Side story: Frieren's disappearance (Part 2)

(If there are duplicates, don't waste them if anyone still wants to see them. Don't click on the later ones. This version didn't go through because of some problem in the original.)

"Are we really going to go in?"

Heiter gazed at the pitch-black corridor ahead, which exuded an ominous aura, and then turned to look at Himmel.

His words revealed a hint of reluctance.

"Although I can't pinpoint exactly where the traps are, there's definitely some kind of mechanism here, and it might even be a deadly one."

He remembered the great rift valley that Aizai fallen into before. It was a common type of [fall trap] in Dungeon, the only unusual thing about it was its depth.

Under normal circumstances, a [fall trap] is just a large pit a few meters deep, and at most, there are sharp spikes or something similar on the ground.

Even if someone unfortunately falls in, as long as they aren't seriously injured, it's not a big problem. But in this Dungeon, the large pit in everyone's memory has turned into a deep chasm hundreds of meters deep. That's not just a matter of how serious the injury is; if you fall in, you'll definitely be turned into mincemeat...

"By the way, Eisen, how did you even manage to climb up from there...?"

"There are many protruding parts on the rock face, making it easy to climb."

Is your description of "easy to climb" based on the standards of a normal person?

"I don't know, I think as long as you have enough momentum, you can do it." As she spoke, Eisen showed off the strong muscles on her arms to Heiter, as always, showed a terrified expression, as if he had seen something incredible.

"Alright, let's get ready to go in."

After carefully examining the secret passage, Himmel stood up and looked at the uneven ground beneath her feet, saying seriously, "Watch your step. If you hear anything unusual, remember to shout immediately."

"I have a feeling there might be some kind of contact trap here."

Is this it?

Eisen pointed to a rock that was sunken into the ground beneath her feet. This is bad...

I took just one step forward, and it sank in...

Before the words were even finished, the entire secret passage shook as if an earthquake had struck, as if ten thousand convoys were passing overhead, or as if a vast army was charging into enemy territory.

At the end of the secret passage, a huge, looming shadow was approaching them—it was the [Rolling Stone Trap]!

Should we intervene if Himmel dilate?

But that boulder, almost a hundred times the size of his own body, might possess [magic capable of withstanding slashes]

If I make a mistake, there won't be a second chance.

"Eisen, you've really attracted something incredible!" Heiter screamed, taking the lead and running backward. His long robes severely restricted his running form; he was practically running with his head on top of his body. Eisen and Himmel followed closely behind, their steps swift as the wind. They turned around almost the instant the Rolling Stones were about to arrive, without the slightest hesitation...

As Frieren's fingers gently lifted the box through the crack, an incredibly familiar, immense suction force emerged from the darkness and unexpectedly pulled her inside.

Then, a huge, slippery tongue wrapped around Frieren's body and swallowed her completely.

The box is large enough to easily accommodate two Frieren at once.

"Ah! It's so dark." The pitch-black darkness sent a chill down Frieren. Ever since, she had been afraid of this feeling of being surrounded by invisible pressure.

"Impossible... Why would it be Mimic... There was a one percent chance... There was definitely a possibility it could be treasure..."

She lay at the bottom of the trunk, tossing and turning, unable to believe that this was the same outcome as countless times before.

As the Mimic's tongue once again relentlessly attacked her, attempting to suffocate her inside the box...

A torrent of flames surged from Frieren's palm, and almost instantly she conjured a massive fireball with her bare hands.

"[Spell That Creates a Fireball]"

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, the powerful explosion completely destroyed the treasure chest from the inside, sending Frieren herself flying.

She rolled on the ground several times before slowly coming to a stop. She slowly straightened up, her face filled with tears as she fiddled with her messy, black hair, which had been ravaged by the explosion.

As she fiddled with it, she lost track of time, when suddenly she noticed three other extremely familiar figures on the ground besides her own shadow. "Frieren, how many times have you fallen into the Mimic's trap now?"

And also, do you know how worried we were about you for leaving the group without permission?

As the stern rebuke sounded behind her, she trembled like a frightened kitten, then slowly turned around, revealing an innocent expression Frieren: =W=

But Heiter wasn't having any of it. His face darkened, he stood with his hands on his hips, looking down at Frieren was squatting on the ground with a wolf-like expression. He rarely showed such a fierce look, and his voice was laced with barely concealed anger. Clearly, he was angry at Frieren's willful and reckless behavior. As a team, the first thing to do is to be of one mind and not to stray from the group. Besides, this wasn't the first time she'd done this; he'd pointed it out every time she made a mistake. Shouldn't she at least learn her lesson?

You know, if it weren't for a corner in the passageway where they could hide, the three of them would have been crushed to death by rolling stones outside.

"Hmm... I won't do it again..."

"But you said the same thing last time... Well, last time was just yesterday, wasn't it?"

Have you really been reflecting on your actions?

"Waaah~ I was really wrong."

Frieren turned around and bowed deeply to everyone, seemingly genuinely reflecting on her actions.

Seeing her like this, Heiter, who was about to scold her again, stopped himself from saying anything more.

In the end, he was all bark and no bite, and he forgave Frieren's "rebellious" behavior.

"Frieren, why didn't you ask us to help you solve this problem?"

Himmel, who had been standing behind Heiter, stepped forward and asked gently, "If you had told us sooner, we could have solved the problem together, right?"

"But I'm afraid you'll all think this is a trap and won't agree to me exploring this secret room..."

"Frieren"

Seeing that Frieren Himmel chuckled and walked over, half-squatting down and gently stroking her head.

Frieren, we're the Hero Party! If you have anything you want to do, or anything you need our help with, we'll definitely help you.

"Because we're a team."