Minus Skill: The Story of Four Nuisances… - Chapter 17- Mummy Graverobber 2

“All things considered, this dungeon is downright different from the others don’t cha think.”

I was storing away the drop item, “Merman’s Tear”(A rare drop from a Merman, a bipedal human-fish hybrid ) when Melina murmured behind me.

“How so?”

“I mean, the monsters that appear are wildly different depending on the layer right? Just a bit higher ago, there were only plant-type monsters yet now there’s only ice and water based ones appearing. You don’t get to hear much about dungeons like this.”

“….I’d have to agree.”

Occasionally, it does happen.

As you go down, monsters with Dark Attributes increase, and dungeons with a wide variety of properties aren’t all that rare.

Just that this place keeps changing too much and it has no known pattern or reasoning behind it so to speak. Frankly, I don’t know a dungeon that’s anything like it.

“Having said that, it’s not like it means that it doesn’t have a gimmick to it. It’s weird.”

“Gimmicks are just rarer in certain dungeons more than others after all but….. I find it curious nevertheless.”

“Hmmmm……..”

Melina tilts her head to the side and hums, mulling things over.

It’s a trivial thought but, having Melina, who was small even when lined up in comparison to Kokoru, saying complex stuff looks like somewhat of a kid acting like an adult, is something I find adorable.

If I said that out loud though, things would definitely get ugly.

And as when I was thinking that–

“Ah, uhmm……Sir Alvin, Miss Melina. Don’t you hear that…?”

“Hm..?”

Kokoru, who was looking around, prompted me to listen carefully.

Putting my ears out, I could hear something.

And what’s more— It’s coming closer.

“It’s there. Something’s coming from behind.”

I go in front of Melina and Kokoru.

There was no place for us to hide, and it’s the vanguard’s job to be a wall for the back line.

—Finally, it appears into view.

Monsters…. A school of Mermen nonetheless.

Scaly, fish-headed humanoids are approaching us enmasse.

Mermen are akin to goblins in that they can sometimes be spotted as swarms but….the number of them here was quite staggering.

It looks like the swarm was chasing a human.

Adventurers to be exact, and judging from the outfit, a thief.

It was a lone, short-statured person running away towards our direction.

I’ll be saying something obvious, but with those numbers, it can’t be dealt with, solo.

And it doesn’t seem like she’s pulling the mobs as a way to lure them to an entrapment point like Melina.

The escaping adventurer notices us over here and opens their eyes wide in surprise.

“Huff, huff,  ah–! Run! Run away!”

“Is it even possible to?”

Unless you’re at least a thief, or a scout, there’s no way to to escape the monster’s aggro from here.

As I unsheathe my sword, runs up in front of me–

“Let me go in first. Kokoru, a buff for the lightning attribute  if you will.”

“O-on it!”

“Heeey,thief! Dodge to the side when I give the signal!”

I could see the figure of the adventurer nod.

Melina proceeded to lower her staff and began chanting.

“Now!”
The thief swerves to the wayside, sticking close to the dungeon wall.

The next moment, numerous flashes of lightning emitted from Melina’s wand, flying in towards the swarm.

Several merman dissipate to dust in one blow along with dropping items and coins

I mutter under my breath at the sight.

“Amazing. With that, it might have been cut down in half,”

It’s a spell that can be used once you get to Level 35, plus, I’m enchanted with Kokoru’s buff. Now then~ I guess we’ll continue on the rest the same way as we’ve done so far.”

“Yeah”

I ready my sword.

“Let’s go, same formation as we’ve done so far.”

We engage the swarm.

The opponents aren’t a big deal. They probably could be defeated without an incident.

The sword is swung, the spells are weaved.

The mermen scatter one after the other leaving drops in its wake.

“………”

While the battle ensued,  I glanced around, the thief’s hands rested on the wall, eyesight locked towards us.