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139 First
Exploration of the Suzuka Dungeon
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Translator : PolterGlast
I formed a small squad
of six people: myself, Anneliese, Lin, Daigo, and first-generation members Abat
and Nathan.
Abat's job evolved
from Knight to Heavy Knight, and he's now at Level 48. Nathan's job also
evolved from Swordsman to Sword King, and he's at Level 47. Daigo's Jonin job
has also leveled up to 48.
"Listen, your
lives are the top priority. Don't overdo it. If you feel like you're in danger,
retreat immediately."
The lack of
information was the same as on the 10th floor of the Royal Capital Dungeon, but
the difficulty of a dungeon varies. Since we don't know the difficulty of this
dungeon, we must not overdo it.
Because the dungeon is
releasing monsters outside, three small squads are constantly guarding the
entrance area inside the dungeon. The monster releases have stopped since the
Rock Dragon, but we can't be too complacent.
We passed through the
black vortex and entered the dungeon.
"This is a long
way down."
The lush green Suzuka
Mountains abandoned mine suddenly turned into a barren rock mountain. It's a
fairly wide area, but below and above us are rugged, exposed rock cliffs. It
looks like it would be tough to climb or descend. I heard about this in the
report, but it really is a rock mountain.
There's a path about 3
meters wide on the left. There's no other path. Our options are to take that
path, descend the cliff, or climb the cliff. We're not prepared for climbing.
We have ropes, but they're not long enough to descend a cliff several hundred
meters high.
"Daigo, can you
climb or descend this cliff?"
"It's not
impossible, but it would be dangerous if we were attacked by monsters."
Daigo looked at a
lizard monster clinging to the cliff. It's a camouflaged brown color, so I overlooked
it.
"Rock Eater.
Level 10, huh?"
"A dungeon that
places Level 10 monsters near the entrance is quite malicious."
In Kerniff, the royal
capital, and Zawalifi, the monsters near the dungeon entrance are only Level 1
or 2. At Level 10, a beginner would die immediately. It's a rookie killer.
"Yeah, it's
malicious. It can even spit a petrification breath."
Everyone looked
exasperated. The Rock Dragon also had a petrification breath, but we defeated
it before it could use it. I feel bad for it, as it didn't get to do anything,
but our lives are on the line.
A normal dungeon has a
safe zone near the entrance. This dungeon seems to be the same, as the Rock
Eaters aren't attacking us. But that Rock Dragon came out through this safe
zone, didn't it? Can monsters enter the safe zone? How does that work?
I used Detailed
Appraisal on the Rock Eaters I could see, and their levels ranged from 10 to
15.
"This isn't a
dungeon that villagers can enter."
"I agree. At this
rate, there must be even stronger monsters ahead."
Based on common sense,
Anneliese is correct, and there are likely stronger monsters ahead. Even the
Level 10 Rock Eaters would be too much for a beginner, so stronger monsters
would make it even more dangerous.
We proceeded down the
narrow path. It's only 3 meters wide, so I'd rather not fight. Fighting while
worrying about the width of the path is tough.
About 50 meters away
from the entrance, a Rock Eater attacked us. It peeked its head out from the
bottom of the cliff and suddenly spat out a petrification breath. Abat, the
Heavy Knight, was in danger of being hit, but I used my Item Box to retrieve it.
"I
apologize."
"Petrification
breath is a hassle. It's better not to get hit by it."
"Sir! I'll be
more careful from now on!"
Even if he gets
petrified, I can undo it, but it's definitely better not to get hit. Our lives
are precious.
I threw a stone I
picked up at the Rock Eater that had climbed onto the path from the cliff. The
stone went through its head and flew down the cliff, but the Rock Eater
crumbled like sand and vanished.
"Your Excellency.
The Rock Eater's drop item is falling."
A small, green,
gem-like stone fell down the cliff. I thought it was an emerald, but I was
surprised when I used Detailed Appraisal on it.
"That's a magic
stone with a sealed spell."
Everyone's eyes were
fixed on the magic stone that had fallen down the cliff. We can't see it
anymore.
"I've never heard
of such an item."
Everyone nodded at
Anneliese's words.
"Daigo, the
information expert, you don't know either?"
"I've never heard
of it."
According to Detailed
Appraisal, by breaking the magic stone, you can use the Wind spell for one
hour. Of course, it consumes magic power, so those with low magic power will
not be able to use it for long. It can also be processed into jewelry for a
staff or something to increase the power of spells of the same attribute. In
other words, it's a magic item.
My honest feeling is
that we've found something that's difficult to handle. But there seems to be a
demand for it, so it might be profitable.
***
A Rock Eater appeared
every 10 meters we advanced. This is harassment.
"The Rock Eaters
themselves aren't that strong, but it's annoying how often they appear."
"Yeah. At this
rate, someone's going to get hit by a petrification breath."
The other squad
walking behind us is also fighting frequently. They're being attacked one after
another, even though they're not even 50 meters away. That means there are a
lot of Rock Eaters in this area.
I think the monster
density is high because the dungeon is releasing monsters outside, but it's
also possible that this kind of harassing placement is the norm. It's a real
pain.
"Your Excellency,
look!"
Just as I was thinking
about the dungeon, a particularly large Rock Eater appeared. It ran up the
vertical cliff and came straight for us.
"Great Rock
Eater. Level 18."
We're still only a few
hundred meters from the entrance. This is definitely harassment.
The Great Rock Eater
is a higher-tier version of the Rock Eater, with a body length of 4 meters,
which is twice the size. It also has six legs instead of four, so there's no
mistaking it for a regular Rock Eater.
"Disappear!"
The thin stream of
water that Anneliese unleashed pierced the Great Rock Eater. The Great Rock
Eater vanished, leaving behind a magic stone slightly larger than the ones from
the regular Rock Eaters.
The level of the spell
contained in a magic stone varies with its size and purity (transparency). The
bigger the stone, the more powerful the spell it contains.
And the color
represents its attribute. The magic stones that have dropped from the Rock
Eaters so far have been of the four basic attributes: fire (red), water (blue),
wind (green), and earth (yellow). All of them are smaller than the magic stone
that dropped from the Great Rock Eater. It seems that the higher-tier monsters
drop better items.
▽▽▽ Side: ??? ▽▽▽
That fool Parton has
retired. His heir Vladimir has also been disinherited, and a puppet of the
Royal Family has taken over as the lord. I don't care what happens to that
fool, but I'm not pleased that the Royal Family's power is increasing.
Was his name
Footscythel? How dare that upstart do such a thing? He's a puppet of Gardland,
who is a viscount who has gained favor with the Royal Family. Gardland is
constantly getting in my way. I want to settle things with him someday, but his
territory is too far away. I've been trying to find an opening, but he's not
showing me any.
It's difficult to
crush Gardland, but I won't ignore Footscythel. First, I'll choke Footscythel's
economy. I'm not that fool Parton. I will surely crush that arrogant upstart.
The wheat produced in
the territory Footscythel acquired is consumed by the other territories in the
area. First, I'll stop that. Without a place to sell his wheat, Footscythel
will be in a bind. After that, there's the salt. The salt production there
isn't a lot compared to the rest of the kingdom. Most of it is consumed in the
west. If I replace that with another salt, his finances will fall apart.
In a few years, no, by
next year, he will come crying to me. Then I'll take away his rights to the
wheat and salt. Hmph. I won't let him do as he pleases with the birthplace of
my Valetta clan.
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