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Inside, more than ten abysses are clustered together. They’re jostling above an iron fixture in the floor.

Probably, that’s the entrance to the basement. Since they’re clustering around it, I can assume they saw someone go in that way. To describe it simply, it’s a scene of hell.

Crawling around, they’re sticking their teeth into the ground. The floor is being shaved away and holes are starting to form.

I suddenly recall how the abysses came out of the ground earlier. These guys should be able to dig a hole, more or less. At this rate, won’t they be getting into the basement?

There’s not much time. Rather than just my head, I pull my foreleg into the meeting hall too. Inevitably, my partner’s head comes along. The entirety of the meeting hall shakes greatly.

“GaaaaaaaaAH!”

Seeing the abysses crowded into the meeting hall, she screams. Even I want to scream, but I haven’t got the time for that. As I think that, three abysses charge towards my head.

“VeeEeEheeEeeh!”

Their huge mouths open. A thick mucus stretches out in their mouths, giving off a particularly foul stench.

“GuuoOOOOOOOhh!”

Impossible! Impossible, impossible! This is too much!

“Guuoh!”

Raising my forelegs high, I thrust my entire body into the meeting hall. Using both my left and right forelegs, I slice up abysses. Rather than aiming to deal a deathblow, I prioritise stopping them from moving.

The lead abyss splits off from the rest as it leaps towards my head. My heart dies as I crunch it with my fangs.

A lukewarm sensation spreads through my mouth. Its legs are still moving. Feelings of revulsion well up from the back of my throat.

“Veh, Veheh! Vehveh!”

I cough violently, sending fragments of abyss flying from my mouth. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about anything unnecessary right now. The sensation doesn’t matter at all…

“Guuo…oo….”

I-I feel nause-… I feel nauseous.

Glancing to the side, I see my partner taking them down via headbuts… I should have done it that way too. Huh, they split up, but where’d they go…?

“Gaaah!”

My partner headbutts me. Even though it’s so sudden, she puts a lot of force into it. My vision flickers.

“Guooh!”

Teh, I thought my jaw was breaking! I bend back, banging my head against the ceiling. A dull sound rings out.

A moment later, an abyss falls to the floor from near my head. It must have jumped onto me. I guess she headbutted me to knock it off. I’m saved, but it feels like that’s the first heavy damage I’ve taken since I fought the hero. I get her feelings though.

Exposing my abdomen to the abyss, I put my body weight into my foreleg to forcefully stomp down on it. I don’t like it, of course, but if I let it live halfheartedly, I’d like that even less. I need to be certain it’s dead.

“Veah!”

The floor dents, and the abyss’ body is crushed as it lets out a short scream.

【144 experience points have been acquired.】

【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 144 experience points have been acquired.】

My arm is dirtied by its body fluids. It feels a bit tingly. Right, their body fluids are meant to have a numbing poison… I don’t want to think about it any more. I want to take a bath.

“Veeeh!”

“Veeeeh!”

“VeaAaAaEeE!”

The other abysses charge at me. I can’t do this anymore! I pull my body back and start demolishing the meeting hall for real. The walls and pillars collapse, raising clouds of dust.

“Veeeeh!”

One of the abysses tries to dash through the hole I stepped back through, but I see it get pinned by a piece of falling debris. In the blink of an eye, the whole space is filled with rubble and nothing is visible.

【684 experience points have been acquired.】

【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 684 experience points have been acquired.】

【The level of [Ouroboros] has risen from 68 to 69.】

…Great, it doesn’t look like the floor’s given way. It might’ve been better if I went to demolish the place when I first saw them gathered. That way I wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.

But, from the amount of experience I gained, only four of them died there… In other words, they’re still coming.

Just as I prepare myself, a number of abysses come crawling out of the wreckage. Because of the injuries they sustained from the debris, hunting them is easy.

One down,

“Veeeh!”

One down,

“VeeeEeh!”

Another one down,

“VeeeEeeh!”

I make sure to slaughter each of them with [Wind Slash]. In no time at all, seven new abyss corpses are produced. My level went up to 70 after I defeated the third one.

I chop up the last one with a [Wind Slash].

【186 experience points have been acquired.】

【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 186 experience points have been acquired.】

【The level of [Ouroboros] has risen from 70 to 71.】

Even though they’re good levelling, it’s wasted. There’s no way I want to seek them out. I’ve done enough abyss killing for a lifetime. My upper body is coated in their body fluids and it’s really painful.

【Title Skill [Pest Killer] has risen from level 5 to 6】

【Title Skill [Brave Hero] has risen from level 4 to 5】

…I wonder if it’s okay to take that level up as all of them being defeated. I still won’t let my guard down, but… I’ll clear away enough of the wreckage for them to get out.

I use my foreleg to clear the rubble away, exposing the door to the basement… Great, I’ve confirmed the floor is fine. I’m glad, I’m glad. I’m seriously glad. It would be great if I could say goodbye to fighting abysses with this.

The door opens and Hibi’s face pokes out. It looks like there’s stairs below.

Seeing me, she hurriedly puts on her mask. That’s not really necessary… Well, I suppose formality is important.

After muttering her usual incantation, she asks me a question.

『Dragon-god-sama, the abysses are…?』

I’ve killed close to twenty of them. There’s no more left… Is what I think, but I can’t be certain. They’re good at hiding their presences, after all.

Following her, the military uniform man who was carried in earlier comes up, supported by a Lithovar man. His arms and legs are wrapped up in bandages of thin cloth.

“Derek-san, it seems the abysses have fled for now.”

“…”

Hearing that, the military uniform man breathes a sigh of relief and sits on the stairs. When he was brought here he was in a state of distress, but it looks he’s calmed down now.

It looks like his name’s Derek. Since he was denouncing them as a barbarian tribe, it must’ve been hard to hold a conversation with him, but it looks like they got his name at least.

He glares at me as though sizing me up, then gets to his feet. Warding off the arm of the man who was supporting him he starts walking in the direction of the forest.

“Hey, are you going already? With those wounds, you’ll just attract another abyss.”

Derek continues to leave, ignoring the calls. But a moment later, he staggers and starts to pitch over. Shifting her mask to expose her face, Hibi rushes to Derek’s side.

“How would you feel about taking a half day’s rest before leaving? You lost your weapon, right? Without it, you won’t be able to get out of this forest.”

“…”

“If you’re looking for your companions, we can help you with that. With the abysses this active, we won’t be able to do a very extensive search, though…”

“…They’re safe.”

Derek mutters a couple words as though he just remembered something. He’s finally speaking.

“I see. That’s wonderful to hear…”

“They left me in front and ran away at the start. They didn’t try properly fighting… Since I’m a newcomer, even if I’m not there, it won’t affect their formation…”

He says with a trembling voice as he crouches with his face downturned. O-oh, that was heavier than I was expecting… His shoulders shudder. Is he crying?

Hibi gently pats his back to comfort him.

W-well, I’ll leave him for the Lithovars to deal with. I guess I’ll go on patrol.