Episode 110: Palladium
Aisha smiled faintly at Yuma (he), who looked puzzled.
“There’s something called the Orpheus Tablet at the International Dungeon Research Organization in Israel. Are you familiar with it?”
“N-no.”
“It’s a relic excavated from the world’s largest White Dungeon, ‘Orpheus,’ and it describes the monsters of the dungeons. It mentions special monsters called Unique Monsters.”
“What kind of monsters are they?”
Aisha said, “Ah,” moved the blanket aside, and adjusted the bridge of her glasses with her finger.
“They are unique species, with no two individuals alike in the world. It lists a total of forty-two: six Kings, twelve Lords, and twenty-four Dukes.”
“There are that many!?”
“That’s just the number written on the tablet. There may be other unique species.”
“Are the Colored Slimes and Deca Slimes the Unique Monsters written on that tablet?”
“It’s not explicitly stated. But I think the ‘Deca Slime’ you mentioned is one of the Kings listed on the tablet.”
“King… Why do you think so?”
“There are two reasons. One is that there seemed to be a change in the Orpheus Tablet around the time you defeated the Colored Slimes and the Deca Slime. The other is the Deca Slime’s bizarre abilities… It’s natural to consider it the highest-ranking Unique Monster.”
“I see… When I lost consciousness in the lowest level of the Black Dungeon, I felt like my consciousness was being taken over by the Deca Slime. It was a little scary… I’d like to know more about the Kings.”
“Hmm. There’s another Stone Tablet with descriptions of the Kings, but…”
“Another Stone Tablet?”
“Yes, but it seems to be severely damaged. All we know are the names of some of the Kings as they were called by the ancients.”
“Names…?”
“Gresamur, the Black King of the Underworld, and Austosterius, the White King of the Heavens. Those are the only two we know.”
“Gresamur and Austosterius… They sound like powerful names, but you don’t know about the other monsters?”
“Ah, also, even if they are Unique Monsters, they are not necessarily the strongest. There are some incredibly strong normal monsters too. Like that Chimera.”
“Chimera…”
Yuma (he) recalled the battle with the Chimera. Certainly, there probably weren’t many monsters stronger than that one.
“However, the Kings are in a different league. These six Unique Monsters are the strongest of all monsters. I’m convinced after seeing your fight.”
“My fight?”
“Yes. When you fought the Chimera, you absorbed Mana from the space around you and turned it into your own power. If you can do that, you can essentially use Magical Power infinitely. And if the Black King has that kind of power, then naturally the other five Kings would have similar powers.”
“But Aisha-san, I don’t remember defeating the Chimera at all. So, I don’t know if I used that kind of power…”
Aisha narrowed her eyes, seeing Yuma’s (he) bewilderment.
“Well, I suppose not. You shouldn’t be able to easily master such an abnormal power.”
“Will it be difficult to use in the future?”
“No, you can already convert Mana in your body into mass. That’s the act of turning ‘Colorless Mana’ into ‘Black Magical Power.’ Eventually, you may be able to freely absorb Mana from outside your body.”
Yuma (he) looked at his hands.
“I can do that…”
“Well, that’s about all I know. It may not have been very helpful.”
“No, thank you for telling me. It helped a lot. What are you going to do, Aisha-san?”
“Well, I don’t feel like doing anything right now, so I’ll rest for a while.”
Aisha said that, took off her glasses, lay down on the bed, and covered herself with the blanket.
“I understand. Well, I’ll take my leave.”
“Ah, be careful on your way back.”
As Yuma (he) stood up and was about to leave the room, Aisha raised her voice as if she had remembered something.
“Ah! That’s right, Yuma-kun.”
“Yes?”
Turning around, Aisha sat up and pointed to a desk in the corner of the room.
“There’s a silver Ore there. You should take it.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a Demon Ore that the Chimera dropped.”
“Eh!?”
Yuma (he) was surprised. He had heard from Kanzaki (he) that the Chimera’s Demon Ore could not be recovered.
“Why do you have it, Aisha-san?”
“Hmm? Ah, I picked it up in the lowest level of the Dungeon. There wasn’t time back then. I didn’t tell Kotaro (he), though.”
Yuma (he) shifted his gaze to the desk. There was indeed a silver Demon Ore there.
He thought it might be a normal Silver Magic Ore, but it was more beautiful and sparkled more than silver. And on the smooth, oval surface, he could faintly see patterns.
“Is this… ‘Silver’?”
“No, I examined it with an X-ray analyzer, and it’s ‘Palladium.'”
“Palladium?”
“It’s a rare metal similar to platinum. In terms of rarity, it exceeds platinum, so it’s probably the highest class of Demon Ore.”
“Platinum…”
Yuma (he) swallowed hard. Even Yuma (he), who had no interest in precious metals, knew that platinum was an expensive metal. A metal more valuable than that.
What kind of effect does it have? He was purely curious.
“It’s something that the Chimera you defeated dropped. I think you have the ownership rights. You can use it or sell it as you like.”
“Is that okay?”
Originally, the resources obtained in the Black Dungeon were owned by the client, Aisha (she).
This Demon Ore was naturally Aisha’s (she), so he hesitated to receive it.
“Ah, it’s fine. I would have died if you weren’t there. Please accept it without hesitation. However…”
Aisha’s (she) face clouded over for a moment.
“What is it?”
“I tried measuring that Palladium with a Mana Measurement Device. The result exceeded a Mana Index of 15,000.”
“F-15,000!? Is there such a high value!?”
It was an unbelievable Mana Index. For a Demon Ore, which is said to have lower Mana than Magic Gems, to have such a value.
“I was surprised too, but it’s reasonable considering the Chimera’s strength.”
“I-is it safe to use?”
Aisha (she) was silent for a moment, then shook her head slightly.
“I don’t know. It’s the first time I’ve seen this metal, and I’ve never seen anything with such a high Mana Index.”
“Do you think I should use it, Aisha-san?”
Aisha (she) closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and pondered. After a while, she opened her mouth.
“As a researcher, I want to know what kind of abilities the Demon Ore has, so I would like you to use it. But some Demon Ores have harmful effects on the body. Since I don’t know what kind of effects this Palladium will have, you should think carefully before using it.”
“I-I see…”
“However, you can decide what to do. I don’t want to do any research for the time being. If you use it, please tell me later. Well, good night.”
With that, Aisha (she) slipped under the blanket. Yuma (he) picked up the Demon Ore on the desk, silently bowed his head, and left the room.