Shape of the 8th Floor
Year 7445, Month 12, Day 21
In order to progress to the end of the year I decided to make from the 19th until the 27th, this 9 day period the last time we enter the dungeon this year, then from the 28th until January 6th of next year those 9 days would be the New Year holiday. And then, this time we entered the dungeon with the full members of the {Slaughterers} different from the past few months. I gave the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} a slightly early and long New Years holiday.
Of course, I said if they want to enter the dungeon during the holiday they're free to do so, I also said they have no need to pay a share to me for that time. However, I told them absolutely not to step foot past the 2nd floor and since they're entering the dungeon under my command they'll have to pay for the entry tax and food expenses on their own money. Also, it's only obvious but I don't intend to loan out my four combat slaves either. After saying that far and honestly speaking I don't think anyone will try to enter the dungeon during the holiday.
Though I say that, I thought someone would complain because their earnings were reduced and had thought up an excuse but no one said any complaints and rather raised cheers of joy. Since I found it a bit strange I tried asking Kamu about it and it seems including her everyone was a bit worn out.
Ever since the party changing test about two months ago, there's some members who have started running here and there so I was smiling over the delightful trend. However, not only does doing that consume quite a bit of stamina but there's also the consecutive battles on the 1st floor of the dungeon. They return to the surface completely exhausted, force the food down and are unable to dink any alcohol, then return to their inn to sleep like the dead. The next morning after waking up they do some running right away and then it's back to combat in the dungeon again.
In regards to income while they aren't obtaining any expensive magic items or precious gems or ores but from the roughly three times a month they entering the dungeon, their income is about 800,000 - 900,000 Z so they didn't have any complaints. Rather it's increased since their time in {Sun.Ray}.
The number of days they're entering the dungeon itself has increased but for the time being it's all day trips and counting in terms of months it's around 20 days. During their time in {Sun.Ray} they entered roughly twice, for a total of around 18 days so it's only increased by just a bit. In regards to the safety of it while they're experiencing consecutive battles where they have almost no time to let their guards down, since there's the reliable leaders dispatched from the {Slaughterers} their feelings are able to relax a bit knowing that there's no worry even if they get a bit injured.
That's the reason and everyone was just thinking about enjoying their own holiday and dedicating it to get some rest.
And then, when he tried to confirm what he learned with Ralpha it was exposed that Ralpha can't sufficiently do fraction calculations either.
Hearing that Miduchi, Toris, Bel, Gwine, and I all laughed out loud but just in case we tried giving Gwine several problems as well and hers was faulty as well. Excluding Gwine the four of us exchanged glances as we turned pale and in a hurry we tried calling Rodrick to confirm everyone.
Up to algebra starting with myself, Miduchi, Toris, Bel, Basutoral, and Rodrick all had no problems but when it got to Trigonometry and Logarithms Miduchi, Bel, and Basutoral dropped out, and at differential and integral calculus Rodrick dropped out. When it got to complex numbers, vectors, and discrete numbers I was the only one remaining. Though I say that since mixing probabilities and prime numbers were a required subject for ciphers that was a bit unfair. In terms of the calculations themselves Toris was overwhelmingly faster than me after all.
I thought that the memories crammed in when you're young weren't so easy to forget but it's been long since Saturday was made into a day off as well. No, it's probably because the cramming method in my case was a bit unique as well. Since it was still barely within the Showa era when I entered Self-Defense university it seems I was made to learn in a unique way. Though I say that it's nothing particularly special. Under the policies of the battalion(in Self-Defense university they called each dorm a battalion) it was just a matter of those who had bad grades starting with sanctions of the fist were made to experience some extremely unreasonable corporal punishment pretty often.
The official stance for it was that since we're receiving a salary in the form of a student allowance paid through taxes studying is our occupation so we're not allowed to slack off even the slightest bit. In order to not cause trouble to the surroundings we had to spend our days desperately studying(putting it honestly and since each room definitely had an upper classmen you shared it with when you took the punishment it occurred as a unit with other people in your room so not only would there be the punishments from others but also from the upper classmen in your room as well). I remember studying together with my classmates in the same room countless times. Thanks to that even though a number of decades have passed I still remember quite a bit.
Putting aside complex numbers and vectors, fractions and decimals are necessary right. Since everyone agree we forced Ralpha and Gwine into the Basutoral class, while it goes against my policy a bit we decided to force them to learn it. Incidentally the individuals themselves were saying, "I can do it! I can properly do it! I just forgot it for a bit!", "I just made a small mistake in the math! It's alright, I can properly do it!" but at the point they couldn't do division between fractions no one was willing to believe them. If I remember correctly you learn it in elementary school right?
Right now, we're in the teleport crystal room on the 7th floor of the dungeon but under teacher Basutoral my three slaves are being taught basic arithmetic at the first year elementary school level. When that ends he'll teach a bit higher arithmetic to Zenom, Ralpha, and Gwine.
"It would have been good if I had you teach me sooner.."
Zenom said that. Ralpha and Gwine were making displeased faces.
