Chapter 17: The Long Road to the Imperial Capital – Part 14
As the massive form of the Prism Dragon faded away, all the members of Soul’s Guidance gathered around me.
The first to speak was Freinir, her face beaming with an angelic smile.
“Congratulations, Soushi-sama, on conquering the unexplored A-Class Dungeon. With this, another significant achievement has been added to your illustrious record.”
“Thank you, Frei. But this victory belongs to all of us, including you. I want to extend my congratulations to everyone.”
“It is precisely because you are such a person that we are known as Soul’s Guidance. I will continue to follow you, Soushi-sama.”
Freinir clasped her hands in front of her chest, striking a pose as if offering a prayer to me. Indeed, her feelings may have transcended mere dependency and turned into genuine faith. Reflecting on it, I realized I had not adequately addressed Freinir’s growing reliance on me. I resolved to live alongside her for as long as she wished.
“Ah, it was definitely the strongest boss we’ve faced so far, but it felt rather one-sided in the end, didn’t it? When the enemy is just one, it hardly feels like a challenge for us,” Larni said casually, while Shizuna shook her head with a frown.
“While I agree with Larni, if that monster had appeared on the surface, it could easily have destroyed an entire city, or even a nation. We must be aware of the abnormal strength we possess,” Shizuna cautioned.
“Well, that’s true. Soushi’s Vessel of the Commander seems to have strengthened as well, so we’ve become quite formidable. Sfenia and Geshura’s magic is impressive too,” Larni replied.
Geshura nodded, swaying slightly as she spoke.
“Vessel of the Commander, huh? Since joining this party, I feel my magical power has increased by about thirty percent. If that’s the kind of enhancement this skill provides, it’s no wonder our party is so powerful.”
“With a thirty percent boost, you might as well be a different person. I guess I’ll have to be careful when fighting away from Soushi. Well, I could just stick close to him,” Larni said, wrapping her arms around mine. It felt like the first time she had done something like this, but I realized that she too had been tense during the battle.
Mariane, who had been watching with narrowed eyes, suddenly looked around as if she had just noticed something.
“By the way, we haven’t seen any treasure chests. That means this must be the lowest level,” she remarked.
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. So, we should be expecting skills to come soon—”
Just as I spoke, I felt the sensation of skill acquisition surge through my body.
I had obtained Divine Mighty Power, a skill that surpassed both Herculean Strength and Adamantine Strength. I could hardly fathom how much my physical strength had increased. A sense of dread washed over me at the thought of a person wielding such power, but I quickly reassured myself that strength is merely a tool.
Freinir had acquired Divine Spirit, a skill that seemed to enhance the effects of Divine and Holy Attribute magic. The moment she gained the skill, a divine aura enveloped her, amplifying her presence as a Saint. It might be an extraordinary skill.
Larni obtained Adamantine Strength, an advanced version of Herculean Strength. She was the third to acquire it after me and Karma, but the significance of her, a speed-type fighter, gaining a power-oriented skill was considerable.
Sfenia acquired Range Expansion. Surprisingly, she had not possessed this skill to widen the attack range of her magic until now. This would undoubtedly enhance her extermination capabilities and make group battles easier.
Mariane’s skill, Throwing Mastery, was also an advanced version of Throwing. Given her high usage of throwing spears in boss battles, an increase in her throwing power was incredibly reassuring. Interestingly, with this new skill, her thrown spears now produced a tremendous sound. They might have even surpassed the speed of sound.
Shizuna learned First Strike, meaning all three of our magic users now possessed it. This skill allows casting spells without Mental Concentration, making it incredibly effective in short skirmishes. However, it takes a long time to cast again, so it may not see much use in prolonged boss fights. Nonetheless, it remained a powerful skill.
Karma learned Heavy Impact. This was a skill I had relied on since the early days, adding “weight” to her attacks. Given her already top-tier attack power within Soul’s Guidance, this would make her even more dependable.
Sakurahime acquired a skill called Dance. It was something I had never heard of before, but it seemed to enhance the effects of her weapon with consecutive attacks. It felt somewhat game-like, but it seemed to suit Sakurahime, who could maintain distance while unleashing rapid strikes with her naginata.
