Chapter 41
While the three of us were discussing monster players, Genzuro and Ruby returned. All right, then—shall we set out?
From here on, it's the fourth floor. The enemies will probably be stronger than ever, and there will likely be more traps. We must stay sharp.
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――――――――――
Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your 【Staff】 level has increased.
Your 【Scythe Arts】 level has increased.
Your 【Magic Control】 level has increased.
Your 【Summoning Arts】 level has increased.
You learned a new Two-Stage Evolution spell.
Your 【Enchanting】 level has increased.
You learned a new Fivefold Enchantment spell.
Your 【Necromancy】 level has increased.
Your 【Curse Arts】 level has increased.
Your 【Trap Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Spirit Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Dark Arts】 level has increased.
Your 【Assassination Arts】 level has increased.
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I've leveled up in various ways, but let me say one thing: this place is insane. What makes it so insane is that not only have the number and quality of the enemies increased, but battles also turn into chaotic melees with alarming frequency.
You may be wondering what I mean by chaotic melees. First, we discovered upon arriving here that the Ratmen and the Undead are apparently enemies in this underground graveyard. I'd wondered why we hadn't encountered any mixed Ratman-Undead parties through the third floor, but I never imagined they were the kind of enemies who tried to kill each other the moment they met.
Because of that, Undead monsters often barge in while we're fighting Ratmen, and the reverse happens just as often. Sometimes the Ratmen and Undead are fighting each other, too, and we've occasionally gained the advantage by blasting them with magic that looked almost like an indiscriminate attack. So it would be wrong to do nothing but complain.
We searched every corner of the fourth floor, but apparently there aren't any hidden rooms or anything of the sort. Ruby searched especially thoroughly and still found nothing, so I'm sure of it.
And now, belatedly, let me introduce the new spells. Though, as the names suggest, both are exactly what they sound like. The second-stage evolution of 【Summoning Arts】 now lets me summon monsters equivalent to level 20, while Fivefold Enchantment from 【Enchanting】 lets me apply up to five enhancements to each person. Both are useful, but there's not much more to say about them.
Now we're standing before the stairs leading to the fifth floor. We've had quite a few battles, but we aren't tired enough to need a break yet. The reason we're hesitating to descend is the fierce sound of battle that can be heard even from here.
Someone is fighting down the stairs. Should we join in, or should we wait until we're sure the battle has died down before descending? We couldn't agree.
"Hey, let's go! A brawl sounds like fun, too!"
"No, no, let's proceed cautiously."
"Ruby, sometimes a little daring is necessary, you know?"
"Genzuro just wants to fight, doesn't he?"
Jigoro and Genzuro supported the first option, while Iris and Ruby supported the second. The final decision was left to me.
Hmm, what should we do...? I know waiting until the battle ends would be safer. But we have no idea how long that will take, and we might be able to take advantage of the situation right now. It's a difficult choice. A very difficult choice, but... all right, I've decided!
"...Let's go. If we don't, we'll never know what's going on, and we can't rule out the possibility that this battle itself is an event."
"Hah-haah! You get it, Boss!"
"Indeed, indeed."
"Sigh, all right. I'll come along."
"If there's a chance it's an event, how could I say no?"
The women somehow seemed to accept the decision, which was a relief. Then let's move. My guess is that superior species of Ratmen and Undead are fighting on an army-wide scale. I wonder if I'm right?
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"Ooooooaaah!"
"Dyu-dyu-gaaaah!"
At the bottom of the stairs, the clash of swords and the explosions of magic rang out. My prediction was half right. The part I got right was that the combatants were superior species of Ratmen and Undead.
So what did I get wrong? The Ratmen numbered somewhere between several dozen and a hundred, forming an army-scale force, while the Undead consisted of just one creature.
Wondering how it could possibly hold out, I used 【Appraisal】 on the biggest Ratman, who looked like their leader, and the lone Undead fighting desperately against them. These were the results.
