The Silent One ①
Green, bipedal lizards wore armor and held weapons in their hands.
Lizardmen. They are aquatic Monsters that also exist outside of Dungeons.
But these must be Dungeon Monsters.
Let’s call the one closest to me holding a sword Lizardman A.
The one holding an ax, Lizardman B. The one with a spear, Lizardman C.
Their armor is leather and crudely made. On top of that, it’s worn down.
The weapons they hold are also iron and rusted here and there.
They look like they wouldn’t cut well. The ax is even largely chipped.
Getting hit by something like that wouldn’t cut cleanly; it would dig into the body and cause intense pain.
Perhaps a fragment might even remain in the body when pulled out.
That’s the worst. I absolutely don’t want to get hit.
I don’t like the rust-covered spearhead either. I want nothing to do with any of them.
Even so… Lizardmen, huh.
I can’t help but let my disgust show on my face.
It stems from being bitten by a snake when I was small.
That’s why I hate reptiles similar to them.
Another thing. I’d heard that Lizardmen were strong.
I remember thinking I didn’t want to encounter them because they were reptiles.
And those Lizardmen are right in front of me.
Hiss… Hiss hiss…!
Shururururu…
Shaaaaahhh—
Stop flicking your tongues out threateningly, all of you.
I’m getting irritated. I want to take them down quickly.
Still, I’d heard they were strong, so I hesitated and remained cautious—no, they’re weaker than that Black Knight, aren’t they?
They aren’t Monsters stronger than that.
There are no Monsters stronger than that.
These are Monsters weaker than that.
If they’re weaker than that, there’s nothing to fear.
There isn’t a shred of doubt.
My mind grows calm.
Fear, tension, worry, everything blends together into silence.
Not a single ripple disturbs the surface of my mind’s water.
I moved.
Closing in on Lizardman A, the closest one, I make its rusty sword disappear with Vanish.
Simultaneously, I stab my Knife into Lizardman A’s neck.
Pushing its corpse, I slam it into Lizardman B, diagonally behind and to the right.
Lizardman B and Lizardman C are greatly shaken.
Taking advantage of the opening, I Vanish Lizardman C’s spear and slash its neck.
Shuraaaaaaaaahhhh
Lizardman B shoves A aside and swings its ax. I parry it with my Knife, deflecting it.
Then, I push through Lizardman B’s torso with Vanish, piercing it.
I defeated the three Lizardmen.
“…Is it over?”
Minimal movement. A battle against three opponents in a mere moment. That’s how it felt.
I’m bewildered by a calmness I’ve never possessed before, without a single discernible opening.
I understand that something has happened to me.
But as for what happened—I see.
“…Relic [The Silent One]…”
The words suddenly surface in my mind.
That was Relic [The Silent One].
I understand. That was the effect of Relic [The Silent One].
It seems I can still my mind for a fixed period to act, and also hear voices.
“A fixed period” is rather vague, but was that the action with a stilled mind?
How should I put it? It feels like all wastefulness was eliminated. Something like that.
By the way, what does “hear voices” mean?
“However… this makes five Relics.”
To be precise, I have more.
Like [Phantasmagoria] and [Arms of the Cosmos].
But those are effects of the fourth Relic.
I can’t use them without using the fourth one.
“…”
Why so suddenly… well, acquiring them has always been abrupt like this.
Even so—hah, there’s no point thinking about it.
Relics are techniques. Not abilities. Techniques.
“Alright.”
I proceed cautiously, staying alert.
I continue using Relic [The Silent One] while searching for everyone.
Through that, I learned a few things.
First, the usage time is approximately three minutes. And.
“A cooldown time, huh.”
Yes, [The Silent One] had a cooldown time.
It was also about three minutes, the same as the usage time.
Meaning, I can use it for three minutes, then have to wait three minutes before the next use.
My impression of this Relic is that it feels versatile.
It could likely be used for various purposes.
However, the drawback is the cooldown time.
That makes it a bit difficult to use.
Also, I feel a slight mental burden.
Perhaps the cooldown time exists for that reason.
“Be that as it may.”
I look around and let out a sigh.
This is a Lizardman nest, a blue-glowing chamber with water covering the floor.
Lizardman corpses are strewn all over the place.
Nearly ten of them… I really took down quite a few, if I do say so myself.
Relic [The Silent One] made me keenly aware of how wastefully I had been fighting.
The optimal solution. Efficient movement. Rational actions. Timing. Lack of mercy.
I’m still, still weak. I realize it anew.
“Ah, a Lizard King.”
The last one to sink into the water was a slightly larger Lizardman wearing a crown.
The king of the Lizardman nest.
That one alone had vastly superior weapons and equipment, and it even used a Relic.
Its strength was probably around the lower end of Silver Rank.
But it was the easiest one to defeat.
Lizardmen are lizards.
Lizards have a shape like snakes with limbs attached.
Their necks connect to their bodies, making the neck conspicuously exposed.
The rest of their bodies are armored, making it difficult to inflict fatal wounds.
However, their long, extended necks have no guard.
Therefore, all the Lizardman corpses lying here have wounds on their necks.
In that sense, the largest one, the Lizard King, was the easiest target.
“…It was just as I’d heard.”
Dungeon Monsters are creatures created by the Dungeon.
Non-living beings made to look like living creatures by giving pseudo-personalities to clumps of flesh.
Depending on the type, Lizardmen attack people but do not eat them. They don’t excrete either.
That’s why, despite being a nest, it felt like an unnatural space.
“…Now then.”
As a Seeker, I would have the right to claim spoils of war, but I don’t.
But, since I’m here anyway. I’ll help myself to the spoils. No one’s around, so I won’t get caught either.
I use Relic [Fortune’s Wheel].
It indicates treasures with colored light.
Green light is Rare.
Yellow is Super Rare.
Blue is the extremely uncommon Ultra Super Rare.
Blue would be, for example, the Elixir Infinite Spawn Egg.
Three greens. The Lizard King’s sword, armor, and crown. Is that all?
As expected, a sword, armor, and crown are kinda…
Never mind blue, but yellow… there is one. There is?!
It’s a ring lying on the watery floor near the Lizard King.
“I wouldn’t have noticed it without the light.”
It’s a Bronze Ring, hard to see because the watery floor is blue.
There are gold letters carved on the front and back. Ancient script? I can’t read it.
“…”
Somehow, I feel like this might be a Legacy item.
Or maybe OOPArts. I should take it to Arifa-san’s place when this is over.
Having obtained a decent treasure, I left the nest in a slightly better mood.
After that, I wandered for a bit.
During that time, I fought Lizardmen and aquatic insect-like Monsters.
Finally, I found a staircase. However, it led downwards, which disappointed me.
“I’d rather go up if possible.”
Are the others okay? Are they safe?
Worrying constantly, but since this was the only way, I reluctantly descended the stairs.
This time, a stone-walled passage continued onward.
It resembled the first floor, yet was slightly different.
“…!”
Suddenly, I heard footsteps. [Danger Detection] is… White!
Safe. An ally.
Waiting, the person who appeared was Ax-san.
“Woff!”
“Ax-san!”
“Thank goodness. You’re safe.”
“Yes. You too, Ax-san.”
“…Ah, confirming one person is safe is a relief.”
“Does that mean the others…”
“Haven’t found them yet.”
My anxiety grows.