Chapter 276
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You defeated the Field Boss, Great Bone War Fortress.
You have received rewards and 10 SP.
You are the first party to defeat the Field Boss, Great Bone War Fortress.
Everyone receives a special reward and 20 SP.
Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your 【Enchanting】 level has increased.
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The announcement signaling the end of the boss battle echoed in all our heads. Ah, hearing this really drives home the fact that it's over.
However, letting our guard down too much would be unwise. Just as when I was the boss of a Random Dungeon, there could be something waiting after we thought we had cleared it. To put it in Genjuro's words, "Never forget zanshin."
"Ruby, are there still any enemy reactions?"
"Nope. At least, there aren't any opponents hostile toward us."
"Then we're safe. Phew, I suppose we managed to pull through again... It's embarrassing that we only managed it thanks to those two, though."
At the same time as I felt relieved, I was painfully aware that we had won only because we had two fighters with superhuman combat skills in Jigoro and Genjuro. Whether the two of them could have defeated it alone was another matter, but there was no doubt that we could never have won without them.
Wasn't I just relying completely on those two? That would be pathetic for a clan leader. I did have a life outside the game, but I would work on improving my skills within limits that would not disrupt it. As a mage, simply practicing with a weapon would be pointless. However, there had to be things I could do, such as improving my positioning and preparing in advance.
"All that matters is winning. If you keep fighting real battles because you want to get stronger, you'll naturally figure out how to improve. That's how I got stronger in VFPS, too."
"So you're saying I don't need to rush, but I should maintain an attitude of greedily seeking strength. I'll take that to heart."
"Hey, hey! The other parties are heading over to harvest the loot!"
"Let's go too!"
While taking Shio's advice on becoming stronger, we headed toward the now-motionless Great Bone War Fortress, urged along by Shifune and Wool.
The Great Bone War Fortress had become a silent mound of bones, but every single one of those bones could be picked up. Their rarity and quality varied, but they were all magic bones. I had wondered whether there might be bones with Fire or Water attributes, but unfortunately, there were no such things.
Instead, the bone pile also contained so many magic stones that counting them would have been tiresome. Their rarity and quality ranged from the excellent to the worthless, but with Alchemy, we could probably create bones with Fire or Water attributes.
"The problem is how we're going to divide all this..."
"What the hell are we supposed to use bones for now?"
"We're long past using bone weapons!"
When I glanced at Mac and the others, they were reluctantly rummaging through the bone pile. It seemed they didn't know about modifying their bone bodies with magic bones. They probably had never tried it.
Saara and Kamaboko were not the only members of the 'Undead Bastards' with moving Skeleton-type avatars; there were many others. If they knew about this, the pile should look like a treasure trove to them. Since fate had brought us together, I might as well teach them.
"Wait. Bones are useful to Undead, especially moving Skeleton types, and the more you have, the better."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well..."
I told them some of the information I knew. They might have thought I was being generous, but that was not the case. This technique could be performed by anyone as long as they could use 【Alchemy】.
I kept quiet about the fact that it was also possible to create Undead with 【Necromancy】, so I was not giving away information cheaply. Becoming closer friends and teaching them absolutely everything were two separate matters.
"Big brother! I'm going to take as much as I can carry home!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, so calm down. Don't go taking some for Izam and the others, too."
"That's right, Saara. You always go completely overboard whenever something catches your interest..."
After listening to my explanation, Mac and the others changed their tune and began actively gathering bones. Saara in particular was astonishingly enthusiastic, throwing everything she could get her hands on into her inventory. Mac and Pop tried to rein her in, but judging by the way she was acting, it was questionable whether she was listening at all.
"There are three parties, but only two clans took part in the raid. We can split the bones fifty-fifty."
"Huh? You're okay with that?"
"Isn't that giving us too much?"
"You need enough for your companions too, don't you? We've already collected materials along the way, and half will be more than enough for us."
"Besides, there are far too many to divide precisely. Splitting them roughly in half is the practical solution."
They were surprised, but I was the only one in our clan who made much use of bones. I wanted to secure military strength with bones, so I needed a large supply, but Mac and the others were about to modify their bodies, meaning they probably needed even more than I did.
Based on our numbers, two-thirds should have gone to us, but as you could see, there were mountains of bones. Half would give us more than enough of what we had been seeking. My dream Undead army might become a reality!
Once the division had been decided, we began silently collecting bones. Even though all we had to do was put them in our inventories, dismantling a mountain like this took quite a while. For about ten minutes, we continued picking up bones single-mindedly.
"Huh? What's this? Hey, brother! Come over here for a second!"
