The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter

In the southeast direction from the city, there are ruins. Long time ago, there was a famous church.

However, as nowadays no one goes there, presently it is in the state of abandonment.

On the opposite side of the big church, there was a cemetery, and that is where we went to. Right before our eyes there were eight monsters with pumpkin faces, who were wearing black hats and covered by worn-out robes.

Their faces were formed by hollowed out holes in the shape of nose and mouth, and the orange-colored insides of their heads there visible from different angles through the holes.

Their hands resembled those of humans. However, they had a withered appearance, befitting the image of cemetery monsters.

This time it is a request to beat them and deliver their hands.

And… let’s use 【Appraisal】 this once.

Name: Jack Lantern
Level: 39
Skills:
【Depression Gun C】

This skill is divided into C-S grades.
The exact border of distinction of what kind of where one grade ends and another one begins, is not fully understood by the scholars.

But whatever.
The question now is how strong they are.

C-rank is considered the weakest.
However this time it is the 【Depression Gun】 skill that looks very suspicious.

「Noir-dono, let’s decide how we are going to fight them now」

「Sure thing.」

「Everyone, let’s do our best !」

Because there are as many as eight enemies there, we decided our roles in the upcoming battle.

Still, the movements of those Jack Lanterns are sluggish.

That being the case, despite their numbers, they are the enemies which can be easily coped with.

*ka-whoosh*

I fired a stone projectile with a diameter of 50 centimeters.

Cutting through the wind, it flew straight into its head, piercing the pumpkin face of the Jack Lantern.

As one would expect, if you lose your head, you would fall.

「Eh …, after all his weak spot is his head」

Once you know that its head is its head, the story is short.

And then it happened, all at once, – what is that sudden sound?

A gray-colored light was released from the side, and a sphere-shaped object came flying.

I immediately used Back Step to move aside just before it to get out of its way.

Was that a 【Depression Gun】?

The scariest thing is that it was released without any previous signs of movement.

I launched my counterattack using Stone Projectiles.

But Jack Lantern just squatted upon that.

Yikes, the learning ability of that fellow is impressive.

It can’t be helped then. I’m going to take care of the problem with my sword then. As the opponent’s responses are slow, I quickly approached and made a horizontal slash with my sword. And then beautifully sliced his pumpkin head!

「Gyo ……..」

With a short shriek the body of the second monster sunk towards the ground.

Yeah, this sword cuts pretty well.

Name: “Double-edged Sword”
Rank: A
Skills:
【Strong Edge】 【Good Luck】
This is the sword I’m using.

As it possess inherent【Strong Edge】 skill, it’s sharpness is pleasantly improved.

「Gyoo-ah」

「You are way too monotonous to hit me」

Because the third opponent attacked with the same pattern, which was already known, with no or little change, I cut it down in the same way.

Even though magic is good, cutting monsters with a sword feels refreshing. Such act is absolutely good for releasing the stress.

Well, the next thing now is to confirm the situation of the other two members of my party.

First of all, Luna-san, but, as expected of her, there are no faults.

*shot*, *shot*, *shot* – fast Energy Shot attacks were released from her magic gun.

The other party couldn’t even react.

All three bodies were hit.

The orange-colored bullets destroyed the heads of the Lantern monsters, and the insides of the same color flew in all directions.

Luna-san has a 【Fainting】 weakness, which activates once she use too much magic.

However, it looked like she was properly saving her magic force.

「As expected.」

「Same here. And it seems like Emma-dono would finish soon as well.」

「It looks like that」

H – a – a – a ―― with a cutting scream Emma’s dagger sharply shredded the remaining bodies of the monsters into pieces.

As Emma is a wind magic user, she shines when it comes to near and medium distance fighting.

I’m also of a similar type.

Luna, on other hand, is a gunner, who excels at medium and long distance fights.

As all eight monsters were defeated, the three people made a high five.

「But you know, – I’m still the last one on the list… Only two enemies… 」

「Don’t worry about it. It is not a competition in speed.」

「I’m still clearly weaker than Noir and Luna-san」

「If that’s the case, should I reserve some LP for Emma to 【Grant】 her a befitting skill ?」

If it is a Wind system, befitting Emma’s specialization one, the amount of LPs required to 【Grant】a skill may be not too high.

「It’s no good if I’m only on the receiving side. I will do my best for Noir to accumulate LP, yep! Is there something that I could do?」

「I’m also in it.」

Both of them offered their assistance. I’m happy about it, but what should I do?

