The Earth-san Has Leveled Up!

2-9. Turning Back to Build Strength

The Checkered Doll dropped a doll’s kimono sash and a magic stone.

Meiko was hoping for a katana, but it’s probably either a rare drop or it just doesn’t drop at all.

The sash is doll-sized, about 1 meter long and narrow in width.

However, Meiko thought it was quite a good item.

There were many points to reflect on from this battle, but there were also discoveries.

Meiko found out that the 100/100 jersey can somewhat block the slashes of the weakened Checkered Doll.

This is very valuable information.

However, it might be due to Sasara’s skill [Armor Performance Up – Small], so Meiko’s jersey might not be enough.

So, Meiko decided to use the sash dropped by Checkered Doll to protect Sasara and Lulu’s vital points.

Meiko cuts it in half and wrapped it around their necks.

The pattern is a bit flashy, but it’s unreasonable to expect beginners to have unified equipment.

Meiko doesn’t know how effective this will be, but it’s better than having their skin slashed in an emergency.

Still, Checkered Doll was strong.

It dodged water bullets, survived repeated beatings, and even launched a final suicide attack.

It’s not an unbeatable enemy, but it’s also an enemy that could defeat us. The balance is shaky and unstable at the moment.

While treating Sasara’s leg, the three of us discussed and decided to turn back the way we came.

There are still many places we haven’t explored, so we decided to start there.

Looking at the map, we turned back and felt relieved when the Pestle Rabbit appeared.

We had forgotten that this enemy is actually quite strong.

A single hit can rupture the internal organs of even an adult, so without long-range attacks, every fight is a life-or-death situation.

It’s only easy for us because Meiko has an apprentice mage book and a mage book.

First, we decided to head towards the unexplored path near where we encountered Checkered Doll.

After a while, a Japanese house appeared, hidden by the mountainside.

It was a pastoral scene, reminiscent of an old, good countryside, but Meiko and the others remained cautious as they explored.

When we reached the entrance of the fence surrounding the house, there was a sign.

The sign read Safety Zone.

Meiko was surprised by this.

It wasn’t mentioned by the professor, so it’s likely a newly discovered area.

The sign also had other explanations.

It was a very thoughtful design.

It said:

―――――

・The Safety Zone is a place within the dungeon where monsters cannot enter.

・Its form varies, from open plains to caves, and even inns.

・The time you can stay in each Safety Zone changes based on your Karma value.

・You can check your remaining stay time in your status.

・If your stay time runs out, you will be forcibly ejected from the zone, but you can freely enter and exit as long as you have time left.

・Your stay time resets when you leave the dungeon.

―――――

Once again, the unfair minus Karma system made an appearance.

“Did you read it?”

“Nyau. Shall we rest?”

“Yeah. It’s still 14:00… Let’s rest for about an hour, then explore until around 18:00. If we don’t find the exit by then, we’ll stay here for the night.”

“That sounds good.”

“Nyau. Let’s do that!”

It’s been a very intense day, but since we started running early in the morning and met Lulu, it’s only 14:00.

Inside, there was a living room with a hearth. It was quite spacious, possibly designed to accommodate multiple parties.

There were no bedding, but it seemed like a place that only provided safety. There was also a toilet. What a relief!

Since we could check our stay time in the status screen, we looked and found that everyone had 12 hours. Even though our Karma values were different, the stay time was the same, so maybe 12 hours is the maximum. We’ll leave that verification to others.

Meiko and the others put down their backpacks and lay down, resting their heads on them.

“Sasara, is your leg okay?”

“It’s fine. It hurts a little when I bend it like a chapped finger, but it’s not a problem at all.”

“I see. Let me know if it hurts during the exploration.”

“Hehe, I won’t push myself.”

Sasara smiled, and Meiko thought that worrying any further would just make her feel more burdened, so she changed the subject.

“We’re tired, huh?”

“Yes, we are.”

“But it’s fun, desu.”

“Oh, Lulu, you think the dungeon is fun?”

“Nyau! It’s even more fun because Meeko and Sasara are with me!”

Lulu’s straightforward affection made Meiko and Sasara blush.

