READ NOVEL ONLINE chapter 39 - Divine Cat Mii-chan makes a mistake in the labyrinth.
39 Divine Cat Mii-chan makes a mistake in the labyrinth.
With a question mark floating over my head, Müller explains that the map skill is essentially a one-line drawing.
It’s not like the game-style map I was imagining. Instead, it shows a trace of where you’ve walked. So if you don’t understand it well, you might still get lost despite having a map skill.
Given that, I would definitely get lost with such a map skill. But the god I know didn’t mention this. Well, that god is known for being unpredictable… Achoo! Did I just hear a sneeze from somewhere?
“Mii?”
“Oh, nothing, Mii-chan.”
“Indeed, there’s an empty space.”
The cat beastman scout is examining the wall.
“I can’t figure it out. Where is it?”
The scout is diligently searching the wall but seems unable to find anything.
“Mii!”
“Hmm? What’s up, Mii-chan?”
Mii-chan is tapping the bag and looking towards the wall opposite the hidden room.
“Is there something there?”
Mii-chan hops out of the bag and gives the wall a little pat with her paw. A low rumble echoes through the area.
When I look back, there’s a hole in the wall, and I end up locking eyes with a large, bipedal pig-like monster. Uh-oh…
“An orc! Watch out! Get into position quickly!”
An orc is as strong as fifty goblins, and it’s in a state of hunger, confusion, and madness.
“What is this thing?”
“Damn, this brute strength!”
The orc, with bloodshot eyes and drool pouring from its mouth, swings its club wildly.
“This orc is abnormal!”
“The orc is in a state of hunger, confusion, and madness!”
“Madness, you say!”
I quickly shove Mii-chan back into the bag and start throwing my AF short sword to support the team. The members of the Azure Dragon’s Roar regain their composure and begin to corner the orc. Müller finishes it off with a decisive strike.
“I’m so sorry!”
“Mii…”
“Well, yeah, it was indeed Nero-kun’s mistake. We can’t deny that we were a bit too hasty ourselves.”
“Yes, we were a bit too relaxed, thinking it was just the first floor.”
“True, we thought we had some leeway since we just entered.”
“Well, that’s the way it is, so don’t worry about it.”
“But…”
“Mii…”
“Then, when we get back, how about treating us to a drink at the guild’s tavern? That should make up for it.”
“I don’t drink, you know!”
“Let me hold Mii-chan then!”
“I’d be happy with that too.”
“Me too!”
So, it was decided that the men would get drinks, and the women would get to cuddle Mii-chan as a way to make amends.
“Mii, we need to be careful. We’re still beginners in the labyrinth, and doing something reckless could be dangerous.”
“Mii…”
Mii-chan looks up at you with big, apologetic eyes, clearly reflecting on the incident. Of course, you’re quick to forgive!
Entering the now-empty hidden room, you notice that Müller is storing the Orc. Apparently, Orc meat is a high-end delicacy, highly sought after by gourmets for its exceptional flavor.
The hidden room’s floor is scattered with gold and silver coins, along with swords, armor, and shields in near-new condition. Although none of it is AF, the high quality indicates they’re still valuable finds.
“That’s quite a haul. I can’t believe we got so much from such a shallow floor,” Müller comments.
“Maybe we just didn’t notice before?” another party member suggests.
“That could be it,” Müller agrees.
Mii-chan jumps out of the bag and starts kicking sand in the corner of the room, seemingly using it as a makeshift toilet.
“Let’s call it a day. Nero-kun, are you okay finding your way back?” Müller asks.
“Yes, I’m fine. Do you want to return the way we came, or take the opposite route from the initial split?”
“Can we get out that way?”
“Most likely. I think we’ve mapped out the general structure of this floor. Since there’s no downward path from here, there should be one in the opposite direction. I believe we’ve covered half of this floor’s map in one bell’s worth of exploration. There are places we haven’t been, but I can note those on the map later.”
With that, you and your party decide on the best route back, ensuring everyone stays safe and prepared for the next adventure.
“Alright, then we’ll go that way.”
The return route connected as expected to the initial fork. Along the way, I found a slope leading downward. Tomorrow, we’ll explore this lower area.
When we went outside, Sumire had returned and was drinking water with the other horses.
Many of the people here would be staying overnight. They’re working quickly to build fortifications and a small guild outpost. Those heading back are the transporters and their escorting hunters.
On the return trip, I got to ride in an empty wagon, which was quite a relief. Mii-chan was being petted by the ladies from the Azure Dragon’s Roar party.
Back at the guild, I cleaned Sumire and then drew the map of today’s dungeon exploration. Well, drawing it was just a matter of enlarging and tracing the map onto the provided paper.
I prepared two copies of the map: one with nothing written on it as a blank map, and the other with monster names, encounter locations, and unexplored areas color-coded.
“Did you explore all this in just two bells?”
“I didn’t look at the details. The red lines on this paper indicate unexplored areas.”
“How can there be a map of unexplored areas?”
“Because it’s shown by the map skill…”
“Mueller?”
“Neiro-kun is correct. He can see a portion of the surroundings beyond his immediate location. In fact, he found the hidden room.”
“…I see. We’ll have others investigate the red areas tomorrow. And Neiro-kun’s evaluation?”
“Excellent as a mapper. As an explorer, he’s a novice. As a hunter, he’s a trainee. He can definitely meet the standard. The only thing left is experience.”
“Understood. Neiro-kun, from now on, you are officially assigned to special missions.”
“Understood. I accept with gratitude.”
Thus, Mii-chan and I were set to continue dungeon exploration for the foreseeable future.
Let’s do our best, Mii-chan.
“Meow~”