Chapter 214
――――――――――
You won the battle.
Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your 【Staff】 level has increased.
Your 【Intelligence Enhancement】 level has increased.
Your 【Spirit Enhancement】 level has increased.
Your 【HP Recovery Speed Up】 level has increased.
Your 【MP Recovery Speed Up】 level has increased.
Your 【Fine MP Control】 level has increased.
Your 【Enchantment Arts】 level has increased.
You learned the Enchant Resistance spell.
Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.
Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.
――――――――――
The opponent was strong and considerably above our level, so it seems my level increased. Apparently, I also gained a decent amount of Skill experience. It was a shame, though, that 【Storm Magic】—which had performed so spectacularly—didn't change. I want to believe that if I fight the Mist Ball again, I'll surely level up.
"Materials~ Materials~♪"
Shiitake headed off to gather the drops while singing a strange song. Iris followed her with a wry smile. I also get excited when checking the materials from a monster I've defeated for the first time. Hopefully they would be useful materials, but who could say?
"Guh... It's damn unfair that punching them was pointless..."
"Krrr..."
Unlike the two women brimming with anticipation for new items, Jigorou and Karu were extremely dejected. They had unquestionably been superior to the fakes when it came to combat technique, yet they seemed to feel defeated by the fact that they had been held at bay until we defeated them.
Even after dealing damage, it was pointless; they couldn't be defeated, and they had no physical substance. Besides, since they were fakes, defeating them in the first place was meaningless. They had been the natural enemies of front-line classes. Even if they understood the logic behind it, frustration was still frustration.
"Next time we fight them, let's make sure to finish them off before they can create fakes. Well, it's getting late, so let's end our exploration and log out."
"Okaaay."
"Got it..."
We returned to Shiratsuki, divided between those who were pleased and those who were dejected.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
The next day, when I logged in and went to the lounge in Shiratsuki, Iris, Shiitake, Genjurou, Toji, Eiji, and Sei were gathered there. It was surely no coincidence that at least one person from each of the four parties we'd split into for yesterday's exploration was present. The fact that two production-class players were there also suggested that this had something to do with the materials we'd obtained.
"Oh, Izam-san! You came at just the right time."
"Are you all showing off yesterday's materials?"
"We are. Why don't you try using 【Appraisal】 too?"
"I think I will."
Following Toji's prompting, I used 【Appraisal】 on the items laid out on the table. The results were as follows.
――――――――――
Mist Ball's Elastic Soft Membrane Quality: Fair Rarity: S (Special Grade)
The outer skin of the Mist Ball, a monster that manipulates mist. It is rubbery and stretches well.
The inside of a Mist Ball contains nothing but compressed mist; this membrane is its entire body.
It has high resistance to the Water, Fire, and Smoke Mist attributes.
An optimal catalyst for 【Smoke Mist Magic】.
Tears of a Mad Banshee Quality: Good Rarity: S (Special Grade)
The final tears shed by a soul that became an evil spirit after a tragic end.
The cries of the pitiful lead the living to death.
Used as a material for items with an instant-death effect.
Muddied Mass of an Ashen Dirty Slime Quality: Fair Rarity: S (Special Grade)
A slime cloaked in death-miasma ash. A mixture of its mucus and ash.
This slime adapted to its environment, feeding on death-miasma ash, multiplying, and controlling the ash to fight.
It bears a powerful Earth attribute and can be used for various purposes.
Winged Ears of an Artificial Human Quality: Poor Rarity: T (Treasured Grade)
The ears of a mutant artificial human created through alchemy.
They had grown to an abnormal size, and the original creature could fly by flapping them.
Its uses are limited, but it is certainly a rare item.
――――――――――
"There are more varieties than I expected..."
After finishing my Appraisal of the items lined up before us, I gave my honest impression. Besides the Mist Ball we had fought, there seemed to be many other monsters in the mist and ash.
Genjurou's party had fought a Mad Banshee, an undead-type monster. Apparently, it had been a formidable opponent that could control other monsters with its screams and inflict various status ailments, including paralysis, sleep, fear, inversion, and slowing. Genjurou himself said that they might have been wiped out even with him there if Wool, who could also manipulate cries, hadn't been present.
Toji and Eiji's party had fought a group of Ashen Dirty Slimes, a Slime-type monster like Ruby. However, they apparently looked completely different from Ruby, the moving jewel, with a muddy, filthy color. Even as an item, it looked like a lump of sludge and was extremely dirty.
Ashen Dirty Slimes were always lurking within the ash, manipulating the surrounding ash as though it were part of their bodies and launching surprise attacks from beneath people's feet. They didn't seem particularly strong, but there were many of them, and anyone who couldn't detect them would be subjected to surprise attacks over and over. Underestimating them would lead to a painful lesson.
Sei's party had fought a Homunculus Failed, an artificial human I had also fought before. However, it apparently looked completely different. What they encountered was a Human's severed head, with ears grown as large as zabuton cushions, flying by flapping them.
They happened to encounter it just as Raga was picking up speed, and it was so grotesque that Kanna reflexively cut it down. That blow severed its ears, and while it was unable to fly or move, Sei and his tamed monsters finished it off. Considering how disgusting it was even to imagine, that was an entirely understandable reaction.
Incidentally, every party that entered the mist encountered both a Mist Ball and an Ashen Dirty Slime. Apparently, those two species were the most common monsters in the mist.
