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036 Proceeding
Through the 6th Floor
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Translator : PolterGlast
On the 17th day since
my reincarnation, I spent the morning visiting suspicious stalls to purchase
Mage equipment. I had hoped to find accessories that boosted INT or MIN, but
unfortunately, there was nothing good today, including other effects. What a
shame.
Here's the equipment I
bought for myself as an Enchanter:
·
Mage's Staff: MATK+6 INT+2 Durability 12/12
·
Mage's Robe: MDEF+2 MIN+2 Durability 10/10
·
Mage's Hat: MDEF+3 INT+1 MIN+1 Durability 10/10
·
Labyrinth Cowhide Gloves: DEF+4 VIT+1 DEX+1 Durability
14/14
·
Labyrinth Cowhide Boots: DEF+4 VIT+2 Durability 15/15
·
Lucky Necklace: Avoids instant death 3 times (3/3)
·
Lucky Tail: Rare drop rate increased by 5 percent.
Effects do not stack.
Except for the
accessories, these were the same items Anneliese had, but with slightly
different effects. I decided to change into them later at noon, inside the
dungeon, though it was a bit early.
When I'm out in town,
my job is Traveler. Compared to Anneliese's and Rosalina's jobs, a Level 1
Traveler might seem inferior. Still, since Traveler is the only job I'm known
to have, I'll stick with it. I figured Anneliese and Rosalina would protect me
if anything happened, so it should be fine.
We went to a rather
fancy-looking place, but it turned out to be a diner. The owner said they only
offered five set meals for lunch, so Anneliese ordered the meat set, Rosalina
the fish set, and I got the half-meat, half-fish set.
I was starting to miss
rice. I also wanted to taste miso soup again after so long. There's Burgan,
which is similar to soy sauce, so I figure there should be miso too. I've made
miso myself before, but it requires koji mold, which I can't manage on my own.
I'll ask at Golteo-san's shop next time if they have miso.
*
As soon as we entered
the dungeon, we used Dungeon Move to teleport to the 6th floor. We resumed our
exploration from where we left off yesterday. I'll say it again: Dungeon Move
is incredibly convenient.
After walking a bit, a
Gargoyle appeared. I wondered if only Gargoyles appeared on the 6th floor.
"Enchant:
Fire," I chanted. A small flame, like a candle, flew towards Rosalina and
wrapped around her fist. Hmm, I wonder if it can attach to her feet too? I'll try
that next.
While I was thinking
about this, the Gargoyle was instantly killed.
"Good job!"
I said.
"I'm not tired at
all!" Rosalina replied cheerfully.
"Master's
Enchant: Fire is too strong; Rosalina's attacks finish it in three hits,"
Anneliese added. Rosalina seemed to have unspent energy, and Anneliese
confirmed Enchant: Fire's power.
"That's because
Gargoyles have high VIT but very low MIN," I explained. A Level 18
Gargoyle has ATK=108, DEF=180, MATK=48, and MDEF=42. As you can see, its
physical defense (DEF) is abnormally high, but its magic defense (MDEF) is low.
The attack power of
Enchant: Fire depends on my Enchanter's MATK. Even though I'm only Level 8, my
MATK is 111 with equipment. If that didn't deal significant damage to a
Gargoyle with low MDEF, then the stats would be meaningless.
"I've got
something I want to try. Care to join me?" I asked.
"What will you
try?" Anneliese asked, curious. Rosalina, who doesn't understand complex
things, didn't ask. It was fun to see this difference between the two.
"Among the
Enchanter's spells are Enchant: Hard and Enchant: Accelerate. I want to test
these two out." It's risky to use them in actual combat. And since we just
defeated a monster, we shouldn't be attacked by another one.
"I'm going to cast
Enchant: Hard on Rosalina, is that okay?" I asked.
"Yes, I am!"
Rosalina replied.
"Alright,
Enchant: Hard!" I cast Enchant: Hard, but Rosalina didn't seem to change.
"That's strange?
I thought it activated. Rosalina, is anything different?" I asked.
"..."
Rosalina didn't respond. She didn't ignore me, did she?
"Master. Please
try touching Rosalina's body," Anneliese suggested, placing her hand on
Rosalina's arm. When I touched Rosalina's arm, it was incredibly hard.
"No way..."
I muttered.
"Yes, way," Anneliese
confirmed. Just then, Rosalina started to move.
