Huh.........this ruin is really big.

Hmmm, hmmm.......it's like a maze, and Mammy is everywhere.

　We continued exploring the ruins, and we've pretty much finished exploring the fairly large part of the site we're in now.
　We are now taking a break and drinking water from our canteen to summarize our story.
　Perhaps because the ruins are located in the desert, it is quite hot even if we are inside and there is no sunlight.
　If I don't hydrate myself regularly, I'm going to collapse from heat stroke. ...............I need to take some salt as well.

''Are Esther and Luna okay?　If it's too hard, I'll take a break and you can tell me right away, okay?

'Yeah it's a bit hot, but I think I'm better than your brother and Noll,'

'My temperature doesn't change that much. It's not that big of a deal.

　I'm concerned about Estelle and the others who are small, but on the contrary, I've been told I'm more worried about me and Nol.
　Maybe it's because of the helmet and armor, but it's definitely insanely hot. With a full-face helmet and rags, I'm probably the hottest person in the world.

　Luna feels like she has a lot more room to breathe without a single sweat.
　It's things like this that make me think I'm a vampire after all.

''We're talking about a place that's usually geared towards C-rank, but can we really break through with so many mammies springing up?

'Hmm, maybe this unusual number is one of the anomalies.

　I had heard that it was a place to make money for C-rankers, but considering the number of mammies that came out, I wondered if that was really true.
　I've already taken care of more than 40 of them since I got inside, but even without the Fullerum Mummy, wouldn't it be tough for a normal C-rank if someone like this came out with a whimper?
　I think this is probably one of the anomalies in the ruins. Strong demons with increasing numbers it's like a great defeat.

●

Hmm?　This place ... did we ever go to this place?

Hmm, I don't think they have any rooms, do you?

　We finished our break and started exploring the interior of the ruins again.
　I was about to continue down the stairs leading down, but before I could do so, I found a section of the map app that caught my attention.
　From the map app, it showed an isolated space with no roads leading anywhere.
　You only have to enter a certain area to see it in the map app, so you can see these hidden areas. I've never explored a room before, so this is a new discovery for me.

The wall...... Could it be that they go from other places?

Maybe this is the room where we'll find the key to unlock the trick.　It's kind of like a full-blown search!

　When I moved to the location and looked at the room, I saw that it was still not connected to the other rooms, only a wall.
　Is this the kind of thing you want to do to open the door to a secret room, which is one of the best parts of the ruins system?
　Noor is buzzing and waving his arms up and down in excitement. Yes, that kind of thing is a bit exciting, isn't it?
　........I'm in a hurry right now, so hopefully I'm not in a hurry.

'How's it going?　What have you found?

Well there is nothing to be found, sir.

Nothing on my end either.

　While Luna alerted me to the area, Nol and the others and I searched the area and examined the walls, but we didn't find anything.
　Isn't there somewhere on the wall that you can push, or do you pull a lever to open the wall?
　Let's just break down the wall and force our way in already... no, let's not do it because we're afraid of the ruins collapsing.

Mr. Okura-san, there's a hole over here.

　While I was wondering what was going on, it seemed that Sisha had discovered a hole in a corner a little ways away.
　When I was called to go there, I found a series of small holes that were indeed small enough to allow only one child to pass through.

　Looking at the map app, I couldn't see all of it, but there's a long, narrow path leading towards the hidden room, so it seems that we can break into the room from here.
　The path is narrow in the corner, so the map app didn't catch me.... I'll have to walk around every corner properly once more next time.

'So it was behind the stone statue and I couldn't see it.

It wasn't a riddle, was it?

　Noor looks a little disappointed with his mouth agape, perhaps because it was too simple.
　The hole was apparently hidden behind a stone statue, and Sisha seems to have retreated it and found this one.
　

''Does that mean we're supposed to enter that room through this hole?

'Maybe so. But ... only Esther or Luna would be able to get through such a small hole.

