Chapter 332
Ultimately, we reached the nearest pond without being attacked by a single Hellbeast. It was easier without any fighting, but Jigorou looked bored and dissatisfied. You'd think he'd prefer the easy route, you battle maniac.
The nearest pond was filled with a murky green liquid. Some kind of gas rising from the bottom made its surface bubble and churn. Perhaps because the liquid was so viscous, the sound was extremely loud. Above all, though, we couldn't help wrinkling our noses at the foul stench that wafted up whenever a bubble burst.
"Even so, this sure smells fishy. What is it?"
"Let's scoop some up for now."
"Then it's this guy's turn~"
What Shiitake took out was a glass bottle with a string tied around it. She conducted various experiments every day and made the glassware she needed for them herself using 【Alchemy】. This bottle was probably one of those items.
Whenever we passed in front of the laboratory where Shiitake shut herself away, we smelled some kind of strange odor or heard an explosion. We also frequently heard the sound of shattering glass, so perhaps she couldn't get by without making her own experimental equipment.
Since I had 【Status Ailment Immunity】, it would have been quickest for me to submerge the bottle in the pond, but for safety's sake, I tied a rope to it and threw it in. Once the bottle had slowly sunk, I pulled on the rope, bringing up a bottle full of filthy-looking liquid. Holding back the urge to pinch my nose, we used 【Appraisal】.
――――――――――
Hunger Sludge Quality: Fair Rarity: S (Special Grade)
Sludge from the many marshes scattered throughout Hell.
It gradually reduces the fullness of anyone who drinks it.
No one would willingly drink this foul-smelling liquid.
――――――――――
Oh ho! A liquid that causes a status ailment! This is exactly what I was looking for! The smell is a drawback, but what I, what we, were seeking was an item that wasn't just ordinary water! Reducing fullness is a fairly mundane effect, but there are countless ponds in Hell. It wouldn't be strange for some truly outrageous liquid to be hiding among them.
Shiitake began shrieking while Iris happily wriggled her tentacles, repeatedly throwing the glass bottle and retrieving it. Shiitake seemed to be collecting the liquid strictly as research material, but Iris appeared to have found exactly the item she had been looking for.
"I have a feeling that using this liquid would let us make a plant that greatly restores fullness. Though I suppose it might greatly reduce fullness instead..."
"So it's a gamble. I'm sure it will work out."
Once we had collected a sufficient amount of sludge, we set out for the next pond. Just as Shio and Shichiko had said, we found a wide variety of ponds as we followed the river. There was a nearly blackish-purple poisonous marsh, a crystal-clear pond that emitted yellow smoke capable of causing paralysis when inhaled, and a milky-white hot spring with a pleasant temperature that lowered Agility if one soaked in it. There was even a sulfuric acid pond dyed emerald green, something that exists in the real world as well.
We also discovered that the soil around the ponds had similar effects after absorbing their water. Naturally, we collected that, too. It was just as dangerous as the liquids, so we took it home in glass bottles in the same way.
They were all interesting items, and most of the members traveling through Hell successfully obtained something they were satisfied with. But I still hadn't found an item that made me think, 'This is it!' Perhaps my standards were too high.
"That's the last pond visible from here. It's over there!"
The pond in the direction Shio was pointing was my last chance. If it turned out to be underwhelming, I would quietly settle for one of the liquids we had obtained during our exploration.
With that thought in mind, we headed to a bright-red pond unlike any we had seen before. An obviously artificial pedestal stood in the center of the pool, and a liquid that filled the pond flowed intermittently from an object atop it. The problem was the source of that liquid.
"Is that... a heart?"
"It is a heart."
"That's seriously gross. Anyone without resistance to gore would faint on the spot."
"What a bizarre thing..."
What sat atop the pedestal was an exposed heart. Though we couldn't know for certain without touching it, its visible texture made it look like a fresh, genuine organ. It continued beating rhythmically, and each time it moved, a liquid that appeared to be blood gushed violently from its severed blood vessels.
The amount of blood flowing with each beat clearly exceeded the volume of the heart itself. Was that heart itself producing an infinite amount of blood? Whatever the case, it was such a gruesomely macabre sight that I felt I might lose my sanity. As expected of Hell.
"Hmm, hmm? Its overall shape resembles a human heart, but this is the heart of an entirely different creature. It clearly has far more large blood vessels, and more than anything, it has three atria and three ventricles. I want to pick it up and examine it right now~!"
"That's your reaction? You're way too calm..."
Shichiko objected with an unmistakably incredulous tone, but Shiitake paid him no mind. She continued observing the heart, leaning so far forward that she looked ready to fall. Since we had no idea what would happen if she did, Iris silently wrapped a tentacle around her torso to support her. She looked like a pet on a leash... though she was a mushroom.
