Chapter 100

"Let's Become an Adventurer! ~Dungeon Conquest with the Skill Board~" is just 3 days away from release!!

And we've surpassed 70,000 points! Thank you so much!!

Continuing the exploration, they still couldn't advance due to the tree roots blocking their way.

Moreover, monsters were breaking through the roots and attacking them one after another.

"This is really getting to me mentally..."

"Yeah..."

The monsters that appeared were Black Raccoons.

No matter how many roots they broke through to attack, they weren't a threat.

However, the Black Raccoons would challenge them in a hopeless battle as soon as they spotted them.

It was like a swarm of insects trying to suck blood.

Fighting such weak monsters didn't get his blood pumping.

Sohiro dispatched the Black Raccoons with a dead look, as if he were placing tempura on a conveyor belt of sushi.

Even Gatsu, who could follow Sohiro without complaint, showed a shadow of a smile.

She seemed to be just as tired of the situation as Sohiro.

Endless, repetitive tasks with no end in sight were extremely painful.

He was probably reaching his mental limit.

"What should we do?"

"Considering your condition, it might be a good idea to return and plan a strategy."

The memory of the pain sometimes made his body stiff.

If it happened during battle, it could be a fatal weakness.

It would be better not to push it and retreat for now.

Sohiro accepted Gatsu's suggestion.

"...Yeah."

Moreover, if they returned to the inn and searched online, they might find information to pass through this area more easily.

Sohiro nodded and turned around.

--However,

"Ugh!!"

The path he turned back to was sealed off by tree roots.

It was passable just a moment ago!

Sohiro's shoulders slumped, and he began searching for another path.

The roots seemed to mock his desire to return, blocking their way one after another.

For about two hours, they wandered through the dungeon, feeling like they were being toyed with.

Perhaps the dungeon was getting tired of playing with Sohiro, or maybe Gatsu's luck was finally showing its true potential.

Just before Sohiro's mental state completely broke down, a path opened, and they easily reached the 5th floor.

"What was all that trouble for..."

Upon reaching the 5th floor, Sohiro had no desire to explore further. He activated the gate and quickly returned to the inn.

Today, he needed to soak in the hot springs and repair his spirit...

***

Sohiro, in the outdoor hot spring of Kamui's Bath, let out a deep sigh as he immersed himself up to his shoulders in the rock bath.

"...I want some delicious food."

Sohiro was currently craving fine cuisine.

The hotel's food wasn't bad. Before the Stampede, it might have been different, but now the food served was worth the price.

However, compared to the ingredients Sohiro had harvested from the garage dungeon, the quality of the ingredients in the hotel's dishes was inferior.

Having always eaten the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, Sohiro found the hotel's food lacking.

He had been enduring it, but after being toyed with in the dungeon and feeling mentally drained, his craving for delicious food was reaching its limit.

"Well, there's not much I can do about it..."

Sohiro hadn't yet reached the deepest part of "Shinkokutan."

Returning to K-town just to eat delicious food felt like giving up to the dungeon, which he didn't want to do.

He would have to endure the simple flavors of the hotel for a while longer.

Thinking about this, Sohiro's sighs grew even deeper.

The outdoor hot spring of Kamui's Bath had a men's side to the east and a women's side to the west, separated by a high wall.

The only open space was in the middle, a mixed bathing area connecting the men's and women's sides.

From the men's side, it was impossible to see into the women's side, but the mixed bathing area was different.

Sohiro sensed someone in the mixed bathing area.

Occasionally, he could hear the sound of water splashing.

(Could it be... Could it be...?)

A woman had entered the mixed bathing area?

But why?

While being cautious of Esta's movements, Sohiro slowly approached the mixed bathing area.

His craving for delicious food was completely forgotten.

Sohiro was a man.

And he wasn't a dried-up man who couldn't be moved by the word "mixed bathing."

The two characters "mixed bathing" filled with so many dreams made Sohiro's nostrils flare.

"...Huh"

Sohiro wasn't the type to wear a mask while in the hot spring.

He was currently without his mask.

