24. Where Underground Water Collects

"Whoops."

The moment I stepped off the rope on the seventh floor underground, my foot almost slipped. Slimy, seaweed-like plants grew sparsely on the floor.

After walking a short distance, I came to a fast-flowing river. Splashes of water hit my face, and the sound of a waterfall could be heard in the distance.

The strong scent of water filled the air. This seventh floor underground was a waterside area where a large amount of underground water collected.

The accumulated underground water flowed in, making it a treasure trove of aquatic monsters.

It was a floor where you could see slightly different types of monsters.

As I walked along the passage facing the waterway at the end, perhaps having heard my footsteps, a merman suddenly emerged from the water with a *splash*.

Its upper body was covered in blue scales, and it only wore leather trousers on its lower half. Three, four, five of them climbed onto the passage, dripping water.

They all held sharp-bladed tridents in their hands, standing in front of me and threateningly posturing.

"Geee!"

It was a strange cry.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to come at me?"

I also drew 'Solitude' and waited.

The floor was slippery, so I didn't want to move too wildly.

"Low-tier low, Poison Pois, Soar Foi!"

The leading merman chanted towards me and shot a poison arrow.

I deflected the small green arrowhead with my 'Diminish Mantle'.

My poison resistance was quite high, so this level of poison attack was nothing to me.

Well, never mind, I'd think about it later.

While dodging the poison arrows that the others were shooting one after another, I knocked away the head of the leading merman along with his held trident with the tip of my sword.

Four more left. Enemies with some intelligence were actually easier to kill. They became timid because they were terrified of my overwhelming strength.

"Alrighty!"

*Thwack, thwack*, I pierced the hearts of the startled enemies on the left and right, leaving two more.

The two remaining mermen *splashed* into the water, trying to escape.

"Mid-tier middle, Dispersion Fu, Lightning Din, Soar Foi!"

I shot a lightning magic towards the bottom.

A dazzling flash of lightning erupted from my hand.

It looked spectacular, but its power wasn't that great, and because the incantation was long, it consumed a lot of mana, making it inferior to Fireball.

However, it had the characteristic of being stronger against water than fire.

The enemies who had escaped into the water floated to the surface, probably electrocuted. I killed those convulsing ones with a quick *thwack, thwack*.

It was nothing.

"Even so, it's strange."

Ignoring the treasure chest that appeared, I carefully walked along the slippery passage, covered in the blue blood and water splattered by the mermen.

The mermen were described as having intelligence, but they weren't a race that used magic.

Could this be an enhanced version of the monster that was the model?

However, even if their strength was increased, it should only change the monster's toughness and number, not give them the ability to use spells.

"What if they evolved?"

Ten days had passed since Genocide Reality began... no, it had only been ten days for us; this dungeon had existed much longer.

The Murder Troll on the third floor said it had cut down a hundred adventurers. The group party of Rabbittara Rabbits that reached the sixth floor had been adventuring even longer.

What if this dungeon had accumulated that much combat experience and evolved beyond the Genoria I knew?

It wouldn't be strange for intelligent enemies to learn new spells.

Thinking that... I felt sleepy for some reason.

"Tch, now it's a mermaid?"

On the other side of the waterway, there was a mermaid holding a harp. Unlike the mermen, these had fish tails for their lower bodies. Their upper bodies looked like sharp-eyed women with exposed breasts, but they were monsters.

I took out a lapis lazuli from my pocket and used it. It was a gem that warded off sleepiness.

Mermaids had a troublesome nature of putting their opponents to sleep and then attacking.

Even if you fell asleep, you would wake up from the shock if attacked, so it wasn't a problem on its own, but it would be dangerous if there were other monsters around.

For a solo player like me, they could be a natural enemy.

Even if they looked like women, if I saw them, I had to kill them, or I would be killed.

"High-tier high, Fire Ia, Soar Foi!"

A large fireball flew straight and instantly incinerated the two mermaids huddled on a small rock.

When a high-class spell succeeded, I felt a sense of growth.

