Defense*3
Now then.
Of the seven people I’d invited into the nitrogen room, two had instinctively covered their mouths and tried to escape from the gas—but right as they did, cages dropped down from above, neatly turning them into prisoners.
Though they’d escaped the nitrogen, they couldn’t escape the cages. Soon enough, the creeping nitrogen suffocated them... and they passed out.
“All right, they’re out cold! Ventilate, quick!”
So, I hurriedly restructured the oxygen. With a whoosh, the air was replaced, and for the time being, I saved the unconscious folks. Good.
That made ten people total now—three who slipped in the mud and seven who passed out from the nitrogen—all successfully caged.
… And since all the victims at the bottom of the pit were unconscious, and the ones above had moved off to look for another route, I could safely use Decompose, Absorb, Reconstruct around them again.
Right.
The condition under which I can’t use Decompose–Absorb–Reconstruct is when “an enemy is still able to interfere with me or with the target object or space.”
Which means—if the enemy can’t perceive anything and can’t possibly interfere—then I can freely use Decompose–Absorb–Reconstruct right beside them.
“First, I’ll decompose their gear... collect all the jewels too!”
I immediately absorbed and decomposed all their equipment. Oh! Nice materials! Would you look at that—I got gold and silver!
Yeah, these pale metal armors had gold and silver inlays, looking all fancy—and that, of course, means I get to extract those elements! Thanks, guys!
And since I’m such a merciful god, I decided not to decompose their underwear. Merciful. Truly merciful, even by my standards.
“Next, reconstruct restraints!”
Still, even unarmed and down to their skivvies, these Holy Knights were brimming with fantasy power—you never knew what they might pull. So, I made sure to cuff them up properly.
“Now, let’s reconstruct the dungeon for transport...”
I attached wheels to the bottoms of their cages, carved grooves into the cave floor to act as rails, and then—
“Transport!”
Transport complete! Cages and all! Off they go, the Holy Knights are ready for shipment.
“Eh, Asuma-sama!? You’re shipping them out already!?”
“Yep! Got seven of ’em! Stripped down to their shorts!”
“Stripped down... to what extent, exactly...?”
Figured I should give Mishisia-san and Lisas-san a status update, so I let them overhear my very loud self-talk. Yup, off they go.
… And so, the shipped Holy Knights were rolled all the way to the cave’s entrance. I even stuck a little flag up top to signal “Shipment complete,” then decomposed the rock door. That drew over the adventurers—who, true to form, went, “Whoa, the rock door vanished!” and “How mysterious!”—and came to check the cages.
The adventurers took over from there, hauling off the cage full of half-naked Holy Knights. Once I sent them the keys later, the movable cage was opened, and the pantless paladins were safely thrown into the village jail.
… Smooth as silk. Let’s hope the next ten go just as well.
Now then.
When the remaining ten Holy Knights regained consciousness...
“Damn, what a maze...”
“Feels like we’re walking in circles...”
“We keep going down stairs, so we must be descending, but still...”
… they were, in fact, going in circles.
No illusion this time—they were actually walking in circles. Makes sense though—the passage has a subtle incline upward that loops back to a downward staircase, so they keep returning to the same spot.
… Well, the more they waste their stamina, the better for me. These guys are probably stronger, quicker, and more fantasy-powered than the ones who fell into the pit. With opponents like that, simple traps rarely work.
So, I’ll just have them wear themselves out. I decided to observe for a while as they kept walking around in circles.
After about an hour...
One of the knights finally noticed. “Wait, we are walking in circles!”
So they tried a different route.
But—
“Damn! Another dead end!”
“Cursed maze!”
Well, this dungeon doesn’t spawn monsters—it’s designed to repel intruders with poison, traps, and mazes. So, naturally, things went this way.
“Whoa! Poison arrows! Poison arrows!”
“Where did they come from!?”
Tripwires triggered poisoned arrow traps, pitfall spikes popped out to say hello—the maze steadily drained their strength.