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Race: Ratman King Lv45
Job: King Lv5
Skills: 【Gluttony】
【Fangs】
【Staff】
【Fire Magic】
【Light Magic】
【Dark Magic】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【???】
【Agility Enhancement】
【Command】
【Subordinate Enhancement】
【???】
Race: Gravekeeper Lv60
Job: Gravekeeper Lv-
Skills: 【Fist】
【Kicks】
【Sword Arts】
【Axe Arts】
【???】
【Vitality Enhancement】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【???】
【???】
【???】
【Night Vision】
【Status Ailment Immunity】
【Pain Immunity】
【Fire Weakness】
【Light Weakness】
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It's been a long time since I encountered an opponent whose Skills I couldn't read. And in terms of level, it's overwhelmingly superior to us.
The Ratman King was presumably just that—the king of the Ratmen. It didn't have an obvious item like a crown, but it wore armor that looked high-quality for something owned by a monster, and it was gripping a staff.
It should have been a mage-type, judging by its appearance, but it was larger than a Ratman General. Despite being a rat, it radiated the air of royalty.
The Gravekeeper wore a full suit of rust-covered armor, held a sword in its right hand and a hand axe in its left, and looked like a warrior. It wore a full-face helmet, so I couldn't be certain, but judging from the tendency of its Skills, the body beneath the armor was probably zombie-type. The way it sent Ratmen rushing at it from every direction flying could only be described as the sheer violence of level-enhanced stats.
The Gravekeeper was at a slight disadvantage. The disparity in numbers was simply too great. In addition to the Ratman King, there were four Ratman Generals, and all the rest were made up of Ratman Knights and Ratman Mages.
Moreover, despite being rats, they were coordinating well. They rotated their front line as needed to minimize their losses, while the Ratman King and Ratman Mages bombarded the Gravekeeper with 【Fire Magic】 and 【Light Magic】, its weaknesses. The Ratman King's magic, in particular, was effective because it could use both attributes it was weak to. Their teamwork was perfect, and certain defeat awaited the Gravekeeper if things continued this way.
"What shall we do, Izam?"
Genzuro asked me that question. The answer had been decided long ago—before I even used 【Appraisal】, in fact. So I answered immediately.
"We'll support the Gravekeeper."
Why did I decide to side with the Gravekeeper?
Was I driven by righteous indignation because I felt sorry for the Gravekeeper, who was surrounded and being beaten from all sides? No.
Was it because we were both Undead? Not at all. I simply disliked the Ratman King.
What did I dislike about it? Well... it was because it had 【Light Magic】, which I couldn't use! How dare a monster—especially a Ratman, one of our sources of experience—have 【Light Magic】!? Don't make me laugh! I'll turn every last one of you into experience!
"First, we'll reduce the number of minions. Remote Astral Magic Formation Activation—Ice Circle!"
"Dyu-dyu!?"
I deployed five Ice Circles, an area attack from 【Water-Ice Magic】, right in the middle of the Ratman group. Thanks to the maximum boost I'd applied to the spell beforehand with 【Enchanting】, as well as the effect of 【Assassination Arts】, the Ratman Knights caught in the blast froze solid from the cold and became unable to move, while the Ratman Mages died instantly.
"Next up! Remote Astral Magic Formation Activation—Ghoul Summon!"
To press the attack, I chose Ghoul Summon from 【Spirit Magic】. Given the ghoul's nature of biting and trying to eat anyone indiscriminately, it was impossible to ignore. The confusion caused by the ghoul would disrupt their command structure, and once their coordination broke down...
"Ooooooh!"
"D-dyu...!"
The Gravekeeper took advantage of the opening. If you don't understand, shall I explain it to you, rats? You're being attacked from both sides. In other words, you're rats in a trap!
"Dyu-dyu! Dyu-oooh!!"
"Dyuuh!"
"Dyu-dyuu!"
