Following the meal, they rest in the barrier before heading out to hunt for small snakes to hunt for exploding rabbits.
The sky began to change color as they approached the hill. The blue sky was gradually fading and turning red.
“Sunset…? So night is approaching this layer.”
In the first layer, there was no morning or night.
And the sky was invisible in the second and third layers.
Only on the fourth level does the night of the dungeon dawn. The sky is the same in this layer as it is on the ground. The sun is the only thing missing.
“We’d better get moving.”
—Before the sun sets.
Leonhardt accelerates ahead of her. A hill approaches, and they notice a rabbit.
The rabbit has keen ears and is wary. When it runs, it always runs uphill.
Ideally, they should split up and form up and down, but they are up against an exploding monster. So, splitting up is risky.
They’re looking for burrows dug into the slope and attempting to catch them as they emerge from their holes.
A hole is quickly discovered.
A dark chasm in the hillside.
Leonhardt detects a presence within and tosses the snake into the den.
Lysette prepares her magic and awaits its release.
The next thing you know, a gray rabbit, an exploding rabbit, bursts out of the burrow.
The exploding rabbit is startled by their presence and tries to return to the hole, but stiffens as if recalling the snake in the den.
“Freeze Arrow!”
An ice arrow catches the exploding rabbit, or so it was thought.
The exploding rabbit moves quickly and easily avoids the ice arrow. The magic arrow has a tracking function, but it is ineffective when it becomes stuck in the ground. Only the area around the arrow is temporarily frozen before the ice bursts.
Meanwhile, the exploding rabbit flees toward the top of the hill. at a rate that humans can not match.
“It’s escaping! Don’t get your hopes up, damn it!”
Dee’s throwing knife hits the fleeing exploding rabbit in the back.
And
Boom!
It blows up.
Fortunately, Leonhardt’s【Holy-Shield】blocks the heat, dirt, and everything else that comes flying in their way.
When the smell of soot and smoke dissipated, all that was left was a black circle on the ground.
“I’ve done it…”
“It’s not so simple after all. There’s also the risk of an explosion while cooking… why don’t we give up?”
As the smokescreen cleared, they found themselves surrounded by exploding rabbits.
“We can’t escape!”
They were fifteen in number, with dull eyes staring at them. They’re completely surrounded, and there’s no way for them to get away fast.
Even though you can’t see any emotion in their eyes, they appear to be upset because their friend was killed.
If anything, it was Lysette and the others who were about to be hunted for their lives.
“If they explode with that much force, we’re in big trouble.”
Leonhardt raises his shield. Although 【Holy-Shield】 is a powerful ability, it is unclear whether the shield can withstand so many explosions in a row.
Lysette tightens her grip on her unicorn’s horned staff.
—Because they’re so close together, it’s very easy to freeze them.
This is not the time to discuss food.
She fights to keep her friends safe.
She used her skill points to improve her magic, advancing her water magic from intermediate to advanced.
A white storm blows around her staff, freezing everything in sight.
The exploding rabbits immediately freeze and are knocked down by the wind. When the spell expires, the area transforms into a silver world. The ground is completely covered in ice, which glows red in the setting sun.
The 【Holy-Shield】 protected Lysette and her friends from the cold.
“Is it all over?”
There were no more exploding rabbits in the area. Only ice is left.
The 【Holy-Shield】 was finally removed.
“Amazing… What a magical ability. This is truly…”
“Damn freezing!”
Dee shivers in the rapidly cooling air, rubbing his entire body and stomping his feet on the ground, exclaiming. It’s as if they’re on a snowy mountain.
“Are these guys really edible? We’ll be minced if they explode while cooking!”
He had reason to be concerned.
The blast is far too powerful. They must be carrying gunpowder or something similar in their bodies.
“I agree…”
They were on the verge of giving up when…
“It’s deplorable. What a way to hunt!”
A voice filled with grief and rage rises from the hilltop, carried by the wind.
They look up to see a strong figure standing against the setting sun. The silhouette resembles a small giant because it is short and has a lower center of gravity.
A tingling feeling of intimidation.
Leonhardt takes a protective step forward.
“Take only what you can eat—that’s how you show the dungeon respect!”
—A Dwarf!
When Lysette saw him with a large black beard and a large load on his back, she felt a sense of familiarity.
“Kanatsuchi-san?!”
When she called out to him, his intimidation suddenly eased.
“So you’ve met my brother—I am Kanatoko, Kanatsuchi’s brother.
“They’re siblings…”
Lysette finds out for the first time how hard it is to tell apart siblings of different races.
Kanatoko trudged across the icy field, knelt in front of the frozen exploding rabbit, and stared at it.
“However, this could be a good way to keep it. Cooling the meat all at once makes sense. We just need to figure out how to defrost it… Hmm…”
He’s muttering something as he stares at the frozen rabbit. The intimidation factor had vanished before you knew it.
“Would you mind sharing a little with me? Of course, I’ll be grateful.”
Lysette’s face was filled with curiosity and inquisitiveness.
“Oh, yes, of course!”
Kanatoko stuffed the frozen exploding rabbit into a bag made of woven plant fibers after Lysette agreed.
“Hey, old man! If you’d just stop talking and listen… They nearly killed me! It’s pointless to complain about killing monsters!”
Kanatko opens another bag and stuffs the remaining frozen exploding rabbits in the same manner, ties the mouth tightly, and hands it to Dee, who accepts it while being pushed.
“There is a method to dealing with the exploding rabbit. So follow me and I’ll show you how to keep it from exploding.”
—Should we go with him?
As Leonhardt nodded his head with a strange look on his face, Dee shook his head hard in alarm.
“Let’s go, you two.”
Lysette was motivated by curiosity.
—I might learn more about this dungeon if I follow him.
That piqued her interest.
“Are you guys serious?!”
“He doesn’t sound all that bad.”
“That’s right. And if we follow him, he’ll teach us how to deal with exploding rabbits safely. You do not want to miss out on this!”