Cave Exploration (5)

We won. We won... but somehow, it was anticlimactic. I thought we'd have to struggle a little more.

Also, that Undead Mage didn't seem to be a boss of any sort. If we'd defeated a boss, some kind of info should have popped up. No, even if it had been a boss, it must have been a mid-boss. For all we know, this cave may not have a boss at all. We mustn't get our hopes up too high.

At any rate, it seems there are no more enemies in this hidden room. In that case, let's thoroughly search the place before we leave. You might wonder why we need to search it so thoroughly. The answer will be clear once you see their drops.

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Old Jiangshi Talisman Quality: Poor Rarity: R (Rare-class)

A talisman for creating Jiangshi. Its condition is poor due to deterioration over time.

Affixing it to a corpse allows the corpse to be controlled as a Jiangshi.

Old Taoist Ceremonial Robes Quality: Poor Rarity: R (Rare-class)

Formal robes worn by Taoists who came from lands to the west of here.

Designed with hand-to-hand combat in mind, they are easier to move in than their appearance suggests.

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These are the drop items from the Jiangshi and Undead Mage. 【Necromancy】 has to be involved here, right? If so, I should be able to create Jiangshi myself. I'll investigate whether there's any reference material here that can teach me how.

Besides, it seems they came from lands to the west. We might be able to learn something about that place too. The language might be different, but 【Linguistics】 should let us manage somehow... hopefully.

"Izamu, what's this?"

The five of us had divided up the work and were searching the room when Ruby seemed to find something. I wondered what it could be.

"Some kind of bundle of bamboo? It's tied together with string..."

"Bamboo slips? How old-fashioned... I've never seen the real thing before."

Yes, they were bamboo slips. They were the prototype of books used historically in Japan and China, with writing on wood or bamboo that was tied together with string and rolled up like a scroll. Bamboo ones were called bamboo slips, while wooden ones were called wooden slips. The fact that something like this had appeared made me feel the developers' attention to detail.

"The contents are... yes, they're worm-eaten, but I can read them."

The bamboo slips showed some deterioration from age, but they were still readable. After skimming the contents, I found that, just as I had expected, the writer was a practitioner of 【Necromancy】, apparently from a clan specializing in creating Jiangshi. It seemed something had happened in their homeland, and they had fled here with their entire clan.

In that case, these materials may contain descriptions of magic other than 【Necromancy】 as well. To anyone else, they're merely bundles of bamboo, but to me, they look like a mountain of treasures I can barely put my arms around.

But I'll read them carefully later. After putting several other bamboo and wooden slips we'd found into our inventories, we decided to log out here for a while. We'd spent quite a lot of time exploring and investigating. We should take a break.

This time, we can use the same order for breaks as before. Gigolo and I will stay behind first. Since we have summoned beasts guarding us, there's nothing in particular for us to do. In that case, I'll take a look at some new magic while we're here.

【Void Magic】's Magic Jamming, huh. When activated, this spell creates a field centered on the caster that makes magic more likely to fail for enemies and allies alike.

No, no, I can't use it. It seems the caster becomes unable to use magic too once it's activated, so it's way too punishing for mages. Shouldn't Gigolo or Gengoro be the ones to learn this?

I learned that I couldn't use any new spells. That left me with nothing to do once again. And so, before long, we naturally began watching the martial arts tournament.

"The winner on the first day is... the Hero, huh?"

The name of Mr. Luke, better known as the Hero, was displayed in huge letters on the magic item resembling an electronic scoreboard at the coliseum where the martial arts tournament was being held. Talk about a terrible spoiler.

"It's only natural. His skill isn't bad either, but more importantly, his weapons and armor are on another level. That's probably the holy sword rumored to have been given to him by a god, and the reward for clearing the 'Trial of the Azure Moon.'"

"Ah, right. They cleared it too."

Nevertheless, it seemed like the obvious outcome to Gigolo. Well, it was obvious if you gave it a little thought.

The Trial of the Azure Moon had been brutally difficult. We knew firsthand how great the reward for clearing it was. In fact, we were benefiting from it right now. If his equipment and skill were good enough for Gigolo to rate them highly, he couldn't possibly lose.

"In that sense, today might be the most interesting day. He and his female companions didn't enter on the second day, after all."

