Chapter 15: Encounter 07
The next day, we set out for another dungeon attack.
Having confirmed that “Soul’s Guidance” was more than sufficient for B-Class challenges yesterday, I felt a sense of ease as we ventured forth.
The weak monsters encountered on floors six through ten included the Minotaur, Orc Knight, and Mithril Tortoise.
The Minotaur, once a D-Class boss monster, was no longer a threat even if five of them appeared at once.
The Orc Knight, clad in knightly armor, looked surprisingly dashing for a creature with a pig’s head. However, being a simple melee attacker, even ten of them posed no challenge.
The real nuisance was the Mithril Tortoise. Despite the effectiveness of “Divine Light,” its shell boasted high defense, repelling both magic and physical attacks. Our only strategy was to have a decoy lure it out, striking when it exposed its neck, but thanks to Larni’s “God of Plague,” the sheer number of them made this approach cumbersome.
With no other choice, I crushed them all beneath my blows. I half-expected my party members to be put off by my brutality, but they merely watched with expressions of delight, perhaps having grown accustomed to my methods.
By the way, monsters with “Mithril” in their name drop chunks of mithril the size of marbles. Collecting enough of them could allow us to craft mithril weapons, but considering the quantity needed, we would have to defeat an overwhelming number of monsters for even a single sword.
“How about we gather mithril to craft a mace for you, Soushi?” Freinir suggested.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine how many Mithril Tortoises we would need to crush.
As for the boss on the tenth floor, the boss room was vast, roughly double the size of a soccer field.
Such expansive locations typically heralded the appearance of a giant boss, but…
“Wow, there must be about 500 of them!” Larni exclaimed incredulously.
As she pointed out, a massive horde of Goblins stood before us. The front line consisted of F-Rank Goblins, but behind them were E-Rank Goblin Soldiers and D-Rank Goblin Mages, with three C-Rank Goblin Generals further back. At the very back loomed a Goblin King, towering at nearly three meters tall. This entire horde was treated as a single boss encounter.
“It seems there are more of them than indicated in the guide. And that one in the back isn’t a King; it’s a Goblin Lord, a higher variant,” Mariane noted.
It appeared we had stumbled upon a Rare Boss.
However, based on my experience in Mecalinan, I was confident I could handle this alone. But that wouldn’t help my party grow, so I decided to let them practice on this horde.
“Freir, start with ‘Divine Light.’ I’ll act as a wall with the Spirits, while Larni and Mariane provide support. Sfenia and Shizuna, unleash your magic!”
“Understood, Soushi! ‘Divine Light’ coming right up!”
As the light of “Divine Light” signaled the start of battle, the Goblin horde surged toward us.
Activating “Provoke” at maximum output, the Goblins charged at me. I focused on obliterating the ones that came too close, allowing me to observe my party’s performance.
The Spirits flanking me were able to effortlessly dispatch the Goblin Soldiers, delivering sharp punches that sent them flying one after another.
Sfenia’s “Flare Circle” turned dozens of Goblins to ash, while Shizuna’s “Flame Javelin” pierced through five at once.
Larni and Mariane flanked the Goblin Mages, prioritizing their elimination as they prepared to cast spells.
When Freinir unleashed a shower of “Range Expansion” and “Holy Light,” dozens of Goblins, including one Goblin General, were left riddled with holes before vanishing.
Despite the overwhelming numbers, the tide of battle turned in just about five minutes. Only two Goblin Generals and the Goblin Lord remained.
One of the Generals was struck by Sfenia’s arrow, triggering “Action Stop,” and Mariane swiftly severed its head. The other fell to Larni’s magic sword, cleaved from the front.
In what felt like an instant, the Goblin Lord seemed momentarily bewildered. Of course, that was nothing but an opening. Three simultaneous magical strikes hit its head, and the massive body collapsed, losing its neck.
We gathered the abundant Magic Stones scattered across the floor and convened around the silver Rare Treasure Chest that appeared in the center.
When Shizuna opened the lid, out came a pair of mithril gauntlets.
“Mithril Gauntlets +2. This is quite a valuable item,” Mariane confirmed with her Appraisal.
Clearly designed for swordsmen, they were destined for Larni.
“They’re lighter than I expected and feel great! It might be nice to equip a full set of mithril gear!” Larni exclaimed, her ears twitching with excitement.
While I felt somewhat reliant on treasure chests for gear, it was also feasible to gather materials and have them crafted. After all, it wasn’t likely that mithril equipment would appear so readily.
The next day, we would start from the eleventh floor, aiming for the fifteenth.