“Even though it’s dangerous, I’m having a lot of fun too. It’s the first time I’ve had so much fun being with someone like this.”

Sasara said, narrowing her eyes.

Lulu laughed happily, saying, “We’re together, hehe.”

Meiko, lying in the middle, looked up at the ceiling and compared this time to the last.

“I’m having a lot more fun too, compared to when Meiko wandered the dungeon alone. It’s because I’m with Lulu and Sasara, right?”

At those words, Sasara and Lulu imagined Meiko spending a night alone in the dungeon.

It must have been a lonely night, one they couldn’t have endured themselves.

While the two were thinking seriously, this loli had been sleeping soundly in a treasure chest, with no room to feel lonely. Even before sleeping, she had thought, “Be prepared for a fluffy sleep.”

They were being fooled by Meiko’s nice words.

Then, Meiko handed them some candy.

“Is this candy?”

“It’s a special kind. It’s candy that’s been strengthened through synthesis, so it’s full of nutrients. It can also suppress hunger.”

“Ruu, Meeko is amazing~”

“Hehe, well, yeah!”

Meiko scored points again.

She’s a master at gaining favor through misunderstandings and feeding.

After resting for a bit, the three of them took some Instagram-worthy photos in the Japanese house.

In this world, when two girls gather, it’s Instagram-worthy. When three gather, it’s a party.

After using the toilet and such, the three resumed their exploration.

The fact that there was a rest point like this suggested that the path with the Checkered Doll was the main route, the three speculated.

However, as per the original plan, they decided to explore a different path first.

After all, the Checkered Doll is strong.

They needed to level up, get used to combat, find treasure chests—anything to strengthen themselves even a little.

They weren’t sure if this outdoor dungeon had a night cycle, but they decided to explore until 18:00 and then retreat to the Safety Zone.

They could train in the yard if needed. In any case, they wouldn’t go out into the field.

Using the map Sasara had drawn, they filled in the gaps.

As a result, they found two treasure chests.

Meiko’s eyes turned into treasure chests, and she lunged forward as if possessed.

Meiko was becoming a full-fledged treasure chest junkie. The girl who had been worried about who had the rights to the loot was already dead.

As expected, there were no traps in the treasure chest, and they got the contents.

Inside the treasure chest was a small sickle.

“Yesss, we got it!”

This was the first proper weapon in the dungeon.

…Well, I’m not sure if it’s proper, but it’s something that can be used as a weapon.

The small sickle has a handle about 40 cm long, with a curved blade about 20 cm at the end.

The blade is on the entire inner side and near the tip of the outer side.

Also, there’s a chain about 30 cm long attached to the handle, which is stylish. …At least, Meiko thinks it’s stylish.

“I have the mage book, so one of you two should equip it. What do you think?”

“I’m used to swords, so I’ll pass. How about you, Lulu?”

“Are you sure!? Hehe, ninjas are all about small sickles, desu!”

“Yeah. Ninjas are all about small sickles.”

I’m not sure if real ninjas used them. There’s even doubt that the so-called ninja swords they used are fictional, and Meiko, not being a historian, doesn’t know what weapons they actually used.

But ninjas use small sickles. They are the embodiment of style.

“Merci, ruu! Nin-nin!”

Lulu struck a ninja pose with one hand and held the small sickle in a reverse grip with the other.

Her body already seemed to know how to use the sickle in a cool way.

She’s a blonde, blue-eyed, Nordic-style slender beauty with rabbit ears—a true ninja.

The only downside is that she’s wearing overalls. Equipping the small sickle makes her look like a good country girl helping out on the farm.

With the small sickle in hand, we immediately jumped into combat.

We skipped the Checkered Doll area, so our opponent was the Pestle Rabbit.

Using a water bullet to knock the mallet out of the Pestle Rabbit’s hand, Lulu quickly dashed in.

Her long legs spun around, closing the distance in an instant, and she swung the small sickle in her right hand.

The blade cut into the Pestle Rabbit’s throat, splattering purple blood.

We already knew that the dungeon monsters bled purple from all the beating we’d done.

But this time, the amount was staggering.