　The only ones who can get into this hole are Esther and Luna.
　But I'm not sure I'd be comfortable letting one of them go to a place like this, where we don't even know what's there.
　But we won't know what will be there unless we send him there.

　If I had to choose, I'd have to go with Luna, who is strong in proximity. Estelle is vulnerable to surprise attacks and isn't good at moving too hard, so it's probably not safe.

I'm sorry, Luna, but would you mind going over there and taking a look?　I'll have a beacon ready for you, and if you need anything, just press the walkie-talkie to signal me.

Mm, okay.

　This isn't a labyrinth and we're on the same level, so the beacon should be usable.
　I handed the walkie-talkie to Luna and I quickly set up the beacon near the hole.
　I used the beacon to move around by myself once to try it out, and it worked fine.
　Now, if something goes wrong, I can have her call my phone and I can call her right back.

　She quickly got down on all fours and zipped down into the hole.

''Will it be alright, Luna-san........''

Don't get your panties in a twist. You know full well what Luna is capable of, don't you?

But, but...

　Long after Luna was in the hole, Sisha has been fidgeting and moving her body and looking worried.
　Since you're being fought off every day, you should have tasted enough strength in that body to know what you're capable of, but......you really like Luna.
　I'm a little worried too, but she wouldn't get beaten unless she was a very strong opponent.

　About a few minutes later, a call came in on my phone, so instead of answering the call I selected the beacon and moved Luna over.

'Was that okay?'

Okay. Yeah, there are no demons at all. Only this box was in its place.

　Luna moved in front of us and was carrying a large box. It looked like an iron box, and when she placed it on the floor, it made a dull, dull sound and looked quite heavy.

　Checking the box, it looks like a treasure chest, made of rectangular iron with a rounded top lid.
　There's a keyhole in the front part of the lid and it's locked, as it should be.

It's a treasure chest in a hidden room or something!　I'm wondering what's inside!

Oh, but I think it's locked.　We'll have to find the key somewhere.

　Noor is excited to see the treasure chest and is making a lot of noise as he scurries around the box.
　Estelle is calmly checking the box as she looks at it, but eventually she concludes that there's nothing she can do without the key.

　Hmmm, I'm curious about the contents of the box as well, but it's going to take a lot of time and effort if I bothered to look for the key.
　This ruin is quite large, and if I'm wandering around looking for another hidden passage like I did earlier, I'm going to run out of time.
　Is there any good way to....

　As I was pondering whether there is any other way, I suddenly noticed the Excalibur that I have with me.
　If I used this, it might be possible.........to use it.

''Noor, will you hold this treasure chest for me?

Okay, but what are you going to do?

　I asked Noor to hold the iron treasure chest from above.
　Nolu and others are looking at me curiously as I make such a request.
　Hmmm........there's no need to go to the trouble of finding the key. I'm sure my current strength can do it, surely.

Okay, let's go. Yeah!

What are you doing, Mr. Okura?

'You start doing some crazy stuff when it comes to the mess...'

　I pointed the Excalibur at the gap between the lid of the treasure chest and the box that was held down, and I thrust the Excalibur into it.
　And as it is, I move the lid forcibly by giggling up and down.
　The Nors are screaming in surprise at my actions, wondering what I'm doing.

　I ignored their cries and moved the lid again and again.
　Then, finally, I think I've reached my limit, and with a cracking sound, the gap between the boxes widens.
　........Success. It's a good thing this was just an iron box. I was able to destroy it properly!

'Ouch!　That's a huge time saver all at once!

You're like a thief...

That's going to ruin the best part of your quest...

　Esther and Luna, who were watching from a distance, are muttering such things in a dumbfounded voice when they see me.
　It's true that the real pleasure of exploration is important. But depending on the time and circumstances and the mess, we can't make it a priority. I want you to understand.

''Hmm?　There's a key in the treasure chest again, isn't there?

It does look a little gorgeous in gold, doesn't it?

