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017 Total
Annihilation
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Translator : PolterGlast
We dashed through the
second floor and reached the boss room.
There were a few traps
along the way, but Anneliese disarmed all of them with her magic. I never
expected a translucent hand to extend out, activate the trap, and then disarm
it, but it was certainly convenient.
My Hero of the
Two-Handed Sword job also leveled up to 4. I'm leveling up nicely. I hope it continues
this smoothly.
The second-floor
bosses were a Greater Rat Lv6 and a Wood Golem Lv7, two of them.
The Wood Golem was
more humanoid than the Ash Golem. And, of course, stronger than an Ash Golem.
"I'm going
in."
"Yes. Good
luck."
I like these kinds of
exchanges. It's like we're newlyweds.
I readied my Mithril
Two-Handed Sword and charged towards the Greater Rat.
The Greater Rat
retreated behind the Wood Golem.
I didn't expect a
monster to do something like that.
The Wood Golem whipped
its thick branch like a whip, attacking me.
When I blocked it with
my Mithril Two-Handed Sword, the branch bent grotesquely from the impact and
hit my back.
"Ugh, you really
got me."
My HP dropped by 15.
As expected of a boss. But with my current HP, I can withstand 10 hits!
The Greater Rat darted
out from behind the Wood Golem.
"Don't
underestimate me!"
I dodged the pouncing
Greater Rat to the right, and the Wood Golem's branch extended towards me.
To dodge right only to
be attacked from the right—these guys have surprisingly good teamwork.
I jumped far backward
to dodge the branch, and then the Greater Rat attacked again.
"You're
annoying!"
I swung the Mithril
Two-Handed Sword with one hand, using brute force. I didn't need to hit it. I
just needed to feint and buy some time.
"Phew..."
The individual speed
of each monster wasn't much, but their teamwork was troublesome.
"Master, do your
best!"
"Alright. I'll
finish it next."
Anneliese's cheers
somehow made me feel stronger. I'd feel even stronger if she wore a miniskirt.
Since I was feeling
stronger, it occurred to me that I just needed to move faster than their
teamwork. The Hero of the Two-Handed Sword should be able to do that. Come on,
Hero of the Two-Handed Sword!
"Prepare
yourselves. You sewer rat and wooden dummy!"
I kicked the floor and
ran. The Greater Rat tried to hide behind the Wood Golem, but I dashed to its
other side.
The panicked Greater
Rat (I don't know if it was actually panicked) froze. Now's my chance.
"Hup!"
I didn't stop after
cutting the Greater Rat. I ran to the wall, then, without stopping, I put force
into my legs and turned sharply at a right angle. My Labyrinth Cowhide Boots
cried out as if screaming.
I continued running
along the wall, glancing at the monsters. The Greater Rat was gone. From the
sensation just now, I felt like I had defeated it. I'd fought dozens of
monsters by now, so I'd learned to recognize that feeling.
"Only you
left!"
Without stopping, I
swayed left and right, approaching the Wood Golem.
"Haaahhh!"
A branch rushed
towards me. It was a blow meant to pierce my forehead. But if I watched
carefully, I could dodge it. I tilted my head, swayed my face, and avoided the
branch. My cheek stung as if it had been grazed slightly.
"You
scoundrel!"
Ignoring the branch by
my face, I swung my Mithril Two-Handed Sword all the way through.
Crack! The Wood Golem
vanished.
"Kyaaa!
Master!"
Anneliese's
high-pitched cheer. It was, well, a bit embarrassing.
Should I strike a cool
pose and wave? No, I'll stop myself. That kind of thing doesn't suit me.
But if the bosses used
such teamwork, ordinary explorers would be in serious trouble.
The Hero of the
Two-Handed Sword is a very excellent job, but even I was confused by that
teamwork. If someone encountered that kind of teamwork for the first time, it
wouldn't be surprising to see considerable casualties.
Fortunately, there
were no remains in the boss room. I guess that's a good thing.
"The drop items
are a Greater Rat's Tail and a Heal Leaf. Both are normal drops."
"It's not often
you get rare drops."
"That's a
shame."
I don't think so,
actually. Heal Leaf is a normal drop from a Wood Golem, but it's also a rare
drop from an Ash Golem.
Since defeating the
Wood Golem, a boss, drops a fairly expensive Heal Leaf, it's not bad.
I want to earn money,
but there's no end to luxuries, so I'll be content if rare drops appear
sometimes.
"Can I challenge
the boss one more time?"
Breaking their
teamwork isn't just about speed. That's what I think.
"Of course.
Defeat the boss until you are satisfied, Master."
We exited to the 3rd
floor, changed my job to Explorer, and used Dungeon Move to teleport in front
of the 2nd floor boss room.
Oh, there were
explorers in front of the boss room. A party of five Villagers, three with
swords and two with spears, was about to enter the open boss room.
Anneliese and I
weren't seen emerging from the wall with Dungeon Move. Well, it wouldn't matter
if we were seen, but since the Explorer job's Dungeon Move isn't widely known,
it'd be troublesome if it caused a commotion. I also don't want to be mistaken
for a monster, so it was good that we weren't seen.