"I was surprised!
My body wouldn't move at all!" Rosalina exclaimed.
"It was as we
thought!" Anneliese and I said in unison.
When I asked Rosalina,
she said she could breathe and move her eyes, and her mouth and body wouldn't
move at all.
Enchant: Hard
nullifies all damage, but it's useless for escaping. This spell is difficult to
use effectively.
"Alright, next is
Enchant: Accelerate. Rosalina, are you okay with it?" I asked.
"No
problem!" Rosalina replied.
"Enchant:
Accelerate!" I cast Enchant: Accelerate.
"Try
running," I told her.
"Yes!"
Rosalina replied, and she shot off with a whoosh!
"Whoa!" I
exclaimed.
"She was too
fast, I couldn't see her," Anneliese commented.
"Neither could
I," I agreed. Rosalina's figure seemed to vanish. I probably would have
seen her if I were an Assassin, but as an Enchanter Lv8 (now Lv9, I realized),
my Mage-type eyes couldn't keep up with her speed.
"My body feels
incredibly light!" Rosalina said, looking delighted as she returned. For
the time being, it seems we can brute-force our way through with Enchant:
Accelerate and Enchant: Fire.
With that brute force,
Gargoyles were instantly killed. Mapping as an Explorer meant we wouldn't get
lost, and Anneliese's Magic Sense ensured we wouldn't fall into traps. We're a
good party, aren't we?
*
We arrived in front of
the 6th-floor boss room. No one was waiting in line. On floors up to the 5th,
we had bypassed other explorers when we sensed their presence, but on this 6th
floor, there wasn't much sign of other explorers. This 6th floor is tough without
magic, so they're probably just staying on the 5th floor, leveling up their
Swordsman and Lancer jobs. If they're lucky, they might even change to
higher-tier jobs or find a grimoire.
"Given the
previous patterns, the boss should be a higher-tier species. I plan to remain
as an Enchanter, but what do you two think?" I asked Anneliese and
Rosalina.
"If it's a
higher-tier Gargoyle, it should be strong against physical attacks. I think
Enchanter is a good choice," Anneliese replied.
"I don't really
understand," Rosalina said, as I expected.
"Alright then,
I'll stay as an Enchanter," I decided, opening the arabesque-patterned
door. Now, will a demon or a snake appear? Oh, right, Goblins were minor
demon-kin. So Rosalina, as a Goblin Fighter, is a demon. Looks like the demon's
already here.
As the boss room door
closed, the floor shortly glowed.
"Here it
comes," I warned.
"Yes,"
Anneliese replied.
"Yes!"
Rosalina affirmed.
What emerged from the
light was a Sword Gargoyle. Unlike previous Gargoyles, which were just
demon-shaped and weaponless, this one held a sword. Whether it held a sword or
a spear, its abilities were simply a higher-tier version of a Gargoyle. Its
MDEF value remained notably low compared to its other stats.
"Enchant: Ice.
Go, Rosalina!" I commanded. Ice crystals, like snowflakes, wrapped around
Rosalina's fist. Enchant: Ice was an enchantment spell I learned when my
Enchanter job reached Level 10. Based on previous trends, it should deal more
damage to the Gargoyle than Enchant: Fire.
"Yes!"
Rosalina sprang forward, instantly closing in on the Sword Gargoyle and
punching it. She probably landed several hits, but I couldn't see clearly.
"Hm, this
is..." I muttered, reading the Detailed Appraisal results and
understanding the Sword Gargoyle's characteristics.
"When its HP
drops below 30%, it fully recovers its HP!" I warned.
"That's
troublesome. Should I attack too?" Anneliese asked.
"No, I want to
handle this 6th floor with just Rosalina and me. Anneliese, just like before,
intervene if things get dangerous," I instructed.
"Understood,"
she replied. We would do what we could with just the two of us. I had decided
that Anneliese would only get actively involved from the 7th floor onwards. For
this 6th floor, I would leave all the attacks to Rosalina. Since I had decided
to challenge it this way, I would leave everything to Rosalina. That's all
there was to it.
"Enchant:
Fire," I chanted, and flames wrapped around Rosalina's feet.
Rosalina's punches and
kicks steadily chipped away at the Sword Gargoyle's HP. As expected of a boss,
its HP was high, so the number of attacks needed increased.
"Take this!"
"Hup!" "Hmph!"
