Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 108

“I’ve been deceived!”

I shout within the endlessly extending stone temple.

I was led by Saffy to search for unknown materials, so I entered the underwater temple, only to find no trace of any materials whatsoever.

The interior of the underwater temple is filled with seawater, inhabited only by settled fish; there’s not a single miraculous material to be found.

It’s simply a Western-style temple, with nothing but chapels, halls, and corridors stretching endlessly.

“I’m sorry to hear you were fooled. I only said that there might be material that we haven’t seen yet. I never claimed to be certain that the materials were there.”

“Well, that may be true, but…”

Disappointed by the lack of materials I anticipated finding, I can’t shake off the sense of letdown.

Thinking rationally, there shouldn’t have been any materials within the structure.

Inside are only statues and furnishings suitable for the interior of a temple, along with numerous decayed pieces of furniture.

It seems I’ve fallen right into Saffy’s trap, allowing her to use my expectations against me.

“Well, exploring the interior like this can also be enjoyable. We get to catch a glimpse of ancient civilizations we know nothing about.”

Trying to uplift my spirits, Lumia offers some positive words.

While there are ancient civilization murals painted on the walls, they don’t particularly intrigue me as someone who isn’t a historian.

Moreover, this is a different world from the one I lived in.

Having been transferred here without knowing anything about past events, I find myself unable to follow Saffy and Lumia’s historical tales.

However, moping around won’t get me anywhere.

“That’s right. As I initially suggested, let’s just enjoy it as sightseeing.”

Yes, instead of material collection, viewing it as sightseeing, as originally intended, isn’t such a bad idea.

Encouraged by Lumia, I change my mindset and continue exploring the temple.

“There are plenty of chapels in this temple, aren’t there?”

Currently, we’re in one of those chapels.

I’m advancing through the temple, but there are many of them.

“It’s a large temple, after all. Perhaps many people visited here, or various sects mingled together.”

“Is it okay for other sects to enter?”

“I’m not a believer, so I’m not familiar with the discipline, but it seems that in some temples, multiple gods are worshipped.”

It’s conceivable that it makes management and funding easier that way.

I felt it was impolite to dwell on such matters, so I stopped thinking about it further.

“Huh? Where’s Saffy-san?”

Suddenly looking around, I realize Saffy is nowhere to be found.

“Master went up ahead.”

Following Lumia’s gesture, I see Saffy in the hallway beyond the chapel.

“Saffy-san, please don’t wander too far ahead.”

“Ah, sorry. There were just so many intriguing things.”

Saffy gives such a carefree response.

For her, the underwater temple seems to be a source of great curiosity.

Although her gaze while observing the interior is very serious, she seems to lack a sense of caution, which is concerning.

Even though it’s the interior of a temple, this is the bottom of the sea. We don’t know what might be lurking.

As a precaution, I scan the surroundings with a magic stone survey, and I briefly catch sight of a golden silhouette.

Then, a long, slender object, part of that silhouette, comes flying towards us recklessly.

“Saffy-san! Watch out!”

“Master!”

All I and Lumia could do was shout.

The next moment, tentacles stretching from the depths of the corridor restrained Saffy.

When I illuminated it with a light ball, I could see several large reddish-brown suction cups.

Could it be giant octopus tentacles? If so, Saffy is in trouble.

The tentacles tried to drag her further into the corridor, but crackling purple lightning erupted.

“Huh!?”

The burnt tentacles released Saffy, swiftly retreating back into the depths of the corridor.

The smoothness of their retreat seemed to reflect the cunning of the owner, sending shivers down my spine.

It seems they were lurking just out of reach of our investigation until the last moment.

But right now, Saffy’s safety is more important than anything else.

“Saffy-san, are you okay!?”

“Yeah, thanks to activating an item on instinct, I’m unharmed. Shuu-kun, thanks.”

Hurrying over with Lumia, we find Saffy unharmed.

In her hand, a yellow crystal lies shattered.

What kind of principle repelled the tentacles?

“This is a magic-sealing crystal. You can imbue it with magic. By smashing it, you can release magic without chanting or using mana, anytime. It’s an emergency self-defense item.”

“I see, that sounds convenient.”

As expected of an alchemist, she possesses good items.

“It takes quite a bit of time to make high-quality ones, so I don’t have many of them. Lumia also has one.”

As Saffy says that, Lumia produces a jade-colored crystal from her pocket.

It’s a different color from Saffy’s crystal earlier.

“By the way, what kind of magic does this one have?”

“It’s an advanced wind attribute magic called Windstorm.”

“When activated, it unleashes a raging wind blade, reducing everything around it to dust.”

It seems to contain quite a dangerous magic.

Perhaps it’s better for me to stay away rather than try to protect.

“Shuu-san, please don’t be so obvious about distancing yourself!”

“It’s strictly for emergencies. It’s not something to be used lightly.”

“I-Is that so?”

Since Lumia nods in agreement with Saffy’s words, I’ll trust them for now.

The lightning earlier was impressive. I was afraid I might get caught up in it just by listening to their conversation.

“But still, that monster from earlier was…?”

“It’s probably a Kraken.”

“…It seems so. That’s what came up in the appraisal as well.”

【Charred Kraken Sucker】

The remains of the suction cups from earlier are scattered on the ground.

There’s no doubt that the monster from earlier was a Kraken.

“Wasn’t the Kraken classified as a level S danger monster?”

Lumia says with concern.

The Kraken. A sea monster that even had legends in my previous life.

Its appearance varies widely, from a large octopus to a squid, or even a starfish, but it was feared for capsizing ships and devouring people.

From the look of the tentacles earlier, it seems to resemble a giant octopus.

There were easily dozens of tentacles alone. I don’t even want to imagine its overall size.

“In reality, considering the environment of the sea, it’s classified as S, but in actuality, it’s more like A.”

“Whether it’s A or S, it’s still dangerous!”

“What’s this? Seems like weak words from someone who defeated a Red Dragon?”

“I didn’t aim to defeat the Red Dragon on purpose, you know.”

“You can’t defeat a Red Dragon by chance. Honestly, Shuu-kun, you’re a strange one.”

Well, that might be true, but it’s thanks to the gods… Oh no, I can’t say that. This person isn’t listening seriously anyway.

Saffy was the one ambushed earlier, so why doesn’t she seem to have enough sense of crisis?

“For now, let’s abandon the investigation of the temple and retreat.”

As I said that, tentacles emerged from the ground behind us, collapsing the exit.

As the only way out became cluttered with debris, the tentacles seemed satisfied and quickly retreated.

It’s as if the timing couldn’t be more perfect, as if it were eavesdropping.

I’ve seen this scene before at the Demio Mine.

“…………”

“How are we supposed to retreat now?”

“Well, it seems impossible.”

The Kraken must be lurking inside the temple or underground, extending its long tentacles from there.

Even if we try to escape from here, we’ll need to navigate through them, and I’m not confident we can dodge them endlessly while making our way to the exit.

“We have no choice but to defeat the Kraken and get out!”

Despite her trembling voice, Lumia shows her determination.

“It would seem so.”

Seeing a younger girl than myself resolve herself, I can’t keep hesitating like a coward.

I also steel myself and make that decision.

“From the Red Dragon to the Dvorak, and now it’s the Kraken! With you, Shuu-kun, things are never dull!”

Yeah, really. I didn’t expect to encounter such a crazy monster this time.

All I wanted was to leisurely gather materials.