans and arranging them. The stairs aren’t placed in a room. In the first place, rooms are rather rare here. It’s basically a cave type dungeon.

We are only calling the huge spaces on the maps as 「room」 out of convenience.

Though, if you go to a 「room」, then there’ll be a monster or item, so it actually does feel like a room. Compared to the passage it should be a rather special area.

So saying that there’s nothing there, Nana should have felt something dangerous.

「What do you guys think?」

『Even if you ask us that』

『I think it’s a trap』

『One chance rare monster』

『Me thinks rare monster too』

『Trap』

『Trap』

『Great God Chikuwa』

『It’s a trap for sure』

『Oi, wasn’t there a strange comment just now』

Certainly I too, if I grasp the danger beforehand then I can put up my guard in case there’s something there.

For example, just like what a lot of the watchers think, a trap. Many of the traps set around the dungeon have been easily discovered by Nana and evaded, so I don’t really mind it.

Since Nana who keeps on finding traps says that there seems to be no trap, then at least the probability of a physical trap is low.

Considering the map outline in my mind, the next room is unusually spacious. Even if we don’t go through the room, there are other routes toward the stairs, so it’s possible to backtrack toward a different route.

Or maybe there’ll be an appearance of a strong rare monster. Sometimes there are cases like that, if it’s like that then advancing through will be correct.

If this is a trap, should we avoid it or take a chance in the case of a rare monster.

The choice is tempting. If I’m with Nana, then there is nothing to be afraid of.

「Let’s go. At worst we can repeat the run again」

「Nn, got it. Then I’ll go ahead」

And thus, I regretted this choice.

The moment Nana’s foot stepped into the room, where there was previously nothing, a huge amount of monsters warped in.

In a big wide spacious room the monsters continued to spawn. The number had already surpassed fifty, a huge number that might even reach a hundred.

The moment a step is taken into a dungeon room accompanied with the phenomenon of monsters overflowing.

In a rouge-like game, this is called《Monster House》.

Seeing the appearance of a monster house, the choice to retreat or advance causes a moment of hesitation, a fatal loss of time.

“Gakko” I sense the sound of something operating.

Before I was able to see its true form, Nana pushed me back.

「Nana!!」

「Rin-chan, Just wait right there okay?」

Nana said that with a soft smile as the terrain of the dungeon changed and the passageway closed.

I see. The sound that just echoed is the trap to seal off the entrance.

Since Nana heard the sound and knew what would happen, she pushed me away to protect me.

This monster house appears to be the type that shuts off the exit.

「W-what to do….」

I’m panicking. My thoughts won’t settle down.

Regarding the monster spawning, the fact that there are no alerts denotes this a trap. It wouldn’t be weird for it to happen the moment you step inside.

However considering the timing of the exit trap, if I hadn’t hesitated, it would be possible for the two of us to escape.

This is completely my mistake. Nana’s trapped alone in that place because of me, a fatal mistake.

I want to rescue Nana, but the walls of the dungeon can’t be destroyed by magic or items.

Is the exit on the other side not closed? It’s highly unlikely, but it might be open.

「….! Rinne, do what you can do, even if it’s pointless」

“Pan!” I slapped my cheeks with both hands.

To travel to the other entrance of the room, I retreated back from this route.

☆ (3rd POV)

「Aa…..」

Right now Sukuna is really relieved.

That was because she was able to protect Rinne.

Because she was able to let someone important to her escape with their life.

What is before her, is a monster group of over a hundred.

No matter how spacious the room is, the number of monsters would make you feel it’s narrow.

The usual Sukuna would have probably thought of something like that.

A Kirabbit from the monster group rushed Sukuna as she swayed.

Without even looking, Sukuna launched it up to the ceiling with her Kagenui, the Kirabbit who flew to the ceiling was blown away as if being brushed away.

That scene to the monsters who were going to attack her, chipped away at their spirits.

「Aha, ufufu, ehehehehe」

A Laugh. Laughing. A charming smile appeared on her face.

「You see, It was really fun playing with Rin-chan you know」

It’s not as if she was talking to anyone. However Sukuna’s voice echoed clearly in the large room, it traveled over to the monsters who became vigilant.