"As expected, you had trouble with the fakes too."
"Yeah. They beat me to a pulp."
"If Shio hadn't been there, even I would have been in danger."
Genjurou, like Jigorou, had apparently been held at bay by the fakes and nearly allowed them to escape. They had only been able to win because they had an archer like Shio, who could hit them even while they moved around. Even setting aside the level difference, this was a field where advancing alone would be tantamount to suicide.
"The problem is that the deeper we go, the thicker the mist becomes. If we don't do something, we'll have to fight without even being able to see what's in front of us."
"Poor visibility, along with having to watch out for surprise attacks from below... Hmm..."
A heavy mood settled over those gathered. This field was considerably more difficult than we had expected. Unless we found some way to overcome the problem, conquering it would be extremely difficult.
"Why are you all getting so gloomy? Look how many materials we have!"
"...Right. See if you can make items that might help us conquer this field."
"Sure thing~"
"Then we'll focus on gathering materials. We'll need them for trial and error."
"That would be best."
"Also, let's exchange information on the enemies frequently. Please post it in the clan chat."
"Got it."
That should be enough. There was no need to rush, so we could take our time tackling the area. If we made too little progress, we could use the seal Muno-dono gave me to visit other pseudo-humans. It wasn't as though we absolutely had to conquer the Black Wall.
"Setting the mist aside, what are you all doing about the event?"
"This event has strong festival vibes, doesn't it? They've even disabled PKing, so I plan to go at least once."
"There might be limited-edition materials, so I'm definitely going!"
Iris and Shiitake immediately answered Eiji's question. They both seemed eager to go. The details had yet to be revealed, but it was apparently almost certain that the event would be friendly to new players. It seemed we could travel back and forth from our base, which was convenient for dropping by casually.
I did plan to go for a little while myself. However, there was one thing that concerned me.
"Should I leave Karu behind this time too?"
"That would definitely draw attention."
"I can see weirdos flocking over and causing trouble."
That was true. Karu stood out far too much. Karu was an important partner to me, but it seemed best to leave Karu behind.
However, I hadn't forgotten how lonely Karu had become when we were separated for so long during the previous war event. To be honest, I had felt sorry for Karu and guilty about it. So unless there was an event-exclusive item or piece of equipment I absolutely wanted, I planned to return quickly.
"Then I suppose I'll leave Karu behind. I'd like to talk with Usuba and the others for the first time in a while, and introduce Jigorou and Genjurou to them."
"They were the famous PKers, right? You worked together during the last event?"
"That's right. I want to honor the promise I made then."
The members of the 'Persona' Masked Warband led by Usuba were battle maniacs who sought out fights with powerful opponents. They had things in common with Jigorou and Genjurou, and more importantly, those two were strong. This would be a good opportunity to fulfill their wish to be introduced to powerful opponents.
I would need to contact them in advance through friend chat, and I also had to ask about Jigorou and Genjurou's schedules. However, those two would surely be happy about it rather than objecting.
"I read on the message boards that they're apparently still actively PKing. They haven't changed their style of attacking high-level players' parties alone."
"They seemed quite relaxed when I fought them too, and their limits are just as impossible to gauge as Jigorou and Genjurou's."
"Hoho, I'm looking forward to meeting them already."
"There really are monsters everywhere, aren't there?"
According to Eiji, they were still enjoying raids on the front lines. Hearing that made Genjurou's fighting spirit flare up, while Shiitake shrugged with an exasperated look.
We finished sorting the items and sharing information, so it was time to disperse. Iris and Shiitake planned to remain in the workshop and investigate ways to use the materials.
"Then, shall we head into the mist? Are all four of you coming?"
"I'm coming!"
"I'll come along."
"Indeed."
"Sorry, but I have business, so I'm going to log out. I only logged in today to hand over the materials anyway."
When I invited the four of them to join the exploration, it seemed Sei had to log out immediately. We didn't try to stop him. In fact, the fact that he had logged in even briefly just to hand over the materials showed how conscientious he was.
"I see. Then it can't be helped. Good work."
"Then, excuse me."
Sei said that and hurried back to his room. After forming a party, the rest of us set off to explore the mist with Karu, who had been sunbathing on the deck. This was my first time entering the mist, so I was slightly nervous.
The visibility inside the mist was worse than I had imagined. Thinking about how much thicker it would become the farther we advanced, I realized that developing equipment to deal with the mist was an urgent priority.
"Grrrul!"
"Hahaha, are you enjoying the feel of the ash?"
Karu seemed to enjoy walking through the ash that had piled up, making a buff-buff sound with each step, and was in high spirits. It was the sort of place that could make anyone feel gloomy, but having someone frolic around brightened the atmosphere all by itself.
"The little guy's still so innocent even after growing up. At first, he used to cling to Izam's head."
"Huh? I didn't know Karu as a little one, so I can't imagine it at all... Oh?"
"A clan chat message from Ruby... She found something like a miniboss and is requesting reinforcements!? Izam-san!"
"Yes. We have no choice but to go."
The message that had come through the clan chat was a request for help from Ruby. We had no idea what kind of opponent something like a miniboss would be, but they had called us because it seemed too difficult for them to handle alone.
She had even attached map data showing their current location, so there was no reason not to go. We hurried toward the place where Ruby and the others were waiting.