Huh? Had they already realized the situation they were in? For a monster bearing the name of king, it seemed to have a fairly decent AI. It sent out one of the Ratman Generals held in reserve, along with the Ratman Knights and Ratman Mages under its command.
But we'd also leveled up several times since entering this Forgotten Underground Graveyard. There was no way one Ratman General could defeat us now!
"Let's go!"
"Hiyah!"
Jigoro and Genzuro charged in first, scattering the Ratman Knights as they went.
"Damn it!"
"Your back's wide open."
Iris's tentacles constricted the Ratman Mage's neck, and Ruby's dagger sliced through it.
"Take this!"
My various spells then rained down on the rattled Ratmen. I'd sealed away fire-based magic to account for the possibility of a stray shot hitting the Gravekeeper.
"D...dyii...!"
About five minutes later, we'd defeated one unit led by a Ratman General. It hadn't been weak, but it hadn't been all that strong, either.
"You're next!"
"Let's go!"
"Hey! Wait, you two!"
Perhaps their excitement had gotten the better of them, because Jigoro and Genzuro attacked the Ratman King, whose defenses had grown thin. That was
obviously reckless!
"Dyugah!"
"Urgh!?"
"Ngh!?"
The Ratman King struck the two of them from behind with its staff, looking annoyed. Though it was a mage-type, the blow it delivered with its pure physical stats, enhanced by its build and level, was tremendous, sending them both flying.
Worse, it was trying to follow up with magic! This was bad! The blow alone had reduced nearly half of their HP. If they took a direct hit from its true specialty, magic, they would certainly die!
"Damn it—Remote Diamond Magic Formation Activation, Magic Shield! Iris!"
"I know!"
"Dyu, d-yiiii!"
I deployed Magic Shield in front of the two of them while Iris used her tentacles to pull them toward us. Please, make it in time!
The Ratman King's spell went off, but perhaps because it didn't have 【Magic Control】, it failed to hit us directly and instead struck the ground. My Magic Shield could withstand the shock wave alone.
Th-thank goodness! That was close!
"S-sorry!"
"Ugh, my apologies."
"We'll worry about that later! Use your potions! Summon—Skeleton Shield Warrior! Activate Astral Magic Formation—Paralyze!"
I summoned two monsters with excellent defensive abilities as meat shields while casting 【Curse Arts】 on the Ratman King. I would have preferred to use Silence to prevent it from casting magic, but I couldn't imagine that working against an opponent nearly twenty levels higher than us. So, to buy even a little time, I chose Paralyze, which could immobilize it and was easier to land.
"Dydydy!"
My plan seemed to work, and the Ratman King stopped moving completely for several seconds. But it would still take time for the other two to recover! I needed a little more time!
"How about this!"
"Hah!"
"Look this way, too!"
Iris and Ruby seemed to have had the same idea as me. I used the martial technique Flying Slash as continuously as possible, Iris attacked with a wooden mallet and a hatchet, and Ruby attacked the Ratman King from behind with her dagger. Even with the level difference, it surely wouldn't come away unscathed, would it?
"Good, it works!"
"So can I!"
It had felt incredibly long from my perspective, but it seemed the other two had recovered as well. Once Ruby confirmed that, she backed away from the Ratman King without pursuing it any further. We'd somehow managed to regroup!
Now, how should we proceed? It was obvious that we couldn't whittle it down to nothing ourselves. This was the first time since my solo challenge of the 'Azure Moon Trial' that a single mistake meant death and being sent back. I was a skeleton, yet I could almost feel cold sweat breaking out.
"Everyone, from here on, be careful..."
"OAAAAAAAAH!"
Whoa! What was that? Oh, it was the Gravekeeper! I'd completely forgotten about it.
Huh? Why was the Gravekeeper here? Oh, the entire group surrounding the Ratman King, including the three remaining Ratman Generals, had been wiped out... Did we win?