Chapter 174:


    Crab Dungeon, Floor 1


    Today, I''m on a dungeon date with Nina-san. And we''re even wearing matching golden suits, coordinated outfits, you know? How exciting! However, we can''t let our guard down, especially since we''re exploring the Crab Dungeon, a ce we''ve never checked out.


    So, we''ve prepared thoroughly. I''m wearing my enhanced-armored Insect King Suit with a knife set and other gear attached to my belt. I''ve got my Fire Wand strapped to my chest. In my right hand, I''m gripping a Golden Lever of Longinus that I impulsively bought because it looked cool, resembling a weapon from a robot anime with its beautiful metallic blue-purple color.


    Though I affectionately call it the Golden Lever of Longinus in reality, it''s just something I picked up at arge home center. Apart from being sturdy, it doesn''t have any special abilities. So, it''s purely for personal satisfaction.


    On the other hand, Nina-san is in her Bug King Suit Mk2, wielding Excalibar +1 in her right hand and holding a shield with a beautiful emerald green shine in her left hand. Yeah, it''s a new piece of equipment. The shells of giant insects arerge, so I used one side of the folded shell to improvise a makeshift kite shield.


    Nina-san''s suit integrates from her elbows to her hands, so she equips the shield by inserting her arm into the hole at the shield''s back. Thus, when holding the shield, she extends her hand toward the opponent in a gutsy pose.


    "Yeah, that''s nice. Nina-san''s slender figure hides beautifully when you''re half-covered."


    "Hehe, quite an upgrade from the Snoco shield. Light and easy to handle."


    The fitting is perfect, and Nina-san repeatedly tests her movements, deflecting enemy attacks while counterattacking. She''s good at adapting to the opponent''s attacks without initiating the offense herself. Having a shield makes it easier for her to fight.


    Initially, I used a shield too. But I hardly use it anymore. That''s because I often activate skills as if magic emanated from my palms, making it more convenient to have one hand free.


    Therefore, it''s more convenient to have one hand free for skill activation through visualization and maniption of magical energy. However, that makes control a bit tricky. I didn''t want to make any mistakes during battle, so inevitably, I had to remove the shield.


    Also, in my case, I can use [Mucus] as a formidable defensive barrier and create a [Salt Shield] using salt. Plus, with my enhanced arms, I can also use them as shields. So, it''s reasonable that the shield gradually became unnecessary.


    "Well, now that we''re prepared, shall we go?"


    "Yes, let''s depart."


    We pass through the door of the first basement floor of the Refrigerator Dungeon and head towards the Crab Dungeon.


    On the first basement floor of the Refrigerator Dungeon, there''s a dungeonified polyethylene bucket lid ced. So far, there hasn''t been any resonance or fusion between dungeons, allowing it to remain undisturbed.


    The giant crabs that emerged from the polyethylene bucket in the Refrigerator Dungeon don''t seem to be controlled by the dungeon; they wander around, sometimes attacking slimes for food.


    Bundled up in slime, we bypass the giant crabs strutting around the first basement floor. They''re excellent food. So we won''t kill them needlessly; we''ll enjoy themter. They''re as big asrge dogs, so they''re quite a feast. Last time, airsoft gamers were delighted with them.


    Because it''s the Boso Penins, even though spiny lobsters arended, crabs seem to be appreciated more by the admirals.


    "Ah, crabs crawling out of the polyethylene bucket lid seem surreal, don''t they?"


    As we approach the polyethylene bucket lid ced at the end of the passage, a giant crab is crawling out of it.


    "Oh, well, I guess so. You can imagine it as if it was scavenging for garbage, huh?"


    Anyway, what''s inside there?


    ..


    The giant crab that crawled out earlier is lured and led away with imitation smoked meat, preparing to enter the Crab Dungeon.


    "But it''s strange that only crabse out. The other day, the nt Dungeon had aloe and bambooing out, right?"


    "Yeah, you''re right. There must be a reason for that. Besides, it''d be troublesome if suddenly strong monsters crawled out, so we need to investigate thoroughly."


    At first, I left it thinking, "Crabs are delicious! The best!" but upon closer examination, it''s a dangerous situation. We need to confirm the situation inside at least.


    "Okay, I''ll go in first. I''ll call out if safety is confirmed."


    "Yes, be careful."


    "Yeah, Nina-san, stay here."


    With those words, Nina-san moves to a distance.


