Episode 48: SGS-12D
“Dungeon攻略, let’s go!”
” “ Ooooh…… ” ”
“What’s with the low tension, geez!”
“Well, it’s bound to be low.”
“It’s bugs, after all.”
What Dad found was a cave-type Dungeon. A simple horizontal hole.
“Well, we found it, so nothing we can do, right? Let’s go, let’s go.”
Dad leads the way, followed by Aniki and me into the Dungeon.
When other people are around, we need lights, but our family has night vision, so we don’t need them in this level of darkness.
“Alright, Claffy, time for combat.”
“Well, fine by me.”
I proceed with the Nata that Dolly-oji reforged for me in one hand.
Immediately, a Monster appears from the depths—a three-horned stag beetle, or rather, a fist-sized stag beetle Monster with three pincers. Pretty cool.
“Hmph.”
I swing the Nata, felling the incoming three-horned stag beetles. There are many, but they aren’t strong.
“It’s the Nata’s sharpness, isn’t it?”
“You’ve got some good weapons. Do they sell stuff like that in the Royal Capital?”
“Nah, this is a custom-made item. Black Forest Monster material.”
“Ah, you were taken there by Dad, right? Was it tough?”
“Freaking exhausting……”
“Sounds rough.”
“No, I’m taking you with me on the next shift, okay? You’ve improved a lot, and when it comes to survival, you’re originally better than Claffy, right?”
“I didn’t hear about this!?”
“I’m telling you now.”
“I just heard it! You were focused on the Dungeon and forgot, didn’t you!”
Yeah. I have a feeling.
“N-n-no way!”
“You’re too flustered, are you a kid?”
“Dad, you can’t even follow up.”
More and more Monsters are coming, you know?
“So, when is the next shift?”
Aniki asks Dad, while cutting down a three-horned stag beetle that slipped past me with his Sword.
“……The day after tomorrow?”
“That’s soon.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna punch you.”
“Sounds good?”
“Hah hah hah hah! Well, duties come suddenly!”
” “ No way ” ”
“Okay, I’m sorry.”
Dad, please work properly?
“Ah, Claffy. Webs.”
“Ah—annoying.”
I use Telekinesis Magic to push the spiderwebs against the wall. I also yank the ones on the ground and stick them to the wall.
The webs of spider-type Monsters can be traps on their own. If it were just Dad and Aniki, would Dad have dealt with them using fire magic?
Clearing the webs opens up the view. The cave seems to lead to a plaza. As expected, there was a spider Monster there—a big one.
“Big Spider, huh? Dad, burn it with magic.”
“……Hey, Claffy. Got anything?”
“Huh?”
“Well, I was wondering if you had anything good for dealing with those kinds of guys in places like this.”
Dad, I thought you were fidgeting about something.
“……I see, you’re planning to involve Aniki too.”
“No, actually, that SB Lance Sword is pretty useful, you know? And Slug? Too. If Gaia is going to be involved in duties, I want to give it to him.”
“Weren’t you going to keep it a secret?”
“Gaia’s a full-fledged member of the family now! Besides, it’s so convenient that, well. I don’t think Gaia would die easily, but considering that giving him that would reduce the risk of injury, I can’t help it.”
Well, it would certainly increase Aniki’s survival rate. But Dad, you might look like you’re worried about Aniki, but I’m not fooled.
“I see, that’s true. So, what’s the real reason?”
“I want to use it more!”
“Aniki! I’ve got something interesting!”
“Ah! You! You’re only planning to lend it to Gaia!?”
“Huh? What? What’s wrong?”
The cave side was small, so the Big Spider only had the means to attack by shooting webs or extending its claws.
I stuck the webs to the wall with Telekinesis Magic, and if we retreated to a position where the claws couldn’t reach, it was nothing. Aniki was muttering for Dad to hurry up with the magic.
“Shotgun—!”
What I took out was a shotgun, the “SGS-12D.” A gun developed by Sorcerer & Gunsmith Co., excelling in accuracy, penetration, and rapid-fire capabilities.
It holds seven shots, and once empty, it can be used again by storing Magical Power—a model without Magic Core replacement. This model, which emphasizes mass production and versatility, is designed to be charged with a small amount of Magical Power so that even those with limited Magical Power can handle it. Unlike handguns and assault rifles, its use is limited, but it’s a peerless weapon in urban areas and enclosed spaces.
“Absolutely don’t get in front of me.”
“Ooh—!”
“O? Ooh?”
I take aim with both hands and charge into the plaza. The moment I enter, the Big Spider greets me.
As the Big Spider raises its claws to attack, the muzzle of the SGS-12D is pointed at it.
“Dopatt!”
With the sound, the Big Spider is blown to pieces. Furthermore, the penetrating bullets attack the Big Spider lurking behind it, turning it into minced meat!
“Whoa! What’s that!?”
“Ooh—! Amazing!”
It’s a shotgun that fires eighty-eight Magical Power bullets at once with just one pull of the trigger. Against opponents like Big Spiders, the penetrating bullets can take down two or three at once.
“Gro……”
“Ah, yeah. Well.”
The giant spider scatters bodily fluids as it’s blown away and torn apart. It’s bound to be a gruesome sight.
