Chapter 9: Reunion and the Footsteps of the Demon – 04
The next morning, we set off for the Dungeon at the crack of dawn.
Since it was a ten-floor Dungeon, we planned to spend the night inside. However, having Sfenia, who was experienced in Dungeon stays, made me feel more at ease.
By the way, while Sfenia had completely explored the Dungeons in Euron, this was her first time in the Dungeon here in Tolson.
After about an hour, we arrived at the D-Rank Dungeon, which resembled a small pyramid with a flat top, its stone entrance giving off an ancient tomb vibe.
The corridor on the first floor was quite wide. The reason for this became clear when we encountered the number of monsters that appeared.
Seventeen “Guard Mummies,” or mummified figures wrapped in bandages, emerged at once. Even with Larni’s “God of Plague,” this was an unprecedented number. It seemed that the Dungeon was going to test us with sheer numbers right from the start.
“There are so many! I’ve never seen this many before.”
As she said this, Sfenia readied her staff. Freinir had already begun preparing her “Double Holy Light.”
“Our party tends to attract a lot of monsters, so be prepared for that!”
Larni declared, igniting her sword with flames.
“I’ll cast ‘Holy Light.'”
Two beams of light sliced through five of the “Guard Mummies,” obliterating them.
“Two beams of ‘Holy Light’—that’s the ‘Dual Magic’ skill, isn’t it? Impressive!”
Sfenia looked a bit envious. A fireball erupted from the tip of her staff, vanquishing another four mummies.
“Going ahead!”
Larni dashed past, swiftly decapitating two “Guard Mummies” with her “Swift Run.” She then circled around and continued to slash them down, leaving only one for me to deal with.
“You really are accustomed to facing multiple foes. I see now that this is one of the secrets to your party’s strength. I’m very much looking forward to what lies ahead.”
“Hehe, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Let’s grow stronger together!”
Larni and Sfenia laughed joyfully, and Freinir joined in, making it feel almost like a picnic. As the old man leader, I had to tighten my helmet strap.
We continued on to the second floor, relentlessly massacring the “Guard Mummies.” Normally, they would attack with poisonous bandages, but thanks to Freinir and Sfenia’s preemptive magical strikes and Larni’s ultra-fast attacks, they barely managed to retaliate.
Collecting Magic Stones and fabric-like materials, we descended to the third floor.
On the third floor, we encountered “Mummy Hounds,” large mummified dogs. Though they were dogs, they could spit fireballs from a distance and had a nasty bite attack that inflicted poison when they got close.
Up to ten of them could appear at once, and if they all unleashed their fireballs simultaneously, it could be quite troublesome… or so I thought. However, once I discovered that my “Shockwave” could obliterate the fireballs, they quickly became nothing more than weaklings. The existence of rare skills was truly unfair.
The materials they dropped were red crystals, which could be used to craft fire-related magical tools.
From the fifth floor onward, “Mummy Shamans,” magic-using mummies, made their appearance. They appeared alongside “Guard Mummies,” creating a troublesome combination of up to ten frontline fighters and seven in the rear. However, the magical stone projectiles they launched were easily dealt with by my “Shockwave,” so it wasn’t particularly problematic. It goes without saying that Freinir and Sfenia dominated in magical exchanges as well.
The materials dropped were yellow crystals, also useful for crafting magical tools.
After taking a break, we reached the boss door in about five hours.
“I felt it when we entered the Dungeon together in the Elf Village, but your speed of progress is extraordinary. Even though a ten-floor Dungeon is significantly more dangerous than a standard D-Rank, I’m amazed at how smoothly we’ve advanced.”
Sfenia’s expression seemed to convey astonishment bordering on disbelief. For me, this was my first ten-floor Dungeon, so I couldn’t grasp what made it special, but I should listen to the advice of those more experienced with an open mind.
“If the boss is correspondingly strong, we need to be on our guard. Freinir, please use ‘Divine Light’ to ‘Charge.'”
“Yes, Soushi-sama.”
“Freinir can use ‘Charge’ as well. I envy you for having so many useful skills as a mage.”
When Sfenia said this, Larni smiled brightly.
“Don’t worry, Sfenia. Now that you’re part of our party, you’ll surely acquire the skills you desire.”
“Is that so? Well, if Larni says so, there must be a reason for it. I look forward to it.”
“I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. But first, let’s check the treasure chests. Soushi, you can handle that, right?”
“Well, it’s not like I’m the one choosing what comes out.”
As we exchanged these words and prepared for the boss battle, we opened the door.
The boss room was a spacious area, about the size of a gymnasium, larger than any space we had encountered so far.
After a moment of waiting, a black mist began to materialize.
“Come forth, two of you!”
Larni shouted something outrageous, while Freinir beside her quietly said, “Come.”
Are my girls turning into berserkers or something?
“I’ve heard that it’s extremely rare for two bosses to appear at once, but…”
Sfenia tilted her head in confusion. Just as I was pondering this, it seemed the amount of mist was increasing. No way, could it be responding to Larni and the others?
“Yes! Soushi, two have come!”
As Larni exclaimed, two “Gravekeeper Dragons” appeared. Despite being called “Dragons,” they looked more like enormous ten-meter-long tsuchinoko. However, the thick spikes protruding from their bodies gave them a menacing appearance.
“I’ll cast ‘Divine Light.'”
“I’ll continue with magic, ‘Flame Bolt.'”
