Sōzoku Shita Sofu no Ie no Urayama ni Danjon ga Dekimashita - Chapter 149

Chapter: Exploring the Dungeon’s Ninth Floor

We continued our exploration of the dungeon’s ninth floor.
Kuro-mitsu soared ahead, following closely behind the guiding spirits.

It felt like we had been flying for ages.

I held Snow in my arms, idly stroking her soft fur as we traveled.
Fluffy time was the best way to kill time, after all.

Still… this dungeon was massive.
Just what kind of structure was this place?

There were no pillars to hold up the ceiling, no clear sense of direction—just vast, seamless stone that seemed to defy logic.
Truly, a world filled with mysteries.

Eventually, the spirits began to descend. It seemed we’d finally reached our destination.

Kuro-mitsu lowered her altitude and landed softly upon the cold stone ground.

I hopped down from her back and immediately summoned the knights who had been waiting in stasis. They might’ve been getting restless by now.

With a swirl of light, the knights emerged from the summoning circle and knelt before me in unison.

Hand in hand, Misuzu and I followed after the spirits as they guided us deeper into the cavern.

Soon, we came to what looked like a sheer rock wall.

The spirits pointed toward a narrow crevice—so tight that we’d have to crawl on all fours to get through.

Yeah… there was no way the knights could fit through that, not with those bulky suits of armor.

“I’ll have you stay here and hold position,” I instructed them.

After issuing the command, Bach went first, followed by me, then Misuzu as we crawled into the narrow gap.

Once we squeezed through, the passage opened up into a wide space.

When I lifted my gaze, I realized we were inside something like a limestone cavern.
From the ceiling hung countless stone icicles, dripping with water that pattered softly onto the floor.

The ceiling was low—we couldn’t even stand upright.

Yeah, summoning the knights here was definitely out of the question.

As I was thinking that, Misuzu crawled in behind us, and the three of us continued forward, trailing after the spirits on hands and knees—crawling like infants across the cold stone.

After a while, the cramped tunnel opened into a narrow trench—no, more like a corridor—just wide enough for a single person to pass through.

But there was one major problem…

The passage was completely flooded.

Crystal-clear water filled it to the brim, reflecting the faint blue glow of our light orbs.

I reached out and dipped my fingers into the water—
“Cold!” I gasped. It was icy enough to sting.

“This water… it’s mana-infused,” Bach observed calmly.

“Mana water?” I asked.

“Yes. Water saturated with magical energy. It’s often used in alchemy,” he explained. “Alchemists from other realms would pay handsomely for this. May I take a bit?”

Misuzu nodded. “Permission granted.”

With that, Bach reached into his subspace, pulled out a large barrel, filled it with the shimmering water, and sealed it away again.

Now then… how were we supposed to get across this?

The gap between the water’s surface and the ceiling was barely enough for three heads stacked high.
It didn’t look too deep, so breathing wouldn’t be an issue, but—

Our gear had automatic temperature adjustment, yet if water seeped through the seams, that icy chill would still get us.

Yeah, no thanks.
I’d really rather not wade through freezing water if I could help it.

“Misuzu, what do you think?” I asked, shivering just at the thought.
“I’d rather not go swimming in something that cold…”

“Mm… same,” she muttered, frowning in thought.

Then Snow barked sharply—“Woof! Woof!”—and met Misuzu’s gaze.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, then Misuzu said, “Bach, do you have any rope?”

“Yes, of course,” he replied, reaching into his dimensional pocket and pulling one out.

At that, Snow padded toward the water and dipped a paw into it.

Huh? I could feel magic radiating from her paw.

My Mana Detection skill—one I’d gained with my Hero job—reacted immediately.

Then the surface of the water began to freeze—starting from the near edge and spreading rapidly forward, a clear sheet of ice forming across the corridor.

Snow turned toward Lupinus and barked again.

Lupinus nodded and cast a spell of her own, coating the surface with a smooth, glossy layer of frost.

Snow took the rope’s end gently in her mouth.

“Takaya, grab on!” Misuzu called out.

“Right!”

I gripped the rope firmly.

Still holding it between her teeth, Snow began to move forward, her claws biting into the ice for traction.

Slowly, steadily, she pulled us along.

Flat on our stomachs, gripping the rope, Misuzu and I slid across the frozen path as Snow towed us through the narrow corridor of glimmering ice.

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