Dungeon Sherpa

　――Dungeon Oasis. 

　That is, a place of recuperation for Adventurers. 

　Since monsters loathe water, they are unlikely to approach, and a precious supply of drinkable water can be secured. 

　Depending on the location, herbs that can function as raw materials for potions may also cluster, and if you collect them to the surface, there’s a possibility of making huge profits. 

　There are only all sorts of good things about these Oases; their only drawback is that you might feel reluctant to leave.  

　They are peaceful places not only for Adventurers, but also for Sherpas… or so that was supposed to be the case. 

　In the Dungeon Oasis on the 24th floor, Rowe sat cross-legged, wrapped in an indescribable air of tension. 

　The space next to him was quietly occupied by a medium-sized monster. 

　The head of a lion, the body of a goat, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a snake. 

　Chimera. 

　It was his first time being so close to a monster such that he was able stare at it in observation.

　While squinting his eyes, he gently extended his hand.

　The lion’s mane. It was stiff. 

　The tip of the nose was the same as a cat. Except it was about 50 times bigger. 

　When he forced its closed mouth open, a fang longer than an index finger popped out.  

　And in the eyes of this monster – there was no light.

　They were like two holes staring blankly into a void. 

　He was about to try touching its fan-shaped ears, when suddenly, the monster’s body twitched. 

“–Uwaa”

　The shocked Rowe drew back, and Yuika who saw this laughed. 

“I forgot to mention this, but I can’t stop reflexes.”

　This Chimera was obeying Yuika’s command to “not move”. 

　Rather than a new companion, it was more accurate to call it her loyal servant. 

“Now then, we can still carry on for today.”

　After a short rest, they departed from the Dungeon Oasis. 

　The Chimera took the lead. It was a monster that typically resided around the 35th floor. The monsters that they came across in the rooms either escaped, or were crushed between its teeth.

“–Vurgaa!”

　The snake tail rose upwards, and started to draw a complicated magic formation in the air. Surrounding the tail, a pale mesh of light floated for a moment before bursting. 

　Disorienting dazzling flashes and roars erupted. 

　Electric-type attack magic – “Lightning Net”.

　In the next moment, nearly 10 Obsidian Wolves slammed into the ground. 

　As expected, they didn’t die in a single blow; their limbs were twitching and convulsing. 

　Yuika casually walked towards the Obsidian Wolves and stabbed her estoc into their heads. 

“[Phantasmagoric Needle].”

　The Obsidian Wolves didn’t show any immediate changes, but Yuika continued the same procedure on the other monsters, and finished by using her fingertips to draw a magic formation. 

“’Dark Bed’.”

　It was the rarely possessed dark-type magic. 

　The oval magic formation divided and stuck onto the Obsidian Wolves before popping. 

　Eventually… the monsters started to slowly get up. 

　Eyes like two holes staring blankly into a void. 

　Their ferociousness had subsided, they didn’t move meaninglessly, and it felt like they only existed for the sake of existing. 

“Alright, everyone assemble.”

　To Yuika’s command, the Obsidian Wolves, and for some reason even the Chimera gathered. 

“Starting from you, ‘Black One’, ‘Black Two’, ‘Black Three’…”

　Yuika gave the Obsidian Wolves sloppy names.

　The Chimera had already been quickly named “Cat”. 

　What’s up with your naming sense, Rowe thought, but he wasn’t in a situation where he could open his mouth to make a joke.

　There were 9 Obsidian Wolves. Adding the Chimera, the group of 10 monsters became loyal soldiers of “Twilight’s Sword”. 

　This was the Gift given to the “Spirit Messenger” Yuika. 

　Penetrate monsters’ cores to dominate them. 

　The Floor Boss of the 23rd floor, the Chimera, was also weakened by Berii and Nuuk, before Yuika landed the final blow with [Phantasmagoric Needle] into its core. 

　Rowe had been astounded at this power that could make even a Floor Boss easily submit. 

“Cut through.”

　The Chimera, acting as the leader of the Obsidian Wolf herd, became the party’s vanguard 

　After traversing several passageways and entering a room, what awaited them were praying mantis-like monsters half the size of a human – a horde of Sickle Lantern Rumantises.  

　Their name came from their large oval eyes that emitted an eerie red light. 

“’Black One’ to ‘Black Nine’, charge.”

　Monsters were attacking monsters. 

　There was nothing in this battle that could be considered sophisticated.

　Fang against sickle.

　Each side was using their strongest weapon against each other. 

　It was a gruesome sight that couldn’t be described as anything other than a painting of hell. 

　They were monsters that both belonged to pretty much the same floors, and their abilities were equally matched. 

　It was up to the whims of fortune that would decide the victor – or not, since there was Yuika’s magic. 

“Dark Bed’.”

　The stalemated battle situation completely changed. After regaining their strength from being healed by long distance magic, the herd of Obsidian Wolves overran the horde of Rumantises. 

