Chapter 263
The excitement of setting foot in a new field for the first time is impossible to suppress. Still riding that excitement, we entered the side tunnel, only to find a space that could only be described as bizarre.
Moss clung to every inch of the ground and floor, every patch of it belching flames. Giant mushrooms mottled brown and white stood everywhere, while netlike slime mold filled the spaces between them.
"The 'Fungal Forest of Burning Moss'... This place is even more incredible than I imagined."
"Indeed. But it's surprisingly cool, isn't it?"
"Must be nice to be able to float..."
Moss-san and I floated through the air as we looked around, overwhelmed by the scenery, but Eiji was not so fortunate. If he stepped on the burning moss, the flames would damage him, while all the other surfaces were sticky and difficult to walk across.
For anyone unable to fly, this field was nothing but an aggravation. Realizing that I had not considered this, I apologized to Eiji and tried gathering some of the moss burning on the ground. It could actually be obtained as an item. When I used 【Appraisal】 on it, I got the following result.
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Flame-Red Moss Quality: Fair Rarity: S (Special Grade)
Moss that always appears to be burning. It can only grow in certain environments.
In reality, it is not burning, but cloaks itself in Fire Attribute magic to protect itself.
It has a high resistance to fire so that it can withstand its own magic. Extracting its components should allow one to create a potion with the same effect.
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This was definitely going to be a souvenir for Shiitake. Not only could 【Alchemy】 be used to create a potion granting high resistance to the Fire Attribute, but she might think of another use for it and develop an interesting item.
Gathering it bare-handed would burn me and cause damage, so I used the shovel Iris had made for gathering. I tried gathering some slime mold as well, but I could not take it home as an item.
It was unclear whether slime mold was fundamentally an object that could not become an item, or whether it simply could not be gathered using this method. Since I had no way to investigate the cause, I had no choice but to give up for now.
Next, we moved on to gathering the giant mushrooms. I had assumed that, despite their size, they would be soft since they were still mushrooms, but Eiji had to swing his axe repeatedly with all his strength to cut one down. According to Eiji, they were far harder than ordinary trees. When I used 【Appraisal】 on one, I found the following information.
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Tower Mushroom Quality: Good Rarity: S (Special Grade)
A mushroom as tall as a building. Resistant to fire and used as a sturdy building material.
It is said to grow in large, dark caverns as long as there is plenty of water.
Since it is often found in dangerous areas, it is considered a high-end building material.
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High-end building material, huh? If all it needs to grow is a large cavern and water, perhaps we could cultivate it to renovate our base. None of us had the Skill to grow plants, but 【Tree Magic】 could accelerate plant growth. Would it be worthwhile to try?
This one could make a good souvenir for Iris. Let's take as much home as possible. It will depend on Eiji's strength, but I'll support him with magic, so I hope Eiji can do his best cutting them down.
"Oh, looks like enemies are coming."
"Indeed."
While thinking about that, I continued gathering Flame-Red Moss and cutting down Tower Mushrooms, when my Magic Sonar detected a presence. Moss-san had also sensed the approaching enemies with a Skill and had already put away the gathering tools.
There were four enemies, approaching at a far-from-rapid pace. We waited there, prepared for battle.
"That is... a rat, right?"
"A rat... Though it's about the size of a large dog."
"A rat... Though it's on fire."
The creatures that appeared were, as Eiji said, about the size of large dogs, and, as Moss-san said, were cloaked in flames like fur. Their eyes were bloodshot rather than beady, and they watched us carefully. Time to examine them as well!
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Race: Fire Rat Lv. 52–56
Job: Fire Eater Lv. 2–6
Skills: 【Vitality Enhancement】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Agility Enhancement】
【Intelligence Enhancement】
【Fire Fang】
【Fire Tail Strike】
【Fire Hide】
【Darkvision】
【Stealth】
【Silent Step】
【Surprise Attack】
【Assassination Arts】
【Fire Attribute Absorption】
【Water Attribute Vulnerability】
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Fire Rat, huh? The name matches its appearance, but I seem to remember that one of the treasures Kaguya-hime demanded in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter was a robe made from a fire rat's skin. If we defeated these things and skinned them, could we make that treasure? It's not that I particularly want one, but I can't help being curious, can I?
Putting that aside, they apparently had a high affinity for the Fire Attribute, just as their appearance suggested. They could not use magic, but, as the Skill descriptions indicated, they cloaked their fangs, tails, and body surfaces in the power of fire. Anyone without resistance to the Fire Attribute might face a difficult battle even against these monsters, despite being a higher level.
"Squeak!!!"
The Fire Rats apparently judged us to be mere prey and attacked all at once. At first, their wide-open mouths lacked the prominent front teeth characteristic of rats. However, flames shot out from where those teeth should have been, instantly taking shape as fangs that snapped at us. So this was 【Fire Fang】!