　When I checked to see what was inside, what was inside was a golden key.
　Ehh, another key in a treasure chest. But if it's such a gorgeous key, it's probably an important key.
　Could it be that I had to search for various other keys before arriving at this key?
　Then I feel like I'm pretty much destroying the procedure, but... well, I'm in a hurry, so it's okay.

●

　As we descended the stairs leading down, we came to an even larger square.
　The ceiling is quite high, and it's hard to believe it's inside a pyramid.
　At the far end of the plaza, there were several objects that looked like sharp stones that emitted green light sticking out of the walls and seemed to be growing.
　Is that a special magic light stone?

It's over. It's a bit of an easy sell, isn't it? Aside from the Flaummummy, no other changes?

There's no bosses in the goblin maze, so I guess that's it.

Does that mean we're not in a dungeon?

　In the end, the only demons we encountered before coming here were mammies.
　The only thing that could be called abnormal is the number of fullerum mammies and mammies, nothing that could be considered the cause.
　If this is the case, the cause is unknown and this hunting ground is going to be a no-go zone. Well, even if we find out that something strange is happening inside, it doesn't change the fact that we've accomplished the request for promotion to B rank.

　But at this rate, it's the mess that's the problem. Once we recover that magic light stone and leave the ruins, the attack!　I don't think that's going to happen.
　If you don't hold your phone up to the mysterious board like in the Goblin Labyrinth, you won't be able to get an attack decision.
　If that's the case, it's highly probable that this place was originally empty... d*mn, does that mean I have to give up on the mess after all?

Heihachi. There's something unnatural about that wall over there.

Hmm?　Where is it?

　For now, I collected the magic light stone and was trying to find something else, when Luna pointed to a certain part of the wall and said that it was strange.
　As I got closer to it, I noticed a rectangular section of the wall that was slightly lighter in color than the rest of the wall.

'Your map app also shows some space ahead of you,'

I wonder what's ahead of us?

There's something like a keyhole over here.

　As I got closer, I saw that the newly added area in the map app showed a rather large space.
　There's definitely something behind these walls.
　Noll seems to have found a keyhole as well, pointing to it and beckoning me to hurry up and get to it.

　I don't know if the key from earlier will open it, but I'll give it a try. If it doesn't seem to be working, then I'll just destroy it.

Whoa, it's open.

'You're lucky that it opens with the key I just got,'

So, in a way, Heihachi was right to act.

　I was wondering if I should destroy it and proceed, but when I inserted the key, the wall went down and made a path.
　

　When I went inside, unlike the atmosphere of the ruins from earlier, the entire wall was a place that emitted a slight amount of light.
　This is like........a labyrinth, isn't it?

'This is the one from the goblin labyrinth, right?

'Yes. If I hold my phone up here, the ruins will be captured...?

But there's a door right in front of you.　There seems to be more to it than that.

　As I made my way to about the middle, there was a plank in the middle that looked like a board supported by a stick extending from the ground where the last of the goblin labyrinths had been.
　Also, you're supposed to hold your phone up to this, right?　So does that mean the ruins are over?
　But as Noll says, if you look at the back of the room, you'll see that there's a double-opened door that's quite large.
　.....I have a soooooo bad feeling about this.

　For now, I can't start without trying, so I decided to hold up my phone.
　We don't want to be sent away by transfer magic out of nowhere like before, so we all have to keep our bodies somewhere close together so that we don't get separated from each other.

　The moment I held my phone up to the board, the black door at the back of the room glowed green and opened on its own while making a heavy sound with a giggle.
　It's dark behind the door, and it's as if I can't see what's ahead of me.

''........You're open.

It wasn't the end, it was the beginning.

'Mmmm I thought I could go home, but there's more to come.

　I thought this was the end of my exploration of the ruins, but what I found at the end was the entrance to the labyrinth....
　Does that mean that this ruin was only the entrance to the labyrinth? It's quite a gorgeous entrance.
　Luna seems to have been expecting it to be over, but she seems dissatisfied to find out that it's still going on.

　We are cautious, but begin to move forward to the newly opened doors to really capture the labyrinth.