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The information that George Rombert the First is said to have left behind (the one about only being able to think it's a number of places overlapping) was denied on the second day. At the same time it was identified that George Rombert the First most likely didn't have a Unique Ability like Gwine's {Mapping} or Ralpha's {Spatial Understanding}.
After we teleported into the 8th floor, it was the same moving through the cave-like passage until there was a split path. However, most of the passages were dead ends and in those dead ends there's a new teleport crystal and pedestal enshrined.
On December 22nd (the first day) we decided not to touch those teleport crystals and just returned the way we came and the entire day ended in teleporting back and forth between the 7th and 8th floors. In the end we came to the conclusion that the 8th floor was a gathering of small areas and we decided to start investigating where the teleport crystals in the dead end passages teleport us.
On December 23rd (the second day), we gathered our resolve and tried grabbing the teleport crystal while chanting the incantation and proceeded to the next area. The place we teleported into was just another cave-like passage the same as the others. And then, ahead of that we discovered another teleport crystal but we weren't surprised. It's because we had already predicted it. Gwine's Unique Ability can only see one area at a time. When we tried teleporting using the same crystal it returned us to the original teleport crystal we came from. Of course the incantation wasn't the same.
However, while we were in the process of repeating teleport countless times Ralpha's Unique Ability leveled up. It's because every time we teleported she had to use {Spatial Understanding} to confirm the direction. When it first leveled up, Ralpha suddenly showed symptoms of confusion.
Previously, I thought Ralpha's Unique Ability would level up pretty soon but it got stupid trying to count it every time so I had left it alone. However, I don't know if her Unique Ability is unique but it seems she noticed the maximum level expanded ability right away.
It seems she even managed to perceive the equipment we were holding. It seems she suddenly felt a variety of mixed items floating in the space near her and her head got mixed up unable to keep up with the processing.
Up until now unless you used the special teleport crystal in the center of the dungeon, there was no moving between floors. The only exception was the teleport pitfall trap that I fell into in the past.
Here the opinion that teleport traps on the 6th floor as well were in fact not actually traps came out as well but since they're fundamentally different from the teleport crystals which only teleport you if you actively chant the incantation, that opinion was rejected.
Also, it seems it's only obvious that the previous teleport crystals are at the very least over 50 meters apart from the teleport destination, so you could say it's only thanks to good luck that Ralpha noticed from one of the very few "short range teleportation" areas.
Starting from December 24th (the third day), in any case we started clearing through the caves, we started to focus only on arriving at new teleport crystals. During the two days up until then all of the areas on the 8th floor we teleported into had been ones Gwine already had mapped so we chose some new teleport crystals. However, when it came to that there were dead ends as well and times when we had no choice but to spend time going back down the passages we just came as well.
In order to avoid that, whenever we came across a new teleport crystal we would immediately start teleporting over and over. While in the process of that we discovered several routes that lead to teleport areas we had been to in the past. If we think about producing a perfect map then we'll have to properly walk all of the distance over again but it's certainly true the amount of distance we traveled increased by quite a bit.
And then today, December 27th (the sixth day) on the last day we were finally able to arrive close to something like a monster room. Tension ran through everyone. Slowly, very slowly, we moved closer to the room. I remembered back to the time we first stepped foot in the dungeon of Baldukk and approached the room with a {Scavenger Crawler} in it.
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【Male/15/11/6924.Troll Race】
【Age: 521 Years Old】
【HP: 722(722) MP: 1(1)】
【Speed: 23】
【Endurance: 37】
【Special Skill: Super.Regeneration Type III】
Things in regards to 【Dark Vision】 are fine. I can somehow guess. I'm sure it can see right now almost as if it was during the day or something like that. However, 【Super.Regeneration Type III】, it says?
【Special Skill: Super.Regeneration Type III; All damage other than burns suffered will be recovered at a rate of 1 HP every 5 seconds. Body tissue that was lost during that process will be replaced as well. Furthermore, the functionality of internal organs that have suffered damage will recover as well. In the case that a portion of the body such as an arm or leg is lost, if the lost portion is nearby it's possible for the wounds to reconnect in about 5 seconds. In the case that the lost portions aren't connected together but regeneration, it will take around 1 day to regenerate 1 liter of the volume of flesh.】
It's long hair is moving almost as if wet from the grease it's covered in.
With long sharp and slightly dropping nose.
There's two large deeply sunk in holes almost as if they look to be open, though whether or not it actually has eyeballs can't be seen for sure.
It has thick and strong looking nails with a black luster on it's large hands and long arms that almost seem unbalanced for it's body size.
It's spine is sticking out almost as if it was a dorsal fin that degenerated.
The only thing it's wearing on it's body is something like a loincloth.
In my past life, it's a completely different existence from the heartwarming creature drawn in the books by Tove.Jansson that I was engrossed with in my childhood.
You could quite literally call it an atrocious monster beyond even that of an ogre.
Two of those were facing each other crouched down biting into the soft stomach of a Giant Mantis.
I heard the sound of somehow hold their breath behind me.