"Nnngh!"
"Shall we go up?"
"Rhombus Magic Array, activate. Spell adjustment: Water Lance."
"Squeak!?"
However, I had already granted us resistance to the Fire Attribute with my 【Enchantment】. Thus, we could counterattack without fearing their front teeth.
Eiji's axe cut one of them down, while Moss-san seized another with one foot, rose all the way to the ceiling, and then plunged down, slamming it into the ground. That alone killed two of the Fire Rats instantly.
I fired Water Lance at the remaining two, dealing heavy damage by exploiting their weakness. They did not die instantly, but they were already rolling across the ground in critical condition, so Eiji and Moss-san, who had already finished off their enemies, quickly delivered the killing blows.
"Hiyah! Wow, magic sure is convenient... Though I don't think I could ever use it as well as you do, Izamu-san."
"Don't say that. I can't exactly claim to have mastered it either."
After our one-sided victory, made easy by granting ourselves resistance to the Fire Attribute, Eiji said that. I agreed that magic was convenient, but I was not being modest when I said I had not mastered it.
After battles with powerful enemies, such as boss fights, I often think, 'Wouldn't it have been easier if I had done this instead?' It is difficult to come up with the optimal solution on the spot, and I believe one can only claim to have mastered something once one becomes capable of doing so. I could only resolve to be more careful next time and continue improving little by little.
"The loot is... only magic stones? According to what Mac-kun told us, it would be reasonable to assume that those Fire Rats are the weakest monsters here."
"Moss-san is probably right. Let's continue without letting our guard down, while keeping an eye on how long 【Enchantment】 lasts."
We continued gathering while being attacked by Fire Rats several more times, but so far we had not encountered any other monsters. We repeatedly looted them as well, but for some reason, we could not get them to drop anything besides magic stones. Perhaps we had simply been unlucky, but I began to suspect that we had to defeat them under certain conditions.
Whenever battles with the Fire Rats broke out, the three of us put our heads together and tried various methods. We used elemental magic other than fire, inflicted Poison with 【Curse Arts】, attempted instant kills with 【Dark Arts】, and had Eiji and Moss-san attack various parts of their bodies using every method they could think of.
Even after all that, they still did not drop any items besides magic stones. Apparently, something fundamental was wrong. As I wondered what we should do, my Magic Echo and Moss-san's 【Ultrasonic Waves】 detected enemies once again.
"What is it...?"
"Looks like we may finally be done fighting nothing but Fire Rats."
However, this time seemed to be different. Until now, the Fire Rats had always appeared in groups. This was presumably because Fire Rats were pack animals, but the monster caught by our detection net was alone.
Since this was our first time in the field, there was no guarantee that Fire Rats never acted alone. Still, it is human nature to hope for some kind of change when something unprecedented occurs.
What came sliding across the ground covered in Flame-Red Moss was a giant serpent large enough to swallow a Fire Rat whole. It had four gleaming purple eyes and bright-red scales marked with black spots, with viscous lava visible through the gaps between them. Its appearance was as if a volcano had been forced into the shape of a snake.
As the giant serpent repeatedly flicked its tongue, purple breath leaked from its mouth. Despite its enormous body, it approached almost silently. It had apparently already recognized us as prey and was heading straight for us. It seemed a fight was unavoidable. Not that we intended to let it escape, either.
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Race: Lava Deadly Viper Lv. 68
Job: Deadly Poison User Lv. 8
Skills: 【Vitality Enhancement】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【Deadly Poison Fang】
【Lava Serpent Scales】
【Scorching Poison Breath】
【Darkvision】
【Stealth】
【Silent Step】
【Surprise Attack】
【Assassination Arts】
【Poison Immunity】
【Earth Attribute Immunity】
【Fire Attribute Immunity】
【Lava Attribute Immunity】
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Lava Deadly Viper... A giant serpent that controls lava and poison, huh? Its sturdy scales likely protected it from physical attacks, while the lava oozing through them would damage anyone who merely approached it. It also had immunity to poison and three attributes, making its defenses quite formidable.
On top of that, its fangs contained potent poison, making it extremely dangerous to be bitten. The vapor leaking from its mouth was probably a manifestation of the Skill 【Scorching Poison Breath】. It was well equipped offensively too, and even though our levels were higher, it looked like it would be a troublesome foe.
"Its fangs and breath contain poison. Keep an antidote ready to take at a moment's notice."
"Right! I'll be careful!"
"Here it comes, you two."
After warning them of its most dangerous abilities, the Lava Deadly Viper twisted its long body and closed the distance in an instant. We each took up a stance, ready to meet it head-on.