I had learned in middle or high school that the human heart had four chambers, so I knew that much. However, I didn't have enough knowledge to tell from a distance whether this heart was different. Shiitake might be deeply versed in anatomy as well.
"At any rate, let's collect some of the liquid. Here goes."
Shiitake tossed a glass bottle into the pond and tried to collect the blood filling it. However, just before the bottle hit the pond, blood shot out from within at terrifying speed like a laser and pierced the bottle before it could touch the surface.
And the attack wasn't limited to one shot. Dozens of jets of blood burst forth from an area near the pedestal where the heart sat, shattering the glass bottle to pieces. Something was lurking in this pond. We instinctively braced ourselves for an enemy attack.
"Juurururu..."
"Globubub..."
"Eek!?"
What emerged from the pond was a Hellbeast resembling an octopus-shaped Martian. However, there was nothing comical about its appearance. Its head had the same shape as the mysterious heart on the pedestal, and it stood on the thick blood vessels extending from it like octopus tentacles.
The heart throbbed rhythmically, and the ends of the blood vessels extending from it appeared to be mouths. From the tips aimed at us, we could clearly see rows of tiny, sharp fangs. It had no visible sensory organs such as eyes or ears, yet it had clearly detected our presence and was directing hostility toward us.
Iris let out a small shriek at the sight of this abomination. I didn't actually cry out, but its appearance inspired such instinctive revulsion that I recoiled and took half a step backward. Even Jigorou grimaced in displeasure. Cal and Shiitake were about the only ones who remained unfazed.
――――――――――
Race: Searing Blood Hellbeast Lv. 83–88
Job: Grand Curse Mage Lv. 3–8
Skill: 【Dexterity Enhancement】
【Super Intelligence Enhancement】
【Super Spirit Enhancement】
【Erosion Whip Arts】
【Cursecraft】
【High-Speed Jet】
【Searing Blood】
【Stealth】
【Sneaking】
【Surprise Attack】
【Assassination Arts】
【？？？】
【Status Ailment Immunity】
【Fire Resistance】
【Physical Vulnerability】
―――――――――――
Oh, crap. They're on our level! It's been a long time since 【Appraisal】 failed to reveal an opponent's Skills. There are twelve of them, too, which is an awful lot. A few of the visible Skills look dangerous as well. Their overall physical weakness might be an opening we could exploit, but... isn't getting close to them basically impossible?
"Gubobob!"
"Jurubaba!"
"So you're raring to go? Earth Fortress!"
The swarm of Searing Blood Hellbeasts shrieked hideously as they aimed the tips of their tentacles at us. They were bound to fire blood at high pressure from those tips again. I activated my new spell, Earth Fortress.
The instant it activated, the ground of Hell rose up around us, forming sturdy walls. The earthen walls caught the blood fired by the Searing Blood Hellbeasts, sizzling and boiling under the assault. I had expected it after seeing the 【Searing Blood】 Skill, but their blood seemed to be extremely hot.
However, the earthen walls firmly withstood the attack. Earth Fortress was a spell that raised the ground beneath my feet into walls protecting the surrounding area. The interesting thing about this spell was that because the earth beneath my feet became the wall, the properties of the soil directly affected the wall's elemental resistances.
In general, monsters' elements and their surrounding environments are the same. Hot regions tend to have fire-element monsters, while cold regions tend to have water-element monsters. The soil in hot regions contains fire-element power, while the soil in cold regions contains water-element power. Thus, when fighting monsters from the same region, the walls function as sturdy defenses.
"Let's hole up here and fight. The enemies are resistant to status ailments and fire, and apparently their tentacle strikes, high-temperature blood, and 【Cursecraft】 can inflict status ailments. But they're weak to physical attacks, so let's make Shio's bow and the throwing weapons of Iris and Shiitake our main offensive force while the rest of us focus on support."
"Sure, boss."
"Tch, is this a bad matchup for me?"
Despite this being a rare chance to fight, Jigorou couldn't take the front line and clicked his tongue bitterly. The temperature of the blood might not have been a problem for Jigorou, but he couldn't ignore the status ailments and stat reductions caused by 【Cursecraft】. By the time he got close enough to punch them, he would probably no longer be in any condition to fight.
People often misunderstand this, but Jigorou simply enjoys battles that come down to the wire between victory and defeat. He doesn't like throwing himself into a hopeless battle when he knows from the start that he can't win. He was dissatisfied that he couldn't fight, but he could endure it. All right, let's get our debut battle in Hell underway!