That’s right. Sukuna right now, has terribly unstable emotions.

Having her time of happiness playing with Rinne taken away. If it was to be worded, then those words are enough.

To Sukuna, in the entire world, the only time she can truly enjoy from the bottom of her heart, is being stolen from her.

The reason Sukuna is smiling, is because that is the only emotion she can remember.

Good mood or bad mood, other than smiling, she doesn’t know of any other way to confront her swaying emotions.

「Hey…..you are prepared to be destroyed, right?」

Leaving her destructive impulse to freely rage, Sukuna charged into the group of monsters.

The trap to trick players, had the fangs of an unshackled monster rush towards them.

The Kagenui that Sukuna has, as long as she can freely swing it, then it has specs worthy of using even beyond the fifth town of Grifis.

The OverHeavy Metal itself, as long as there is a blacksmith who can refine it, at the point of Fias, as a metal it is considered as the highest class material.

At Fias, weapon strength requirements as an average doesn’t reach fifty. However even as a one-hand weapon, OverHeavy Metal requires over two-hundred strength.

As long as you fulfill that requirement as a user of an OverHeavy Metal weapon, then it will bring an equal result.

In a Fias level dungeon, the fire power of Kagenui is already nothing but a lump of pure violence, and then because of its towering durability, it would rarely break.

And so the strategy that Sukuna took was.

Leave it all to the weapon power, and completely massacre everything.

From the start of the incoming enemy, in just ten seconds, seven monsters had already been immobilized.

Crushing their heads.

Smashing their arms.

Breaking their legs.

Gouging their Eyes.

Snatching their weapons.

And then…purposely not killing them.

Taking away their mobility, removing their ability to think, disabling their abilities.

Since it’s a waste of moves to completely kill them, so other than the magic using monsters, she didn’t forcefully eradicate them.

Different from the huge outbreak in the Forest of Magic where she was rescued by Kohaku, the monsters here are not all magic users.

Before, she was exposed to a one-sided barrage of gunfire like spells and because of that she was forced to endlessly move about, she was cornered in a situation where she must not get damage even by coincidence.

For Sukuna, magic is fatal. Even against the weakest magic, she can be destroyed with just two hits, Sukuna’s magic resistance status is basically nonexistent.

However this time, thanks to the fact that there are few magic using monsters, there is no need for Sukuna to evade all attacks.

As long as she closes the distance into a melee battle, then Sukuna has enough confidence to deal with them no matter how numerous they are.

In the large room that has become a battlefield, the timbre of blows reverberated.

“GGO, GGA, GUUSHA” whenever a blunt sound resounded, a monster scream echoed over.

「Aha, this feel so gooood…!」

Sukuna herself found pleasure in such a hellish battle, her expression is colored with unfading ecstasy.

Three minutes haven’t passed since the battle started.

However over ten monster lives had already been scattered, and another twenty monsters had their bodies destroyed and immobilized.

In this situation, no rather exactly because of this situation, Sukuna tried various things half out of interest.

Catching the incoming Kirabbit was like catching an incoming throwing knife, and then throwing the entire Kirabbit.

Crushing the limbs of the Metal Bear and using it as a shield.

The Jewel Box that planned a surprise attack had a Hobgoblin thrown into its mouth.

Meeting a Butterfly Magi after such a long time, and then plucking its wings and smashing it into the ground.

Daring to use a throwing knife as a melee weapon and seeing it destroyed in three swings, she laughed.

Cruelty of an ignorant young child.

Repeating actions close to that, Sukuna only tasted a refreshing feeling.

It was as if she had returned to what she originally was.

The sensation of releasing the impulses she had been holding back. From the bottom of her heart, Sukuna was enjoying herself.

Using the physical strength that doesn’t match her looks, she twisted the neck of a Metal Bear and threw it as a shield against magic.

The 《Hobgoblin Mage》 who had planned a magical sneak attack didn’t think she would defend herself with that method and showed a moment of bewilderment.

In that moment, hiding in the shadow of the Metal Bear turning into polygons, she closed the distance. She grabbed the Hobgoblin Mage’s head and hammered it into the ground.

