Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 44

Something Like a Safe Zone? 

"Mana Sickness," a phenomenon that's probably unique to this world. My party is—well, suffering is a polite word for basically dying. We've spent the entire morning dragging them in and out of the dungeon.

"Yuu... I don't think I can make it... You have to... carry me..."

"Nice try, Atena. You're already 50% back to normal."

That was my mistake. Carrying Shizuka out bridal style earlier set a bad precedent. Now everyone (except Akiyoshi) is taking turns demanding to be carried. I'm just the group's personal Uber. Seriously, wouldn't you puke if someone was jiggling you around while you were nauseous?

In the afternoon, everyone finally got their sea legs. Just kidding, Tiara immediately made monja (puked). Akiyoshi, of course, was diligently taking care of her.

If it weren't for that completely blissed-out look on her face, or the way her hand rubbing Tiara's back kept accidentally groping her ass, she'd almost look like a good friend.

Nah, who am I kidding? That's just Akiyoshi.

So, here we are, in the dungeon's main hall. It's packed with students, new Diggers, Porters, and—are those mid-level Explorers just sitting there, staring at me? Whatever.

"Hey, Akiyoshi. What's that giant, shiny black... thing... over there?"

It was a massive, eye-catching object. About ten feet tall, six feet wide—basically a Monolith straight out of that movie.

"Y-Yuu-kun... answering your question... is my job... as your fiancée..."

"...Ugh... urrrp..."

Yeah, Shizuka and Atena are still out of commission. So much for getting used to it this morning. Akiyoshi is the only one who seems fine, though she's probably just hiding her pallor under ten pounds of makeup.

"You really don't know anything, do you? That's... the... uh, you know! That thing!"

"You don't know either, do you?!"

Akiyoshi, proving her uselessness once again.

"Fufu. It's called a Black Rock," a random Explorer-san nearby chimed in.

"They're in every dungeon, usually at the entrance, between floors, or at the start of a new area."

"It's like... a landmark? Or a Jizo statue, maybe?"

"It glows when you touch it, and words appear. When I started, I'd touch it every time... but no one can read the text. It's just a glowing rock. After a while, you just get bored and see it as a New Area sign. That's the rookie pipeline."

"It's still useful, though! Knowing the area changes helps you predict the monsters!"

"...A-And that was just us talking to ourselves!"

"Ah... thank you for the detailed explanation, ladies."

"H-He... a boy... thanked me!"

"Is this... the legendary YOU-sama Quality?!"

"Ahhh... my entire life... I just wanted to be in a party with a boy like him..."

"Don't die! Live!"

Whoa. I didn't even say anything special. And "Black Rock"? Seriously? That's just lazy. And kinda lame.

My party is still in recovery, so I can't go anywhere. I'm bored. Might as well...

I walked over to the Black Rock and touched it.

"Whoa, it actually glowed!"

"A boy... getting excited over a glowing rock... it's... pure..."

"Hooray for Dungeon 2! Hooray for Explorers! I'm so glad I was born in this country!"

"Ahhh... I'm gonna... cum!"

Okay, this is pretty fantasy, or sci-fi, maybe. But... wait. The Explorer-sans said this was unreadable.

I can read it perfectly.

I discreetly cast Appraisal.

N2 Dungeon Main Portal A service terminal. Provides multi-faceted support to entrants, including Party Formation, Portal Transfer, and Injury Recovery.

Well, yeah. Looks just like a fast-travel point from a game. Recovery and Party Formation fit right in... though I'm not sure what Party Formation entails.

"Shouldn't... this information... be available to everyone?"

"He's talking to the unreadable text! It's too much!"

"His confused face is so cute..."

"Must... must... must take him... home..."

"Whoa, you can't say that part out loud!"

Crap, I said that out loud. And can you please stop reacting to my every move, ladies? It's embarrassing.

I cleared my throat and went back to reading... or "absorbing"... the info. It detailed:

• This is the "N2 Dungeon Main Portal."

• It can teleport you to any other portal you've touched (within N2).

• Teleporting costs Magic Stones.

• You can instantly heal any injury by consuming Magic Stones.

• Up to six people touching the portal can form a party.

• In a party, all members get the same amount of EXP, regardless of who gets the kill.

• It can also teleport you to the "lair" of that area's "high-level monster."

So, just a more detailed version of the Appraisal.

This is... critically important information that every Explorer should know.

...Yeah, I'm not telling anyone. Can you imagine the nightmare of trying to explain why I can suddenly read a 200-year-old text that no one else can? No, thank you.No, thank you.

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