As for Geshura, she, as usual, did not acquire a skill. However, she murmured, “I feel like my magical power has increased a bit,” so there might have been some form of enhancement.
“Hey? Soushi, doesn’t your mace look a bit strange?” Larni pointed out as we were about to check our skills and move to the transfer room.
“Really?” I lifted my mace to inspect it, but I couldn’t find anything particularly odd.
“Soushi-sama, it seems like the mace is somewhat warped overall. You might notice it better from a distance,” Freinir suggested.
“Hmm…”
Following Freinir’s advice, I held the mace a bit farther away to observe it. There was indeed a subtle sense of discomfort. Now that she mentioned it, it did appear to be warped.
Geshura, the crafting specialist, approached and squinted at the mace.
“…It is indeed warped. The overall strength balance seems to be starting to break down. It would be best not to use this mace any longer.”
“I’ve put it through quite a bit of use. I suppose it was only a matter of time,” I admitted.
“That’s a given, really. The number of monsters your mace has destroyed is countless. Many of them were harder than rock,” Shizuna added.
She might be right. In fact, it was clear that not preparing a backup was a significant oversight. I may have underestimated its durability, thinking it would never break.
As I stored the mace in my Item Box, Sakurahime spoke up.
“Actually, there’s a dwarf village in the Zanzagir Territory where my family is from. If you’re looking for a mace worthy of Soushi-dono, I think it would be best to ask the dwarves who can work with orichalcum.”
“I was planning to visit the dwarf village anyway. I have a large supply of orichalcum and mithril, and I was already intending to head to the Zanzagir Territory, so this works out perfectly.”
“Sounds good! I might as well get my sword refurbished there too,” Larni chimed in.
“Then, in that case, I’ll make arrangements with the Zanzagir family to repay the favor of the Elixir. We’ve built a good relationship with the dwarf village,” I decided.
“It’s great to have connections. Please do,” Sakurahime replied.
“By the way, Soushi, you were ‘plundering’ something from that dragon earlier, weren’t you?” Larni pointed out, reminding me of something I had forgotten.
I had immediately stored it in my Item Box after taking it, so it had slipped my mind.
When I retrieved it, it was a single-edged short sword… or rather, a weapon resembling a ninja blade, a straight-edged wakizashi. The craftsmanship was distinctly Japanese.
“…This is a weapon called Dragon Tail Cutter. It has effects of ‘Slash +5’, ‘Blade Extension +5’, and ‘All Attributes +1’, making it a national treasure.”
“Wow, another national treasure weapon after my Beast King’s Fang. As expected of you, Soushi, you’re really racking them up,” Karma said, playfully slapping my back. I wanted to clarify that “racking them up” was a misunderstanding. I wasn’t so naive as to believe that giving a woman a weapon would win her over.
“Anyway, this is for Mariane. Do you think you can use it?”
Mariane took the Dragon Tail Cutter, drew it with a flourish, and swung it a few times before nodding.
“It feels as if I’ve been using it forever. Thank you, I will gladly accept it.”
Mariane gently caressed the Dragon Tail Cutter before replacing her previous weapon with it at her waist. I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at how her ninja vibe had just intensified.
“Well then, shall we return to the surface? Mariane, since this is your first successful exploration, I assume a report is necessary?”
“Yes, it is. And this news will spread quickly. Naturally…”
“Oh, are we going to have a grand celebration or something?” I asked, half-jokingly.
“Of course!” Larni and Karma chimed in, linking arms and grinning.
Mariane nodded and continued, “That will indeed happen. With this, Soul’s Guidance will become a party known to every adventurer. I expect some sort of acknowledgment from His Majesty the King as well, and of course, from the Guild’s Grand Master.”
“…I apologize, I still don’t quite grasp the significance. So, the first successful exploration of an A-Class Dungeon is that level of achievement?”
I realized that I was still struggling to catch up with the local sense of accomplishment. While I could make excuses about the rapid developments, it felt a bit pathetic to use that as a reason.