It was when I turned the corner of the passage.
From beyond the corner came a surge of monster cries.
"Gigyaah!"
"Goegeee!"
"Guogaaa!"
The approaching cries suddenly stopped.
The ferocity in the cries intensified.
"Ki, shiaaa—!!"
Judging from the direction of the voices, it was right around where Monk and the others had been.
The paralyzed and poisoned Monk and those two.
Would they die from the poison?
Or be killed by monsters?
I didn't know.
I thought I heard a short scream.
A protrusion from Pigi-maru stretched out.
"Pigi!"
Pigi-maru seemed a little angry.
Apparently toward those guys from earlier.
"You're surprisingly clear about your likes and dislikes…"
"Pi!"
I lingered at the corner of the passage for a while.
"Pi pi pi? Pigi!"
Pigi-maru gave a warning.
The monsters that had been making noise at Monk's location.
The commotion had settled.
The cries started approaching this way again.
Probably tracking the scent?
"Looks like the next prey is me."
"Gisheaaa—!!"
I stuck my face and hand around the corner.
Standard combo.
"Gu, go, e— ...?"
I sealed the attacking monster.
The monster showed no signs of being affected by Monk's poison.
My status ailment skill's toxicity…
Doesn't affect anyone other than the target?
I returned to where Monk and the others had been.
They had been eaten.
Blood-soaked corpses.
Blood splattered around.
I decided against looting the money.
The small pouch had torn, coins scattered.
Those coins were stained with blood too.
If the gatekeeper checked the coins when I left, it might cause trouble.
"In case they point it out, explaining could get complicated…"
Wiping blood off each coin underground would be a hassle.
Fortunately, I still had plenty of money.
So I left the corpses untouched.
I retraced my steps through the passage.
The paralyzed and poisoned monsters were still alive.
"..."
Waiting for them to die from poison was also a hassle.
I slit their throats one by one with the short sword.
Did I gain some experience points?
Still, my level hadn't gone up since entering this ruin.
I should have killed quite a few monsters.
Experience points are probably low.
In that case, there's no need to force myself to kill them all.
After dealing with the monsters, I headed to the layer below.
▽
For now, one layer felt narrower than expected.
Or rather, it felt narrow.
Maybe the discarded ruin was just too vast.
I advanced steadily, killing monsters with the standard paralyze + poison combo.
The situation so far could be called smooth.
The map of the Mills ruin was secretly given to me by that gatekeeper.
Normally, it's something you buy.
Thanks to that, grasping the cleared layers became much easier.
I probably won't have trouble reaching the new layer.
He also gave me a pen and ink.
He said to fill in the blank parts once I entered the new layer.
If I manage to map the new layer well, that map can be sold.
I should be grateful to that gatekeeper.
Monsters weren't obstacles.
All first-time encounters.
But compared to the discarded ruin's monsters, they were on a completely different level.
In short—they were weak.
Some I could even kill with the short sword alone.
The status corrections seem to help somewhat.
All monsters so far had golden eyes.
Do all monsters inside ruins have golden eyes?
According to what I heard, there are two types of monsters in ruins.
Those that stay down in the depths.
Those that climb upward.
Naturally, not only weak monsters climb up.
Strong ones do too.
If there were some restriction preventing monsters from moving between stairs, it would be different.
But the Mills ruin doesn't have that.
Come to think of it, the discarded ruin also had stronger monsters gathering in the upper layers.
If strong monsters stay in the upper layers, exploration can't proceed.
So usually, skilled mercenaries exterminate the strong ones.
There are even requests just to clear the upper layers.
Exploration is troublesome, but if it's just a day trip for combat, they'll take it.
For such mercenaries, it's good pocket money.
Also, weak monsters have strong reproductive power.
Plus, weak monsters are often ignored during exploration.
Because their materials sell for cheap.
As a result, weak monsters become more common in the upper layers.
However—these are just the marquis's side's opinions.
How true they are is unclear.
I avoided contact with other mercenaries as much as possible.
I still don't fully grasp this world's magic system.
If my status ailment skills are seen and investigated, it could be troublesome.
Now that I have Pigi-maru too.
If Pigi-maru is discovered, that would be troublesome.
"So—"
I descend the stairs.
"This is the 6th layer, huh."
The new layer starts from the 15th.
I continued onward.
"..."
No good.
I can't help comparing it to the discarded ruin.
Perhaps because the difficulty feels so low.
I keep advancing.
No—it's not a bad thing.
But my sense of things isn't settling.
I can't really gauge what level this ruin is at.
"Shigeaaa—!!"
A monster attacked.
"[Paralyze]"
"O, ge—e…? "
"[Poison]"
I dragged the poisoned monster into a shadowy corner.
To avoid contact with other mercenaries.
While keeping an eye on the poisoned monster, I chewed on some dried meat.
I drank water from my canteen.
"Fuu."
"Gu, gi, e— ..."
The poisoned monster finally died.
Monsters in the discarded ruin.
The Soul Eater.
Those four calling themselves the Holy Guardians.
I could tell those four were strong on the spot.
Strong enough that I needed to act.
But compared to here, the monsters don't give me any sense of danger.
"Hm?"
A human presence.
I press my back against the wall.
I strain my ears.
Conversation reaches me.
"—Huh? Hey, aren't you the guy who was making a fuss in the plaza earlier?"
"The cause of the commotion wasn't me. It was that rude woman."
I peek out slightly to observe.
One of them was the man who harassed Mist in the plaza.
The one who called himself Monk.
A low-voiced, large man asks.
"So, what do you want with us?"
"Actually, I have a request for you two, having judged you as capable."
The two exchange glances.
The bald one smirks.
"I saw you earlier, you know? You're pretty strong. You took down three ghoul wolves without a scratch. You didn't seem like that in the plaza earlier, but as a warrior, you're quite the skilled one, huh?"
"Of course. I am 'Flash' Monk Drogetti."
The bearded man eyes him appraisingly.
"I've heard that name before. You're pretty much unknown in Ulza, but you've got a bit of a reputation in Bakoss, right? The guys gathered in this rural backwater town probably didn't recognize it."
...
You guys are gathered in this same "rural backwater town," though.
"Heh? You know a lot, huh. Hn, you seem to be the kind of people I thought you were. You're different from the other ignorant mercenaries."
"Of course. Don't lump us together with those small-fry who can only see one side of things. So? You went out of your way to talk to us—got something you want us to do?"
"Yeah. Actually, having judged you as capable, I have a request. I'll pay well."
"Heh heh, if there's money in it, we're interested. So, what do you want us to do?"
"Kukiki!"
The monk laughed, baring his teeth.
"I want you to make that woman who insulted me in the plaza regret ever being born in this world."