Chapter 8: Becoming Even Stronger
After cashing in the magic stones at the Explorer Association, I quickly returned to the Private Dungeon.
Today, I have two goals.
One is to check the geography of the dungeon, including the forest area.
The other is to catch insects other than dragonflies and grasshoppers, preferably rhinoceros beetles or the like.
Additionally, as a minor goal, I also had “catch 17 more grasshoppers to reach the 100 captures required to learn the skill 【Mass Assault】”… but this looks like it’ll be cleared in no time.
“This is a piece of cake.”
Perhaps because a night had passed, the number of grasshoppers had returned to about the same as yesterday afternoon.
Most likely, what’s generally called respawning (repop) in dungeons had completed.
With every step I took, three or four grasshoppers would fly up.
I made use of the speed I gained from leveling up and caught them one after another.
About 10 minutes after I started exploring the dungeon, the moment I caught the 100th grasshopper, a goofy electronic sound like “Pikoon!” went off, and a voice echoed in my head.
『Condition――Capture of 100 Dungeon Grasshoppers achieved. Special Skill: Mass Assault acquired.』
And then, a message window opened in mid-air.
『Mass Assault: Devour the target with countless grasshoppers. Power 1 x 100.』
Oh, yes! My long-awaited attack skill!
It’s definitely a ‘graphic content warning’ kind of skill, so I can’t just use it casually in front of Otama-chan, and if I carelessly streamed it, my account might get suspended (banned), but for now, I’m happy!
“Alright, let’s keep this momentum going!”
I walked along the rice paddy path, heading towards the forest.
For now, I’ll do a lap around the dungeon to see what it’s like.
I looked around, soaking in the nostalgic atmosphere as I moved forward.
With every step, grasshoppers flew up, so I caught them out of habit and turned them into magic stones in mid-air.
☆★☆
――As I stepped into the forest, it suddenly became cool.
It felt about the same temperature as an air-conditioned room.
If I brought a hammock, it seems like I could spend my time comfortably here.
The sound of cicadas was a bit noisy, but if I chose my spot carefully, it wouldn’t be too bad.
“…When I save up enough money, I’ll buy one from Eeyon.”
Being able to do as I please is a privilege of a Private Dungeon owner.
As I proceeded deeper into the forest, I quickly found a tree where insects had gathered.
“Ooh!”
Black butterflies, small stag beetles, drone beetles, and the like.
It seemed insects were swarming the tree sap.
Among them, the one that caught my eye the most was a large, golden, shining beetle.
“What is that…?!”
It had a luster as if its body was made of metal.
It looked like a female rhinoceros beetle, but it was two sizes larger, easily the size of a smartphone.
I’ve never seen a similar creature outside the dungeon either.
It’s clearly rare.
If I caught it, I wonder how big of a magic stone it would become.
I quietly approached the tree and slowly reached out my hand towards the golden beetle.
And then.
“Sei!”
――My hand managed to grab its golden back.
“Yes!”
Even when I touched it, the golden beetle didn’t even twitch.
It looked rare, but maybe its capture difficulty wasn’t that high.
“Alright…”
I held onto it for a while, but the beetle didn’t turn into a magic stone.
It probably wouldn’t count as a capture unless I peeled it off the tree.
I put strength into my hand and tried to pull the beetle off the tree.
However…
“…Hm? Hnngh?!”
The beetle was stuck to the tree with tremendous force and wouldn’t budge an inch.
“Uwah, it’s tough…”
I tried various things like lifting it upwards to detach its claws, or pulling it towards me, but it showed no sign of moving at all.
“Is this thing fixed to the tree…?”
Finally, I braced one foot against the tree trunk and tried to pull the insect off with all my might, but it still didn’t move at all.
“Hah, hah… Seriously…?”
…I don’t feel like I can catch it.
Is it because my level isn’t high enough, or something?
However, no matter how I look at it, this insect is a rare one.
If I miss this chance, I don’t know when I’ll find another one.
I don’t want to give up.
Changing the angle I lifted it from, pushing its rear to encourage it to move, kicking the tree, trying to peel off its legs one by one with my other hand… I tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked.
“Hmm…”
There are no useful tools in the Eeyon Explorer Set either.
…Am I finally stumped?
Other than that, if there’s anything else I can do…
“Uuumu…”
There’s only that ‘graphic content warning’ skill that devours enemies with 100 grasshoppers.
But, if I attack and defeat this rare-looking insect, will it really turn into a magic stone?
In the Monster Creature Encyclopedia that appears with skills, I’m sure there was an item called ‘Capture EXP’.
If I don’t capture it, will it not be recorded as an achievement in the encyclopedia, and maybe not even turn into a magic stone?
“…This is troubling.”
Now, what to do.
Give up?
Or just go ahead and attack it?
I don’t want to do either, but…
“Ah…”
I don’t know if it’ll work, but an idea suddenly came to me.
“It’ll definitely be disgusting, but if I can just endure it, maybe…”
I stared at the golden, shining beetle and steeled my resolve.
Alright.
There’s the matter of magic stones and leveling myself up.
But, more than anything.
――I want to catch a rare insect and record it in the encyclopedia.
That desire won out.
Well then, shall I try it?
I don’t know how to use skills, but I remember seeing Explorers on the internet sometimes using magic by holding one hand out in front of them.
While still holding the golden beetle with my right hand, I activated the skill with my left.
“Activate Special Skill: Mass Assault! Target is the tree bark!!”
Then, a circle like a small dungeon gate appeared in front of my left hand, and countless grasshoppers flew out from within it.
“Ugh…”
The swarm of grasshoppers started gnawing away at the tree bark around the beetle.
The golden beetle, perhaps disliking the grasshoppers, tried to move sluggishly, but I put strength into my right hand and held it down so it couldn’t escape.
“I’m enduring this creepy-crawly feeling too, you know. You endure it as well.”
Gnawed by the grasshoppers, the tree bark around the beetle gradually peeled away.
Eventually――
I was able to pull the golden beetle, along with the piece of bark it was clinging to, towards me.
And then, with a loud “Bwoom!!” sound, the golden beetle turned into a magic stone about the size of a ping-pong ball.
“Alright!!”
I couldn’t help but strike a victory pose.
Man, this feels great! And it’s fun! It seriously reminds me of when I was a kid!
It was worth enduring that swarm of creepy grasshoppers!
Bwoom!
As if to reinforce my joy, the Monster Creature Encyclopedia appeared in mid-air, and its pages flipped open to the relevant entry.
Encyclopedia No. 72/251
Name: Golden Scarab
Rarity: ★★★★
Capture Skill: Attack Power +10 (First Time Bonus), Item Drop Enhancement (Passive)
Capture EXP: 1200
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Large)
Description: A scarab beetle that inhabits the forests within dungeons. It is rarely found, and is said to grant good fortune to those who capture it. Can be captured by a 【Childlike Heart】 skill wielder by methods such as strongly shaking a tree (Requires: Attack Stat 120+).