I think itâs time for you to realize
As I looked away, I looked around me.
The atmosphere is not very different from where we were.
A desolate air flowed, it was a floor as if we were in a real cemetery.
ăLucas, are you okay?ă
A message for thoughts came from Aria.
The range in which we can communicate is approximately 500 meters.
ăâYes, Iâm OK. But, I donât know where I am ă
That means we didnât get teleported too far.
ăWait a minute⊠.. somehow, I feel like I know where you areă
ăUmu. By having the replica-venus, you can perceive each other to an extent ă
ă⊠..Itâs just a speculation, but it seems like youâre on the same flooră
Those who are caught by a transfer trap are randomly transported.
There are cases in which they are sent to another floor, but apparently we are on the same floor.
ăIt would be better if we didnât move from hereă
ăâThatâs true. I will link up to both of you, so wait there ă
ăâUnderstood. Be carefulâă
When entering a dungeon, it is an iron rule to move forward while taking the current location on a map so as not to get lost.
Naturally, we advance on a route using a map provided by the school to get to this floor.
However, the transfer trap suddenly sent us somewhere else, and I donât know where our current location is.
So itâs better to wait for Aria than to move blindly.
[âŠ..Iâm sorry, itâs my fault]
Feeling responsible for what had happened, Cruxie deeply apologizes.
[Donât get depressed. Maybe we can meet up very soon]
[But âŠâŠ Aria-san who was left alone will she be alright⊠..?]
[I donât think you should worry]
Zombies are weak against fire so naturally they stood no chance against Aria.
[⊠..You really believe in Aria-san huh⊠..]
If we could not communicate by thoughts, I would be more concerned.
ăâIâm good. I just defeated two zombies ă
However, since I can confirm her safety in this way, the concern is greatly alleviated.
ăAre you alright over there?ă
ăJust the fact that Cruxie is depressed. At the moment no monsters have appeared ă
Fortunately there are no presence of monster around.
[Hey⊠..well, Iâve been wondering that for a while⊠..]
Unexpectedly a nervous voice came from Cruxie.
[Y-you two⊠..umm⊠.. are you dating?]
Why are you asking so suddenly?
I guess itâs okay if I can distract him a bit.
There is no need to be careless, but there is nothing to do until Aria arrives.
Although perhaps somewhat lightly.
[For an old man like me to date a girl as young as her, itâs strange isnât it?]
[I-I donât think so. Because âŠâŠ well âŠâŠ L-Lucas-kun, youâre great⊠..]
[Hey? Did you say something?]
[I-Itâs nothing! âŠâŠâŠ.is nothing]
He seems somewhat disappointed.
[âŠâŠ Could it be that you were attracted to Aria?]
[Y-Youâre wrong! I-Itâs not that⊠..uhh⊠..]
Cruxie hastily denies it, but is suspicious.
Is it possible that he really have feelings for Aria⊠..?
Aria is a beautiful girl that you do not meet often outside, it would not be strange if you fell in love with her.
[Well, Iâm not the one to deny your feelings. I donât care at all]
[I-I already told you youâre wrong!]
Cruxie strongly denied it again, and looked down.
It seems like he was attracted to Aria after all.
By thinking about that, you can explain the awkward situations that occurred from time to time.
ăUmu. As usual that intuition you have is not reliable at all ă
What are you talking about?
ăI think itâs time for you to realize⊠..ă
So, it was at that moment⊠..
When I thought that something had crossed my field of vision from top to bottom, a sound of water was heard from my feet.
Drops of water? When we looked up, we saw a strange mass stuck to the ceiling of the dungeon.
[Uwaa, what is that !? That nasty!]
Immediately after, it began to fall.
And next to a somewhat awkward sound he landed on the ground.
It was a large slime about two meters long.
Slimes are known to be the weakest monsters, but they are usually the size of a small child.
It is the first time I have seen one of that large size.
[But itâs still a slime after all, isnât it? Haaa!]
Although it looks somewhat creepy, itâs not scary like an undead monster.
Cruxie struck the slime figure with great spirit.
[Huh !? It didnât work !?]
However, it is a slime with high resistance to physical attacks.
Despite being hit by Cruxie, it absorbed the impact.
Then tentacles stretched out onto Cruxieâs arm, dragging him away.
I ran hurriedly, but it was too late.
Before I managed to grab his hand, he was completely swallowed into the slimeâs body.