Jigoro had gone from the exhilaration of battle to picking up bones with a bored look on his face, but apparently he had found something strange. He called out to me from a distant spot. Since collecting bones and magic stones had been the only thing we'd done for a while, I headed over immediately.
What Jigoro had found among the bones was an irregularly shaped lump of metal about the size of a fist. At a glance, it looked like nothing more than a piece of scrap iron. In fact, I did not understand what had caught his attention until he handed it to me. But the moment I received it, I realized that it was something special.
"Guh?! This is heavy..."
"Right? Its density's probably twice that of iron, though I don't really know..."
The metal I received from Jigoro had a weight far beyond what its size suggested. I had held a shot-put ball during my school days, but this felt several times heavier than that.
I had no idea whether this avatar's strength was greater or weaker than my real body's, but there was no doubt that this was heavy. I had to use 【Appraisal】 on it!
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Fragment of Artificial Divine Iron Quality: Fair Rarity: T (Treasure-class)
A fragment of Divine Iron manufactured by human hands.
Artificial Divine Iron is a metal modeled after Divine Iron, a metal that only goddesses can manufacture.
An exceptionally fine metal comparable to Divine Iron, but its quality has declined due to the passage of time.
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Artificial Divine Iron... So such a thing existed. The mention of deterioration over time made it clear that it was ancient. A civilization capable of imitating a metal that only goddesses could manufacture must have been extremely advanced.
I had learned from Almardelux-sama's slip of the tongue that this world had a First Civilization and a Second Civilization. Of the two, the former must have been capable of manufacturing Artificial Divine Iron, something that could be called a divine feat. It would not be strange for a civilization capable of creating the floating battleship Shiratsuki to have managed it.
However, I knew almost nothing about the Second Civilization, apart from 'Obsession with the Moon,' the boss I had fought in a trial. It would be problematic to judge the Second Civilization based solely on the appearance of its people. Perhaps buying information from Konrad would be worthwhile.
In any case, even if I did not know its origins, there was no doubt that Artificial Divine Iron was a rare item. It would remain rare, at least until a player capable of manufacturing it appeared. I did not know whether it could be processed, but it might prove useful for something if I kept it.
After Jigoro's discovery, more fragments of Artificial Divine Iron turned up. They were all about the same size, and we ultimately collected around twenty. We decided to take one each, with the remainder going to us.
According to Mac, "We took extra usable bones, so we'll pass on metal whose usefulness we're not sure of." They would make perfect souvenirs for Iris and Shiitake, so I decided to accept them gratefully.
"Now, there's only that left..."
"That thing is obviously dangerous..."
After we finished collecting the bones, magic stones, and fragments of Artificial Divine Iron, the only thing left where the Great Bone War Fortress had stood was a single pitch-black bone. No one had touched it because it was obviously different from the others. Just as Mac had said, it looked like nothing but a dangerous object.
It was a thick bone roughly one centimeter in size, with both ends broken off, making its original shape impossible to determine. As mentioned before, it was black, yet the dark-blue streaks visible on its surface pulsed like veins.
Although it was merely a broken bone fragment, it looked as if it were still alive. It radiated such an eerie atmosphere that touching it carelessly seemed unthinkable. Even Saara, who had been enthusiastically gathering bones, came to her senses and avoided it.
"...I can't simply pretend I didn't see it. I'll use 【Appraisal】 before deciding whether to take it home."
I steeled myself and used 【Appraisal】 on the bone sticking out of the ground. This was the result.
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Ancient Bone Teeming with Resentment Quality: Excellent Rarity: L (Legendary-class)
An ancient bone filled with intense resentment, even the creature it came from unknown.
It contains residual thoughts from the moment of death, which will corrupt and possess anyone who touches it.
Only those well versed in curses and evil knowledge can retain their sanity.
※This item is cursed and cannot be purified.
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Apparently, this was the rarest item. Still, was it really a good thing that it was a cursed bone filled with resentment? Moreover, according to the 【Appraisal】 description, ordinary players might not even be able to put it in their inventories.
"What do you think, Pop?"
"It's called 'Ancient Bone Teeming with Resentment.' It's cursed, so I don't even know what would happen if someone touched it."
Pop had used 【Appraisal】 just as I had, and she shook her head as she spoke. Apparently, she had reached the same conclusion I had. Still, leaving an item this rare behind seemed like such a waste... There had to be something we could do about it...
"We've seen cursed weapons before. The curse disappeared when we took them off, so this'll be fine!"
"Ah, idiot! Stop!"
Ignoring Mac's attempt to stop her, Saara optimistically lifted the Ancient Bone Teeming with Resentment. At that moment, the dark-blue streaks visible on the bone's surface crawled up her hand like living things.