「So fragile, so fragile」

Magic type monsters have low physical defense. Piercing the throat with Kagenui to crush it’s neck, and from the incoming 《Puchi Golem》 behind her, she did a roundhouse kick as she turned around, blowing it away.

「With this, its thirty and forty-one」

While grasping the exact number of killed and immobilized inside the considerably large room, Sukuna’s eyes glared.

She prioritized smashing the magic users, and as she fought she also prioritized the monsters easily crushed and broken.

Among the monsters that she destroyed, the Puchi Golem she kicked away was an unexpectedly formidable enemy.

Simply, just a lot of HP.

Though its movement may be dull, its blows are heavy, and has a naturally high defense. Up until earlier, it was an opponent she’d been cautious about in the free for all fight.

「Well, if it’s gotten this spacious then I don’t need to care about it」

After incapacitating more than half of the monster in just ten minutes, the monsters wouldn’t carelessly approach Sukuna.

Most of the ranged attackers have already been destroyed, the only ones remaining had their eyes squashed or throat crushed, they aren’t in a state where they can cast magic or shoot arrows.

Though the monsters have the number advantage, even when they attacked with numbers, it turned into Sukuna’s advantage.

「Hey, are you guys not gonna come?」

Was it the result of her defeating a lot of monsters in just a short time span? Inside the large room where damage effects and red polygons denoting death were drifting about, Sukuna glared at all the monsters.

If they attacked carelessly, they would end up with the same result as the fallen monsters. Though simple it may be, because they have the intelligence to think, the image of brutality has stopped their legs.

As she produced a cracking sound as she stretched her neck, she swung her Kagenui at one of the monsters on the ground.

Having their limbs simply broken, or eyes squashed or having throats crushed would immobilize them. As of right now there are still nearly around forty monsters rolling around on the floor.

You need to clean them up when you can, or else you can’t deny the possibility of having your foot tripped by them.

As the monsters hesitated, to kill time, Sukuna started cleaning them up.

While cleaning them up like dealing with garbage, towards Sukuna’s rather defenseless back, there was a shadow waiting for an opportunity.

《Hobgoblin High Archer》. The highest ranked in the monster house, originally spawning in a field beyond Griffis, a powerful formidable monster.

Watching his kin mercilessly slain, bearing the disgrace of using them as shields, he hid behind the shadows of many monsters, aiming for that one chance for Sukuna to lower her guard.

Drawing the incomparably large bow to its limits, he was about fire through the crevice of the monsters.

Just before he reached the line of fire, at that instant, a silver deadly weapon pierced through him.

The Hobgoblin High Archer was surprised by having the right half side of his sight taken away, he unintentionally released the arrow in a random direction, an arrow that pierced through the forehead of an allied Hobgoblin.

「Since the beginning I had my eyes set on you, you know」

Slipping through the monsters that were protecting the archer, Sukuna gouged out the left eye of the panicking Hobgoblin High Archer.

In the world of darkness where one cannot see, the Hobgoblin High Archer was full of regrets as he met the same fate as his kin.

「Fifty-one and twenty-eight. Yeah, as expected they sure have decreased」

Sukuna looked around as she destroyed the high archer, a Puchi Golem once again came and she mowed down its legs making it fall and trampled its head into the ground.

As the Puchi Golem was struggling with its limbs, she smiled as she stared at it. Sukuna swung Kagenui many times and shaved away its HP.

「Now then, I guess it should fine now」

Seeing the monsters and not feeling any fighting spirit from them anymore, Sukuna stretched her body.

Her HP had only decreased by 30%, a decrease you wouldn’t think one would take from a hoard of 111 monsters.

She had destroyed the only chance of losing beforehand, and after leveling during the battle, the monsters already had no chance of victory.

「Yeah, I guess it was fun」

Defeating the last remaining Metal Bear with a 《Strike》, compared to the beginning of the battle, she wore a really refreshing smile.

Total battle time, twenty-five minutes. With just that time, Sukuna was able to massacre the monster house.

————————————————————————-

Nana 「You guys don’t have enough magic types」