After defeating the Boss Praying Mantis, we went on to wipe out the monsters in the area as well. The cleanup battle was joined by Zighart, who unleashed his magic without hesitation, so it didn’t take too long. It’s hard not to think about just how strong Zighart is…

Next, the first thing we focused on was preserving the corpses and throwing them into the 【Hideout】. Luckily, they weren’t as heavy as the Boss Monkey, so it was relatively easy to clean up.

What was troublesome, however, were the shattered carapaces.

They retained the characteristics of their original form, being extremely hard and capable of repelling magic. Dragon and sub-dragon scales are apparently highly prized, not only as materials for magical tools and potions but also for their use as armor. In a way, this was today’s most valuable treasure… but that treasure was shattered and scattered all over. So, we had to gather it all up properly.

Thinking it might be useful for something, I brought out a few empty boxes I had prepared in the 【Hideout】 and began collecting the carapace pieces scattered on the ground. The area was relatively contained, and since there were no monsters around, it was a good time to do so.

However, it wasn’t all of us working on it.

The three of us—myself, Teresa, and August—were acting separately.

◇

“There are no monsters here either. Did everyone take care of them earlier?”

“That seems to be the case… There were quite a few, after all. There’s still time before new ones appear, so we should be fine. Captain August, there’s no need to hurry.”

Leading the way, August responded without turning around, simply raising his hand in acknowledgment. Even though we couldn’t see any monsters around, he didn’t seem inclined to relax his guard. I was also on the lookout, but it seemed like both he and Alec were similarly keeping watch, likely wanting to handle it themselves when possible.

The three of us were heading toward the main base we had set up in the Boss’s chamber, aiming to retrieve some backup gear we had left there. When we encountered the Boss Praying Mantis, I had been further away from the main base and couldn’t retrieve the gear, so it had been left behind.

Though not custom-made, the equipment was still of high quality for mass-produced items, and it would be a waste to leave it in the dungeon. But as it turned out, it wasn’t quite as I expected.

The backup gear was mainly for Alec and August, consisting mostly of spears, axes, and maces. These items were more reliant on physical strength than technique, and they could be effectively used by demon-type creatures. Even simple logs or stones were enough to pose a threat to adventurers who had made it this far, so getting proper weapons would likely lead to casualties deep in this dungeon.

As we chatted casually about this, the main base finally came into view.

To be blunt, I could have made it here in a single jump if I were alone. However, since we had just finished the Boss fight, I didn’t have permission to go off on my own, so Teresa and August were accompanying me. We had already cleared the monsters and the Boss from the room, so there was no real rush, and it wasn’t bad to take our time.

“Ah, there it is. I’ll go ahead and get it.”

The base was up a slope, just within sight. Now that we had gotten this close, it seemed fine to go on alone.

“Alright. Be careful.”

“Just grab the gear and come back quickly.”

Teresa and August said. Well then, time to go get the gear and help with the carapace gathering before heading back!

◇

“Whoa, this is pretty full…”

After I finished collecting the gear and we all returned, it seemed that they had also finished gathering. Several wooden boxes were packed tightly with items.

Curious, I picked one up to see what was inside… and it seemed each piece was about the size of my palm. The thickness was almost nonexistent, and they were slightly curved. The texture felt similar to galvanized iron from my previous life… But the durability was on another level. To think such thin material could be so sturdy… It’s really impressive how strong the creatures in this world are.

“I think I picked up everything I could see. As for the ones scattered around… well, some lucky adventurer might find them.”

“Yeah…”

When the carapaces had fallen off, they were mostly gathered in one place, but after the flashy spells went off, there were probably some pieces scattered by the explosion.

I glanced at Zighart, who shrugged his shoulders. Well, it was necessary, so there’s no helping it.

“Alright, should we put this in too… Anyone want to help me? The area just inside the entrance is already full.”

We had a cart, so I could manage with the smaller items by myself, but the larger ones… not so much.

“I’ll handle it. Luban, can you help too?”

“Yeah.”

Alec and the others said this, then effortlessly lifted the wooden boxes. They were used to this.

“Thanks. Phew.”

With the help of those carrying the boxes, we entered the 【Hideout】.

“Now… where should we put this?”

Once inside, the first thing that caught my eye was the body of the Boss Praying Mantis, which had been placed on a sheet in the living room. We had left it there after returning from the dungeon to make it easier to take outside later, so it was taking up a lot of space.

“Right, please put it in the room in the back.”

We could leave the gear in the other room, but that was something that could be stored as-is. This, on the other hand, was something we’d need to take outside later. So it would be better to place it somewhere we could easily get to with the cart.

Once they heard this, they started moving the boxes, though the path was a bit tricky with various things on the ground.

“Sorry about the messy room…”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Seria・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Cloth】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Crimson Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lungs】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・3 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards
Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・3 cards
Alec・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・5 cards