Chapter 26
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Your 【Summoning】 level has increased.
Your 【Enchantment】 level has increased.
Your 【Necromancy】 level has increased.
Your 【Curse Arts】 level has increased.
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We retraced our path and returned to the first passage. Then we proceeded along the path leading downward. The Skeleton-type monsters that had been present in absurd numbers before we reached this point had gone quiet, and beast-type monsters like those in the upper levels had begun to appear instead.
The Undead created with 【Necromancy】 should continue moving even after their caster dies, so we had probably hunted them all down. We'd been operating on a kill-on-sight basis, after all. We'd wiped out the monsters stationed there to deal with intruders.
Oh, well. It was disappointing that we couldn't obtain any more magic bones, but I wasn't concerned about that anymore. Why? Because these creatures had begun appearing.
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Race: Giant Centipede Lv18
Job: None
Skill: 【Paralysis Fangs】
【Armor Arts】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【Agility Enhancement】
【Fire-Attribute Vulnerability】
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As its name suggests, it was a giant centipede. Its level was high, but it had few Skills and couldn't use magic.
However, it was simply strong. It twisted its long body and charged, making use of the strength of its exoskeleton and the mass of its enormous body. On top of that, it could bite with fangs that inflicted paralysis. This was the exact opposite of the indirect tactics I used, such as ranged attacks, traps, and all-out attacks by summoned creatures.
Even Jigoro and Gengoro were struggling against it. No, they weren't taking any direct hits, but its incredibly sturdy exoskeleton, combined with 【Defense Enhancement】, was blocking Jigoro's blows and Gengoro's slashes. They seemed to be aiming for the gaps between its body segments, but I was still surprised that they dealt almost no damage.
In the end, I had to finish off the first one with my magic. After that, I applied Fire Enchantment to Jigoro and Gengoro's weapons and focused on supporting them.
However, this brought one issue into sharp relief: Gengoro needed a new weapon. His current weapon was still the sword he'd started with. In fact, it was strange that it had remained effective for this long.
Gengoro claimed that a skilled warrior had no need to be particular about his weapon, but even though this game had a certain degree of realism, it was still a game. Moreover, there were hidden stats. If so, then dealing damage to a tough opponent required a minimum amount of attack power from the system.
Ruby, his granddaughter, gave him such a thorough scolding over that fact that he agreed to get a new weapon. Even so, Gengoro must have already been familiar with games when he was young. To think he'd say something so unreasonable—he really must have lived a life completely removed from games. Though I was hardly one to talk, having barely touched games and done little but read.
No, prying into someone else's real-life circumstances is a definite no-no, even if you don't say it aloud. More importantly, the items left behind by the Giant Centipede were useful.
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Giant Centipede Exoskeleton Quality: Fair Rarity: C (Common Grade)
A sturdy Giant Centipede exoskeleton. Its most notable feature is how light it is for its strength.
However, it is weak against heat, so caution is required.
Giant Centipede Poison Gland Quality: Fair Rarity: R (Rare Grade)
An organ that secretes the Giant Centipede's paralytic poison.
It can produce paralytic poison when infused with magic power.
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The exoskeleton seemed suited for armor, shields, and the like. However, it was apparently weak against fire. Even when made into a material, it seemed unable to escape the weaknesses of the monster it came from.
The poison gland was the more interesting item. It looked like a palm-sized organ of murky green, but when I infused it with magic power, it began secreting paralytic poison from a tube. It seemed to have a limited number of uses, but it looked more effective than the poisonous plants in the forest. There should also have been a Giant Centipede paralytic poison recipe in 【Alchemy】, so I might be able to make all sorts of interesting things. Heh heh heh.
As we continued onward, hunting the troublesome but useful Giant Centipedes, a space that was unmistakably a boss area opened up ahead in the cave.
Could this be an underground lake? The cave floor continued to a small island floating in the center of the underground lake. This appeared to be the end of the line.
"Everyone, stay alert."
"It's a boss battle!"
"I wonder what sort of opponent it'll be?"
"W-We can do this!"
"All right! Let's give it our best!"
Everyone was sufficiently fired up. In that case, I would apply strengthening Enchantment to everyone. There. We were fully prepared. All right, let's step inside.
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You have entered the Field Boss Area.
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The moment everyone finished moving to the center of the island, we all received that information. Now then, what sort of opponent was the boss here?
Just as we heightened our vigilance, the underground lake began to change. The surface directly in front of us rose up, and something resembling a gigantic snake emerged from the water. So that was the boss!
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Race: Lesser Small Naga Lv21
Job: Lord of the Underground Lake Lv1
Skill: 【Poison Fangs】
【Claws】
【Water Magic】
【Wind Magic】
【Aquatic】
【Levitation】
【Poison Immunity】
【Dragon Factor】
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A Lesser Small Naga, huh? It had a fairly terrifying appearance. At a glance, it looked like nothing more than a large snake. Its level didn't appear particularly high, either.
However, its rows of fangs, its slightly rasp-like scales, and, above all, the limbs bearing sharp claws around the middle of its body and near its tail clearly showed that it was no ordinary snake.
It would undoubtedly fight by making use of its enormous body, fangs, and claws. It could also use magic, giving it ranged attacks as well. And what was this 【Dragon Factor】 Skill? I had no idea what effect it had just from the name alone.
It was troublesome when I couldn't see an opponent's Skills at all, as in the early days, but being given only partial information could also make me hesitate.
"There's no point getting hung up on what we don't know. Everyone, let's proceed as usual!"
"WRAAAAGH!"
"Understood!"
Strength and agility enhanced by magic, Jigoro and Gengoro charged in. Their role was to keep the boss's attention fixed on them at all times.