"Is that so? ...No, that's only natural, isn't it? They'd definitely make a fuss."

If the first day of the martial arts tournament was individual matches, the second day was pairs matches, with two people fighting as a team. Since only two of the three days' events could be entered, the Hero must have entered the individual matches on the first day and the party battle on the third. Even without that restriction, if he entered, the women would definitely end up fighting over which of them got to team up with him, so perhaps the tournament rules deserved a thumbs-up.

"So, what do you think? Have you found anyone who looks interesting?"

"Nope. None of them are anything special. I'll make the screen smaller and watch the individual finals tournament."

"I see."

The pairs matches were currently in the preliminaries. They used the same format as the first day: a battle royale. To my amateur eyes, the way the pairs fought back-to-back was quite a spectacle, but it seemed insufficient for Gigolo.

Besides, as far as I could tell, there were no players using magic in ways I wanted to use as a reference. In that case, I should shrink my screen and look at something else... yes, I'll read the message board.

"The individual matches... no need, I suppose. There weren't any mages left in the finals tournament. Then I should read the live commentary thread for the pairs matches... huh?"

As I skimmed through the martial arts tournament discussion thread, I realized people kept bringing up the first preliminary match of the pairs event. Apparently, there had been an overwhelming slaughter, something like a 'musou game' or whatever. Who had done what?

Since the seventh preliminary match of the pairs event was currently underway, the highlight from the first preliminary match was available to watch. Maybe I'll take a look.

"Umm... what... is... this...!?"

Ah, yes. Let me describe what happened as it appeared before my eyes. First, there was one pair that stood out from all the rest. One of them was the woman wielding the long weapon Gigolo had rated so highly. Unlike in the individual matches, she was using a halberd. And her partner was... a horse.

Yes, a horse. A magnificent white horse wearing chainmail-like barding. She made a dashing entrance riding it.

Everyone seemed to wonder whether this was allowed, but apparently the horse was a player. In other words, it was a nonhuman player, but not a monster.

As for the match itself, it really was like a musou game, just as the message board said. Even I, who don't play many games, know the one: that thing where a historical figure cuts down hordes of foot soldiers.

As she raced all over the arena, her swinging halberd sliced light-armored warriors in two, while the white horse's charge sent heavily armored warriors flying.

Apparently the horse had also acquired magic, which it used to support its rider with pinpoint accuracy. It was as though the scene itself were declaring that armor could be brushed aside with a single touch.

Imagine the intimidation factor of a horse—one even outfitted with its own special armor. Now imagine it approaching at the speed of a car while firing magic.

How many ordinary people could respond calmly to that? I certainly couldn't. My legs would give out.

I never expected a VR game to show me how terrifying cavalry could be. Isn't she a top contender for the championship? I'll tell Gigolo about her.

"Gigolo, do you have a moment?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Watch the highlight from the first preliminary match of the pairs event. You'll see something interesting."

"Oh? Let's see...! Kukukukuku! Amazing, this woman! Who knew she had a hidden talent like this?"

Heh heh, Gigolo seemed to like her too. He began watching her battle with rapt attention.

"The question is whether this will work in the finals—the main event. Anyone who advances that far should be able to respond to her to some extent, even if there are differences in skill."

"That just gives us something else to look forward to, doesn't it?"

"Well, that's true."

Now, continuing to watch the preliminaries would be fine, but there was something else better suited to passing the time. What, you ask? The wooden and bamboo slips we'd found in abundance, of course. I wonder what sort of things are written in them?

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Based on your experience so far, you acquired the 【Talisman Arts】 Skill.

You acquired Jiangshi Creation.

Your 【Archaeology】 level has increased.

Your 【Linguistics】 level has increased.

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Oh, this is fascinating. I've finished reading almost all of them, and the contents were quite substantial.

First, as for who they were, there was a diary recording how it all came about. Apparently, they came from the country of 'Hua' in a region called the 'Aquaria Archipelago,' far to the west of here. There, they had operated in the shadows of history using the secret arts of 【Necromancy】 and 【Talisman Arts】, but a political upheaval drove them from their homeland.

However, in the land they reached, 【Necromancy】 was forbidden magic. Because they had mastered it, they were persecuted, and eventually declared wanted criminals with bounties on their heads.