Rosalina punched the
Sword Gargoyle while dodging its sword. It was an intense offense and defense
that required mental fortitude and concentration.
I left all the attacks
to Rosalina. Before this, I had tried to switch to Hero of the Two-Handed Sword
after casting Enchant: Fire to join the battle, but the enchantment wore off. I
realized then that changing jobs during an enchantment resets the magic.
*
"Here it comes.
Full HP recovery at 30% HP!" I shouted. The Sword Gargoyle's body glowed
for a moment, and its HP fully recovered. It was already tough, but this was
unfair. But unless we overcome this, we couldn't proceed.
"Rosalina, don't
lose focus!" I yelled.
"Yes!"
Rosalina yelled back.
It took 2 minutes and
30 seconds to deplete 70% of its HP. The effects of Enchant: Ice and Enchant:
Fire both lasted 5 minutes.
With 2 minutes and 30
seconds remaining, Rosalina could only deplete 70% of the Sword Gargoyle's HP.
That was 30% short.
However, I had a plan.
I would instruct Rosalina at the perfect moment. If I couldn't do that, then
Rosalina and I couldn't win.
"Rosalina.
Activate Iron Fist and Kick Attack!" I commanded.
"Yes!"
Rosalina replied. Iron Fist adds +30 ATK when punching, and Kick Attack adds
+40 ATK when kicking. They wouldn't be a huge bonus for physical attacks, but
it was better than nothing.
2 minutes remaining. A
little over 80% HP remaining.
1 minute 30 seconds
remaining. Less than 70% HP remaining. The HP was depleting faster due to the
effects of Iron Fist and Kick Attack.
1 minute remaining. HP
was around 50%.
30 seconds remaining.
Just over 30% HP remaining. This is it!
"Rosalina.
Fighting Spirit! Quadruple your ATK value!" I yelled.
"Yes!"
Rosalina replied.
Poof! Rosalina's
presence swelled. It only lasted for 30 seconds, but it was a unique skill that
quadrupled Rosalina's ATK value.
But it didn't end
there!
"Enchant:
Accelerate!" I chanted, tripling Rosalina's AGI value. It doesn't
literally triple her speed, but you could say it's about that much faster. With
this, she could triple her number of attacks and kicks, and she should be able
to deplete the Sword Gargoyle's HP.
I could only see
Rosalina's afterimages. Still, I could see sparks and ice crystals flying.
"Rosalina,
GOOOOOOOO!" I roared.
"HAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Rosalina screamed back.
CRACK!
The Sword Gargoyle
vanished.
Rosalina had finished
it off.
Immediately after,
Enchant: Ice, Enchant: Fire, Enchant: Accelerate, and Fighting Spirit all wore
off. It was a close battle, but Rosalina defeated the Sword Gargoyle without
taking a single hit.
"Congratulations,
Master, Rosalina-san," Anneliese said.
"Thank you,"
I replied.
"I'm a little
tired, but it was fun!" Rosalina added.
I received the
Gargoyle Sword, a drop item, from Anneliese. It was a stone one-handed sword,
but it was superior to a steel one-handed sword.
I checked my status
and saw that my level had risen to 18, and Rosalina's had risen to 20.
"I'll catch up to
Anneliese soon!" I said, smiling.
"I'll be
waiting," Anneliese replied, smiling back. Seeing her smile always made my
fatigue disappear and re-energized me.
"Rosalina, you
did great too," I said, roughly ruffling her sweat-soaked hair.
"Awawawa~"
Her reaction was so cute that I couldn't help but do it.
*
Current Status
<Toi>
【Job】 Enchanter Lv18
【Magic】 Magic Power Enhancement (Medium), Enchant: Hard (Medium), Enchant:
Accelerate (Medium), Enchant: Fire (Medium), Enchant: Ice (Low)
【Unique Skills】 Detailed Appraisal (Medium), Item Box (Medium)
<Rosalina>
【Job】 Battle Master Lv20
【Skills】 Fierce Strike (Medium), Iron Fist (Medium), Kick Attack (Medium),
Defense Break (Medium), HP Recovery (Low), Ki Technique (Minor)
【Unique Skill】 Fighting Spirit (Low)
Ki Technique (Minor):
Envelops fists with Ki for 5 minutes, dealing null-attribute damage. MATK value
+30 points. Consumes 7 MP. (Active Skill)
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