How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 39

Episode 44: Deyar Dungeon (3)

Well, there’s no point in worrying about that now.

I need to handle the rest carefully and solve it.

‘Let’s go.’

I steeled my resolve and stepped into the entrance.

If this is truly the entrance to the dungeon, I must be careful from the moment I step in.

This is the real dungeon from here on out.

* * *

After entering through the hidden entrance and following the path, I gradually felt changes.

Soon, I entered a wider passage.

However, the path would either curve after a short distance or split into multiple paths.

‘Is this a typical maze-type dungeon?’

Dungeon types are quite diverse.

Among them, mazes are common.

A method of confusing intruders by arranging complex multiple paths.

Traps often become ineffective after long periods of time due to aging or malfunction, but mazes rarely lose their effectiveness.

Above all, such a dark maze is a harsher environment than one can imagine.

It’s a simple yet maddening method.

‘I’m a little scared…….’

If I can’t find my way, I’ll die here, and no one will find me.

That is a horrifying end, even to imagine.

But that’s the worst-case scenario, and I’ve made all these preparations to achieve the best outcome.

‘It’s starting to hit me!’

I’ve been feeling stronger since a while ago.

The effect has started to activate since entering the dungeon.

A limited increase in specs.

The effect is quite impressive.

Mainly, my physical specs and mana are benefiting greatly.

Also, I feel like I know the way.

It’s a hunch. A feeling that if I go this way, I’ll be on the right path.

Now, if I rely on this instinct, I’ll reach the correct path.

‘And if it’s a dungeon…… Tsk, here they come!’

At that moment, a chilling sensation pricked my temples.

Without ignoring that feeling, I activated infrared detection.

‘Huh? It’s not being detected?’

However, the instinct enhanced by the Resident of the Maze ability clearly indicates its presence.

There’s something beyond there.

‘A monster? ……What kind of monsters are in this place?’

Sometimes ordinary monsters appear, and sometimes there are monsters unique to the dungeon.

What’s coming?

I drew my weapon and finished preparing to summon a spirit, waiting for those beings to approach.

Soon, their identity was revealed.

-Grawaaaaaaaaah…….

A sound like forcibly twisting and squeezing vocal cords.

Those that make such sounds are limited.

‘Undead!’

The monsters are undead.

The corpses of monsters like goblins, orcs, and kobolds are staggering towards me.

‘Why undead of all things?’

I covered my nose and mouth with a cloth.

Undead are troublesome.

Their foundation is corpses, so the concept of injury that works on ordinary monsters doesn’t apply.

Whether you hit them with a blunt weapon or cut them with a sword, they keep moving as long as there’s a body left to move.

As soon as I confirmed their identity, I put away my sword.

‘Swords won’t work anyway.’

It’s troublesome if the sword gets stuck while swinging it recklessly.

Above all, they’re not easy enough to just stand there and be hit by my sword.

-Grawaaaaaaaaah!

The undead scream and charge at me as soon as they find me.

Agile and violent movements that are hard to believe for corpses.

A reckless abandon possible only for beings that don’t care about pain or self-preservation.

The strength these guys exert is no joke.

Even if their base is the corpse of a goblin, they exert strength beyond their limits.

I probably can’t handle them in a head-on fight.

“Tsk.”

First, to block their charge, I summoned a gnome to manipulate the stones on the floor, making them rise like a wall.

An impromptu stone barricade.

‘Still, it won’t last long…….’

Thud. Bang!

The barricade shakes.

The undead are ramming into it to break it.

They’re just crashing into it.

Also, some seem to be trying to climb over.

‘Undead countermeasures…….’

According to the textbook, the paladins of the church are their natural enemies.

Also, holy water provided by the church is a specific remedy.

But holy water is expensive, and I’m not a paladin.

I have no intention of becoming one.

Still, it’s not like there’s no way to deal with them.

That’s what spiritism is for.

Even if undead are troublesome, they have countless weaknesses.

“Sprite! Salamander!”

I summoned two more spirits.

The two spirits stepped forward as if to shield me, each emitting their energy.

“Burn them!”

Flames and lightning poured over the barricade, sweeping through the undead.

The second textbook undead countermeasure.

That is magic and spiritism!

The principle of the undead is the impure energy that moves them.

Divine power isn’t the only thing that drives it out.

Divine power is just the best natural enemy.

Ordinary mana is enough to repel that energy.

Above all, fire burns their bodies.

Even if some black magic remains, there’s nothing they can do if the muscles of the corpse turn to ash.

-Grawaaaaaaaaah!

The undead writhe, engulfed in flames and lightning.

And one by one, they began to collapse.

They twitch slightly, but they don’t have the strength to get up.

It’s effective.

-Ailan! Above!

At that moment, Sprite shouted a warning.

Another undead appeared above my head.

A bat that must be over 2 meters long.

Was there such a monster?

“Damn it!”

I ducked to avoid the claws of the thing swooping down from above and ordered Sprite to intercept it.

“Hit it and knock it down!”

Electricity branched out from Sprite’s thorns and surged upwards.

That bat’s mobility is unusual, but it can’t avoid lightning.

The electrocuted bat fell and crashed to the ground.

It doesn’t burn like fire, but electricity paralyzes or malfunctions the muscles of the undead’s body.

The suppression effect is significant.

Immediately, Salamander’s fireball flew in and burned the bat.

‘Undead are…… Tsk, are they still coming?’

If I stay still like this, I’m likely to be surrounded by undead.

It would be foolish to calmly deal with them.

