Chapter 23
I logged in. After using the bathroom, getting some water, and having an early lunch, I came back.
"I'm back... Wait, am I the last one?"
"Shulururu (Welcome back)!"
"Pururun (Welcome back)!"
The girls greeted me energetically. However, Genzuro and Jigoro—the guys—were silent. There was only one reason for that: the two of them were watching a live broadcast of the martial arts tournament.
"I'm back, you two. I'd like to set out, if you're ready."
"Gagya (Wait a bit)!"
"Kachikachi (This is the good part)!"
"...We'll wait until the match is over."
They both went and said nearly the same thing... But they didn't look like they would budge an inch, so I supposed watching the match currently underway was fine. Honestly, they had recorded it, so there was no need to watch it right now.
After a while, the two of them sighed as if exasperated and stood up. Something must have happened that left them disappointed.
"You two seem rather down, but we're setting out."
"Shulur (Yes)."
"Pururu (Okay)."
"Gegyaa (Yeah)."
"Kachikachikachi (Got it)."
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It was hard to believe how dense the monsters had been from the entrance to here.
Nevertheless, it seemed this place wasn't completely empty. I sensed something moving a little farther in. Everyone else seemed to have noticed it as well, and we advanced cautiously.
What appeared before the five of us was a monster we were all familiar with. However, none of us had ever encountered one as an enemy before. This was the result of its appraisal.
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Race: Skeleton Warrior Lv. 12
Job: Apprentice Warrior Lv. 2
Skill: 【Swordsmanship】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【Night Vision】
【Status Ailment Immunity】
【Light-Attribute Vulnerability】
【Blunt Damage Vulnerability】
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It was one of my own kind. This was... Well, I thought I was used to seeing skeletons, but they were pretty frightening when viewed as enemies. It really was a horror story.
"Gagagya (A wild skeleton, huh)."
"Gachigachi (Creepy, ain't it)."
I had plenty to say, but for now, let's just get this over with. After all, it was one of my own kind. Not only I, but everyone else as well, knew exactly what would trouble it the most.
"Shulururu (Light Ball)!"
"Oooo...!"
It fell to a single shot of Iris's 【Light Magic】. The moment the dazzling ball of light touched it, the joints held together by some mysterious force flew apart, and the skeleton collapsed to the ground. The ending was so anticlimactic that everyone was left speechless.
Because it was only one hit. Iris wasn't even specialized in magic, and it took one hit. A fellow member of my race at my level went down in one hit. Seriously? Were undead really this weak to Light Magic?
"Gugga (What a weakling)."
"Don't say that. It makes me sad."
"Purupuru (That was)..."
"Shulururyushushu (Even without a high enough Skill level)..."
"Kachikachi (I know what you mean)."
Even the three whose 【Linguistics】 levels were still too low seemed to understand what Jigoro's muttering meant. In other words, they had been thinking something similar.
I-I am not upset! I have mitigated my 【Light-Attribute Vulnerability】 by several stages, and 【Abyss Dweller】 gives me resistance to the light attribute. I wouldn't be defeated that easily!
Now that I thought about it, wiping out the mages first when we rescued Jigoro had been an incredible move on my part. If I hadn't done that, I would have been purified in an instant despite trying to look cool. I would have ended up looking like a total poser.
"More importantly, the corpse vanished like mist... Can't we take its drop items?"
"Shushushuru (I don't know)."
"Maybe there are no drops if Light Magic delivers the finishing blow. Let's defeat the next one normally."
That opportunity came immediately. Another Skeleton Warrior appeared from behind some cover. This time, Jigoro would handle it.
"Gyaa (Take that)!"
The Skeleton Warrior tried to block Jigoro's fist with its shield, but it could not keep up with his speed and had its skull smashed. It really was weak.
This time, the corpse—or rather, it was a corpse to begin with, so should I call it remains?—stayed on the ground. In any case, let's try looting it.
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Magic Bone Quality: Poor Rarity: C (Common)
A bone imbued with magic. It can be used for a variety of purposes.
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So this was a Magic Bone. It looked like a human femur. According to the book, it could be used for 【Alchemy】 and 【Potionmaking】, and even as fertilizer for fields.
However, it had an even more important significance for me. This was a material I needed to create things with 【Necromancy】. If I gathered enough, I could create servants with real bodies instead of useless puppets with only temporary bodies, like summoned beasts. My heart was practically dancing.
I explained the situation to everyone and asked them to defeat any Skeleton-type monsters they encountered, whenever they had the time, without using 【Light Magic】. Everyone readily agreed that it was no trouble, and our Skeleton hunt began.
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Your Race level has increased. You gained 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You gained 1 SP.
【Staff】 level has increased.
【Magic Control】 level has increased.
【Summoning】 level has increased.
【Enchanting】 level has increased.
【Magic Circles】 level has increased.
【Necromancy】 level has increased.
【Curse】 level has increased.
You have learned the Paralysis and Sleep spells.
【Spirit Summoning】 level has increased.
【Malefic Magic】 level has increased.
【Appraisal】 level has increased.
