Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 259
Defense Specialization and the Valley
Kasumi rested for a while until her body returned to normal. Then she went to the 4th layer in order to make a report of her success.
"Huh… How impressive. Very well. Very well. I will tell you the rest. It happened in a faraway valley… I don't know how long I searched in order to see if the rumors were true… But before I knew it, there was fog everywhere. And then I saw two red lights inside of it."
The frog said this much before closing his mouth.
"What?"
Kasumi couldn't help but ask. But the frog just laughed quietly and then continued in a very different tone.
"Hehe. I don't remember anything else. Before I knew it, I was running away and then found myself at home."
Upon hearing this, Kasumi's shoulders drooped in disappointment. It was then that he offered her a piece of paper.
It was a simple map. And there was a red 'X' on it that seemed to be her destination.
"If you must, you can go and confirm it for yourself. However, don't blame me if you die."
The frog said this and then returned to his drink.
This time, Kasumi was sure that she would get no more information out of him. And so she started to look at the map in order to find her next destination.
"Where…is this? …Mountains…forests…and a spring? So, if this mark is the valley…"
Kasumi had the maps of each layer displayed and then compared them to the simple map.
And then she found a location that matched it perfectly.
"…The valley in the 7th layer!"
However, Kasumi had been there before. And there hadn't been any monsters that offered a lot of experience, or note-worthy monsters that she could tame. And so she had stopped exploring it and left.
"Maybe a flag has been raised now."
Things were finally getting started. Kasumi braced herself to return to the frontline, which was the 7th layer.
As the quest ended on the 7th layer, she had very high expectations.
And her expectations beat out her fatigue, and Kasumi raced towards the valley on her map immediately.
"…It seems to be the same?"
The valley was deep and wide. There was also a great forest at the bottom. However, everything looked the same as the last time that Kasumi had come here. There was no thick fog. It was clear and she was able to see all of the trees.
"Well, I have to go down and see."
So saying, Kasumi went down the cliff on light feet. She was able to reach the base without any trouble.
"There are still no monsters here…"
It was almost eerily quiet. Not only could she not sense the presence of any monsters, but she couldn't even hear the chirping of birds or the rustling of leaves.
"I guess I should keep searching…"
While the map that the frog had given her told her that the valley was her destination. It didn't tell her where in the valley to go.
And so with the information she currently had, she had no choice but to slowly comb through the forest.
"I hope that something has changed."
No message had been displayed to indicate that the quest had been complete, and so there must be something left. However, she was unable to find anything as she walked through the forest. And only the time seemed to pass.
No matter where she looked, the deep forest continued on. And she was still the only one in it.
"…Did I come to the wrong place? Did I miss something…?"
Kasumi continued to search for some time after that, but in spite of her expectations, nothing changed.
"mm… Maybe I should just call it a day… Huh?"
It was just as she closed her eyes with a feeling of defeat. She had looked down for a second and then looked up again in order to log out. But when she did, she saw that the forest was suddenly covered in a thick mist.
"What…good! …!?"
Her happiness did not last for long. Kasumi immediately sensed overwhelming bloodlust coming from behind. Her hand went to her sword and she spun around.
The fog was so thick that you couldn't even see one step ahead of you. And it was in this fog that two red lights glowed.
"I can't move! Paralysis!?"
The lights were coming closer to her. However, Kasumi's body would not move.
And then, Kasumi understood what the lights were. They weren't just ordinary lights. They were eyes.
Two glowing red eyes. The slithering echoed in the silent forest. The white scales looked like they were part of the thick fog.
A snake that was much larger than Kasumi opened its mouth. And that was the last thing that she saw.
She closed her eyes with resignation. She waited for a little and then opened them again. As she expected, she was back in the town of the 7th layer.
"…So, it really was a snake. Now, what should I do?"
It wasn't fear. She knew for certain it was a status attack that had robbed her of movement. However, there was nothing about it in her log.
"It wasn't paralysis? So I can't do anything about it? How can I test it then…"
Kasumi's expression darkened. Not only were the conditions to meet it vague, but she would also have to return every time that she failed.
It was clearly going to be a very difficult challenge.
"But…a white snake, huh…? I see. Yes. Good."
Her expression brightened then. Kasumi nodded with a big smile that suggested she had found something very good.