Without the mask, Sohiro had a presence so faint that even if the woman in the mixed bath didn't notice him, it wasn't his fault.

--It's not my fault!

--It's the fault of anyone who can't notice me!!

A sign at the entrance to the mixed bathing area read, "Please bathe calmly and respectfully."

--I'm here to enjoy the hot spring.

--I'm not here with any lewd intentions!

--As long as I don't stare, it's safe, it's safe!!

"Kekeke!"

Calm down, calm down.

Sohiro suppressed his laughter and tried to calm himself.

Once he regained his composure, Sohiro moved into the mixed bathing area.

There, he saw a woman, no doubt about it.

...

A naked woman was bathing in the mixed area.

A fish woman...

...

Chep was floating in the water, her eyes rolled back, twitching.

You?!

And why are you here?!

Feeling a mix of frustration, Sohiro quickly carried Chep to the men's side.

He took her out of the hot spring and splashed water from a bucket onto her.

"Ah! ...Phew, I thought I was going to die!"

Sohiro's expression darkened; he was the one who thought he was going to die.

On the other hand, he felt a sense of relief deep down.

It would be a bad omen if someone he knew had boiled to death in the hot spring.

"You're lucky to be alive. So, why are you here?"

"Huh? I'm hearing voices?"

"Hey!!"

Finally, Chep blinked and met Sohiro's gaze.

"Ah!! I've been molested!!"

"Shut up!"

"Ouch!!"

Sohiro punched Chep's head.

In a place where sounds echo, like an outdoor hot spring, shouting about being molested was dangerous.

He didn't want to risk being reported to the police.

"Being attacked by a naked man, being splashed, and then being hit when I call for help... It's too much, too much!"

"It's you who's the problem!"

What's wrong with your head...

Sohiro felt a headache as he held his head, seeing Chep collapse with her hands on her face.

Indeed, Sohiro was only barely covering his private parts with a cloth, but that was because he was in the hot spring.

He wasn't the type to feel pleasure from showing his naked body to others.

He splashed water to help Chep, and he hit her to calm her down.

He didn't do anything lewd.

It was a false accusation.

"Peek"

--Huh?

Chep's eyes peeked out from between her fingers.

When Sohiro looked, she blushed and closed her eyes, saying, "Ah!!"

This girl...

Should I hit her again?

This time with full force.

"...So, why were you in the hot spring? Didn't Hizuren tell you to stay in the room?"

"Yes, she did. But I was drawn to the magic of the hot spring, and I couldn't resist..."

The magic of the hot spring.

Sohiro's interest was piqued by those words.

Sohiro had heard from Akane that soaking in the water from the dungeon could alleviate the pain from rapid level-ups.

Indeed, the hot spring had relieved Sohiro of that pain.

Could the improvement in symptoms be due to the magic in the water?

"The magic of the hot spring for beautiful skin!"

"Is that it..."

Thinking about it now, he felt foolish.

Sohiro slumped.

Indeed, the hot spring was known for its skin-beautifying effects.

But whether it would work on a fish like Chep was a mystery.

"To deny me the hot spring for beautiful skin, Hizuren is too cruel! She must be afraid of my beauty shining even more!!"

"..."

How can you be so delusional?

Sohiro, who had been protected by Samayaku, let out a deep sigh.

"Listen, Chep. This isn't the forest. It's a town where humans live. If you walk around alone without me or Hizuren, you might surprise people. At worst, other adventurers might come and kill you. That's why Hizuren told you to stay in the room, and I don't want you to wander around on your own."

"Yes... I understand."

"If you understand, don't walk around alone again, okay?"

After saying that, Sohiro immersed himself in the hot spring again.

Chep, perhaps understanding the situation, walked along the edge of the hot spring with her shoulders slumped.

As she approached the mixed bathing area,

"Hey, where are you going?"

Sohiro quickly moved and grabbed Chep's head firmly.

"Back to the Princess Bath!"

"Did you listen to me?"

"Yes, I did. You told me not to walk around alone and that you were worried about me. Hehe."

Sohiro looked down at Chep, who was squirming