My Gift Is “Beauty”. I Think It’s Useless, but It Seems to Be an S-Rank Gift With the Strongest Buff Effect for Beautiful Girls

Chapter 30.2: Dungeon Tour (2)

Still, it posed no challenge. They also carried emergency escape items from Dungeon Tour, allowing everyone to exit the dungeon instantly in emergencies, ensuring participants’ safety.

After taking photos near the snow mountain, they reached the final stop—a large tree on a low hill. Yellow fruits hung from it, blending with green leaves and snow, creating a fantastical scene.

“It’s so pretty! Let’s take a group photo!” Hibiki suggested excitedly.

“Good idea,” Hiroyo agreed happily.

At Hibiki’s suggestion, they took a photo with the tree as the backdrop. Four of them stood together, handed a smartphone to another participant, and posed with peace signs cheerfully. After the photo, they prepared to leave the dungeon.

“Hiroyo, how was it?” Hibiki asked curiously.

“It was fun,” Hiroyo answered sincerely. “I can’t put it into words.”

Hibiki worried about Hiroyo’s feelings constantly. Experiencing his first dungeon, Hiroyo felt refreshed and relieved. A wall in his heart against dungeons and adventurers seemed to lift slightly.

He needed to thank her. “Hibiki, thanks for bringing me here—” Hiroyo began gratefully.

A loud explosion interrupted him suddenly.

“What was that!?” Mizuki exclaimed alertly.

Mizuki scanned all directions vigilantly and spotted the anomaly on the snow mountain’s slope. Black smoke rose from the explosion site, and the snowy slope moved slowly—an avalanche.

It occurred far enough to avoid direct harm, but the return path from the hill disappeared under the snow gradually.

Minutes later, the avalanche stopped, and the powdery snow settled, revealing the situation clearly. The return path was blocked completely. However, the escape items ensured they could exit the dungeon safely.

Mizuki faced two choices: burn the snow with Asumi’s fire magic or use the escape item immediately. Fire magic risked triggering another avalanche, and staying longer could panic participants. Mizuki chose the escape item naturally.

“Everyone, stay calm,” Mizuki reassured firmly. “Even with the path blocked, we have escape items, so we can exit safely.”

Despite her explanation, participants remained anxious visibly.

“Hiroyo, I… I…” Hibiki stammered nervously.

“It’s okay, Hibiki,” Hiroyo comforted gently. “We’re fine.”

Hibiki regretted bringing Hiroyo, as an unexpected disaster struck at the end. But Hiroyo felt positive enough and held her hand reassuringly.

They stood on a slope descending from the hill. Snow piled meters high from the avalanche, blocking their path. The mountain side held potential monsters and deep snow, making walking difficult. The frozen lake to the right was passable, but the escape item made it unnecessary.

“Everyone, gather near me,” Mizuki instructed clearly. “We’ll use the item.”

About twenty participants huddled near Mizuki closely. She pulled out a scroll-like item from her pocket carefully.

Hiroyo and the others gathered and prepared for escape nervously. They couldn’t imagine how it worked but trusted Mizuki completely.

“This will take us outside instantly,” Mizuki explained calmly. “Here we go—”

Mizuki unrolled the scroll and channeled magic into it steadily. A massive magic circle appeared on the ground, encompassing all participants and adventurers widely.

“Escape!” Mizuki chanted powerfully.

The magic circle glowed brightly, but nothing happened afterward.

“What’s going on?” Mizuki muttered confusedly.

“Huh? What?” a participant stammered nervously.

“Didn’t it work?” another asked anxiously.

Participants voiced confusion loudly, as they hadn’t moved anywhere.

A creepy laugh echoed suddenly. “Heh heh heh!”

Someone muttered ominously, “Interference magic is amazing…”

Another person unrolled a scroll like Mizuki’s, and a powerful gust of wind erupted violently.

“Ahhh!” participants screamed in panic.

The wind pushed participants toward the lake uncontrollably. Mizuki and the Black Wolf Guild couldn’t react in time.

Participants were blown away one by one rapidly. However, a few managed to respond quickly.

“Grant Seeker Search!” Koharu shouted urgently.

“Snow!” Kirino called desperately.

Koharu released all her magic, activating a skill to reduce pain for all participants and adventurers instantly. Kirino created ten centimeters of snow on the frozen lake to cushion their fall, though she could only manage that much in a moment.

Participants fell from the hill’s slope onto the lake’s snow cushion painfully. The ten centimeters of snow couldn’t absorb all the impact from a five-meter drop, despite Koharu’s skill negating pain. Several lost consciousness, while others rose slowly.

“What happened?” Hiroyo wondered dazedly.

“Mizuki, look there!” Haruka pointed urgently.

Mizuki scanned the surroundings and followed Haruka’s gesture toward the hill’s slope.

“Kiri…hara?” Mizuki gasped in shock.

Standing alone on the hill, unshaken by the wind, was Shinji Kirihara, the Black Wolf Guild’s support mage, smirking menacingly.

“Shinji! What’s wrong with you!” Maki shouted angrily.

“Why are you doing this!” Hirakawa demanded furiously.

Maki and Hirakawa, his teammates, questioned Kirihara’s actions desperately.

“Heh heh heh… Who’s Kirihara?” the man replied cryptically.

“What…?” Maki stammered in confusion.

His nonsensical response shook them visibly. The answer revealed itself instantly.

“No need for Kansai dialect anymore,” the man said casually.

“Who are you!?” Maki demanded fiercely.

The man touched his face lightly, and it changed completely. His hairstyle, hair color, and voice transformed, though his body and clothes remained the same, making him a different person entirely.

“It doesn’t matter who I am,” he said dismissively. “You won’t see me again anyway.”

“What are you—” Maki began urgently.

“Boop!” the man interrupted playfully.

A loud crack resounded as the man, with black medium-length hair and a snake-like face, pressed something in his hand. Cracks spread across the frozen lake’s surface rapidly.

“Ninety percent of you are just collateral,” he remarked coldly. “Being here today was your misfortune.”

His words suggested he targeted someone specifically. The ice shattered with a loud crack, and the ground beneath the participants vanished suddenly.

“It’s not water below, so don’t worry,” he taunted cruelly. “It’s something worse.”

Participants felt a sudden floating sensation overwhelmingly. Even A-rank adventurers like Mizuki could only fall helplessly.

“Ahhhh!” participants screamed in terror.

“Hibiki! Everyone, stay close!” Hiroyo shouted urgently.

“Kirino!” Hibiki called desperately.

“Snow! More snow!” Kirino pleaded frantically.

Participants fell into a dark, deep hole rapidly. What they thought was water wasn’t there, and a rollercoaster-like sensation gripped them intensely.

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” the black-haired man said softly, watching them fall.

“This isn’t a C-rank dungeon,” he added with a chuckle.