Chapter 4: To a New City – 12
The next day, we entered the Dungeon first thing in the morning.
This time, we set our main goal as defeating the boss, minimizing Freinir’s practical training as we swiftly made our way down to the fifth floor.
Before entering the boss room, I checked our equipment and handed Freinir a generous supply of antidote potions, especially since she lacked the Poison Resistance skill.
As we stepped into the boss room, a black mist enveloped the area, from which the boss, the Large Slime, emerged.
However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that this Large Slime was different from the one we had fought before. It seemed slightly larger, and I could see three cores in its center.
“It looks like we have a Rare Boss on our hands. It’s stronger than an ordinary boss, so be careful.”
“Understood. Should I attack those cores as usual?”
“Exactly. Since there are three of them, we probably need to destroy all of them.”
“I’ll try attacking with magic.”
“Alright, let’s take them out one by one. As always, I’ll protect you from the front.”
“Yes, I’ll prepare my spell.”
I stood in front of Freinir as she began to concentrate her mind, facing the Rare Boss. With three cores, I might as well call it the Triple Core.
As the Triple Core inched closer, it extended its body like tentacles, trying to ensnare us.
Perhaps because it had three cores, the number of tentacles it extended at once was considerable. However, thanks to my skills—Herculean Strength, Honshin, and Stability—I could swing my mace, defying the laws of physics, and repel them all. I could obliterate them, but I had to be careful not to splash Freinir with any of the slime, as the poison would be dangerous.
“I’m casting my spell!”
From my diagonal rear, Freinir unleashed a Ray of Holy Light. The beam, now thicker due to her increased level, pierced through one of the cores. The entire body of the Triple Core trembled, a clear sign that it had taken damage.
“Good job! Let’s go for the next one.”
“Yes!”
Freinir focused her mind again. The Triple Core, sensing Freinir as a threat, attempted to extend its tentacles toward me from behind.
Of course, I couldn’t allow that. I swung my mace, pushing the tentacles back toward its main body.
“I’m going for the next shot!”
Once again, the beam shot forth, piercing the second core. Upon reflection, her accuracy was impressive. I thought I should commend her when—
“Ahh!”
Turning at the sound of her scream, I saw a tentacle wrapped around one of Freinir’s legs. It seemed it had maneuvered around to ensnare her without me noticing.
Freinir’s body was pulled down by the tentacle. Hearing her cry out, “No! Souji-sama!” made my vision turn red with rage.
“You bastard, let her go!”
I charged toward the main body, wildly swinging my mace and slicing through the jelly-like body of the Triple Core.
Before me lay the last core. With all my strength, I slammed my mace down, obliterating the core along with the remaining body.
“Ah, thank you, Souji-sama…”
Her voice snapped me back to reality. It seemed my Excitement skill had activated again. I had a feeling I had uttered some rather crude words, but I hoped Freinir wasn’t too shocked.
Rushing to Freinir’s side, I noticed she had indeed been splashed with slime. I couldn’t tell if she had been poisoned, but I quickly made her drink an antidote potion.
“I’m sorry, I let my guard down. I think the poison should be fine, but do you have any other injuries?”
“Yes, I’m alright. I let my guard down too. I’m sorry…”
“There’s no need to apologize. Let’s learn from this and do better next time.”
I helped Freinir to her feet. At a glance, her armor and clothing seemed undamaged, so she appeared to be fine.
But encountering a Rare Boss again was unusual. Perhaps I had some sort of bad luck skill, like “Bad Luck Level 10.”
Noticing my serious expression, Freinir cautiously asked, “Um… Souji-sama, are you angry?”
“No, not at all. Does it look that way?”
“When you were fighting just now, you seemed very angry…”
“Oh, that’s probably due to my skill. I have a skill that heightens my abilities by putting me in an Excitement state, and it seems that when it activates, my behavior becomes quite intense.”
“I see. I thought you were angry at my ineptitude…”
“Freinir, you’ve only been an adventurer for less than a week. You’re doing quite well, and I wouldn’t get angry over something like that. Besides, it was a situation where I should have been the one to support you.”
Upon hearing that, Freinir seemed relieved and smiled, saying, “Yes.”
Her body jolted slightly, likely because the skill had just registered in her mind. I felt the same sensation wash over me.
“Heavy Impact? What is this?”
The knowledge flooding into my mind indicated that it was a skill that added further ‘weight’ to attacks at the moment of impact. It seemed I had become even more of a brute, specializing in physical attacks… Well, it was a rare skill, so it should be quite powerful.
“What about you, Freinir?”
“Yes, it seems I’ve acquired a skill called Divine Attribute Magic.”
“Divine Attribute?”
That sounded like a particularly rare type of magic. When I had checked the magic-related skills under Holy Attribute, I didn’t recall seeing Divine Attribute.
“It seems to create a sacred space that can enhance allies or weaken monsters. Do you think it will be useful?”
I see, it appears to be a blend of multiple support effects. I initially thought it might be an advanced version of Holy Attribute, but it seems to serve a different purpose.
“Yes, that sounds incredibly useful. You need to practice hard to master it.”
“Yes! I will definitely make sure to be of help to you, Souji-sama!”
Hmm, it felt like Freinir’s words were gaining even more weight. But if that served as motivation for her as an adventurer, then perhaps that was a good thing.
In any case, having achieved our goal, we returned to the inn and sat down for dinner in the dining hall.
Freinir seemed to brighten up a bit, realizing she could keep up even in an E-Class Dungeon. Perhaps the prospect of earning some income was also a significant factor. I had paid for the equipment she currently wore, and it seemed she felt quite indebted about that.
“Freinir, I’m thinking of heading to Euron tomorrow. Is that alright?”
“Euron, as in Viscount Barius’s… No, that’s fine. I will follow you wherever, Souji-sama.”
Freinir hesitated for just a moment but quickly responded with a serious tone.
“Once we return to Euron, we should first reassess my equipment. At the very least, I need to switch to a mage’s staff.”
“That’s true. While I’ve gotten used to the spear, in close combat, I would only be a hindrance to you, Souji-sama…”
“That’s unavoidable. Each of us should play to our strengths; that’s what a party is for.”
“Yes, I want to hone my magic. Gaining two magic skills must be a sign from God Archulum to pursue that path.”
“Indeed, the Divine Attribute seems to be an exceptionally rare skill. It would be wise to make the most of it.”
On our way back, we stopped by the guild to review the guide, but there was no mention of the Divine Attribute at all. This meant it was something I should report to the guild, but for now, I decided to hold off.
I had a feeling that if Freinir, the girl with a mysterious past, had acquired such a rare skill, it might lead to some troublesome situations.
“By the way, does this mean that since you’re taking me to Euron, I can assume I will be with you for a long time, Souji-sama?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Well, when you accepted me into your party, you said you would teach me until I could fight on par with others…”
Freinir looked at me with pleading eyes. I realized she must have thought I would abandon her once she became capable.
“What I meant was that if you wanted to join another party, I wouldn’t stand in your way. If you’re happy with things as they are, then we can stay together for as long as you like.”
“Yes! I will stay with you forever!”
Seeing the sudden surge of excitement from the girl, I felt as if I had made a significant mistake. I never thought a girl would become so dependent on a stranger like me in just a few days… I never expected that not having children in my previous life would come back to affect me in this way.