"Want some
grilled pond squid?"
"Yes."
I took out grilled
pond squid from my Item Box, and we split one between us. I'm not being cheap.
We have a boss battle coming up, so I'm just keeping the portions small. Plus,
Anneliese has reverted to a normal girl's appetite since she became young again.
That's all it is.
We waited for about 30
minutes, I guess. The boss room door opened. I wanted to flirt while we waited,
but I refrained, considering we were inside a dungeon.
Besides, there was a
party of six men waiting behind us. I couldn't very well flirt in front of
them. If I were in their position, seeing a cute girl like Anneliese flirting
would make me want to curse.
When we entered the
boss room, I saw a sword lying in a corner, abandoned by its owner. It was a
relic. Those five people must have been defeated by the boss. It's a sad
reality, but there's nothing I can do. This might be the norm for explorers.
Still, I could feel my spirits sinking.
No good. This is not
good. If I get depressed in a place like this, I'll be easy prey for the bosses.
"Phew..."
Alright. Mental reset
complete. I'll turn that feeling of powerlessness into anger and fighting
strength.
"Master. The boss
has appeared. Your expression seems dark, but are you alright?"
I made Anneliese
worry. I'm a failure as a master.
"It's nothing.
I'm fine."
I readied my Mithril
Two-Handed Sword and slowly closed the distance with the Wood Golem.
The Greater Rat, as
usual, hid behind the Wood Golem.
Seven meters to the
Wood Golem. Six meters. Five meters. They still didn't move.
I advanced further.
Distance: four meters. Still no movement.
"Hmph, so you
still won't move even if I get this close."
Reflecting on the
previous battle, the Wood Golem's attack range was 3 meters. At 4 meters, its
branches couldn't reach. And while its branch attacks were quite fast, the Wood
Golem itself moved very slowly. It preferred to wait for me rather than move a
meter.
My assessment seemed
correct.
"That's your
undoing."
I held my Mithril
Two-Handed Sword high overhead, concentrating on activating the skill.
"Go! Buster
Slash!"
I swung down my
Mithril Two-Handed Sword, sending a translucent blade flying.
---Slash!
It cut through the
Wood Golem and also cut down the Greater Rat hiding behind it.
The range of this
Buster Slash is 5 meters from the sword tip. Not from me, but from the sword
tip. Combining the length of the sword and my arm, it's almost 2 meters. Thanks
to that, I managed to defeat the Greater Rat, which was hiding behind the Wood
Golem, along with it in one blow.
"Once I got the
hang of it, it was nothing. This is also thanks to the Hero of the Two-Handed
Sword."
"Kyaaa! Master!
You're amazing!"
Anneliese, who had
thrown herself onto my back, had a very lively voice. I felt a very soft
sensation against my back, and I raised my right arm, holding the Mithril
Two-Handed Sword, high.
"Anneliese. I
won."
"Yes. A crushing
victory."
It was a victory for
the Hero of the Two-Handed Sword and my observational skills. A crushing victory!
*
Today's haul was as
follows:
·
Mouse Meat: 24 pieces × 50 Grill = 1,200 Grill
·
Sharp Front Tooth: 3 pieces × 1,000 Grill = 3,000
Grill
·
Ash Branch: 22 pieces × 100 Grill = 2,200 Grill
·
Heal Leaf: 4 pieces × 1,200 Grill = 4,800 Grill
·
Greater Rat's Tail: 2 pieces × 1,500 Grill = 3,000
Grill
※Total: 14,200 Grill (equivalent to about 142,000 yen)
※Note: Heal Leaf is a rare drop from Ash Golems and a
normal drop from Wood Golems (BOSS).
Again, I didn't take
any of the items left in the boss room.
The party that was
waiting behind us would probably take them. Those six people probably think we
died.
Also, it's not a
mistake that the value of the 2nd-floor boss (Wood Golem)'s normal drop items
is lower than the 1st-floor boss (Greater Rat)'s normal drop items.
This is because there
is more demand for Greater Rat tails. HP potions are often used by soldiers and
explorers, but generally not by ordinary people. However, medicine for food
poisoning is used by everyone. I guess there are no laws to prevent or regulate
food poisoning.
Seeing the results of
my highest earnings yet, a smile naturally spread across my face.
"Anneliese. Shall
we have dinner at a fancy restaurant today before going back?"
"That's a very
tempting offer, but we can't enter a fancy restaurant dressed like this."
Apparently, you can't
enter fancy establishments with combat gear. At most, you can enter a slightly
better-than-average place.
"In that case,
tomorrow's a holiday. Let's go shopping."
"Are you sure,
Master, even though you just reached Level 5?"
"It's fine. My
level won't drop just because I take one day off tomorrow."
"Understood.
Thank you for the holiday."
It's nothing to thank
me for.
Besides, I've been in
the dungeon continuously, so I think it's good to take a break.
From now on, I'll
explore the dungeon with a 3-day work, 1-day rest schedule.
I won't make it a
black company environment with no holidays. If even 3 days of work and 1 day of
rest feels like excessive labor, I'll change it to 3 days of work and 2 days of
rest. I aim to be a "white" dungeon explorer.
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