Episode 73: Dungeon Capture
“Don’t you have any Holy Water prepared?”
“We do, but the quantity is…”
“Useless!”
“Now, now.”
There’s an item called Holy Water that repels undead-type monsters. Well, frankly, it’s just water imbued with Holy attribute Magical Power.
Since it’s imbued into water rather than a Magic Stone, its effect wears off quickly. So, in places like this, Magic Stones imbued with the Holy attribute or Magic Items processed to emit the Holy attribute are more effective than Holy Water.
“The Church and the Guild aren’t on very good terms.”
“Is that so?”
I didn’t know that.
“The lower ranks have a mutually beneficial relationship, though.”
“I see?”
While having such a casual conversation with the Guild staff, I continue to fire arrows.
Zombie Wolves, Zombie Sheep, Zombie Bears, Zombie Lions, Zombie Crabs, Crabs!?
“There’s some seafood mixed in, subtly…”
“That’s rare. If they weren’t Animal Zombies, we could grill them and eat them.”
Is the category really “Animal”?
“I prefer boiling crabs rather than grilling them.”
“I’ve never tried that.”
“It requires a lot of water, though.”
Crab Monsters tend to be large.
“Boil the legs and claws thoroughly, remove them from the shell, and dip them in a special sauce.”
“Irresistible. They go well with sake.”
It would be even better with rice wine, but I haven’t seen any outside of what I carry.
“…Hey.”
” “Yes?” ”
“I’m getting hungry, stop it.”
” “Ah, sorry.” “
It wasn’t a topic for before a meal. And don’t try to secure the crabs. They’re Zombies, so you can’t eat them.
While interjecting with small talk, we don’t let up on defeating the Monsters. Grams’ attack power is extremely high, so the number of enemies is whittled down rapidly.
Of course, since it’s a Dungeon, they periodically respawn, but if the number of Monsters accumulated so far decreases, it becomes much easier for us.
It becomes easier to advance. And what comes into view is…
“A Dungeon Core, huh?”
“To think you’d actually secure it. I’m surprised, old man.”
“That was easy.”
“It seems like it was a surprisingly shallow Dungeon!”
It seems this floor was the final floor. After clearing out the group of Animal Zombies gathered in the center, what was there was a round, large crystal of Dungeon power. The Dungeon Core.
“What shall we do?”
“What should we do?”
The Guild staff, Harley and Will, are also perplexed. They said they wanted to find it, but now that they’ve actually found it, they seem troubled about how to handle it.
“It would be good if we could bring it under control, but does anyone know how to do it?”
Everyone shakes their heads at my words.
They use specialized Magic Items to control the flow of Magical Power in the Dungeon Core, reducing the number of Monsters that appear or limiting the types of Monsters that appear.
I doubt anyone would bring such a specialized and limited Magic Item. I have one, and even a Magic Core, though.
“By the way, where was the Dungeon Boss?”
” ” “Who knows?” ” “
Could it have been mixed in with the undead army we defeated in large numbers?
“Did Craf take care of it with his bow?”
“Did Grams blow it away with a single strike?”
“I didn’t do it!?”
“Well, it was one of those two.”
“It’s not a bad thing, though…”
“I would like to secure the Magic Stone, though.”
It’s understandable that they want to get the Magic Stone if there was a Boss.
Of course, we secured Magic Stones as much as possible, but honestly, we prioritized attacking, so arrow retrieval was the main focus. Originally, undead-type Monsters have few parts that can be used as materials, so even if they’re absorbed into the Dungeon, it’s not a big loss.
“Magic Stones are cheap these days, after all.”
” ” “True.” ” ”
“The purchase price is just lower than usual, it’s not exactly cheap, though.”
Will is a Guild staff member and seems to know the value of things well.
“I never thought the day would come when we’d have so many intermediate-level Magic Stones to spare.”
“Maybe when there’s a Dungeon outbreak near the city? Well, in that case, Magic Stones are used up quickly, so they’re still needed in the end.”
In order to prevent Monsters from overflowing from the Dungeon, Magic Stones are heavily invested in strengthening the Barrier.
“It would be nice if we could hoard them. If you leave them lying around, the Magical Power leaks out and they lose their value.”
“Magic Stone storage boxes are rare even in the Guild, you know?”
Magic Stones contain Magical Power, but when they’re removed from the Monster’s body, the Magical Power gradually dissipates. If left for a long time, they become just stones. There are special boxes that can prevent this, but of course, they’re expensive. Few individuals probably own them.
“Don’t they use Magic Items much in the North?”
“They were used to some extent, but it was mostly local production for local consumption.”
” “?” “
Grams and Brenda tilt their heads.
“They used the Magic Stones they obtained as they were.”
They were heavily invested in the Monster Ward Barrier for the defense of the base. Just having this allows you to rest peacefully at night, so no one skimps on it.
Of course, the Knights Order also introduces various other Magic Items. Using the Magical Power of Magic Stones is, after all, the most efficient way to use them.
“More importantly, what are we going to do? I don’t want to stay here forever. And didn’t you guys say you wanted to secure the Core?”
” “We never thought we’d be the first to reach it.” ”
“Useless. Prepare yourselves.”
” “Sorry.” “
Don’t get grumpy just because it stinks.
“Please ensure safety as much as possible for now. I’ll return once to bring a specialist.”
“Can you return alone?”
“I’ll use the thinning squad in the rear. Everyone, please continue securing this area and defeating additional Monsters.”
“Got it.”
He’s going to join up with the thinning squad in the rear and return.
We move or destroy anything that could be used as cover around the Core to secure the area, and Monsters continue to spawn, so it’s search and destroy.
After a while, the Guild staff and a well-dressed man came here with a Knight. It seems this is their job from here on out. They give the Knights information about the Monsters, and we return to the thinning work again.