Chapter 47: The Ogre Dragonfly Capture Operation
“Well, I’m pretty much done with my testing, so I’m heading home for now.”
“Ah, thanks for everything.”
“Heh heh, no problem. Now then, there are still tons of things I want to try out…”
“…? You still have more?”
“Well, yeah. I want to master Dress Change and recreate Pretear’s transformation scenes, and I also want to test the potential of the Transformation Craving skill.”
“…Are you going to become a new Pretear again?”
Honestly, I’d had my fill.
“No, not that. I was thinking of getting a little more serious.”
“…You had that side to you too, huh?”
“Well, yeah. If this goes well, I might be the first to reach A-rank. See ya, Ko-chin.”
“Ah, yeah…”
“Mutter mutter… The strongest Explorer who wields both Light Magic and Dark Magic… Fuhuhu…”
Manamin-san exited the dungeon, muttering to herself.
…That last part was a little scary.
“…Alright then.”
Blue sky, white clouds, green trees.
The dungeon looked the same as always.
“Man, thanks to Manamin-san, I feel refreshed.”
As long as I have the Bond of Friendship skill, there’s no need to overthink things.
Considering my past growth rate, maybe I don’t need to do anything special?
Just play.
Just play as much as I can.
That will be our way of learning.
“Now that that’s settled…”
Let’s do what I want to do.
The first thing that came to mind was the large dragonfly I found while investigating the Japanese House area.
It had the look of an Ogre Dragonfly, but its coloration was different—red and black.
That must be the highest-ranking species of dragonfly in this dungeon.
“Shall I try to catch it…?”
I immediately moved to that area.
☆★☆
The Japanese House area—no, perhaps it’s better to call it our “Home” now.
I returned to our “Home” for a moment and peeked inside the refrigerator.
The Elixir Ramune hadn’t been restocked.
As expected, it probably wouldn’t respawn the very next day.
I don’t think Manamin-san took every last one… I hope.
However, the ramune bottles I left in the kitchen yesterday were gone.
They must have been broken down into magical essence and absorbed by the dungeon.
Pondering the refreshing taste of Elixir Ramune, I stepped outside the “Home.”
“Alright, then…”
I looked up at the sky where dragonflies were flitting about.
I couldn’t spot the Ogre Dragonfly-like one.
For now, I caught a yellow dragonfly that was perched on a garden tree.
Bwoan!
Encyclopedia No. 8/251
Name: Yellow Magic Dragonfly
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: None
Capture EXP: 2
Drop Items: Magic Stone (Tiny), ???
“…Alright.”
This is where the real challenge begins.
I summoned the Monster Capture Net from my subspace.
Ogre Dragonflies often fly in circles along a set flight path.
If the one from before is still around, it should fly near this house again… Hup.
“There it is…!”
I found it sooner than expected.
It was flying towards me.
A large, two-toned dragonfly, black and red.
Man, it’s fast!
“Wait!”
I tried to chase it with my Level 32 leg strength, but it left me in the dust in an instant.
“…Human speed isn’t enough to catch it.”
The giant dragonfly circled outside the property, flew over the roof of the “Home,” and disappeared into the distance.
Too fast.
Now, what to do…
“…An ambush first, I guess.”
I hid behind a garden tree, Monster Capture Net at the ready.
If the dragonfly takes the same route as before, I should be able to ambush it here.
A little while later.
“Here it comes!”
The dragonfly flew straight towards me.
“Hyaah!!”
I swung the Monster Capture Net, timing it with the dragonfly’s trajectory.
…But.
The dragonfly dodged the net and zipped away effortlessly.
“…Did I swing too early?”
Frustrating.
One more time.
I readied the net again and waited for the dragonfly.
—I’ll get it this time.
And so, the dragonfly came again.
“…I’ve got its speed down. Here!”
I swung the net at the dragonfly with perfect timing.
“Go!”
Then, the dragonfly flew into the purple net and…
Rip!!
It tore through the net and continued flying.
“…Geh.”
It circled as if nothing had happened and flew leisurely over the roof.
“Are you serious…?”
There was a large hole in the net, but the purple, glowing magical essence was slowly starting to repair it.
I’ll probably be able to use it again after a while, but…
“So a Lv1 net isn’t going to work on that thing, huh…”
I think I learned the Monster Capture Net skill when I collected 10 types of creatures.
I don’t know how many I need for the next level, but if the net’s level increases, it might work on that dragonfly.
—However.
“This is so frustrating…”
I want to catch it today, no matter what.
As I pondered a solution, one idea came to mind.
“A spiderweb…!”
The Thread skill I learned in the Ota Dungeon.
Could I make a spiderweb with Thread and lure the dragonfly into it?
This is also Lv1, but it seems stronger than the capture net.
“…Worth a try.”
I immediately stretched a single Thread between a garden tree and the veranda.