    It''s important to have a safety margin at times like this. I won''t just plunge into a saturated dungeon like an idiot.


    (Let''s put our hands in and Mucus Wall!)


    I thrust my hand into the polyethylene bucket lid, creating a slimy mucus wall around the entrance.


    With this, any monsters near the entrance should either be pushed away by the mucus or get immobilized under it. Even if there are any mobile monsters, they won''t easily cut through the thick, sticky mucus wall.


    In games, you usually can''t take action until the movement isplete, but in this dungeon, you can act even across space. So, there''s no reason not to take advantage of it.


    (Alright, let''s see what''s inside.)


    I cautiously stick my head into the pitch-ck space and explore the interior.


    Inside, it feels like an undergroundke or something. It''s hard to tell through the mucus, but when I manipte the mucus to form a dome and create a salt window, the smell of the seashore tickles my nose.


    (Hmm, the ground is wet and rocky. And there seems to be a lot of ck stuff. What''s that?)


    In addition to [Mucus], I activate the skill [Salt] and create a salt window to see outside.


    When I carefully pour magic into it, I can produce a uniform molecr structure salt that is transparent like ss.


    "Okay, is that a shell? It''s quite big, and there are so many of them"


    Looking through the salt window I created, I see ck ms densely packed on a rugged, cave-like rocky surface. They have scales that stand up like sword mountains. There''s an extraordinary amount of them blocking the way.


    But since there were no monsters near the dungeon''s entrance, I''ll go outside and call Nina-san for now.


    "Nina-san, there are tons of ms inside."


    "Huh, really? Can Ie in?"


    "For now, the entrance seems safe, soe on in."


    "Wow! You''ve created a huge amount of mucus again here."


    Yeah, I overdid it a bit, hehe. Oh well.


    "Look, you can see outside from that window over there."


    "Hmm, I wonder what it''s like Oh, amazing! They look just like mussels! They seem so delicious!"


    Oh, really?


    Now that she mentions it, they do, don''t they? I''ve never eaten them before, so I only know their name. They''re a popr shellfish in Western cuisine. I guess if I had a girlfriend or something, we might have gone to those fancy Western-style restaurants where you can eat that kind of thing.


    But anyway, Nina-san seems to be extremely excited about the ms.


    This is also unusual. I guess mussels must be incredibly delicious. When ites to shellfish, I''m the type to just order fried oysters at a set meal restaurant.


    "I see, they''re such delicious ms. But now I understand a bit more why only crabse out of this dungeon."


    "If ms like these stuck to the rocks, they won''t move anywhere, right?"


    Yeah, as Nina-san says, the giant mussels are clinging to the rugged rocks. They probably didn''te out from the dungeon because they can''t move.


    "Okay, let''s try defeating one and see."


    "Be careful."


    "Yeah, Nina-san, stay here."


    As I open a door in the mucus dome and step outside, the smell of the seashore bes even stronger.


    Due to my enhanced stats, my senses have be sharper, but to smell it even through a gas mask means it''s quite something.


    As I cautiously approach the giant mussel colony, watching my step on the rugged footing, when I get about four meters closer, sharp des suddenly fly from the giant mussels.


    "Now, how should I handle this Uwah!?"


    [Gyarin! Gya-gya!!]


    I instinctively swing my Golden Lever of Longinus to deflect the flying des, causing orange sparks to scatter. Then, I quickly backstepped to create some distance, finally seeing how the giant mussels had attacked.


    "A shell!? Part of the shell turned into a de!?"


    Indeed, when the edge of the bivalve shell splits like a crescent moon, it swings with what looks like a tongue or tentacle, attacking like a sickle attached to a chain.


    "What kind of attack is that, like something out of a horror movie!?"


    Moreover, that attack could easily fling off a human''s head with one blow. It doesn''t seem like a monster that should being out of the first basement floor.


    "Hmm But since this creature can''t move, it must excel in attack and defense"


    I step back for the time being.


    And the giant mussels, looking frustrated that they couldn''t kill me in one blow, are shaking the shell-made crescent moon.


    "Hmm, I thought that since ms are creatures that evolved with a focus on defense, they''d be passive in attacks, but they''re surprisingly aggressive"


    The monsters on the first basement floor of the Crab Dungeon were ms.


    And they attacked with such force that they didn''t seem like monsters that should be on the first floor. Surprised by this, I couldn''t hide my agitation.