Lulu was stunned by the blood gushing out, and Sasara hurriedly stepped in to finish off the Pestle Rabbit.

“Ahhh, the blood, the blood…”

As the body turned into light and disappeared, the splattered blood also turned into light and vanished, but the sight was quite shocking for a 15-year-old girl.

Meiko quickly grabbed Lulu’s hand tightly.

“It’s okay! I’ve been beating them up too! It’s just that not much blood comes out, but what I’m doing is no different. So don’t worry about it.”

“Ny… Nyau. Y… Yes.”

Lulu closed one eye and moved away from Meiko.

“Ni… Nin-nin!”

She struck a pose.

It was a bit forced, but Meiko respected her for not complaining.

Inside the second treasure chest was a bottle.

Of course, Meiko opened it using the no-guard strategy.

Inside the bottle were 10 marble-sized balls.

Each had an eye mark on it, and their purpose was unclear.

“Hmm, what are these?”

“What are they, sho ne?”

The three of us each took a ball and pondered.

As we did, Sasara let out a small scream.

“What’s wrong?”

Looking over, Sasara was peering into the marble.

Meiko was startled.

Then, she quickly stopped Lulu, who was about to bring the marble close to her eye, mimicking Sasara.

Could this be an appraisal item?

As if confirming Meiko’s thoughts, Sasara held the marble in front of her eye and started looking around in various directions.

“Um… It seems Meiko can see information about various things. Meiko’s jersey has a defense of 12. Lulu’s small sickle has an attack of 14. The mallet sword also has 14…”

“Sasara, look at this item!”

“Ah! Um, it says you can use appraisal for 30 seconds, ahh!?”

Meiko quickly had Sasara appraise the marble she was holding, and as Sasara was relaying the information, the marble turned into particles of light and disappeared from her fingertips.

“It disappeared. Does it disappear when used?”

“Seems like it. Lulu, you wanted to use it, right? Sorry.”

“No, no. It’s too precious, so thank you for stopping me!”

Meiko herself was tempted to try it, but as Lulu said, it was too precious.

Who knows when we’ll get another one? We need to use it carefully.

Meiko and Lulu put their marbles back into the bottle.

“We got something good!”

“Nyau! Let’s use it carefully, sho.”

For now, Meiko decided to carry the bottle, and we resumed our exploration.

That said, it was getting late, so we had to head back to the Safety Zone.

We hunted rabbits as we moved.

The small sickle Lulu equipped had a good attack power. According to the earlier appraisal, at its initial stage, it had the same attack power as the 100/100 mallet sword.

If we knocked the mallet away with a water bullet, Lulu would step in the next moment and swing the sickle.

After seeing the splatter two or three times, Lulu seemed to get used to it and started hunting Pestle Rabbit with precision. She’s really getting into it.

However, Meiko and Sasara noticed that Lulu would close her eyes for a moment after each kill, as if praying for the Pestle Rabbit’s soul.

On the way back, a Pestle Rabbit dropped a rabbit tail.

We decided to equip Lulu with the rabbit tail as well.

A small, round tail attached to her overalls, and Meiko was delighted.

The rabbit tail also reduced magic power by 1, but the effect wasn’t clear. Since magic power was reduced, there must be some passive effect.

We could have used the appraisal marble to check, but it was too precious, so we decided to save it for another time.

The Pestle Rabbit dropped various other items.

The main drop was fur, which was overwhelmingly common. Then came mallet swords, rabbit meat, rabbit ears, and rabbit tails, in decreasing order of probability. The rare rabbit ears and tails might have the same drop rate.

The rabbit meat was a bit unusual—it wasn’t frozen, but it was hard as if time had stopped.

When we tried to figure out how to use it, we found that focusing on thawing it would end the hardened state. This consumed 1 magic power.

We ended up doing this during exploration and had to synthesize it with candy.

We had defeated about 50 Pestle Rabbits since entering the mountain, and a considerable number of items were now in our backpacks.

As we walked through the mountain dungeon, the sun gradually began to set.

It was almost certain that this dungeon had a day-night cycle, and Meiko and the others hurried back to the Safety Zone.