The Thread was sticky to the touch, and when I plucked it, it snapped back into place with a thwump!
Even a single strand had decent strength, but if I combined several, it might be able to stop something like an Ogre Dragonfly.
As I was thinking about this, the Ogre Dragonfly zipped past a short distance away at high speed.
Almost as if it were taunting me.
“Just you watch…!”
I began to stretch the Threads one by one.
First, I tied the foundational Threads between the garden tree and the “Home,” forming a “米” (rice) character shape.
Next, the net part.
Recalling the shape of a real spiderweb, I stretched new Threads between the foundational ones.
“Phew…”
This is quite detailed work.
My MP is gradually decreasing, and it’s mentally taxing.
—But this is also fun.
“It’s like drawing in mid-air.”
Following my fingertips, the Threads formed a flat surface.
Just like individual brushstrokes come together to reveal the motif of a painting.
Each individual Thread came together, forming a geometric pattern.
“…Alright, this Thread is strung beautifully.”
Forgetting my original purpose, I became engrossed in drawing, using the space where the blue sky was visible as my canvas.
And so.
“…Done.”
A giant, beautiful spiderweb was complete.
The Threads sparkled, bathed in the summer sunlight.
There was a mysterious sense of accomplishment.
“No… I have to achieve my real goal.”
Time to get back to the Ogre Dragonfly capture operation.
This spiderweb is slightly off the Ogre Dragonfly’s flight path.
I’ll have to use the insect net or something to corner it.
As I was thinking that.
“…Ah.”
A yellow dragonfly, the same type I caught earlier, got caught in the spiderweb.
Bzzzz! Bzzzzzz…!
The yellow dragonfly couldn’t escape the sticky Threads and was struggling, flapping its wings violently.
“Oh crap… Will this alert the Ogre Dragonfly?”
It would be the worst if, after all this work, the Ogre Dragonfly noticed “something’s there” and avoided it.
“Will it be okay…? Should I remove the yellow one for now…? No, maybe it’s better to leave it as is…”
As I was mulling this over.
“…Ah.”
The Ogre Dragonfly flew in at incredible speed and dived towards the yellow dragonfly.
BZZZZZZ!!! BZZZZZZZZZZ!!!
The Ogre Dragonfly, along with the yellow dragonfly, got entangled in the spiderweb, unable to move.
“Yes!”
It was probably trying to catch the dragonfly in its territory.
Coincidence was on my side.
I rushed over to the spiderweb and grabbed the Ogre Dragonfly’s four wings.
And then.
BWOAN!!
Encyclopedia No. 12/251
Name: Great Ogre Dragonfly
Rarity: ★★★★
Capture Skills: Speed +10 (First-time Bonus), Aerial Swordsmanship, Godspeed (Massively increases speed when activated)
Capture EXP: 1600
Drop Items: Magic Stone (Large)
Description: The fastest dragonfly in the dungeon. Hunts in the air and preys on its catch. Can be captured by a Childlike Heart skill holder (Requires: Monster Capture Net Lv2).
“Yessss!!!”
A long-awaited attack skill!!
With this, not only stag beetles and grasshoppers, but I myself can fight!
Man, I’m happy.
As a test, I took the Monster Capture Net in hand and leaped into the air, and an image of movement floated into my mind.
“Aerial Swordsmanship… 《Predation》!!”
Swish! Swish!!
Thud!!
A sword technique mimicking a dragonfly catching prey in mid-air.
—I really want to try this out in actual combat soon.
“Alright, Status Open.”
Name: Natsume Kouichi
Level: 34
EXP: 155/3353
HP: 321
MP: 140
Attack: 152 (Bonus +28)
Defense: 129 (Bonus +13)
Speed: 231 (Bonus +27)
Wisdom: 94 (Bonus +2)
Skills: 【Childlike Heart】, 【Item Drop Enhancement】, 【Water Resistance (Minor)】, 【Sleep Skill Nullification】, 【Water Walking】, 【Slashing Enhancement (Minor)】, 【Butterfly Dance】, 【Vigilance】, 【Poison Absorption】, 【Bond of Friendship】, 【Aerial Swordsmanship】, 【Godspeed】
Special Abilities: Monster Creature Encyclopedia, Mass Assault, Monster Capture Net (Lv1), Bug Sumo: Stag Beetle, Cheering, Wormhole, Thread (Lv1)
“Ooh…”
When I checked, I’d gone up two whole levels since investigating inside the Private Dungeon.
The amount of EXP gained is higher than what I got from capturing bugs.
I guess I probably got EXP from working with 《Thread》 too.
That was definitely good experience.
“Ahh, this is actually starting to get fun.”
My brain’s all fired up from catching that giant dragonfly.
“Alright, let’s try looking for other bugs.”
――I headed towards the forest area.