With everyone growing accustomed to the challenges and our adventurer levels steadily rising, our pace quickened as we descended deeper into the dungeon.
The monsters we encountered included the dog-headed ninja Kobold Assassin, the large Vampire Bat, and the infamous eight-legged lizard, Basilisk.
The Kobold Assassin showcased agile movements with its “Swift Run” and “Honshin” skills, while the Vampire Bat unleashed unpleasant sonic attacks. The Basilisk, with its potent petrifying poison, was a troublesome foe, but before the overwhelming power of “Soul’s Guidance,” they were swiftly annihilated. In the relatively confined spaces of the dungeon, I could easily clear everything with my “Shockwave” if necessary.
The boss we faced was the standard Multi-core Slime.
This enormous slime, possessing nine cores, occupied about a quarter of the already vast boss room.
Faced with such overwhelming mass, Larni turned to me with a frown.
“Hey, Soushi, what do we do about this?”
“The plan remains the same: we take out the cores one by one with magic. Freinir, Sfenia, and Shizuna, aim for the cores with your spells. We’ll move forward to block the tentacles. Larni and Mariane, keep an eye out for tentacles targeting the rear guard.”
“Got it!”
The Multi-core Slime inched forward, extending countless tentacles.
The Spirits and I focused on swatting away the tentacles coming from the front, while Larni and Mariane handled those flanking us. I kept my “Shockwave” sealed, as it would scatter the toxic slime everywhere.
Freinir’s “Double Holy Light” pierced through one of the cores, destroying it. Sfenia and Shizuna’s “Flame Bolts” struck simultaneously, obliterating two more cores.
Sensing danger, three of the slime’s cores began to glow intensely, signaling a magical attack.
I activated “Provoke” and summoned the Immovable Fortress Wall.
From the glowing cores, massive ice spears, resembling tree trunks, shot forth. For an average adventurer, a direct hit could be fatal. However, such deadly projectiles shattered harmlessly against my Orichalcum shield.
As Freinir and the others unleashed their second wave of magic, three more cores were lost, causing the Multi-core Slime to lose its form and deflate.
“Leave the rest to me.”
I stepped forward, swinging my mace to chip away at the slime’s gooey exterior while crushing the remaining three cores.
From the treasure chest emerged three thin, golden ingots. Without needing to Appraise them, I recognized them as Orichalcum.
“Should we sell these, or would it be better to have some equipment crafted?” I asked.
Mariane nodded in agreement.
“We have enough funds, so I think it’s better to process them rather than sell. However, only a skilled blacksmith can work with Orichalcum.”
“Does that mean we need a Dwarf or something?” I inquired, recalling my gaming knowledge, which seemed to be spot on.
“Yes, it seems so. I’ve heard that only high-ranking blacksmiths in the Dwarf village can handle it. The village is located in the northern empire, so we won’t be able to do anything for a while.”
“The Dwarf village, huh…”
It seemed I had another destination to consider. Honestly, I felt an urge to go there the moment I heard about it.
“Sfenia, is there any animosity between Elves and Dwarves?” I asked.
“Huh? No, not really. There hasn’t been much interaction at all. Why do you ask?” Sfenia replied, looking puzzled.
I couldn’t exactly admit that it stemmed from my casual fantasy knowledge from my previous life.
“Oh, just curious. Larni, is it okay with Beastmen?”
“Of course! But Orichalcum gear… While Mithril is nice, Orichalcum is the dream of every adventurer. I want to gather more!” Larni said, her enthusiasm palpable.
“Indeed. However, if Orichalcum is found in the Gal-Oz dungeon, it might attract higher-ranked adventurers,” I mused. “Mariane, is this information known?”
“There’s no obligation to report items obtained from treasure chests to the guild, so they don’t have a complete grasp of it. Especially since entering C-Class dungeons requires experienced adventurers, such information is often kept secret. I don’t believe there was any information about Orichalcum in this dungeon.”
“I see. But this will likely raise awareness about it, right?”
“That depends on the discretion of ‘Soul’s Guidance.’ If they wish to keep it secret, I won’t disclose it either…”
As she spoke, Mariane’s gaze shifted toward me, clearly hinting that she had something to say. Well, information is valuable, and as a guild employee, she would want to elevate it as much as possible.
“I don’t mind. I have no intention of making this my home base for profit. What about everyone else?”
“As you say, Soushi,” came the chorus of agreement. “I don’t have any objections either,” Larni added. “I have no reason to oppose it.”
With that, Mariane seemed to relax, relieved.
What concerned me was the possibility that someone might suffer due to this information. However, such news would eventually spread, so it wasn’t something I needed to worry about too much.