Normally, it would be difficult to hold an enemy's attention because my magic had greater firepower and a higher attack frequency. But whenever they saw an opening, both of them aimed for a vital point with the intention of finishing it off themselves, making it impossible for the boss to ignore them. ...When put into words, that was a terrifying thought.
Even now, Jigoro was pummeling the Lesser Small Naga with iron fists thrown from his powerful arms. Iris's gauntlets had already sustained numerous scratches, but cracks had appeared in the scales, so he was definitely dealing damage.
Gengoro was also swinging his sword, precisely targeting the cracks Jigoro had made. Whenever he had the chance, he even tried to drive his sword into its eyes or mouth. That old man was taking things far too seriously!
"Siyaaaaaaa!"
Hmm, had it finally been unable to withstand the two of them and leaped straight out of the water? Clear anger burned in its vertically slit pupils. Was this where the real battle began? So be it!
The Lesser Small Naga floated in the air and began using magic while letting out a roar. The surface of the underground lake swelled and transformed into spear-like shapes. Water Lance? Three of them? I could only envy it for doing that without 【Magic Circle】, unlike me.
"Triple Magic Circle, activate: Water Lance!"
The boss's magic and mine collided in midair and canceled each other out. Was it on par with me, a pure mage?
Our opponent was considerably higher-ranked than me, and it was a versatile type capable of fighting at both long and close range. But that versatility also carried the danger of making it a jack of all trades and master of none. As a result, despite its superior evolutionary rank, its magic ended up clashing evenly with mine in terms of power.
If I had still been alone, I would have begun retreating at this point. I wasn't such an optimist that I would conveniently imagine I could defeat an opponent who would end the fight the moment it got close, while also matching me in magic.
However, I had companions now. Strong companions—far too strong to be called merely reliable. In that case, all I had to do was carry out the work I needed to do.
"Leave the magic to me. Jigoro, focus on evading until I bring it down. Gengoro, handle aerial combat. Can you do that?"
"Got it!"
"Of course!"
I blocked the Water Lances leaping from the surface of the lake and the Wind Lances raining down from above. As expected, I seemed to have the advantage in a battle of magic. I had plenty of room to spare.
Gengoro had grown wings on his back after becoming a Lesser Insector Beetle, allowing him to fly through the air. Just like a real rhinoceros beetle, he couldn't remain airborne for long periods, but it was a great help that he could deal with an enemy in the air.
However, dragging this out into a war of attrition would be foolish. We had no idea what secret weapons it might possess, and Gengoro was only dealing negligible damage because of his weapon. Without making use of Jigoro's attacks, which had the greatest firepower, we would have no chance of winning.
"Iris, now!"
"Hyaaah!"
What she sent out along with that adorable battle cry was Iris's tentacles. They wrapped around the Lesser Small Naga's tail and pulled it out of the water.
Apparently, for Roper-type monsters such as Iris, the action of wrapping their tentacles around something and pulling it was greatly enhanced by the 【Capture】 Skill. Even considering that I had strengthened her physical power with 【Enchantment】, it was astonishing that she could match the Lesser Small Naga in a tug-of-war.
"Hmph!"
"Here I go!"
With the Lesser Small Naga's movements halted, Gengoro brought his sword down on the back of its head. Ruby climbed along Iris's tentacles onto the Lesser Small Naga's body, then began stabbing the wounds here and there and spitting acid onto them. How brutal.
"Gyaooooooo!?"
The pain was so great that the Lesser Small Naga lost control of 【Levitation】 and finally crashed to the ground. Since Iris had pulled it down rather than letting it fall freely, the damage must have been considerable. Scales cracked by the impact scattered through the air, then turned into blue particles and vanished the moment they hit the ground.
"Oraaahhh!"
"Syaeeeeee!?"
As a follow-up, Jigoro's mighty fist came crashing down on the Lesser Small Naga. His voice was louder than usual, but the Naga should curse its own blunder of floating around and preventing Jigoro from fighting properly. He unleashed a furious barrage of attacks, as if venting all the frustration he had built up until now. Even Iris looked a little taken aback by the ferocity.
"Sya... GRAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Whoa!"
"Eek!"
The Lesser Small Naga had been getting beaten senseless without any way to fight back, but when the quality of its voice changed, it let out a roar so loud it seemed capable of rupturing our eardrums. It apparently had an effect that forcibly reset the battle, sending Jigoro flying spectacularly and suddenly knocking Iris's tentacles away. Even so, his ability to right himself in midair and land neatly was a truly inhuman display of balance.
While I was busy thinking about unnecessary things, the Lesser Small Naga's appearance had changed drastically. Its eyes glowed bright red, the scales covering its entire body stood on end, and its horns began to glow faintly. Was this a second form triggered by rage? In other words, it had entered berserk mode!
Moreover, even though its health bar had fallen below half thanks to Jigoro's assault, it was somehow recovering little by little. Could this power-up include a gradual recovery effect? What a nuisance!
It had already grown stronger, and now it could recover as well. That was bad. We needed to pay even closer attention to its attacks, but at the same time we had to increase the intensity of our own attacks. To do that, we would have to pin the Lesser Small Naga to the ground. In that case, it was my turn to act.
"I'm sorry! My tentacles!"
"No, don't worry. That seemed to be the effect. More importantly, this is where the real battle begins, everyone! Iris, keep focusing on restraining it. I'll help you! That will make it harder for me to provide magical support!"
"That's fine by me!"
"Indeed!"
"Understood!"
All right, then. Time to prepare. Let's see... the enemy was over there, so... yes, this should work!
"Trap set... Here I go. Remote activation: Triple Magic Circle!"
I deployed three Magic Circles behind the Lesser Small Naga. I'd told everyone one thing, but I intended to pin the Lesser Small Naga to the ground until it died. Now, witness the true power of my diverse magic—especially my abyssal magic!