Meanwhile, Nishiki Enrai was picking up the gold and data crystals that had dropped after wiping out the undead.
“So, it’s over.”
“Then, let’s advance, Momonga-san.”
Naturally, Momonga knew what Bukubukuchagama was getting at.
“Understood,” he replied, and as he said that he cast his spells.
“「Extend Magic — Bless of Titania」.”
“「Extend Magic — Lead of Yatagarasu」.”
A tiny fairy appeared in front of them. She wore a crown, yet was only the height of a little finger. She flapped her butterfly wings, enveloping her in a sphere of light, and floated at the head of the group.
The next spell created a three-legged crow. Unlike normal crows, it exuded a stern majesty. It flapped its wings, and flew to the head of the formation as well, beside the little glowing ball.
The Yatagarasu guided players along the shortest path to the heart of the dungeon, while the fairy queen beside him would take them along the least dangerous path.
They would decide which to follow depending on the resource expenditures, traps and monsters encountered along the way. However, neither of these spells indicated hidden routes. In addition, there were magical traps which were designed to confuse spells like these, so they had to stay on guard.
“Huh, to think you actually knew two 9th-tier divinations. I’m pretty envious of your Dark Wisdom.”
“Well, I’m a specialized necromancer. I’d be nothing more than a burden if I couldn’t even do that much.”
“I think your dream build is actually quite practical.”
“Is that so,” Momonga chuckled.
It could not be helped, after all one of his friends had praised him.
“Then, lead on, Nishiki-san~”
“Roger that, Commander-dono.”
Behind their guides, the party proceeded in the order of Nishiki Enrai, Warrior Takemikazuchi, Bukubukuchagama, Momonga, Ulbert and finally Yamaiko. If this was not the first time they had seen this dungeon, they could probably go straight to the heart of the dungeon without further ado. However, they knew nothing of this place, so they had to keep an eye out for traps as they moved.
Momonga most cherished the times when they chatted with each other as they moved along, one eye on their surroundings. Although people derived enjoyment from the games in different ways, Momonga was happiest when talking with the others.
For all he knew, it was because he only talked about business at work, and thus he thirsted after genuine conversation.
Momonga aimlessly contemplated that possibility.
“Still, this does seem like your average tomb-type dungeon. Nothing really stands out. Could there be some gimmick here?”
“…Or some kind of evil trap. Wouldn’t some unfair battlefield that tests our preparation be par for the course? Maybe there’s nothing devious besides the splitting up at the beginning of the dungeon.”
The others shook their heads as they heard Nishiki Enrai speak.
“No, there’ll definitely be something. The developers would definitely pull something like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if these elemental dungeons pushed people towards making optimized parties.”
“Indeed, I think the developers would be capable of that.”
“They’re the shitty developers, after all. Why would they let you clear a dungeon you’d never seen before?”
“Nishiki-san, you’re underestimating the Yggdrasil developers… hm? Or could it be… I say, Momonga-san…”
Bukubukuchagama turned what was probably her face toward Momonga.
“Sorry about this, but could you contact my little brother with a 「Message」? I need to double-check the situation with him.”
“Got it.”
With no reason to refuse, Momonga cast the 「Message」 spell, and sent it to Peroroncino. After a brief ring tone, about ten seconds’ worth, the other side picked up.
“Yo~ free to talk?”
“Yup. Well, we’ve finished fighting, so it should be all right.”
“How are you over there? We’re moving through a tomb now.”
“—As I thought, those shitty developers!”
“Wha-what happened?”
“We were teleported to some kind of lava land. Fire-type monsters have been attacking us. And something ambushed us from the magma, it really did a number on us.”
“Really?”
He passed on what Peroroncino was saying through the 「Message」 to his comrades, about being teleported to a magma-rich area. Their responses were along the lines of “Ah, as expected.”
“…Do you think we could swap party members with teleportation magic?”
“Well, I think it’s worth a try, but do you think the developers would be that nice? Since we’re on different floors, we might not be able to teleport at all. Otherwise why would they put those doors at the entrance?”
“…In the worst-case scenario, we might have been warped into another dimension through those teleport traps.”
Momonga switched the 「Message」 spell back.
“Then how are you guys over there? Can you break through?”
“Right now, we should be able to handle it. Man, if you thought undead would be around because it was a tomb and selected fire-type gear to deal with them, you’d be screwed. All you’d be able to do is run and hide. They really are pieces of shit, those developers.”
“Got it. Good luck, guys.”
“You too.”
Momonga then tried contacting the other parties.
After that, he learned that the dungeon they had invaded was one with multiple floors, with five different zones — or floors — a glacier, a volcanic region, an underground lake, a forest and the tomb which Momonga and the others were presently in. In addition, the monsters in each floor were different, and it seemed the undead were only present in the tomb.
“Wow, as expected of our new guildmaster! Not bringing specialized gear was the right choice.”
If they had simply loaded themselves with fire and holy-elemental equipment in order to take on the undead expected from this place, quite a few teams would have had a hard time.
However, because this was the first time they were raiding an unexplored dungeon, they had brought along all sorts of gear, in accordance to the differing information they had collected. In other words, they had the ability to adapt their loadouts in response to changing situations, and thus they had a fighting chance to make it deeper into the dungeon.
“Totally different from the previous leader! Well done!”
Momonga furrowed his brows in response to Ulbert’s exclamation. For once, not having facial expressions in Yggdrasil was a great help.
“However, the shitty developers are really shitty. I won’t forget to add ‘shitty’ in front of the developers whenever I speak of them.”
“…Did you only just realize that now? Like the Longinus, what the hell is up with that? And then there were those events that were impossible to clear…”
Just as everyone was passionately venting their spleens at the Yggdrasil developers, Momonga sent a 「Message」 to Ulbert, who had wandered off to the side.
“What’s the matter, Momonga-san. Something wrong?"
“No, it’s not like that. I don’t think I’ve noticed any mistakes so far… well, I just wanted to talk to you in private, and to be frank I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Ulbert-san, do you really hate Touch-san that much?”
He could have just kept putting it off. Momonga did not want to tread on a landmine, after all. However, this hidden bomb might explode in the future. If that were the case, he had to know if there was anything which might cause the guild to disband. Besides, if it did go off now, at least the damage would be limited.
As though mocking Momonga’s resolve, Ulbert remained silent.
And then, just as Momonga was about to give up, there was a quiet answer.
"I dislike him. Though I know it’s just pointless jealousy.”
“Is that so…”