Chapter 4: To a New Town – Part 10
The next day, the two of us delved into the Dungeon once more.
As before, Freinir took the lead up to the fourth floor, while I provided support. However, when three or more monsters appeared simultaneously, Freinir still struggled to manage them all. During those moments, I would thin their numbers or act as a shield to draw their attention. It was amusing how naturally we fell into roles reminiscent of a party from a game I used to play in my previous life.
The fifth floor posed no particular issues, and before long, we reached the door to the boss room.
“This is the boss room of the Dungeon… isn’t it?”
“That’s right. A higher-tier Boar Wolf will appear as the boss. The strategy remains the same. I’ll hold it down, and Freinir will attack from the side. Can you handle that?”
“Yes, I can do it.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
There was no hint of anxiety in Freinir’s eyes. With her confidence, I felt assured that we would be fine.
As we entered the boss room, the familiar black mist swirled around us, and the boss, a Bear Wolf, materialized.
“This is the boss… it looks strong.”
“Indeed, it’s tougher than regular monsters. But I could take it down with my bare hands.”
“What!? With your bare hands!?”
“If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be able to assist you, Freinir. Here it comes!”
The Bear Wolf charged at us as usual. I dashed forward, colliding with it head-on before it could reach full speed.
Using my Skills—Strength, Herculean Strength, and Stability—I firmly grasped its head. The Bear Wolf snapped at me, but my Steel Body Skill prevented its fangs from piercing through.
“Go for it, Freinir!”
“Yes!”
Freinir swiftly maneuvered to the side and plunged her spear into the Bear Wolf’s flank. Naturally, one strike wouldn’t be enough to take it down.
“Ha! Hah!”
With a battle cry, her long golden hair flying wildly, Freinir repeatedly thrust her spear into the creature. The Bear Wolf let out pained growls and thrashed about, but my grip on its neck remained unyielding.
After what felt like a dozen strikes, her final thrust must have reached its heart. The Bear Wolf let out a “Goff!” and collapsed, its strength fading away.
As its corpse vanished, the usual Magic Stone and meat were left behind.
“Hah, hah… We did it… we defeated it…”
“Yeah, you did great. With this, Freinir is officially a proper adventurer.”
“Thank you. But without your help, Soushi-sama, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat it.”
“That’s true. Adventurers typically fight alongside their companions. If I weren’t here, someone else would have stepped in. It doesn’t change the fact that you took it down as a member of the party.”
“Soushi-sama… Yes, I will think of it that way.”
It felt a bit odd for me, who had always acted solo, to say “fighting alongside companions,” but Freinir seemed to accept it.
Now, the question was what kind of Skill she would gain… Freinir suddenly jolted, indicating she had acquired something.
“So this is the sensation of obtaining a special Skill. I can really feel the usage coming to mind… This is… Holy Attribute Magic…?”
It seemed my intuition was correct; she had indeed gained a magical Skill. I wondered if “Holy Attribute” was mentioned in the guide. It looked like I would need to check it when we returned.
“Congratulations! It seems you’ve acquired a magical Skill after all.”
“Yes, just as you said, Soushi-sama. How did you know?”
“It was purely a hunch. I really have no reason for it.”
I couldn’t exactly say it was because I thought she would be a magic user based on her character. However, the image of Freinir, a delicate girl with golden hair and blue eyes, wielding Holy Attribute Magic was so fitting that I couldn’t help but smile.
After exiting the Dungeon, we trained as usual before heading back to town.
I had Freinir try out her newly acquired Holy Attribute Magic, but it seemed she could only use a spell called Ray of Holy Light for now.
As the name suggested, it released a beam of light from her fingertips.
When she directed it at a rock, it left a scorched mark with a small hole, resembling a laser beam from my previous life.
However, since it was Holy Attribute, it might have special effects against undead monsters.
In any case, I was relieved that Freinir wouldn’t be relegated to physical attacks. Still, it was uncertain whether she would continue to acquire magical Skills in the future…
Upon returning to the guild and checking the guide, I found a brief mention of Holy Attribute. It appeared to be a rare attribute, and as she developed her abilities, she could become a valuable asset as an undead specialist adventurer.
While we were having dinner in the inn’s dining hall, I shared this information with Freinir, who looked a bit conflicted.
“There was an adventurer at the Arshuram Church who was skilled at defeating undead monsters. Is it the same as that?”
“Well, I can’t say for sure. However, I’ve seen adventurers serving nobles as knights, so it’s possible that those who can use Holy Attribute Magic might belong to the church as specialists against undead.”
“Is that so…?”
“Rather than being a rootless adventurer, it might be a good way to live to belong to an organization like the church. Eventually, we might have to consider such options.”
“Even so, I don’t want to belong to the church. Serving nobles… What do you think, Soushi-sama?”
“I’m still only E-Rank, so I don’t think it’s something to worry about just yet. For now, I have no intention of joining any organization.”
I was aware of the pros and cons of belonging to an organization. If the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, it could be worthwhile. However, having been a salaryman in my previous life, the idea of living as a freelancer was also quite appealing.
“I see. Then I think I will aim for that as well.”
“For now, the priority is to improve your abilities as an adventurer. We can think about the complicated stuff later.”
“Yes, I will do that.”
Freinir’s expression softened with relief, and she resumed her meal.
Her refusal to align with either the church or the nobility suggested she had her own circumstances. Well, perhaps she would eventually share her story with me. That is, as long as she didn’t mind forming a party with someone like me, an older man.