Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World-Chapter 191: The 4th Floor

Benny, who had rented the training hall under her name, was squatting by the entrance.

She delivered a smash full of resentment to my back.

Smack!

“Jonah, it’s because of you…!”

“No, I did say not to come in, but I didn’t mean for you to sit there so miserably.”

“I don’t care! It’s all Jonah’s fault!”

That’s too mean.

Shaking my head at Benny’s unreasonable claim, I noticed Shadow fidgeting behind.

Not as much as Benny, but seemingly with some discontent. Feeling a bit awkward, I spoke up.

“I’m sorry. But I really can’t show you… At least not yet.”

“…So, you’re saying you’ll show us later?”

“Yes. When I clear the 6th Floor and move up to the 7th. Once I become a high-level adventurer…standing at the forefront, I’ll tell you everything. Ellie and Miss Lydia, and if necessary, I’ll even call Karen and Eve.”

“So, you intend to reveal it to everyone. Honestly, I’d love to sneak a peek myself…but if I did, Ellie would probably give me a smash on the back. So, I’ll wait.”

“Thank you, Benny.”

The reason for waiting until the 7th Floor is simple. I don’t think any of us would spill the beans about the gacha…but I also don’t believe all secrets will remain kept.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

There are several mid-boss-like entities, but the truly dangerous one is in the Labyrinth, so it’s fine.

Except for one. Aside from Pope Claudia the Third.

The most frightening aspect of Claudia is not just the power she accumulated over hundreds of years, but rather her ability to use the Temple’s power in its entirety.

Pangrave is a city built on the foundation of the Temple. Not only is it inseparable from the Adventurers’ Guild, but all major facilities are affiliated with the Temple.

The fact that she can use their eyes as her own means that with a little time, she can uncover any secret in Pangrave.

No matter how cautious we are, information could leak to the Pope who might be watching us unconsciously or without our knowledge.

If that happens, it will be troublesome in many ways.

Claudia won’t leave me alone, and she’ll try to capture me with some justification.

What is needed there is precisely power.

It’s not that the women around me are weak, but if you ask if they can fight and win against the entire Pangrave, that’s not quite it.

However, if they steadily gain various powers through gacha and become strong enough to stand at the forefront like now?

By then, they might be able to team up with others and have a go at the Temple.

That’s why I said I’d let them know when we reach the 7th Floor.

Benny continues the conversation, seeming slightly uneasy but not prying further.

“So? Now that it’s all over, are you heading straight into the Labyrinth?”

“Yes, we should. From here on, there’s no time to waste… Oh, but I think I need to stop by Cradle Trading Company first.”

“Again? Did you leave something behind?”

“I got quite a lot of Holy Water this time, and I’m planning to just dump the lower-grade Holy Water into a large-capacity subspace canteen.”

“…A large quantity of Holy Water?”

Benny looked at me as if witnessing something truly fascinating, like seeing an author pass out into a deep sleep after only walking for an hour.

“Why? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just… It suddenly feels that you’re the real deal.”

“Hmm. I am quite something.”

As I nodded in satisfaction, Benny chuckled and pulled out a small pouch from her bosom.

“Anyway, you’re planning to use it as a countermeasure against the undead, right? Not to drink. Then you can just put it in this spare subspace pouch. No need to make a fuss at the Cradle Trading Company.”

“Oh….”

Subspace pouches have become quite common, yet they are still expensive and precious items. Especially if it’s one Benny used, it wouldn’t be of low quality.

At least mid-grade. It might even be a high-grade subspace pouch.

“Just in case, I’m telling you, we might end up tearing it while fighting?”

“It doesn’t matter. As I said, I just use it. More importantly…”

Benny trailed off, looking down at her feet. Down there, perhaps realizing we were about to move.

There was Shadow with its head buried into Benny’s shadow, shaking the part presumed to be its rear (it’s indeterminate, so I can’t tell what’s the upper or lower body).

“Shadow has a similar function in its body. If it’s something urgent, I carry it myself, but if it’s just for storage and transport, I just ask Shadow.”

-Grr?

Shadow, somehow aware it was being talked about, peeked its half-buried head out. When Benny waved her hand as if it was nothing, it finally slunk back completely into the shadow.

“Is that so… Thank you, Benny. I’ll make good use of it.”

“Yeah. Then that’s fine.”

