Danmachi IF - What if Alfia survived

Chapter 25 Sudden encounter

Nging. A sudden pain attacked my neck.

"....?"

"Cranel-sama?"

I rub the spot with my hands as I cast my gaze around the area.

A vast room with a thick grassy floor and yellow walls. We're currently on the ninth floor. But I couldn't hide my anxiety.

"Cranel-sama, is there something wrong?"

Arde stared at me with worried eyes.

".... It's nothing, probably."

Once again, I looked around the area.

Is there something watching me?

I just can't shake the feeling that there's an eye on me right now.

It doesn't feel like it wants to hurt me or anything like that...I just feel this strange weight on my shoulders.

Arde and I decided we would hit floor 11 as fast as possible before Loki familia arrived.

Arde explained that Loki familia is also tasked with clearing the dungeon for now, so it will be hard to hunt monsters after them.

That's why we dived to the dungeon faster today to get an early start. The same could be said for the other adventurers, as I met some of them on the upper floors.

I think I saw a few adventurers a couple of floors up, but the dungeon is still mostly empty.

There was that one beast-person adventurer a few rooms back—that guy was huge.

Could these eyes be his? He'd have no reason to follow us...but it's getting to the point that I can't just ignore this feeling.

"Isn't this a little strange...?

"A little strange?"

There aren't enough monsters."

I finally mentioned another thing that had been bothering me for a while. Even Arde looks back over her shoulder and whispers, "Now that you mention it...."

The dungeon has been eerily quiet since we arrived on the lower ninth. We've been here a while, too, the stairwell that leads to the lower tenth is just a room or two away, but we haven't encountered a single monster yet.

Well, there was a group of goblins running around, but they didn't attack us. It looked more like they were running away from something, actually.

Anxiety is sinking even deeper now; my guts are twisting into knots.

I've felt like this before, and it's bringing that back into my mind.

Yes.

On that day, the dungeon was this quiet, too. I violently shake my head.

"C-Cranel-sama?"

"... Let's go. To the tenth floor."

My hand over my mouth to steady myself, I manage to get words out through my fingers.

I want to say,

"Let's get out of here,"

but I just can't. It's like my spirit is trying to push my body forward, away from here

We enter the next room. It has two exits. One I remember leads to the stairwell—that's when it happens.

—Now then, show me.

Wha? A voice, suddenly in my head. Not my voice—it's like something is talking to me from inside. I'm on full alert. A second later...

"-MROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"