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Volume 3 Chapter 6.3

 

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Translator: Larkin
Editor: Weasalopes

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「But I feel like we got through most of them? 」

「To be honest, that one was the easiest. 」

There had been things such as javelins launched from the sides, suspended ceilings, and collapsing walls. Up until this point, they had pretty much encountered all of the standard booby traps. However they hadn’t encountered any teleportation traps or alarms. That was probably due to the fact that those traps didn’t exist in Drifters. Besides, setting up alarms was probably too tedious. 

「Well no, if those were truly dangerous traps, Tatsuya and I would have come up with a different solution.」

「Whatever you say, but those traps were honestly just like toys.」

「The collapsing walls only had enough power to simply prevent you from moving. 」

「There wasn’t really a straightforward method to deactivate it anyway.」

「Well I just thought since it was difficult to deactivate it, one might as well just forcibly break through it.」

If it’s an Indiana Jones type of trap then you’ll just get caught in it and you’ll have to find a way to escape. In addition, these ruins are clearly a theme park attraction, so none of the traps were going to result in a fatal wound. The suspended ceiling and collapsing walls were just like camera shutters and sliding doors. If something large were to get stuck between, its safety mechanism would activate and it wouldn’t move any further. So, no one was really going to end up with a close call.

However, it wasn’t like there weren’t any downsides either. The suspended ceiling and collapsing wall were made of robust rocks so it was a pain to get through. If you got hit by one of the propelled javelins and spears you’d temporarily become paralyzed and confused. The situation wasn’t life-threatening but it did seem like the place was specifically designed to take a toll on one’s stamina and sanity.

Incidentally, the worst one was a line of spears trap that Judith had activated.

「For some reason I laughed when the trap was activated by the red laser.」

「That doesn’t seem normal.」

Along the way, they had come across something that seemed like right out of a spy movie in which it looked like a security system had been put into place. When they turned a corner they encountered a hit and away trap. In the end, Hiroshi managed to break through and they all narrowly escaped.

「Yeah, well.」

「You wanna say something don’t you?」

「I think it’s safe to say that this entire place is rigged with traps. Where do you think the next one will be? 」

「This is pretty standard but I think it’ll be securely placed in an unexpected place, such as that strange new rail car over there.」

Just as Haruna said, in the depths of the room was a strange sparkling new rail car. It ran along a rail. There wasn’t a roof nor any ground. One would be surprised, but if one looked closer a safety net had been placed and was camouflaged. Seeing this, one wouldn’t know to either be relieved at the fact that even if they fell they would be saved by the safety net or if they should be worried by the fact that a safety net had needed to be installed. 

They had been sure that these were some ancient ruins but no ancient ruins would have a rail car without a single speck of rust. Or perhaps, this had been done on purpose, knowing that whoever noticed would no doubt be unsettled. 

「Well that definitely looks rigged, let’s go check it out.」

「If it’s how I think it is, we’ll be attacked by a bat and then it’ll make us stumble and fall to the depths of the earth.」

「It could also be a jet coaster. There’s probably a vertical loop up ahead and a lot of twists and turns. 」

「But, passengers don’t usually fall off do they? 」

Everyone voiced their predictions about what possibly awaited them in the rail car. 

「Well, compared to all the traps up until now this, too, shouldn’t be a big deal. If anything, it’s some type of jet coaster.」

「Right. Now the problem is—」

「I wish the rail car had more space.」

Today was the second time that everyone was huddled together. Hirshi unconsciously let out a sigh. They weren’t as tightly packed as before but there was no room for wielding a weapon.

「There’s another problem. It’s gotten late.」

「Ah~that’s true. It’s around dinner time.」

「Right, what do ya say we take a break and then we ride the rail car in the morning.」

「It’s inconvenient if we don’t know what lies up ahead.」

「Even if you say that we don’t know if the rail car is the last trap. These ruins keep attacking our stamina and sanity. I don’t even feel like putting up with this tomorrow.」

Everyone was tired from the day’s events but it was possible that if they continued tomorrow, Hiroshi would make up an excuse to not ride the rail car.

「This is too troublesome, so let’s just flip a coin.」

「Is that alright? At any rate neither is a good option.」

「Then we’ll do a ghost lottery to decide who goes where. Hiroshi-kun and Tatsuya-kun should go in the front.」

They were the ones who would be able to absorb the most damage so it was appropriate for them to be in the front. The coin that Tatsuya flipped had landed on heads, that meant that they would ride the rail car today. 