… I’m guessing these guys are stronger against monsters than against dungeons.
Their movements are sharp, their fantasy power’s high—they can even dodge collapsing floors. But when it comes to puzzles, traps, and mazes... not so much.
Yeah... reminds you that strength alone doesn’t equal survival. Combat skill doesn’t guarantee you’ll clear a dungeon, and stamina alone won’t save you either.
Well, there’ll be all sorts of challengers in the future, so I’ll need to keep studying and refining things.
Now then.
The Holy Knights kept triggering traps, taking poison, using antidotes—an endless loop.
Even if poison can be cured with potions, lost stamina doesn’t come back easily. And since they’d been wandering through the maze this whole time—while still soaked from the rain—their endurance was dropping fast.
“Damn... I heard adventurers made it to the deepest level, but... this dungeon’s no simple matter.”
“Something’s wrong here... The rain started right when we reached the village. Someone must be casting foul magic...”
Weakened and paranoid, they decided to take a break. Smart move, in theory.
But I wasn’t about to let them rest. Oh no—I won’t allow it. Time to push them to the brink!
They were resting in a corridor between two descending slopes, in a little hollow just big enough for about ten people. Perfect spot for a nap, huh?
… So I filled it with carbon dioxide.
CO₂ is heavier than air—not by much, but enough.
Quietly, it drifted down the slope and pooled at the bottom, where the knights rested. Gradually, silently, the gas accumulated.
And as the CO₂ concentration rose, the symptoms began to show.
“Hah... so tired...”
“No monsters, just traps... and this blasted maze... What’s wrong with this dungeon!?”
They started showing fatigue and irritability—classic signs of oxygen deprivation.
“Yaaawn... damn, I’m sleepy...”
“Well, it was an early morning...”
And then came the yawns. Another textbook symptom of low oxygen.
“Let’s take a short nap...”
“Right. We’ll take turns standing guard.”
And just like that, the Holy Knights began their nap. They spread their cloaks on the floor, laid down still in armor, and started dozing off… I gotta say, how can they sleep like that?
Three took watch, fighting off drowsiness while guarding the entrance. But, of course, you can’t see colorless, transparent CO₂.
So even with guards on alert... their consciousness started to fade.
The lamp on the floor flickered out. Low oxygen, most likely.
When the light died, the sentries noticed immediately.
“What the—!? We’re under attack!?”
“Out of oil? Damn it, why now... Hey, wake up. The light’s out.”
They fumbled in the dark, shaking their comrades awake.
But—
“... Hey! Come on! Stay with me!”
No matter how hard they shook them, the knights barely stirred, consciousness fading. Well, yeah—oxygen deprivation will do that.
“Damn it, what’s going on!?”
Okay, seems about time. I decomposed one more chain and dropped an iron grate at the hollow’s entrance—
“Everyone, out! Now!”
… Yeah. I hate perceptive Holy Knights like these.
Astonishingly, three sentries and two who somehow snapped awake managed to escape. Five total slipped through! What the hell’s with their fantasy power!?
They’re overly perceptive at random times, defy physics when it suits them, but still get half their group knocked out by CO₂! What a mess!
“Damn, the grate—! What’s happening!? Hey! Stay with me!”
“My head’s spinning... It’s dangerous to stay here!”
“But—five of them are still inside—”
“We have to secure our own safety first!”
The five who escaped fled up the slope in a panic, while I quietly reintroduced fresh air. Not that they’d uncover my trick, but still—better to erase the evidence. Besides, if I left the others, they’d actually die.
Once the ones trapped behind the grate passed out, I stripped them down too—down to their shorts—and prepped them for shipment.
And while adjusting...
“Only five left, huh. Doubt they’ll fall for the same trick twice.”
Yeah, they’ll definitely be on guard against invisible poisons now.
So next time... I’ll go with something they can see—but can’t dodge!
What do you think about this chapter?
