Chapter 19: Ryo, the Stream, and the Golden Lake

It was a place off the path that seemed to be the proper route.

“……”

With his presence erased, Ryo waited silently behind a rock for it to pass.

What lumbered forward was a gigantic turtle.

It was roughly as tall and wide as Ryo himself.

Its shell looked like a rocky mountain, flat at the top, where an amber-colored liquid pooled like a small lake.

It was a Brandotus.

A turtle-type monster with no sightings outside this area so far.

Just as its appearance suggested, its movements were slow, but not only its shell—its skin was also incredibly tough.

When hostile, it attacked enemies with crushing body slams using its immense weight, and a mist breath that expelled alcohol-laced fog along with shockwaves.

Its jaws were powerful as well, making even a simple bite devastating.

The mist breath in particular was troublesome.

For people with low alcohol tolerance, not only did it deal damage, but the strong alcohol content within it took effect immediately.

Even without a direct hit, the dispersed alcohol in the air could make someone drunk, making it a turtle you could never underestimate.

Despite its massive size and being a turtle, meaning it was undeniably sluggish, it also had a technical side, skillfully whipping its long tail like a lash to attack.

If fought head-on, it was an extremely powerful and troublesome foe.

That said, it was generally docile, and unless it was hungry, it would not attack prey.

Even if it was hungry, a monster like this would not attack as long as you stayed quiet and waited it out, just as Ryo was doing now.

As one of the viewers explained Brandotus in the comments alongside Ryo, the comment section began to buzz.

[So the liquid on its back is alcohol?]
[Is it good?]
[I want someone who knows booze to taste it]

The comments ran wild, but to make that happen, someone would need to climb onto that turtle’s shell and collect the amber liquid.

[How would you even do that?]
[You’d have to harvest alcohol from the back of a turtle with annoying skills and crazy strength]
[Yeah…]
[Im☆pos☆si☆ble]
[As a booze lover I’m curious though…]

It was an interesting monster, but there were few explorers with the skill to actually do what the comments were suggesting.

“It passed us safely.”
“I’ll move toward the lake like this.”

[Ah, my bottle of booze…]
[Bottle?]
[It’s a sake turtle]
[That’s not yours]
[The fact that ‘sake turtle’ actually fits is kind of funny]

Turning his back on the Brandotus, Ryo moved on.

After that, he continued weaving through trees, passing behind monsters, and at times dispatching them almost in a single strike from behind like an assassination.

“Once we get past these bushes, we’ll reach the lake.”

As he spoke, Ryo parted the foliage and moved forward.

The drone following him also emerged from the bushes, its view opening wide.

And then the viewers saw it.

Though surrounded by forest, there were no trees around the lake itself.

It was a quiet lakeshore encircled by woods.

The lake that spread out before them in the open view—

[Whoa…]
[That’s amazing]
[So shiny]
[This is…]
[Insane]
[It’s really gold]

—shone in beautiful golden brilliance.

This area had a spring-like warmth unique to it.

There was no sun, yet a clear blue sky stretched overhead.

Bathed in light from an unknown source pouring down from above was the golden surface of the lake.

The gently rippling golden water was so clear that you could see partway to the bottom.

Sparkling, sparkling.

As it reflected the light and swayed softly, the lake cast golden hues onto the surrounding grass, trees, and stones.

That was why this lake and its surroundings alone were wrapped in a space of soft gold.

Thinking that the viewers were probably holding their breath in awe, Ryo touched the top of the drone to display the comments.

“Considering the layout of the area, I think no one really stops by this lake.”
“If you’re just clearing the dungeon normally, you only need to properly follow the routes that always exist.”

[Those path-like areas are for that?]
[It’s a maze, but the paths do lead to the goal]
[You really thought to wander off the path, Ryo]

“But I really like seeing things like this that exist off the main routes.”
“These kinds of dungeon-only, almost fantasy-like landscapes.”

[After seeing this, yeah]
[That’s enjoyment beyond just clearing]
[You’re what people call a detour type]
[Amazing]
[Otsunagi Dia who cooks dungeon ingredients is a detour type too]
[Detour types get treated like nuisances a lot]
[After seeing your skills and scenery, can’t really look down on it]

“I’ve always enjoyed this alone, but sharing it with others like this feels really nice too.”
“Thank you.”

[No problem]
[We should be thanking you]
[Fantasy scenery beyond life-or-death risks…]
[Do these off-path areas have benefits besides scenery?]
[Thanks for showing us something beautiful]
[Is someone being tone-deaf here?]

“Oh, benefits?”
“Yes, they do.”
“You can encounter unknown monsters that don’t appear on the normal routes.”

[Is that really a benefit…]
[Huh]
[Unknown monsters, you say…?]
[Wait a second]

“Sometimes there are treasure chests too.”
“I usually sell the contents right away and don’t care much about them, so I tend to forget.”

[Hold on]
[There are treasure chests too?]
[What…]
[How many explorers have missed that?]
[Isn’t that huge new info?]
[But going off the dungeon path to explore is kind of…]
[That bumps the difficulty up by one or two ranks]
[Risk management, safety margin… that’s a high hurdle]

“Still, this lake really does smell nice.”

[What kind of smell?]
[Flowers or something?]

“It’s a hunger-inducing smell.”
“Like consommé soup.”

[Huh?]
[What did you say?]
[Excuse me?]

“Let me see… in my SAI storage…”
“Yeah, I’ve got antidotes, stomach medicine, and digestive aids.”
“Alright.”

[That ‘alright’ is ominous]
[Don’t check that so casually]
[What are you planning?]
[Ryo, stop]
[That’s a bit much]
[You’re not seriously going to…]

Ryo stood up and peered into the lake.

“The stones and branches at the bottom aren’t dissolving, so it doesn’t seem corrosive.”

[Hey, hey, hey]
[Ryo?]
[That’s really not—]

“Well then…”

Ryo dipped his fingertip into the lake.

“It’s cool, but it doesn’t feel unpleasant.”

Then he lifted his finger from the lake and brought it toward his mouth.

[Wait wait wait wait]
[Are you sane?]
[Stop it]
[That aside, that’s kind of sensual]
[Wait]
[I don’t know whether to stop you or get excited]
[Get excited while stopping him]
[Don’t do it]
[Seriously, stop]

Ryo placed his index finger into his mouth.

[Nooooo]
[You’re not supposed to drink untreated water]
[Is this untreated water?]
[I don’t know what to do anymore]

Amid the viewers’ total confusion—

“Th-this is…!?”

Ryo’s face began to glow with dazzling brilliance.