I wonder if I should ask 【Great Sage】 about it.

But if I use that skill too much, I’m going to get a headache.

「Somehow, I have some ideas about it, … however … What about a double hug?」

「How would you do that?」

「I think … that if I’m sandwiched between two people from the front and from the back, that would be it?」

「Good, let’s do it then!」

「As for me, it looks quite embarrassing, after all.」

「So, so it is … then, after all, let’s not … 」

「Let’s do our utmost!」

So, we going to do it?!
Un, should I feel thankful?

That being the case, both of them approached to hug me from the front and rear.

「How it is, Noir?」

「Do you think that, … that kind of thing is good?」

「Ah, aww, great, it feels so good ……. 」

It’s fluffy, it’s warm
…
Besides, the smell of them both was so good, and my head went dizzy.

It felt, felt like I became a sandwiching tool!

As I confirmed the LP coming along with such a joyful feeling, they increased by 300 points.

「Thank you, Emma, Luna-san. I definitely received enough LP … Emma, be careful?!」

「Eh?」

Behind Emma, there was a Lantern monster joining the battle, which somehow survived, – perhaps it was hidden behind a tombstone.

The 【Depression Gun】 fired and landed a direct hit on Emma’s back.

「Kya aaaa …… !」

「That, that monster !」

Luna-san moved without a moment delay.

Energy Shot went through the face of the Lantern monster.

We became vigilant of our surroundings, but it looked like there were no more monsters left.

「Emma? Are you all right?」

「……………………………. I want to die」

「Eh? You want to die?」

Emma was sitting on the ground with a sunken expression, while writing letting on the soil with her finger.

About how painful the life is …

「It is most likely caused by her earlier receiving a hit from the skill of that Lantern monster.」

「Seems so. It was probably that skill with a malicious-looking name.」

「…… Ah … a .. To be alive is a bad thing … Maybe I should die …」

「Wait ! Emma, return your sanity.」

Luna-san and me hurried to restrain Emma’s body. It was just it time to prevent Emma from stabbing her throat with a dagger.

「Please, let me go. There is no hope left in this world.」

「That is not true. The world is filled with a light. It is absolutely good. There are so many things, which make you feel good.」

「For example? Try it. Try to make me feel better.」

「Then, I’m going to caress your head now. There, there.」

Don’t make a fool out of me!
I was worried that she would get angry, but there was no such thing.

Her eyes narrowed, with a splendid feeling reflected on her face. She looked just like a cat.

「Really … I feel a little happier … Ah, but it can’t continue like that for the whole life. I want to die, after all.」

「*gulp* What a powerful force!」

「It affects Emma-dono even more than somebody else. Adolescent girls become mentally unstable easily.」

「What are we going to do?」

「Apparently, given enough time, it will be cured eventually. Though I think it would be better to heal her with magic in the guild or have her take medicine.」

「What kind of magic would be effective?」

「In this case, it would be Abnormal State Recovery.」

I immediately inquired about it using Creation skill.

It is of a C-S grades ranked type.

Together the LP received for the recent occasion, in the morning from Emma, at my house, from the cooperation with the teacher, right now it it at over one thousand.

The requirement for B grade or higher is quite tough, over one thousand.

However, in case of C grade, it can be acquired with only 500 LP.

「Would even the weakest magic be enough to cure it?」

「Probably」

「I think it will come handy in the future, so I’m taking it」

I expend my LP to get 【Abnormal State Recovery C】.

As I touched Emma, I realized that it was activated.

My palm became hot for a moment. But it was a comfortable feeling.

As I was convinced that it was properly transmitted, at the same moment Emma’s facial expression returned to normal.

「…… Areー, somehow, I’ve suddenly got that very pleasant feeling …」

「You are not thinking about something like dying, are you?」

「Not at all! That awfully hard feeling earlier, what was it?」

Emma and me breathed a sigh of relief.

I’m relieved that the usual Emma has returned.

That negative aura didn’t suit her, after all.

「Hey, Noir, what about caressing my head ～」

「Aren’t you cured already?」

「…… Ah, I want to die ～」

Her act looked outrageously intentional, but I pretended to be be deceived and gave her head some patting.

「Because you are going to die. Slowly, a bit by bit…」

「Uuu … I’m definitely not going to die.」

Noir is sixteen years old.

Emma is sixteen years old.

I have no such intentions as going to a graveyard at all.