「Alright. But as soon as we’re done with the rail car we’re looking for somewhere to set up camp.」

「There should be a save point place around here so that’s fine.」

Haruna lucked into getting to sit behind Hiroshi and she happily climbed into the rail car with him.

This was the second time of the day they stood so close to each other. Next came Mio, Makoto, and finally the Norton sisters were at the very back. 

「’Kay we’re moving now, so hold on tight!」

At Tatsuya’s words, everyone scrambled to hold onto something. They weren’t sure how fast the rail car would be going and on top of that there was no safety bar or seat belts. It was kind of frightening. 

「A bat!」

It was just as they thought. Hiroshi and Tatsuya tried to shoo the bats away with their weapons. There wasn’t enough room so the rest of the group couldn’t engage.

「Wha-?」

Suddenly a bat that Tatsuya had shooed away grazed past Haruna’s head. Just as she lowered her head to avoid it, the rail car made a sharp turn.

「Wha—！」

Because of the force, Haruna lost her balance and was lurched forward. The force of gravity was too great that she couldn’t hold herself back. She landed right behind Hiroshi and clung to his back.

「……!」

Hiroshi felt he was going to let out a shriek in response and quickly gulped to hold back his scream. Even though he had a phobia of women, he thought it would be far too rude to scream at Haruna since he had known her for so long and they both got along so well, especially in this situation. This would take a toll on his sanity meter. But as long as it didn’t reach zero it would be back at its max once this scenario was over. 

He had no choice but to put up with it as much as he could. 

As he thought about the situation in game terms he noticed that he would soon be in the danger zone as he looked ahead at the rail track. At his rate he would be pushed into Haruna and his sanity meter would be in the critical zone. He had to get back his points or else…

「Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!」

「Hold on waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!」

「This vertical loop is too scary!!」

「Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!」

This had been a jet coaster, after all. It had been startling to feel the rail car suddenly pick up speed and feel one’s feet momentarily leave the floor during the vertical loop. 

「Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa！！」

「This so so so so scary!!」

「Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee！！」

Haruna and Mio no longer cared what others might think and screamed with all their might and both clung to Hiroshi. A bat swooped by and Haruna and Mio clung even tighter to Hiroshi and in the end Hiroshi finally let out a scream.

「…That was very scary…」

「So-sorry Hiroshi-kun. I still can’t stand properly.」

The jet-coaster had been scarier than standard ones, and because of that, their legs shook, and they couldn’t let go of Hiroshi. The slight heat emanating from his body gave them a sense of comfort.

「……」

Hiroshi didn’t respond. His face was completely pale and he was burnt out. He was probably the only one who hadn’t feared the jet coaster but that fact didn’t comfort him at all. 

「At any rate, I think that’s enough. Let’s call it a day.」

「R-right. It’s great that this area seems like a suitable campsite.」

While saying that, they turned around and…

「……」

「……」

「Primula and Judith passed out, with their eyes open！？」

The Norton sisters didn’t seem to fare well with theme park rides. It was quite a surprise to see them in their current state. 

「Is the group back yet?」

「Well, they left early in the morning to go collect sand but…」

「Is it unusual if they don’t return in 1-2 days?」

「No, that’s…」

「Oh, by the way they took the golem carriage. I guess that means they won’t return by sundown.」

The queen discussed the circumstances of Hiroshi and his group while slightly frowning. Moreover, the group had indeed left around dawn to go collect sand but they had not yet returned. She wondered if they had encountered any difficulties.

「Have you received any messages from them?」

「Well, we did receive one from the Norton sisters. It said that if the group’s plans changed they would return, but I guess it’s too late for that. 」

「I didn’t expect them to take longer than this.」

「Indeed.」

「I’ve witnessed the extent of their abilities, therefore I don’t believe they’d be so reckless to place their lives in danger. I wonder what they’re doing.」

The queen frowned. It was very unusual for them to take this long. She was somewhat worried about them. But after all…

「Ah, I found an oyster.」

「Oh, an oyster! It isn’t venomous?」

「If we apply heat to it, we can eat it whenever we want.」

「Smoked oysters are delicious, aren’t they?」

「Fried oyster, fried oyster.」

The group had finally recovered from the fright the jet coaster had given them. They had found some oysters within the ruins and had decided to make a meal out of them. The queen probably didn’t imagine that the group was calmly preparing dinner.

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