Nya, I found it!

　After a hot bath to refresh our fatigue, we were challenging the 13th floor again the next day.
　It was still early in the afternoon, thanks to an enthusiastic scout girl who found the stone frogs and mud corpses hiding there one after another.

　Just as we had finished sweeping up all the giant slugs crawling on the walls and were about to examine the passage carefully.
　Just as I was about to take a closer look at the passage, I heard the news of Tinya's healthy discovery again.

　I ran up to her and found the girl pointing at an empty wall while shaking her cat ears with pride.

"Here, here's where it looks suspicious!
"Yes?　Where is it?
Here to here!
Oh, that's .......
Nice find, .......
Well done, Tinya.

　At first glance, it's a nondescript mud wall, but it's easy to see if you separate it with your hand.
　There are traces of giant slugs crawling all over the wall, but if you look closely, you'll see that only the part Tinya showed you has no traces of them.
　Only one part of the wall was unnaturally untouched, or rather, untracked.

　However, it was an inconspicuous corner of a narrow, dimly lit passage.
　If you weren't aware of it, you would certainly overlook it.

"There's definitely something going on here. Yeah, he's good.
Bravo!
Yuck.
"Yes, as a knight, I deserve this. But you deserve more than that.

　Aside from Tinya, whose nose is lifted high in the air as Yoru and Kuu smack her on the kneecap, I quickly explore the earthen walls.
　The surface is a layer of dirt, but it is harder than I expected, and I can hardly dig through it with my fingers.
　It's not an ordinary wall after all, it seems to have a special mechanism.

Hmm, I don't see anything that looks like a switch.
Something doesn't feel right. ....... Sir, please stand back!

　Paula, who was examining the wall next to me, suddenly shouted sharply.
　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　Apparently, the is not responding.

　When she turned to Paula, her brown skin had turned red.
　Her eyes were bright, and her upper body was swaying softly from side to side.
　Her eyes were bright and her upper body swayed softly from side to side. She looked so glamorous that it took my breath away, but I remember seeing her like this before.

"Hey, are you okay?
"Be careful, my dear.

　While reaching out to hold her in my arms, I hurriedly checked her status using the companion command.
　As expected, Paula's magic power was low.

I'm sure she's out of magic. Is that wall the cause?


"...... Yes . It was suddenly sucked out of me.

　If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can always ask your doctor.
　I also checked my status and found that my magic power had dropped to about half.
　It seems I've been sucked dry without realizing it.

This is another troublesome trap. ....... It's not life threatening, so Tinya couldn't see through it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry.
Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. It was my fault for approaching so carelessly. I should have known why the slug was avoiding me.

　She had returned to her usual calm tone, so I let go of her supportive hand, and Paula looked down at me with only the slightest hint of regret.
　This time, I felt the heat rising in my face, so I shook my head from side to side and thought about what to do.

The first step is to verify. Let's see if we can find out what conditions and how much magic is sucked out.

　I took a dog bone from the item list, it diagonally, and thrust it against the wall.
　I couldn't do it with my fingers, but it seems that a hard bone will work.
　As he gouged the soil, he checked the increase and decrease of magic power.

The magic power is decreasing even through the bones. It's about one or two per second. ....... That'll only last about three minutes.

　Next, I summoned Bone-Chan to dig into the wall, but it destroyed itself in less than a few seconds.
　It's not surprising that it breaks down when the magical element is removed, since it's almost like a golem.

"Mmmm, this is a tough one.

　As for other methods that could be used, Yoru and Kuu's attacks are the first to be rejected.
　I'd like to save the little ones' magic power if possible.
　The slimes' attacks would be ineffective against the sturdy earthen walls.
　The stone-faced frog has a long-distance attack, the , but this is likely to make the wall thicker.

You should have brought the ...... giant worm.

　I'm very good at digging up dirt, and I also have that can attack from a distance.
　There are also demons that can use digestive juices as well as more effective water needles, but unfortunately we've already killed them all.
　And as for the giant slugs, the two wizards said that they would prefer not to use them.
　Well, I can't say I don't understand their feelings.

I'm going to have to leave this to the cat-eared knight.
"Me?　We?
You're the only one in this group who can handle the loss of magic power. Can I count on you?
I don't have a choice. I'm going to take a nap like I'm on a big ship.
I'm sorry.


"Goo!

　After receiving the bone, the girl pushed it against the wall with all her might and started digging.
　She reached the other side in less than five minutes, perhaps as a result of her higher level.

"Nya, there's another passage over there!
I knew it. Okay, just keep opening it up.
Got it!

　Once you've penetrated one hole, the rest is quick.
　With the help of the enthusiastic girl, a hole large enough for a person to pass through was quickly made.

"Mmmm, is that good?
"Yeah, it's good. Thank you for your help.
You're welcome. If you ever need anything, I'm here for you.
Yeah, I'm counting on you.

　Beyond the obstructing wall, there was a similar view.
　While defeating the slugs crawling on the wall again, I filled in the map with new passageways.
　This time, all of them were dead ends.

"There it is again!

　The second trap wall was easy to find.
　It's easier than you think if you're careful.
　After breaking the wall once more, we finally made it to the front of the stairs.

　There was no sign of a demon on the ground of the rather large room.
　The moment I looked up, I almost let out a small scream.

　The ceiling was higher than ever.
　What was clinging to it was a giant slug.

　If it was just a slug, I could still stand it.
　I've beaten plenty of them before.
　But this one looked a little different from the others.

　The antennae of a mollusk crawling slowly across the ceiling.
　Only that part was covered in colorful green stripes and was peristaltic.