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This was practically a feeding frenzy! Apparently, this place was a den of Skeleton-type monsters. In addition to the Skeleton Warriors we had already encountered, there were ordinary Skeletons, which were one rank lower, and Skeleton Mages, one of my possible evolution paths. As rarer variants, we also encountered Bone Beasts, the animated skeletons of animals, and Skeleton Beasts, which were presumably their evolved forms.
They sometimes appeared in groups, but in those cases, we relied on Iris's 【Light Magic】 to quickly reduce their numbers, so we barely suffered any exhaustion. Thanks to that, we obtained more Magic Bones than we could possibly use. We could afford to experiment and fail for a while.
It was fortunate that we noticed the rule governing Magic Bone drops so quickly. At first, Jigoro or Ruby would swiftly smash the head or sever the neck, but Iris suggested, "Let's try defeating them while leaving the head intact." That proved to be a good idea, and a skull-shaped Magic Bone appeared as a drop.
After testing various possibilities, we learned that the Magic Bones dropped were limited to the parts that had not been broken when the monster ran out of health. Thanks to that, although all the items were called Magic Bone, we were able to obtain bones from various parts of the body. My imagination was running wild with thoughts of what kind of undead I could create!
My magic levels, which were difficult to raise, went up as well, thanks to my having used spells with a focus on support. In particular, my 【Curse】 level had risen enough for me to learn new spells. They were spells that caused the status ailments of Paralysis and Sleep. Their effects were self-explanatory, so there was no need to explain them.
"We did it!"
"Wow, I feel so light!"
Even more auspicious was the fact that the other three's 【Linguistics】 levels had grown enough for them to communicate with other species, and that they had evolved once their Race levels reached 10. Iris had become a Lesser Artisan Tentacle, Ruby had become a Silent Slime, and Genzuro had become a Lesser Insectoid.
Iris's Lesser Artisan Tentacle was a Race specializing in production. Her crafted goods now received a quality bonus, and she could apparently raise her Race level through production activities as well. She was absolutely delighted.
Ruby's Silent Slime was, in broad terms, a Slime specialized for assassination. She had gained the 【Assassination】 Skill by raising 【Stealth】, 【Silent Step】, and 【Surprise Attack】 to level 10 in order to make the most of her Thief-type Job. This had presumably unlocked the evolution path.
Her body was almost completely colorless and transparent, though she could apparently manipulate its coloration to some extent. She had also become faster, and the sound she made while moving had nearly vanished, making her even more of an assassin.
Genzuro had become a Lesser Insectoid—in other words, he had finally completed a full metamorphosis from larva without passing through a pupal stage. To put his appearance simply, he was a bipedal rhinoceros beetle. More precisely, he was a small man wearing armor modeled after a rhinoceros beetle with four arms. However, that armor was actually a genuine part of his body: an exoskeleton.
After taking this form, Genzuro could finally equip his initial sword. It was a little late, but he had been an Apprentice Warrior all along—a Job that could only display its true worth when wielding a weapon. He was now a Warrior, one rank higher. Somehow, he could still produce thread as before, so the range of things he could do had expanded all at once.
"Kuhaha! Old man, not bad!"
"Kaka, you too!"
Genzuro had become strong enough to spar evenly with none other than Jigoro as they tested his new movements. Was he a real-life cheat too!?
What was going on? Three of the five were real-life cheats... Wait, could Ruby be hiding some secret power too? N-no, I was overthinking it.
"Let's stop there and move on. This isn't exactly a safe area, after all."
"Got it, Izamu. Old man, let's have another round later."
"Indeed. I'll give you another lesson."
Had trading blows made them hit it off even more? It was good that they got along.
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"Wait! Something's wrong with this wall!"
As we continued onward while defeating Skeletons, Ruby, who had been advancing with her body clinging to the wall, noticed something strange. She extended part of her Slime body and tapped the suspicious spot. The other four of us gathered around and examined it closely. Sure enough, we could faintly see something resembling a seam. Was there something beyond it?
"Ruby, do you think this is a door with some kind of mechanism?"
"...No, I don't think so. It looks like someone just created a wall with magic and sealed off a passage. Maybe I can't see through it because my Job level is too low, though."
Hmm, so it wasn't a hidden door. However, it meant that something someone wanted to keep hidden lay beyond it. This was... intriguing.
"Jigoro, can you do it?"
"Of course... Take this!"
Jigoro punched the wall with brute force, and his arm sank into it. Evolution had made him unbelievably strong.
"...Ruby, I was right. My arm went right through. There's a hollow space beyond this."
"Good. Let's break it down right here. ...Do it."
I ordered my summoned beasts to demolish the earthen wall. This sort of tiring, mindless work was best left to servants.
My servants continued working in silence and completely removed the wall. Beyond it was a passage wide enough for two people to walk side by side. I could almost smell treasure... Or perhaps I only imagined it.
"Ruby in front, Genzuro behind her, Iris in the center, and me behind Iris. Jigoro, take the rear. We'll proceed carefully."
The other four nodded silently. And so, our exploration of the side passage began. In a game that continued a story, a passage as suggestive as this would surely have something in store. Hopefully, it would be treasure useful to us.