Next to appear was a Sea Serpent.

The area was relatively spacious, with underground water flowing like a river, but the dragon-like head that could swallow a person whole and the long, long snake body didn't seem like creatures that could live in such a place.

"In such a cramped place, what does such a big guy eat to survive?"

It opened its large mouth and attacked, but I swung 'Solitude' down with all my might and bisected it.

I endured the heavy impact on my arm and was directly showered with the violently scattering bluish-white body fluid.

"Phew."

Being able to cleanly cut down an attack of this mass from the front meant that my abilities were improving.

However, the Sea Serpent was only boss-class in terms of its appearance; perhaps because of its low intelligence, it only used monotonous attacks, making it a weakling.

If I had been dragged into the water by this, it would have been dangerous for me, but since it deliberately stuck its head into the land passage, it was as if it was asking to be chopped up.

Its head was cleanly split vertically, and it thrashed around, but when I further slammed the long blade of 'Solitude' down on it, its head fell off with surprising ease.

Even after its head fell off, its long body continued to thrash around for a while.

Eventually, it stopped moving, and the Sea Serpent's large corpse floated to the surface of the water.

"This should be edible too."

I took out my knife, cut off a piece of its body from the head, and tried eating it.

What should I say about this taste?

"It's probably more like snake meat than fish meat..."

The flesh was reddish-black. It wasn't like red fish meat; it was a grayish flesh with the red of blood on it, a color that didn't look very appetizing. Even though it lived in the same underground water, it seemed different from fish meat.

The taste wasn't as bad as it looked. It had little fat and a firm texture, a taste somewhere between pork and fish, but the flesh was crisp and bland.

It seemed nutritious, so in the dungeon, this was a feast.

It was characterized by its lack of peculiarity; it wasn't particularly delicious or bad when eaten raw, but it felt like it could be transformed if cooked.

"Should I have a meal here?"

I didn't notice it while fighting, but as soon as I put even a little food in my mouth, my stomach started to rumble.

Come to think of it, I had packed the leftovers of the pot-au-feu Kazuha made in a container and brought it with me.

I couldn't bring the soup, of course, but if I ate it with the vegetables that had absorbed the soup's flavor, the bland taste of the Sea Serpent meat would be somewhat enhanced.

This kind of luxury was only for this time, though.

"Alright, I've got my energy back."

I ate as much as I could on the spot, then roughly cut up the Sea Serpent meat and packed it into my luggage.

Even bland sea snake meat was a first-class food among the ingredients obtainable in the dungeon. I had to eat it carefully and make it last.

I continued along the winding passage for a while.

During that time, I encountered several mermaids who cast sleep magic, but I burned them all to ashes with Fireball.

It wasn't that I disliked cutting down things that looked like women; it was because they were support-type monsters that didn't come close.

The monsters on this floor seemed to lack any sense of cooperation; different types of monsters never appeared together.

I had consciously saved up lapis lazuli as a sleeping sickness remedy for emergency use on this floor, but it might not have been that necessary.

"Alright, the destination should be near."

Instead of heading straight to the boss's room, I was taking a large detour.

"It should be around here."

When I gently stepped into the water's edge, there was indeed a place where the water depth was extremely shallow. Only here could I walk normally on the water without swimming.

Piranhas, which were swimming all over the underground water, bit at my leather boots, but I quickly stabbed and killed them with 'Solitude'.

These should have been edible too.

Well, let's not.

Small fish were unappetizing to eat raw, and their scales were rough and their teeth were sharp, so eating them seemed troublesome.

They were probably bony and tasted bad anyway.

After crossing the underground water river and proceeding to the other side, I came to a large room. In the center of the plaza was a large fountain, and a large number of mermen lived there.

It was a large merman settlement.

They all cried out in a chorus of "Geee geee," a sound like screams, and attacked me.

"Alright, I'll take you on!"

Fifteen, no, maybe close to twenty of them.

There were too many to count at a glance, but conversely, with so many in the large room, it could be said that killing them would be easy. Taking my chances, I mowed them down at a pace of two with a single swing.

