As I continued walking through the depths, it grew darker with each passing step. As expected, by the time I reached the 40th floor, the surrounding area waspletely shrouded in darkness, and without any source of light, I wouldn''t have been able to see anything. Though I''m unaffected, the way sound travels underwater is different from onnd, which feels a little unsettling.


    That said, the speed of sound in water is about five times faster than in air, so it''s not like I can''t hear anything.


    One smallfort is that, unlike the real deep sea, the dungeon''s floor is solid beneath my feet. I don''t have the sensation of sinking into a bottomless abyss—just walking through darkness.


    : If you''re thssophobic, just looking at this screen would make you lose it.


    : Even without thssophobia, this is terrifying.


    : Don''t underestimate thssophobia!


    : Those with actual thssophobia have probably already quit watching this stream.


    : Isn''t everyone a little bit thssophobic?


    : The difference between mild and severe cases is the real issue here.


    : I''ve yed deep-sea exploration games before, and this feels just as terrifying.


    : Tenko''s holding the camera, so this really does feel like a third-person game.


    : But the fact that you''re walking underwater with a glowing rod is a bit funny, lol.


    Just like how some people have rare allergies, there are also those with rare phobias. Thssophobia is one of those things that ordinary people might not understand, but those afflicted im it can trigger fear without even being near the ocean. People are fascinating.


    Not that I''mpletely fearless myself. Walking through a pitch-ck sea like this does stir some primal fear. But with the chat and Tenko asionally talking to me, it doesn''t feel that lonely. The fear of the unknown, not knowing what might emerge from the darkness—that''s just part of a regr day in a dungeon, so I''m not too bothered.


    : How does Sagojo''s vision even work?


    : I have no idea.


    : He suddenly dashed off into the dark and came back holding a magic stone, lol.


    : How does he even detect things in this deep-sea environment?


    : Probably by instinct, lol.


    : Stop making things up.


    : Isn''t he sensing it through magic?


    Even I don''t know. It''s probably something to do with the water currents or something?


    I may have created the basic structure of Sagojo, but I have no idea what the being I summoned is actually doing.


    "Huh... a shell?"


    After walking around with Sagojo for a while, a giant shell appeared at the edge of my vision. Well, technically, I''m the one who approached it since it wasn''t moving.


    : That shell looks empty.


    : Looks like something already ate it.


    : Why would something get eaten underwater, lol?


    : RIP shell, even in a dungeon it''s just a snack.


    "No, maybe it didn''t have anything inside to begin with? There''s no sign of it being eaten, and monsters in the mid-levels aren''t supposed to attack each other..."


    Just as I was saying that, the shell suddenly moved. What? There''s nothing inside, so why is it moving? As I leaned in to check, the upper part of the shell mped down, trying to crush me, but Sagojo stepped in and stopped it with one hand.


    : A shell monster with no body, seriously?


    : That''s not even a living creature anymore.


    : Dude, this is a world where golems exist, why are you surprised?


    : Fair point.


    : It''s a dungeon—of course non-living things can move.


    : Why is it covering itself with a shell when there''s nothing inside?


    : No idea, lol.


    The shell tried its hardest to close, but Sagojo was far stronger and it couldn''t budge. When it finally gave up and swung open wide, Sagojo mmed his trident into the lower shell, cracking it. He then smashed itpletely, shattering the shell into pieces.


    After twitching once, the shattered shell crumbled away like sand, disappearing into the water.


    "…Well, that turned out more brutish than I intended."


    : Isn''t that your creation, though?


    : Isn''t that your Shikigami?


    : Really…?n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    : RIP shell,plete defeat.


    : Guys, remember this is only the mid-levels.


    : Kisaragi-kun struggling in the mid-levels? That''s never going to happen.


    That''s true. Still, this mid-level area is uncharted territory, and I''d prefer to take my time exploring it. I''m genuinely interested in all the monsters that show up and want to explore more leisurely.


    "Well, let''s keep moving."


    : There''s something on the ground.


    : A magic stone?


    : No, Sagojo is holding the magic stone.


    : Just a rock, probably.


    "…This looks like an ore, actually. It''s really small, though, so even if we extracted it, there wouldn''t be much of it."


    On the edge of the small stone I picked up, I could see a faint metallic sheen.


    Now that I think about it, there were rumors that the interior of Nagoya Dungeon contained vast quantities of rare metals. I don''t know if that''s based on actual explorers or if they found something simr in the upper levels, but it''s a known rumor. This means there''s a chance I might discover some rare metal down here.


    : So the rare metals in Nagoya Dungeon were real?


    : Wait, I thought that was just an urban legend, like the Tokugawa hidden treasure!


    : I seriously thought it was a myth.


    : How did that turn into an urban legend so fast?


    : A few decades is enough for it to be one.


    : If you find a huge stash of it, wouldn''t it be more valuable than magic stones?


    : Deep-level magic stones are worth more, though.


    : Then there''s no need to carry the rare metals back, right?


    : There totally is!


    Well, rare metals are incredibly valuable since they''re used in everything from cars andputers to smartphones and more. It''s definitely worth bringing some back, but there are many different types of rare metals. I''m no expert, so I can''t tell what type of ore this is just by looking at it.


    "If I find arger piece, I''ll consider bringing it back. For now, let''s focus on clearing the dungeon."


    : The Dungeon Association must be freaking out right now.


    : Freaking out, but only Kisaragi-kun can get in here, lol.


    : Haha, true.


    : Can''t they just dive in with proper equipment?


    : Dude, this is a dungeon. How are they going to handle the monsters?


    : Also, how would diving equipment even deal with the water pressure?


    : Nope, guess not.


    : That''s why Nagoya Dungeon isn''t a ce for normal humans to explore.


    : What about Kisaragi-kun?


    : He''s not human, obviously.


    : Everyone treating Kisaragi-kun like he''s not human is hrious, lol.


    : Yeah, clearly a superhuman at this point.