As Freinir’s “Divine Halo” weakened one of the dragons, Sfenia’s ten fiery spears pierced through it. Dealing significant damage right from the start was a huge advantage.
“Spikes incoming! Freinir, set up a ‘Double Barrier’ on the outside to create a wall!”
“Yes, Soushi-sama.”
It seemed the “Gravekeeper Dragons” could launch their spikes at will. In this open space without cover, ranged attacks could be troublesome. The best strategy was to either dodge or defend, but creating a barrier would be the most effective.
“I’ll set up the barrier.”
While I held my shield to deflect several spikes, Freinir single-handedly erected the barrier around us. If she had enclosed us completely, we wouldn’t have been able to act, but this way, it was as if a transparent wall had been created.
“Larni, look for an opening and take down the injured one. I’ll handle the unscathed one. Freinir and Sfenia, I’ll need your support.”
“Okay, leave it to me!”
“Yes, Soushi-sama.”
“Count on me.”
With Freinir and Sfenia’s safety secured, all that was left was to crush them in close combat.
Larni utilized her “Swift Run,” “Acrobatics,” and “Space Kick” skills to dodge the incoming spikes while closing in, slashing the large head of one dragon before retreating. Since this individual was already injured, the outcome was clear.
Meanwhile, I deflected the spikes with my shield as I walked toward the other dragon. Perhaps frustrated that its spikes were ineffective against me, the “Gravekeeper Dragon” attempted to ram into me with its massive body.
Of course, that was exactly what I wanted. I shattered the spikes with my “Shockwave,” neutralizing the force of the charge, and then brought my mace down from above onto its thick body.
The impact was so powerful that its body nearly tore apart, and with a final explosive shockwave coursing through it, the massive tsuchinoko fell lifeless.
The other dragon, weakened by Freinir’s “Double Holy Light” and Sfenia’s arrows, was swiftly dispatched by Larni’s aerial dive, finishing it off with a precise strike. Now that was a more conventional way to fight.
“That felt pretty good! Thanks to Frei and Sfenia, it was a lot easier!”
Larni returned, panting with excitement. It seemed she was getting the hang of a more dynamic fighting style using her skills.
“You were amazing, Larni! I could barely keep up with your movements!”
“You’re right, Frei. Not only are you fast, but your attacks are precise and impressive.”
Freinir and Sfenia praised her, causing Larni to wag her tail happily.
“I feel like I’ve gotten stronger, though not quite as strong as Soushi. But I still need to master my skills, so I have to work harder!”
“I’ll do my best too! I need to increase the power of my magic.”
“Yes, I feel like I can’t afford to give up here either.”
As the three of them encouraged each other, the corpse of the massive tsuchinoko was absorbed into the Dungeon, revealing a large Magic Stone and a treasure chest that looked like it had come straight out of a painting. Of course, there were two of each.
“I’ve never seen two treasure chests appear like this before. It’s quite surprising.”
Sfenia looked a bit astonished, while Larni approached the chests and turned to me.
“Hey, Soushi, can I open one?”
“Sure, go ahead. The other one—”
“Please let Soushi-sama open it. You defeated them, after all.”
Freinir interjected, and Sfenia nodded in agreement, so I walked over to the treasure chest.
“Oh! What is this? A bracelet, maybe?”
Larni stood up holding a wide bracelet after opening her chest. If it was an equipment item, it seemed like a good start.
I opened my chest as well. As the lid popped open, the chest vanished, leaving behind a short bow adorned with white feathers.
“This one’s a short bow. Sfenia, do you think you can use it?”
After handing it to her, Sfenia examined it closely before drawing it back and even trying a test shot.
The arrow released sparkled with particles of light, suggesting it had some sort of special effect.
“This is called the ‘White Heron Bow.’ It’s quite rare for a D-Class weapon. I believe it has the effect of momentarily stopping a monster’s movements. May I use it?”
“Of course. It’s only natural for the one who can use it most effectively in our party to wield it.”
“Thank you! I will use it well.”
It seemed more like a supportive weapon. However, the ability to halt movement, even for a moment, could be incredibly powerful depending on how it was used.
“Hey, what about this bracelet? Sfenia, do you know what it is?”
Larni brought the bracelet over, but Sfenia shook her head.
“For accessories like that, you either need to have them appraised at the guild or wear them to find out their effects.”
“Really? Then can I try wearing it?”
“Sure.”
As I said this, Larni slipped the bracelet onto her left wrist.
After running, jumping, and swinging her sword for a while to test its effects, she returned with a surprised expression.
“I think my sword swings feel a bit faster. It feels like I accelerate partway through!”
“That must be ‘Sword Acceleration.’ I think it would be best for Larni, who uses a sword, to wear it.”
Everyone agreed with Sfenia’s suggestion, and the bracelet was designated for Larni.
“Hehe, this shows that Soushi is really thinking about me and Sfenia.”
Larni said with a delighted expression, and Sfenia chimed in with a smile, “That’s right.” Meanwhile, Freinir tightly gripped her “Staff of the Dead,” looking at me as if she wanted to say something. I hoped she wasn’t feeling left out because of what just happened… When I patted her head, she relaxed, so it seemed she was alright.
Afterward, we moved past the boss room into a spacious area. It was a so-called safety zone, where adventurers would typically spend the night.
Since other adventurers were expected to arrive later, we found a spot at the edge and decided to rest for the night. As we reaffirmed the usefulness of the “Item Box” and “Barrier,” we settled in early to prepare for the next day.