These guys were equipped with tridents, but unlike the mermen from before, they didn't use poison arrow magic.

They seemed different from the previous ones.

Just as I thought that, someone threw a knife at me from behind.

I couldn't dodge it completely and took it on my arm, but thanks to the hard chainmail, it only resulted in a scratch.

"You've got some nerve!"

"Gyaaa!"

Most of them were weak monsters that monotonously charged at me, but it seemed like there were some intelligent ones mixed in.

Those who could use magic or skillfully used projectiles while keeping their distance were formidable.

To avoid being surrounded, I retreated once and tried to lure the enemies into the passage to kill them.

In a narrow passage, no matter how many there were, I only had to deal with two at a time.

Even among the same mermen, those who jumped in without thinking were weak, while those who launched support attacks from behind were tough.

While cutting down the enemies in front, preparing for long-range attacks was a bit of a hassle, but I had gotten quite used to fighting multiple enemies alone.

"Well, these guys are nothing much."

Compared to a giant dragon, these guys were only about as strong as a human individually.

And since they were on land, no matter how many there were, I couldn't lose.

If I were a merman, I would try to somehow drag adventurers to the bottom of the underground water, but they probably didn't have that much intelligence.

Around the time I had cut down more than half of them, it suddenly became easier. They stopped attacking me and started trying to escape.

"Even if you try to escape, the only exit from the plaza is this way, you know."

"Geee!"

"Come on, run more desperately!"

"Gyaaa!"

I cut down the ones who were panicking and huddled against the wall, going back and forth.

Even so, it seemed I had let a few escape while I was killing the others.

"Hmph, they got away."

Thinking about it, compared to the students I faced on the first floor, the merman horde was much smarter in that some of them sacrificed their comrades to escape.

I thought about chasing and killing them, but it was a waste of time, so I stopped. Maybe the ones who escaped now would gain combat experience and become formidable enemies.

"An evolving dungeon, huh?"

That was an interesting phrase. While finishing off the mermen writhing in the corners of the room because I couldn't kill them all, I pondered.

I had to be careful not to be overconfident just because of my game knowledge, but I found it interesting that the enemies were getting stronger.

If it wasn't an unreasonable evolution but a fair one, I wouldn't mind taking it on.

If things went according to the攻略, it wouldn't be interesting. I had come here prepared for the danger to my life.

While drinking a recovery potion, I looked at the chainmail that had been damaged by the throwing knives.

If I, relying on my game knowledge, was killed by enemies that had become stronger, then that was the end of me as a gamer.

Injuries were proof of immaturity, and conversely, they also meant that I could become that much stronger.

Humans learn because they experience pain. If it was hardship that wouldn't kill me, I would gladly accept it.

I switched my weapon from 'Solitude' to the spirit sword, Onsetsumaru, and then stepped into the fountain in the now-empty plaza.

Then, I thrust my hand into the center of the fountain.

"Found it..."

When I grabbed what my hand touched and pulled it out, 'Boots of the Water Spirit' appeared.

However, at the same time, Water Elementals appeared in the four corners of the plaza.

These were spiritual bodies in the shape of water tornadoes, and they were also monsters. When I pulled the rare item, 'Boots of the Water Spirit', from the fountain, the seal was broken, and they appeared.

As I jumped out of the fountain, they shot lightning magic from the four corners.

"No incantation..."

Good, these guys could use magic without chanting.

It was probably low-tier lightning since it was small, but there were four shots at once. If I had carelessly stayed in the fountain, I would have taken strong damage from electrocution.

If I had been stunned by the electric shock, it would have been game over right there.

Avoiding a first-encounter kill, here my knowledge of Genoria still held true.

"But how long will that last!"

Any of them would do, but I slashed at the nearest Water Elemental with Onsetsumaru.

I couldn't kill it with one strike; it disappeared after two swings.

In the meantime, three Water Elementals shot lightning magic at me again.

I sensed their presence and barely dodged by crouching down. Three lightning spells collided above my head, scattering violent sparks with a *bash*.

