"I don't know if it will work, but I don't see why you shouldn't try it. If it's deep in the forest, it shouldn't cause any trouble."
When Ren consulted the Sage during their routine report, the Sage considered it for a moment and then replied.
"If you intend to connect it to the sea by a river or canal, you can just extend a narrow channel from the edge of the lake. That offers far more flexibility than trying to create a coastline."
The 'world' expanded by the fragments was basically square, but it could be reshaped by visualizing the desired form during use. Of course, the total area would remain the same.
"You can create narrow terrain like rivers, and by further application, you can increase the 'depth' instead of just the length and width."
"Ah, is that how you dug the wells?"
"Exactly. There are also mining sites underground. If you create them on the surface, the usable terrain becomes limited."
Hearing this, Ren and his companions had a new idea.
"Then, how about creating a lake underground?"
"A subterranean lake. Normal sea fish might not thrive without sunlight."
"Aww. …Hmm, that makes it difficult."
"Of course, it might not be a problem in this world. Like our 'Blessings,' a convenient effect might be at work."
However, they also had to consider the opposite possibility. The brackish lake plan was put on hold for the time being, and they took the idea to Iris's parents.
"Wouldn't a salty lake have a negative effect on the forest animals?"
"Oh, right. The animals drink that water."
Iris opened her mouth, realizing she had forgotten to consider that. Her father nodded.
"Besides, if you're going to connect it to something, a mountain would be more useful than the sea. Wouldn't it be hard to extend the forest all the way to the sea?"
"A mountain, huh. Higher places are cooler, they say."
"Our biggest hope would be for large animals like bears and deer to settle there. We could also expect mushrooms and wild vegetables."
"Are bears tasty, Father?"
"They should have a distinct smell, but some people like them. I've never eaten one."
That made Ren want to try it. Creating a mountain was not a light decision due to terrain issues and the need for people to hunt large animals, but,
"Ren-san, Fuuri-san. Why don't we just create a normal lake this time?"
"I agree. A normal lake is enough if we just want to swim."
Iris's parents also readily agreed to the use of the fragments, provided it was a "normal lake." They then led them to a suitable location.
"When creating terrain like a forest or a lake, the trick is not to 'finish' the terrain," said Iris's mother. She still looked so young and beautiful, like Iris's sister.
"That way, it's easier when you want to expand it later."
"Won't the water flow out from the edge then?"
"It will be fine. That darkness seems to be more like a wall than a void."
If that were the case, there was no problem. The only thing left was whether Iris could properly visualize the image of the world to be expanded.
"Iris. You don't have to visualize it purely in your head; you can use tools to help. For example, how about drawing a picture of the lake you want?"
"Oh, that's right!"
So, they got paper and writing tools and returned to the planned lake site, spending time drawing and consulting with each other.
Ren and Fuuri watched Iris's drawing and offered advice, as it seemed interesting.
"Iris, you're a good artist."
"Ah… Thank you. I've always drawn the forest landscapes and animals here."
Perhaps because of this, the girl's drawing was realistic and carefully detailed. However, since she was used to drawing what "was there," creating an imaginary sketch proved quite difficult. In the end, it wasn't finished that day, and they decided to take their time to complete the drawing before creating the lake.
"You don't have to rush, Iris-chan. We don't have to use the fragments right away."
"Right. We could even continue the conquest first so we can make a bigger lake."
"But won't summer be over by then?"
"It won't suddenly get cold, and we can still swim then, so it's fine."
They had tried bathing and cold plunges before. While they felt the coldness of the water, they didn't catch a cold the next day. This was thanks to their bodies being strengthened by the 'Blessing.'
"I'll be satisfied with river fish for now, but I want to eat shrimp and shellfish someday."
"We'll have to keep saving up our fragments, too."
Iris, who had looked a little uneasy, smiled at this.
"Then let's clear the eighth floor quickly!"
"Yeah. But first, the sixth floor."
"Oh, right."
The junior, who stuck out her tongue slightly, had returned to her usual demeanor.
--------------------
The dungeon's quality changed.
The moment she stepped onto the sixth floor, Iris felt it. The material of the walls, floor, and ceiling had changed from featureless white stone to a slightly deeper color. This might have influenced the air quality as well.
"…Alright! Let's go!"
Fuuri, at the lead, declared with a clenched fist. The girl's right hand rested near her Thief's Tools, not the knife sheath. This meant the first obstacle was a trap, not an enemy.
Ren, holding a torch in one hand and Mariabel's hand in the other, stood next to Iris.
"You're really fired up, aren't you?"
"Are there dangerous traps here?"
"Compared to what we've seen so far, yes."
The traps up to the fifth floor mainly consisted of arrows shooting out from walls or treasure chests. The detection method was simple: watch out for the "holes." Although the holes became smaller and more camouflaged as they progressed, the countermeasures were essentially the same: fill the hole or avoid the line of fire. Having watched Fuuri's work so far, Iris felt she could handle the traps up to the fifth floor to some extent.
"Ah, here."
The girl's footsteps stopped at a point where Iris hadn't noticed anything. Fuuri, who leaned against the right wall, pulled out a small piece of clay. When Iris focused on where her hand was going, she saw a hole the size of a sewing needle. Ren held the torch up, and the clay hardened, securely sealing the trap. "This is the switch, by the way," Fuuri said, stepping on an unremarkable spot on the floor with a small click. Naturally, no needle shot out, but,
"If you let your guard down, thinking it's just a little prick, you'll feel numb shortly after."
