Chapter 32: Part Break
Claris and I visited the Deep Forest to defeat Pouch Trolls.
The dungeon, true to its name, was covered in a pitch-black forest.
“Ah, Loin, look! Isn’t that one of them?”
“Alright! Let’s take it down!”
Claris quickly found one.
Pouch Trolls, as their name suggests, are trolls with pouches on their bodies.
A bag-like skin is attached to the surface of their large, round bellies.
They supposedly put things like food in there.
“GUMOOOO!!!!”
It seemed to have noticed us too and came rushing over.
It raised its large fist, intending to strike us.
It seems to be a ferocious monster.
“Loin! Leave it to me!”
—Clang!
Claris blocked the Pouch Troll’s fist with her shield.
However, the hand holding the shield was trembling.
“Such incredible strength…”
“Hang in there, Claris! I’ll defeat it now!”
I have to take it down before Claris gets crushed.
The Pouch Troll is quite huge, and I don’t know where to aim.
If possible, I’d like to finish it in one blow, but…
“There…!”
I aimed for its neck and unleashed my sword!
“Air Slash—!”
—ZUSHAAA!!!!
The slashing wave from my sword reached the Pouch Troll’s neck.
—BUSHAAAAAAA!!!!
Its neck was cleanly severed, and bright green blood gushed out.
“As expected of Loin! That was easy!”
“Alright! The drop item is…”
I rushed over to the fallen Pouch Troll and searched for items.
It would be great if an Item Box dropped on the first try…
But however—
《Sunlight Ore》
Rarity ★★★★★
Drop Rate 0.5%
Description: A stone used as weapon enhancement material.
“A miss… huh…”
This is certainly a Rare Drop, no doubt about it, but…
At least, it’s not what I’m looking for.
What in the world is going on?
It’s not uncommon for a single monster to have multiple drop items, but…
“Oh well, next!”
We searched for another one.
But—
“Wrong… this one’s no good either!”
“Wrong…!”
“A miss…!”
“Damn it… next!”
No matter how many Pouch Trolls we defeated, the Item Box just wouldn’t appear.
That old man… did he deceive me…?
No, that can’t be right.
Since he took that much money, the information must be reliable.
“Hey, Loin. How about we try changing our fighting style?”
“Fighting style…?”
“Yeah, you’ve just been cutting off their necks with Air Slash, right? Instead of that, let’s try a different method.”
“You’re right.”
I’ve never heard of drop items changing based on how you defeat a monster, but…
Still, it seemed better than repeating the same thing and getting the same results over and over.
We tried various ways of defeating them.
“Shield Beam—!”
A beam of fire shot out from Claris’s shield.
It burned through the Pouch Troll’s body.
Its arm is completely charred…
“No good, huh…”
However, an Item Box didn’t drop.
Ores with only niche uses kept piling up in my bag.
“Hm…? Pouch…?”
That’s right, I noticed it while we were fighting.
It’s still happening now.
Right before they die, Pouch Trolls make a motion to protect the pouch on their stomach.
Just now, it took the beam with its arm.
They’re protecting it so the pouch absolutely doesn’t get damaged.
“Alright, Claris. Next, we’ll destroy its pouch along with it! Will you help me?”
“Of course!”
Here’s the plan.
First, Claris will draw its attention with Provocation (Appeal).
Then I’ll pulverize it, pouch and all, with a Charged Slash (Sword Burst).
“Here I go! Provocation (Appeal)—!”
—Kyuuin!
Claris’s shield flashed brightly.
The Pouch Troll made a beeline for it.
“GUMOOOOO!!”
Next to Claris, I was already in a charging stance, waiting.
It’s a pre-emptive Charged Slash.
“Alright, now!”
I swung down the sword I had charged to its limit towards the Pouch Troll!
“Charged Slash (Sword Burst)—!”
—ZUDOOON!!!!
—ZUSHAAAAAAA!!!!
My sword cleaved the Pouch Troll from the crown of its head to its toes.
The sound was loud enough to echo throughout the forest.
And that wasn’t all.
When my sword made a direct hit, there was a sound it doesn’t usually make.
—Kyuuin!
“This is a Critical Hit…!?”
That’s right, by gaining Critical Hit Rate, I was attacking the Pouch Troll with several times my usual power.
Naturally, the Pouch Troll didn’t stand a chance.
The Pouch Troll’s body, pouch and all, vanished—
A sword strike of such power.
When I placed my sword on the ground, the Pouch Troll’s form had disappeared.
Its power was so immense that it vanished without even a fragment remaining…
“S-Such incredible power…”
Claris was also astonished behind her shield.
If it weren’t for this greatshield, she might have been in danger too.
I can’t use this technique in a town or anything…
“Now then… the drop item is… …!?”
A small, box-like object had been left there.
“Th-This is…!”
《Item Box》
Rarity ★x13
Drop Rate 0.01% (Appears only by destroying the pouch/part break)
Description: A mysterious box that can store anything infinitely.
“You did it, Loin!”
“Ah, yeah…”
Apparently, this is an item that only drops by destroying the Pouch Troll’s pouch.
This… isn’t this incredibly valuable information…?
Not only the Item Box, but I’ve also gained an unexpected reward.
“Alright, let’s try using it right away.”
I immediately transferred the Sunlight Ore I’d obtained from this Pouch Troll hunt into the Item Box.
When the box and the item came into contact, it was stored away, smoothly vanishing as if into thin air.
“Amazing… even though it’s such a small box…”
I don’t know how it works, but this is incredibly convenient.
I won’t have to give up on drop items anymore because I have too many.
From now on, I’ll be able to dive into dungeons for much longer.
“Alright! Shall we head back? I’ve got a souvenir for the informant too!”
“You’re right. Salina-san and Dorothy are waiting.”
I used the Teleport skill—