I half-ignored the undead writhing in flames and ran.

Thus, I advanced without hesitation into the depths of the dungeon.

The hardship is just beginning.

* * *

It felt like about a week had passed since entering the dungeon.

For now, I’m barely maintaining my sense of time by relying on the time I feel hungry, the interval of food consumption, and my habit of feeling fatigue.

‘Dungeon…… It’s tough…….’

I expected it to be harsh, but as the days passed, I understood it more and more.

Most of the monsters are undead, so dealing with them isn’t difficult.

I’m not annihilating the undead, just avoiding them, so it’s easy if I deal with them calmly.

‘Undead don’t give points even if you hunt them anyway.’

I tried defeating a suitable individual as a test, but there was no change.

Perhaps it’s because this place is sealed off, so it’s an area unrelated to the influence of the original work [the original story or game the character is from].

Occasionally, there are powerful undead, but I’ve been able to come down here smoothly so far because I’ve identified and avoided them with my instincts.

Clearly, my dungeon攻略 [dungeon conquering] speed is considerable.

If I had challenged this place normally, it would have taken more than a month to get to where I am now.

It’s only possible because I’m going the exact right way.

Nevertheless, a sigh escapes my lips.

‘Undead, undead, undead…… I want to see some ordinary monsters.’

I’ve gotten so used to them that the undead now seem cute to me.

The exposed bones and rotting appearance don’t bother me anymore.

But I don’t want to keep seeing them.

I’m tired of it.

I mean, I wake up and start walking, and undead appear, and after defeating the undead, I avoid the ones that keep coming…….

I wake up in the morning and it’s undead! I eat and it’s undead! Before I go to bed, it’s undead!

Hello! Undead!

‘……Why am I filming a zombie movie here?’

I think I know how the characters who run away from the zombie horde feel.

I hate undead…… I hate zombies…….

If even an ordinary goblin popped out, I might want to hit it out of cuteness.

I’d bully it like crazy if I saw one. Tsk.

‘Anyway, it’s about time I saw the end, right?’

I have reasons.

First, the energy emitted by the undead is gradually becoming stronger.

Due to the structure of the dungeon, it’s natural to encounter dangerous things as you go deeper.

And the second reason.

‘And the time when Galden returned from the original work…….’

Galden returned around the middle of Volume 3.

The interval from the middle of Volume 2 to the middle of Volume 3 is about a month.

That means he didn’t spend more than a month here.

It’s unclear how he 攻略ed [conquered] it, but he couldn’t have been faster than I am now.

The end should be in sight.

‘……Should I keep going for now?’

It’s not easy, but it’s not like I don’t have 余裕 [room to spare/margin].

I still have plenty of food and enough water.

Thanks to my abilities, I’ve adapted, so I can easily regain strength if I rest.

I kept moving forward.

Above all, that’s the only way now.

Once you enter the dungeon, you either keep going or you die.

There are only two possible outcomes.

It’s all or nothing.

* * *

Apparently, my calculations were correct, as changes were gradually appearing.

Mainly changes felt from the undead I encountered.

“Oh…… Hey there, Mr. Undead? You’re quite tall, aren’t you?”

I felt like the back of my neck was stiffening as I looked up and twitched my lips.

The undead I encountered this time is different from the ones I’ve seen so far.

Thud!

The dungeon interior seems to shake just from the sound of it taking a step.

It’s an undead that’s a whopping 4 meters tall.

Judging from that ugly shape, isn’t it a type of troll monster?

However, it’s bigger and stronger than the troll I witnessed in the first subjugation battle.

Even though it’s a corpse, I can’t help but imagine how strong this guy was when he was alive.

‘A strong undead…… Does that mean they don’t want me to let it inside?’

There are two main principles behind the creation of undead.

One is that a black magician directly creates undead.

And the other is natural occurrence.

Black magic doesn’t only occur from black magicians.

Even if it’s corrupt, it’s still part of nature.

‘If the black magic that creates this level of undead…… is densely generated throughout the dungeon…….’

It’s only natural that the undead that are created under the influence become stronger as you go deeper into the core where the concentration is high.

In that sense, the appearance of a powerful undead isn’t a bad sign.

-Krawaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

At that moment, the troll undead screamed as if to interrupt my thoughts.

‘Let’s shut that guy up first.’

I summoned Salamander to spew a fireball.

The fireball was released and hit the guy’s torso, and flames spread.

“……Tsk.”

However, I clicked my tongue and backed away.

The troll undead’s outstretched arm covered the spot where I was and crushed the floor.

It’s fine for something that’s on fire.

‘Because of its size, my spirit power can’t offset the black magic…….’

The larger the volume, the higher and more concentrated the black magic that resides within.

It doesn’t seem to be completely ineffective, so it’s not impossible to defeat it.

But I’d probably have to pour quite a bit of my power into it.

‘It’s not efficient…….’

There’s no reason to go to such lengths to get rid of that guy.

Unless it’s necessary to advance through the dungeon.

But the path that the undead is blocking is wide open.

Also, it’s obvious that it won’t give me any points even if I defeat it…….

‘Should I ignore it and go?’

If there’s no need to defeat it, escaping somehow is also a method!

Having made up my mind, I immediately switched the spirit to a gnome.

“Tie up that bastard’s feet!”

Immediately, the gnome’s feet sank slightly into the quicksand that the gnome created on the spot.

“And give him a punch.”

At the same time, a rock pillar the size of my torso rose from the ground and struck the guy’s jaw.