　They managed to obtain a rare drop, a single sickle that remained. 

　Although as a weapon it was not very practical, it could be immediately used as a top grade sickle for cutting grass. 

　The labyrinth exploration increased its pace.

　After exceeding the 30th floor, as expected, it became tough for the Obsidian Wolves. Yuika didn’t use her recovery magic, instead as a replacement, she ‘consumed’ her Obsidian Wolves to dominate a bear-like monster known as a Blood Bear.

　In this way, the monster platoon was continuously changed, allowing them to oppose monsters in the lower layers. 

　In the Dungeon Oasis on the 32nd floor, they stopped for the night and ended the day’s exploration. 

　In the following days, Rowe would start to get busier. 

　”Twilight’s Sword” was a standard party, so the number of monsters they needed to defeat was orders of magnitude higher; you could say it was almost the same as the average expedition’s worth. Despite this, there was only one Sherpa. The collection of monster cores and drop items placed a great burden on Rowe, but with the gift of [Stamina Recovery] he was able to calmly perform his role effectively. 

　And then, the 43rd floor. On the lowest floor with a currently known Dungeon Oasis, they ended the second day of exploration.  

　In just two days, they had managed to break through 30 floors. 

“…It’s a number that sounds like a joke.”

　Normally, this was a journey that would take 10 days.

　Rowe’s face looked more shocked than surprised as he cut some homemade smoked meat and sandwiched them in bread. He turned fruits and vegetables into a salad, and added homemade salad dressing. 

“No, this kind of smooth-sailing progress during labyrinth exploration is also a first for us. Two days, thirty floors, is ‘Twilight’s Sword’s’ best record.”

　Yuika spoke in an upbeat mood, but as expected, her expression betrayed her exhaustion. 

　Physically, she was more or less unscathed, but along the way she had consumed two mana potions. 

　The total number of monsters she controlled would have probably exceeded 50. 

　After entering floors below the 40th layers, humanoid monsters started to appear. A large proportion of them were also equipped with weapons and armour that were thought to be crafted by Dark Smiths. Humanoid monsters were more intelligent, occasionally forming their own parties, and attacked Adventurers in an organized manner. 

　From these monsters, Yuika was currently controlling about 15, with Skeleton Soldiers and Orcs as the core force,

　Among them, the one that boasted the most imposing appearance was definitely the Floor Boss of the 40th floor, the Minotaur. 

　An enormous battleaxe with an elaborate design was stabbed into the ground; the Minotaur stood on alert with its gnarled hands placed on the battleaxe handle. 

　Rowe distributed bread, salad, and soup that had been simmered in a simple stove to everyone. Making meals for the party was also an important job for the Sherpa. 

“To think that we would be able to have salad in the deep layers.”

　Nuuk, expressionless as usual, stabbed his fork into the leafy vegetables.

　Magikan also agreed. Within the party, this Sage was the one who consumed the most food. He had used nothing but support magic, and the one who in every single way did the least work, but he didn’t seem ashamed at all. 

“Ho, however, this smoked meat is delicious.”

“–chi”　

　After taking a bite of the bread sandwiched with smoked meat, Berii clicked her tongue.

　She had probably planned to complain about the taste of the meal. However, Rowe’s specially made smoked meat was something that the other Adventurers could recognize as excellent, and being able to eat fresh vegetables in the depths of the labyrinth was in a sense, more precious than mana potions. 

　There was no way she could complain about this.

　After finishing the meal, they began to work on absorbing the monster cores. 

　The monster cores obtainable from the 30th to 40th floors were about the size of walnut. Their colour was a darkish purple. They numbered slightly fewer than 100. Taking into consideration their sizes too when trying to split them into four equal portions, they would then be [Accepting] each one. 

　This is the first Gift bestowed on all Adventurers.

　If you give a strong impact to the monster core, for some reason it explodes, so it cannot be processed like a jewel. It also doesn’t have a nice colour, so it doesn’t have much ornamental value. It is only valuable to Adventurers, who through [Accepting] can take into their bodies, the experience points contained in the monster cores. 

　Since [Accepting] the monster cores took a fair bit of time, Rowe decided to rest first.

　Some of the monsters that Yuika controlled with her Gift could be used to perform simple tasks, and it seemed she had commanded them to serve the role of sentries. 

“The monsters on the first day were lacking, but humanoid monsters generally possess intelligence. The Minotaur is also here, so please sleep peacefully.”

　Ordered to fight off any monsters that approached, Yuika stationed each and every single one of her controlled monster in the passageway leading into the Dungeon Oasis. 

　I wonder what feelings the Minotaur has about being made to stay awake.

　Rowe imagined the Minotaur waving and swinging its bristly-haired hands around, before letting out a sigh as he tried to drive away that terrible thought from his mind.