With a slight smile, we headed straight to Pangrave’s tombstone.

The 4th Floor we reached with Benny and I hand in hand.

Although it was the first time coming up to this Floor, the scenery was quite familiar.

A wide-open plain and a vast sky. However, except for the faint moonlight obscured by clouds, there was no other light source, and the ground was densely planted with tombstones of various shapes.

It looked more like a typical graveyard depicted in cartoons or games rather than a real-world cemetery.

The tombstones were clearly well-maintained by human hands, yet an eerie atmosphere lingered.

It’s only natural. Each and every one buried here is undead, and those who manage this place are also all undead.

As I glanced around, a white circle stood out amidst the sprawling graveyard.

The wide circle surrounding us seemed carelessly sprinkled with white powder….

But contrary to appearances, it is consecrated salt serving as a barrier against the undead.

Of course, such things didn’t originally exist; it was artificially created and fixed by the Goddess to provide Safe Zones on each Floor.

Having confirmed our location, I raised my head to carefully observe the sky.

It’s basically always a cloudy night sky. But with focus, a translucent gray flow can be seen.

This gray flow, rising from various parts of the 4th Floor, was converging towards one place.

That place is the center of the 4th Floor, the quiet resting place where the God of Death slumbers.

“Alright. We’ve roughly figured out our location, so let’s move immediately. We’re lucky. It’s just the entrance, but if we go a bit further, we can reach the middle section right away.”

“Huh? Hmm?”

Benny blinked, seemingly surprised that I could pinpoint the location just by swiftly turning my head a few times.

It’s a natural reaction. This is the 4th Floor. The exploration is still ongoing…and the map is only about half completed.

I shrugged at the puzzled Benny.

“If we’re near the center, strong monsters appear, and if we’re far, weak monsters come out, right? There’s no need to overthink it. We’re on the closer side of the outskirts, so we’re lucky to avoid a lot of unnecessary movement.”

“…Is that how it works?”

Shrugging at the bewildered Benny, I hopped out of the white salt-drawn circle. And then.

Crack. Crunch.

As soon as I stepped out, the ground began to stir, and white skeletal hands emerged from all around.

Digging through the soft earth, as if it had been excavated multiple times, skeletons crawled out from underground.

With just one step, dozens of them burst forth. In the blue flames contained within their eye sockets, there was a palpable sense of hatred and cold emptiness directed at the living.

They fervently scanned their surroundings, as if searching for a hated enemy to tear apart or confirming the presence of a long-lost friend. But.

Clack. Clatter.

Only the sound of bones clashing resounded from all directions, yet none actually charged forward. Even though they clearly looked at me.

“Huh?”

Benny, who had been tensed up and ready to dash out at any moment due to my sudden action, widened her eyes in surprise.

Shrugging my shoulders at her, I drew the Unicorn Dagger.

One of the effects of the “Beloved of the Dead” is not to be ambushed by the undead.

This effect is really certain.

Smirking, I infused the Unicorn Dagger with aura.

Wooong.

A strange vibration accompanied by a colorless current. As if knowing what it needed to do, the Dagger shone brighter and was swung directly at the nearest skeleton.

Crack!

The skeleton crumbled and vanished the moment it touched the Dagger. At the same time, the gazes of the other wandering ones fixated on me.

“Oh dear. Was I not supposed to show that I attacked first?”

Storing the fact that the skeleton’s aggro applies to the entire group, not just one, in a corner of my mind, this time I drew upon divine power instead of aura.

The colorless current subsides, replaced by a light pink glow.

The Unicorn Dagger reacts, vibrating more intensely than ever before, as if pleading to be entrusted with the task.

“But I’m using something else this time.”

Betraying the Unicorn Dagger’s anticipation, I threw the accumulated bone fragments from my pocket, shouting.

“Arise! My faithful servant…!”

Bones assembling in the air.

The formidable 4-star Power. Call of the Dead activates for the first time, breathing new life into a once-dead being.

A round skull with a broad beak attached. A torso and leg skeleton reminiscent of a reptile. And an awkwardly short tail, as if something is missing.

Finally, a stone heart nestled between the ribs begins to beat.

-Screee!

The undead platypus cries out vigorously! The skeleton, rushing with a truly intimidating presence, hesitates.

Crunch.

It stepped on it just like that.

The platypus died once again.

“Tch! Useless.”

That’s why it’s just a one-star.