"Haha, just barely safe."

This was getting fun.

It was interesting when things were close, though I didn't really understand why.

I strode forward and casually swung Onsetsumaru at the next Water Elemental, defeating it.

More lightning magic came, this time two shots.

I dodged by crouching. It was still monotonous; magic was no good. The fact that the line of fire was limited to a straight line was a rather fatal flaw.

"It would have been different if that wasn't low-tier magic, though."

I slashed at another one.

It was like cutting through a tornado, so the lack of resistance was disappointing.

With movements that had become routine, I slashed at the last one, and I finally felt my breathing become ragged.

Health and stamina recovered with potions, but the worn-out nerves didn't rest.

However, with this, I got the 'Boots of the Water Spirit'.

These were high-performance even as normal boots, but they would be extremely useful on the next, eighth floor underground. I immediately threw away my leather boots and changed into these.

"All that's left is the boss."

I casually proceeded straight to the boss's room, slashing away the mermen that appeared.

Gradually, the cobblestones became cleaner, and the sound of water receded. The boss's room wasn't in the waterside zone. Perhaps it was a consideration so that I wouldn't get wet before the stairs down.

"Alright, is Poseidon here?"

I said as I opened the blue, ornately designed door.

"It is not Poseidon, adventurer, but Ennosigaios."

A man sat on a large chair placed in the middle of the room like a throne.

A nearly naked man with a loincloth, almost two meters tall.

His powerful muscles resembled Hercules, but this guy was an even greater Greek god of the sea.

No, at best, he was a degraded copy, a mere ruler of the underground water.

When he stood up, he held a trident. That was the 'Divine Trident Triaina'. A powerful weapon for an already formidable foe.

Having reached the seventh floor underground, the bosses were starting to use techniques rather than just brute force.

"You are an adventurer, yet you do not launch a surprise attack, do you?"

As I silently stood facing him, holding 'Solitude' ready, Ennosigaios, holding the Divine Trident Triaina leisurely, said with a puzzled look.

"Do adventurers launch surprise attacks?"

"Those whom I have faced did so. Everyone would throw magic or projectiles as soon as they entered the room."

I see, that sounded like something they would do.

"I wanted to try killing you head-on, since your fighting style seems similar to mine. Maybe I'm a bit different."

"Hmm, alone and from the front, huh? It seems interesting to be able to fight a warrior with some backbone for the first time in a while."

"Right, before we fight, let me ask you one thing. Were you the one who taught the mermen poison arrow magic?"

"Oh? ...There was such a thing. I found a scroll with magic written on it and taught them to pass the time, but it was just a superficial skill. Seeing that you've come this far, it seems it wasn't very useful."

I see, so he was the one who taught them.

"Hey, if you had taught all the mermen spells and had them all ambush me, wouldn't I have been killed?"

"That would be impossible. Even if I told the foolish mermen to wait indefinitely for adventurer who might or might not come, they would not listen. Besides..."

"Besides what?"

"If adventurers stopped coming because of such a thing, wouldn't I be bored!"

Ennosigaios thrust at me with the 'Divine Trident Triaina'. A heavy downward strike from his towering height with greatly bulging muscles.

There were no tricks, just a full-force attack.

I met it head-on with 'Solitude'.

Neither of us could overpower the other, nor was I being pushed back.

His brute strength was on par with mine.

Having found an opponent I could fight equally, my whole body trembled with joy.

"You're strong. This looks like it will be more fun than the Sea Serpent."

"I am the guardian deity of the spring! Do not lump me together with the likes of the Sea Serpent!"

Splash Trident, huh?

Every time Ennosigaios swung his large trident, violent splashes of water erupted, and a storm raged.

If it's just this level of bluster, I can do it too.

As we clashed blades left and right, a white trail effect ran through the air with the sound of air vibrating, Samurai Blast!

"It seems you can do a little."

"The same goes for you!"

As Ennosigaios swung the 'Divine Trident Triaina' around and around, a tremendous storm arose.