The diary's author, the sole survivor, cursed the world, made themself immortal, and hid here with the corpses of their clan that they had managed to recover. Yes, that was the Undead Mage we fought.

Their backstory consisted of one bleak episode after another and was a little depressing, but it revealed that another landmass called the Aquaria Archipelago lay to the west and that it contained several nations. The other books were also mostly secret manuals, which made them extremely worthwhile.

I acquired Jiangshi Creation as the new 【Necromancy】 Skill I had been looking for. I'll try it out if we find a suitable corpse sometime. I also acquired 【Talisman Arts】, which lets me create the talismans essential for Jiangshi Creation. Apparently it has countless uses besides Jiangshi Creation, so my expectations are very high!

Also, 【Archaeology】 and 【Linguistics】 had quietly leveled up. Apparently, challenging old foreign books grants a bonus to experience. That's quite helpful.

And several of the books were useful to the other members besides me as well. Some were manuals of martial arts and various weapon techniques, others described methods for forging special metals, and still others explained how to use concealed weapons. Surely each of them will come in handy.

Oh, is it already this late? The other three should be coming back soon. I need to prepare to log out.

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I logged in. Just as I expected, Gigolo was watching the martial arts tournament with Gengoro. However, they didn't seem nearly as desperate to watch it as during the individual matches, when they'd practically glued themselves to the screen. I wonder why? I'll ask them.

"What happened to you two?"

"Oh, welcome back. Those two seem a little bored because there isn't much to see in the pairs matches."

"Really? Wasn't there a woman who was rampaging around on horseback?"

The message board had also been buzzing over the 'musou game'-like slaughter. Wouldn't that player be entertaining to watch?

Ruby and Iris seemed to smile wryly, as though they understood what I was getting at. What had happened?

"As for that player's match... it was all over with the initial charge."

"The main event?"

"Yeah. It's one-sided, and more than anything, all the players are too gutless to even try to stop her. They say it's boring."

"I see. That's a shame."

Hmm. I suppose a charge with horse and rider acting as one was simply too much for ordinary people accustomed to peace—especially with the mount firing magic as it charged. It was so one-sided that, paradoxically, matches without her, the championship favorite, were apparently drawing more excitement. Being too strong can be a real problem.

"Then it seems we can set out as soon as we call them. Ruby, would you go get them?"

"Leave it to me!"

While giving an energetic reply to my request, Ruby headed over to the battle junkies.

"Um, Izamu. There's something I'd like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"How far are we going on this expedition?"

It was a perfectly reasonable question. The purpose of exploring the cave was to level up while taking advantage of the hours when ordinary players weren't around. My level had risen, of course, and the three of them had achieved the tangible result of evolving, so we could say we'd already accomplished our main objective. There would be no problem at all with turning back here.

However, we still had plenty of time to spare. The second day of the martial arts tournament wasn't over yet, and if we turned back right away, we'd have time left over. In that case, wouldn't it be most enjoyable to adventure as much as possible?

But that was only my opinion, and I had no intention of forcing it on them. If everyone wanted to go home, we could discuss it and then leave.

"I was planning to adventure for as long as time allowed... but should we turn back now?"

"Ah! That's not what I meant!"

Iris frantically waved her tentacles from side to side. She didn't want to turn back? Then what was the matter?

"I'm not good at fighting. Even in the games I'd played before, I mostly holed up in town and focused on crafting."

She continued, saying that she'd become fairly well known and had enjoyed that style of play.

"But then I became a monster avatar and had to start fighting. And I had no one I could rely on. To be honest, if I hadn't gotten a reply from you, Izamu, I was thinking of deleting my account."

"I..."

I faltered, unable to think of what to say.

"But then I met you and Gigolo, and gained Ruby and Gengoro as companions. Today, we're all out adventuring together. It's so much fun. So I was wondering if this adventure was already coming to an end."

I see. She was worried that it might end, rather than wanting it to end. Hearing her say that made me extremely happy as the one who had invited her. And that was precisely why I had to tell her this.

"Every adventure has an end. This one does too, of course. But there will be other opportunities. Let's enjoy adventures together, as many times as we can."

"Yeah... you're right!"

Iris spoke brightly, though she looked embarrassed. My trite encouragement seemed to have helped, at least a little. All right, let's start fresh and continue exploring!