Apparently, it wouldn't prevent her from gripping a knife, but she wouldn't be able to apply force, and it would make ranged attacks difficult to aim.
"Look here, you can see a line if you look closely, right?"
There was indeed a faint line on the switch—but to have to spot something like that, even with two sources of light!
"I'm starting to lose confidence in being a sub-Thief."
"You'll be fine, Iris-san. Trap detection is the accumulation of knowledge and experience. Even I can spot that much now."
This was Mariabel, walking at the rear. At the brothel, she was in charge of accounting and general affairs, and her class as a Striker was not suited for thievery.
"I might miss it too without the guidebooks."
"Seriously, it must have been life-or-death before the guidebooks…"
Ren sighed and mumbled, "I wish I had a defense-boosting magic too." He always thought about everyone like that. Although it hadn't been formally decided, he was essentially the party leader.
Recently, he had apparently gotten closer to Fuuri. That night, Iris had slept soundly and hadn't heard any sounds. She only knew because Fuuri wasn't in her room in the morning and she saw the two of them emerge from Ren's room. When she asked Fuuri later, she had nodded, slightly embarrassed, and said,
"But we're not dating, so don't worry."
Iris wasn't completely naive. She had received basic education from her mother and had a rough idea of what was happening from observing her parents' secret activities. However, she believed those things should be done by a couple who were married or dating. Therefore, being intimate without dating made her think of them as "adults." She understood that Fuuri was trying to reassure her, but Iris felt she could never imitate her.
If asked whether she liked Ren or not, she would say she liked him. She probably liked him as a special person. When Ren held hands with Mariabel or was close with Fuuri, she sometimes felt a feeling close to the jealousy she felt toward her parents, but slightly different, like "Don't take my father away."
Thanks to Ren and Fuuri acting as they usually did—although their distance might have always been close—she could act normally.
"Ren-san is kind of like an older brother."
When she mumbled this, the torchlight flickered.
"What's wrong, all of a sudden?"
"Ah, well. …Would you prefer an older sister?"
"No, being an older brother is fine."
The fact that he seemed slightly pleased despite his blunt reply was "cute."
"I just thought you were so dependable."
"Stop it. That's really embarrassing."
Since his skin was pale, it was very obvious when his face turned red. His honest reaction might be another reason why women were drawn to him. Fuuri had also told her it was fine, so it should be okay to be close to Ren.
Then, a small cough came from the front.
"Enemies ahead. Be careful."
"Ah, yes!"
A small room lay ahead. There was no door. As the torch and magical light illuminated the room, two Archers waiting inside shot arrows at them. Fuuri crouched to dodge. Iris avoided one arrow, and the other was crushed by Mariabel, who had let go of Ren's hand, using only one hand.
"Take that!"
Twenty magical arrows (their number was appropriately reduced to conserve MP) rained down on the enemies, and Iris's arrow followed, piercing one enemy's arm.
"Archers are weak if you get close to them!"
Fuuri immediately rushed in, and her knife slashed the necks of the two enemies one after the other. The situation was completely decided. The combat was over. Although it was a perfect victory, she felt a chill when they were hit by the first attack.
"Ranged weapons are terrifying."
"I agree. I'm so glad we have Iris-chan."
If Ren was the big brother, Fuuri was the big sister. Iris also loved her for the kind words. Although they hadn't known each other for long, adventuring with this party felt normal. She was truly glad to have met them. At the same time, seeing Fuuri's success, she thought, I should make sure I can pull out my knife even if someone gets close to me.
"Oh, a treasure chest. There might be a trap in this one, too."
"The difficulty really is increasing."
"The boss on this floor is a Goblin Shooter. The enemies will only get stronger."
Apparently, a Goblin carrying a crossbow would be added to the lineup. A mechanical bow had higher power than a regular bow. That was unavoidable, as it could generate more force than human muscles could pull. Iris had considered using one, but,
"Crossbows take time to reload. They shouldn't be too scary if we deal with the first shot quickly!"
"That's our Iris. You really understand the Archer mindset."
"Yes, leave it to me!"
She wanted to adventure with them more. She wanted to be more useful. Aside from wanting her parents to return to Japan, Iris had these feelings as well. Both were sincere.
The conquest of the sixth floor took a week. Since the lake idea hadn't been finalized, Iris continued to visit the forest to work on her drawing, even after the seventh floor conquest began. Her hard work paid off, and she created a design that was impressive to Ren, Fuuri, and even Mariabel and the Sage. She was proud of her work, having meticulously avoided an artificial look. Using all the fragments up to the seventh floor would allow them to expand the area by fifty fragments—creating a circle with a diameter of about 80–90 meters.
The thought that her efforts might make everyone's lives easier brought her a different kind of joy than that of advancing the dungeon conquest.
"You worked hard, Iris."
"Do you want anything to celebrate? We can't buy anything too expensive, though."
So, she decided to be a little brave and ask for something. She gently tugged on Ren's clothes.
"Then, um, I want to sleep with Ren-san."
"Eh?"
When his face turned beet red, she quickly added, "I don't mean anything weird by it!"
============
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