“I don’t even know where the Magic Stone is.”
“It’s good that we can defeat them all at once, but it’s hard to collect materials like this.”
“Seriously, isn’t that overkill? What kind of dangerous stuff are you using?”
Aniki flicked my head with a blank look.
Yeah, you’re right, but.
“E or D-rank Monsters that are just big are fine with a Sword, right? Dad, don’t get carried away too.”
” “ Sorry ” “
I got scolded normally. I’m sorry.
“I see. This is certainly convenient.”
“Right?”
Aniki, with the SGS-12D in one hand and the SB Lance at his waist.
Since it uses little Magical Power, people like Aniki, who have less Magical Power and can’t perform large-scale magic like Dad, tend to be better at using these weapons.
Because there are fewer options.
“The Magical Power charge is roughly four seconds. I can defend with the Sword during that time, and considering its effective range, the charge will be finished before they get too close.”
While scolding me, he seems to understand the usefulness of the item.
Any more information would only cause confusion, so I didn’t say that I was a reincarnator. I made it seem like it was something I found in a Dungeon I explored with Dad.
“Does Dad have one too?”
“A Sword, yeah. The gun is a smaller one.”
“Slug TCC-07, right? It’s not quite palm-sized, but it’s quite small compared to what I have now.”
“You were hiding something like this.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust the villagers, but well, there aren’t enough for everyone. Besides, it’s something that even those without power can use.”
There are enough for everyone, but it’s true that even people without power can use it.
“That’s why I usually hide it in the Black Forest management hut and don’t bring it here.”
While talking, we continue to advance through the Dungeon with Aniki in the lead.
Having grasped the power of the SGS-12D, his steps are slightly lighter. He seems to have taken a liking to it after all.
“It’s certainly powerful. I’d like to test how effective it is against Monsters of what level.”
“Well, we’re bound to encounter something just right.”
We were continuing our rapid advance with Aniki in the lead. A magnificent gate, out of place in the cave, appeared.
“Boss room, maybe?”
“No, if it’s a Dungeon of this scale, it should be the end. So, it’s the Master Room.”
Dad sheathed the Sword he was holding and took a drink.
We followed suit, taking a sip of water. A light break.
“This Dungeon is under the control of a Master, not a Core. Gaia, why?”
“Because there are only insect Monsters.”
“That’s right. If it were a Core, it would create Monsters in the Dungeon that were around when the Core was generated. There would be some consistency, but it’s impossible for all of them to be insects.”
Aniki and I nod at Dad’s words.
“So, Claffy, what do you think the Master here is?”
“Huh? Can you tell for sure? Wait a minute. Let me think!”
“Okay.”
The Monsters are insect-based. If it were a Black Ant, it would probably be a Dungeon with only ants. They’re not swarming insects like bees or ants. But a Master that increases insects, or eats insects?
“Insect Eater!”
“Wrong, why would it be a plant Monster?”
“Well, I thought it might be eating the insects it produces.”
“That’s an answer from way out of left field. Gaia, do you know?”
“Summoner Papillon, maybe?”
“Correct! I think.”
“Summoner Papillon? That C-rank guy?”
It’s a butterfly Monster with purple wings about the size of a person. It moves by scattering scales while flying, and it can summon insect Monsters covered in its scales with Summoning Magic.
Since he can only summon monsters weaker than himself, the monsters he summons are limited, and for some reason, he can’t summon anything other than insects. On top of that, it’s summoning magic, so it takes time. The reason he’s ranked C is because his Magic Stone is C-ranked, but his strength is D-ranked, making him a sad insect monster.
“Just so you know, becoming a master raises your strength rank by about two levels, so be careful. You never know what he’ll throw out during a fight.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Yeeees.”
It seems like the short break and Dad’s Dungeon lesson are over. Dad puts his hand on the door.
“Opening it up.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Dad opens the door, and Aniki goes in first.
Just as Aniki expected, there was a Summoner Papillon… thud! …dead.
“Wow, he’s really strong.”
“So fast.”
“You can’t let summoning-type monsters do anything. Oh, the Magic Stone is intact, lucky.”
“No sense of occasion at all…”
I was the one who handed him the weapon, though.
Now that we’ve defeated the master, it’s time to investigate the dungeon. There are things to check, like defeating the remaining Monsters, finding side tunnels leading to other Dungeons, or discovering places where useful minerals can be mined.
After checking everything, we didn’t find anything particularly useful, so now we have to report to the village chief.
Like the Black Ant nest, we have to destroy it to prevent it from becoming a nest for other Monsters or turning into a new Dungeon.
We’ll gather people who are good at earth-based magic to bury it, or people who are good at explosion magic to blow it away.
“Alright, let’s go home.”
“Can I have this?”
“Yeah. Use it carefully.”
“Ah, honestly, it’s a big help. I’m only supposed to use it in the Black Forest, though.”
“I don’t care, but if people see you, make up a good excuse, okay? Don’t involve me.”
“Hey, isn’t the way you treat me different from when it’s Dad?”
“Dad is Dad.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, oi!”
It’s the difference between a reliable person and a goofball.