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 72: Field Investigation

After the group decided to apply the skill effect of “Lymphatic Massage” as a recovery spot, everyone headed toward the first floor of the “Skin Quality Improvement” floor.

“Wow, this place is…!” Hibiki exclaimed in amazement.

Before Hiroyo and the others, the first floor, accessible through the Tama River gate, spread out widely. Eight doors stood in an empty space, each with a small box resembling a donation box attached beside it.

According to Ecoa, the mechanism allowed entry through the doors by inserting five hundred yen per person into the box.

“Then, please use the rightmost door. I have already set it for entry,” Ecoa instructed clearly.

That door led to the “Skin Quality Improvement” floor. When Hiroyo opened the door, Hibiki, Koharu, Kirino, Asumi, and Saori entered one by one, and finally, Ecoa disappeared into the door’s depths.

Beyond the door, a vast grassland stretched out endlessly. Vivid green grass covered the ground like a carpet.

“It’s too wide!” Hibiki shouted in surprise.

“Even during the Dungeon Tour, it was pretty spacious, right? It’s the same vibe,” Saori responded casually.

“Yeah, but… adventuring is tough, huh? You fight monsters while moving through a place like this, don’t you?” Hibiki asked thoughtfully.

“Yeah, it takes a lot of stamina,” Saori agreed simply.

This first floor held an F-rank designation. The monsters that appeared were set to be quite weak, but even walking alone consumed considerable stamina. Dungeon floors worked such that reaching a staircase-like spot at the deepest part allowed progression to the next layer. Even with a powerful gift, physical endurance posed a challenge.

As the group advanced through the dungeon, a small monster soon appeared. A rabbit with horns, called a “Horn Rabbit,” hopped into view.

“Those who enter and exit the ‘Master Room’ are set so that monsters won’t attack, so please rest assured,” Ecoa explained confidently.

“That’s amazing… you can control things that precisely?” Hiroyo marveled in awe.

Following Ecoa’s explanation, Hiroyo trusted her words and continued walking, eyeing the moving “Horn Rabbit” cautiously.

After some time, the scenery of the grassland changed subtly. Trees and a spring appeared, creating an oasis-like area before their eyes, though not quite a forest.

A varied landscape proved more interesting than a monotonous one. Though Ecoa had created this space independently, such rest areas surely benefited adventurers greatly.

“Ah! There’s something weird!” Hibiki shouted excitedly.

Beyond the oasis, Hibiki noticed something odd. A patch of grass on the ground formed a chessboard pattern, with squares of light and dark colors.

“Shall we try it? I have set any traps to be safe even if they activate,” Ecoa suggested calmly.

“Uh, really…?” Hiroyo muttered hesitantly.

“Hiroyo, go check it out,” Hibiki urged playfully.

“Me!?” Hiroyo protested nervously.

“You’re the master, right? Go on,” Hibiki teased firmly.

Even though Ecoa assured safety, the word “trap” made Hiroyo’s body tense instinctively. Pushed by Hibiki, Hiroyo cautiously stepped onto the chessboard-like grass.

He took one step, then another, but nothing happened. Still, Ecoa had mentioned some kind of trap installed here.

At that moment, it happened.

When Hiroyo stepped on a dark-colored square, a click echoed sharply. The square beneath his foot sank, and his body plummeted downward suddenly.

“Ah!” Hiroyo gasped faintly.

With a faint cry, Hiroyo vanished completely. A gaping pitfall, without a foothold, opened where he stood.

“Hiroyo-kun!?” Koharu and Kirino cried out in shock.

Only Hibiki remained calm, trusting Ecoa’s promise to help, and watched quietly.

“Ow…” Hiroyo groaned in pain.

Though swallowed by darkness, Hiroyo reappeared seconds later, sitting on the grass just behind the group.

“Normally, the system returns you to the entrance. However, that takes time, so I set it to reappear nearby this time,” Ecoa explained clearly.

“That scared me… that falling sensation was terrifying. It felt like being sucked into a black hole,” Hiroyo admitted shakily.

“Adventuring is really tough, huh?” Hibiki remarked sympathetically.

“I have prepared other traps like this, but explaining them all would take time, so let’s move forward,” Ecoa suggested efficiently.

Raising her hand to the sky, Ecoa signaled something.

“Eh!?” the group gasped in unison.

The next moment, something descended from the sky rapidly. From the center of a sun-like glow, a massive bird-like monster with jet-black wings soared straight toward them.

“This is a ‘Black Garuda,'” Ecoa announced proudly.

“Are we… riding this to move?” Hiroyo asked nervously.

“Yes. If you hold on tightly, you won’t fall, so don’t worry,” Ecoa reassured confidently.

The creature’s body length seemed to exceed ten meters by rough estimate. As Hiroyo worried whether all seven could ride, Ecoa summoned another “Black Garuda” to answer his concern.

“No way…” Hiroyo muttered in disbelief.

“Split into groups of three and four, head to the floor’s depths, and aim for the lower layers,” Ecoa directed firmly.

The group divided into three and four, each climbing onto a “Black Garuda’s” back. Grasping the feathers tightly, the black shadow soared into the sky.

“Gyaaaah!” Hiroyo screamed dramatically.

While Hiroyo and Hibiki clung desperately to the feathers, the other “Black Garuda,” carrying Koharu and the others, used a “Reduction Barrier” skill, minimizing the wind’s impact almost entirely.

Thus, the group continued their floor investigation and eventually reached the treatment room on the third floor.

“I’m exhausted…” Hiroyo sighed wearily.

Buffeted by the wind, Hiroyo and Hibiki’s hair became thoroughly disheveled. Meanwhile, Ecoa’s hair remained perfectly untouched, somehow.

◇ ◇ ◇

“This is that pervert’s house…” Rio Kozuka muttered darkly.

At that moment, Rio Kozuka, alone, followed Hiroyo to gauge his character. In doing so, she unexpectedly arrived at his home.

“Oh, a friend of Hiroyo’s?” a voice called out suddenly.

“Eh, ah…” Rio stammered nervously.

“What a cute girl! Since you’re here, come in if you have business. Dinner’s almost ready,” the voice invited warmly.

“Cute!? Me, cute…? No, that’s not it…!” Rio protested awkwardly.

“Come on, come on,” the voice insisted gently.

“Eh, eh…” Rio mumbled hesitantly.