I planted my feet firmly, feeling like I was about to be blown away.

I tried to slash at him, but there was no opening at all.

Maybe I didn't have to fight with just my sword, being so stubbornly honest.

"Mid-tier middle, Fire Ia, Soar Foi!"

I shot a mid-tier Fireball.

High-tier lacked certainty, and I only wanted to create an opening in my opponent, so this was fine.

"Nuooh!"

When the fireball burst, the opening I wanted was created.

A Fireball probably wouldn't hurt Ennosigaios, who had strong magic resistance.

But because he possessed an intelligent body, the flames would make his body stiffen.

I quickly lunged in during that momentary opening.

Even while losing his balance, Ennosigaios firmly blocked my sword with his trident, but the blade cleanly cut through to his shoulder.

I wanted to kill him in one go, but I couldn't push through. I drew my sword back and took a step back.

"This will be the end!"

"You think you've won, haaaaah!"

Perhaps thinking this was the end, Ennosigaios unleashed a thrusting technique with all his might.

It was a fierce upward thrust filled with the spirit of not needing a second strike.

The life-risking blow was powerful, and even blocking with my sword, I couldn't completely receive it.

That was precisely why his movement was large, creating an opening.

I placed my sword against the trident and, while deflecting it, lowered my waist.

*Gigi gigi*, hard steel scraped against each other, scattering sparks.

Then, I plunged into Ennosigaios's now-unprotected chest and powerfully swung my blade horizontally.

The sharp blade *zubri* entered the half-naked waist that wasn't wearing any armor.

The blade smoothly passed through his torso, and Ennosigaios's upper body was effortlessly severed while rotating.

With the 'Divine Trident Triaina' still held, Ennosigaios's body was split in two.

"Hah, hah..."

His foolish face, distorted in astonishment and with wide-open eyes as he died, would have made me laugh if it weren't for this situation.

I thrust my blade into his chest once more, finishing him off.

He might have already died when his torso was severed, but he was supposedly an avatar of a god.

I didn't know the extent of his life force. However, since he had a human form, I thought crushing his head or chest would kill him.

A treasure chest appeared, and I finally felt relieved.

This was a definite sign that the boss was dead.

Somehow, I was exhausted.

It was always like this after killing a humanoid boss.

If the opponent was a monster, there was a sense of exhilaration like having finished a monster hunt, but the feeling after killing an intelligent humanoid wasn't very good.

Suddenly, I felt a pain in my head.

When I wiped it with my hand, it was blood, not the enemy's.

Probably when I parried the trident with my sword, I thought I had avoided it by a hair's breadth, but it had hit me. The enemy's spearhead had deeply gouged the flesh of my forehead.

"Haha, you got me good."

The wound on my forehead was proof of my immaturity, the height of my regret. But I was even more pleased than that.

If I had been a breath slower, if I had taken one wrong step, it would have been me who had my head pierced by the trident and died.

Thinking that way, it was equal.

We were both warriors who had exerted our utmost strength, and I had survived. If I thought of it that way, it felt refreshing.

I healed the wound with a potion and then cleaned the bloodstained 'Divine Trident Triaina' with the water from the water fountain that was also placed in the boss's room.

I put the cleaned divine spear into my rucksack.

Since it had infinite storage, even such a long weapon could fit as long as I could withstand the weight.

"Ennosigaios, I'll gratefully take your spear."

It wasn't a weapon that suited my fighting style, but I definitely wanted to take this trophy.

Now then, let's open the treasure chest.

"Hmm, trash?"

Along with the 'Key of the Sea God', it was filled with a large amount of gold coins and jewels.

For me, who had no use for such things no matter how much there was, it could only be described as trash.

Well, whatever. I'd take it for now, and if I thought my luggage was too heavy, I'd scatter it around the stairs.

I could collect it later, or Nanami's group would probably pick it up if they found it. Well, at that time, it would be a little reward for them.

I used the 'Key of the Sea God' to open the door and proceeded to the eighth floor underground.