Chapter 43
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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.
You learned Triple Slash, a martial technique of 【Scythe Arts】.
Your 【Magic Control】 level has increased.
Your 【Earth Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Water-Ice Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Storm Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Tree Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Sandstorm Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Smoke Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Lightning Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Dark Magic】 level has increased.
You learned a new Black Thread spell.
Your 【Void Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Summoning Arts】 level has increased.
Your 【Enchanting】 level has increased.
Your 【Magic Formation】 level has increased.
Your 【Necromancy】 level has increased.
Your 【Curse Arts】 level has increased.
You learned new Illness and Slow spells.
Your 【Trap Magic】 level has increased.
You learned a new Astral Trap Formation spell.
Your 【Spirit Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Dark Arts】 level has increased.
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I had actually wanted the Gravekeeper to take the lead, with us providing support, but in the end, we fought at full strength as usual. The Gravekeeper had suffered some exhaustion from fighting alongside us, but seemed quite energetic.
The final blow was Jigoro's murderously powerful heel drop in Divine Beast form, but we were allowed to land it. The Gravekeeper had focused on supporting us throughout the battle, and even though we'd expected another battle immediately afterward, it didn't seem tired at all. How was that possible?
"Thank you for your aid, fellow aberrant beings."
That whole 'Kyeeeeeeah! It talked!' running gag is getting old. More importantly, you could talk after all? During the battle, you did nothing but roar "Ooooooaaah!" so you seemed to have lost all reason, but you're far more lucid than the Undead Mage we fought in the cave.
Now, what should I say? All right, I'll answer honestly while staying in character.
"There is no need to thank us, my fellow Undead. We came this far solely out of curiosity about the unknown."
"Hah-haah! Curiosity, you say! To come all the way to the depths of such a gloomy, remote place for that reason alone—how bold of you!"
The Gravekeeper laughed heartily. Our first contact had gone quite well.
"Then why were you fighting those rats?"
"Indeed. You have the right to know. The truth is..."
To summarize the Gravekeeper's story, the Ratmen had appeared from nowhere and apparently intended to use this underground graveyard as their tribe's home. Merely squatting here would have been outrageous enough, but those bastards had even tried to eat the corpses buried here.
So the Gravekeeper challenged the Ratmen to battle in order to fulfill its duty. But there were simply too many of them, and the Gravekeeper was gradually forced back until it was finally cornered on the deepest level, the fifth floor.
The Gravekeeper told us with a laugh that if we hadn't come, this underground graveyard would have become a Ratman kingdom by now.
No, that wasn't something to laugh about. If we'd left them alone and a Ratman kingdom had been established, we, who used the sewers as our base, might not have been able to go outside at all.
It had been the right decision not to wait at the top of the stairs for the battle to end, and to choose the Gravekeeper as our ally when deciding whom to fight alongside. Hadn't we inadvertently saved the city of Fars, too? Though it really had been an accident.
"Now, since you came all this way without robbing any graves or damaging the corpses, I ought to give you some sort of reward. Hmm, let me think..."
Whoa, Genzuro's ethics just paid off. Of course the Gravekeeper would dislike having grave goods taken away.
If we'd robbed the graves, the story might have ended right there. We might even have had to fight. I'd rather avoid that, though, since we're badly worn out and would have no chance of winning.
"Huh? We've defeated a lot of zombies on the way here. Is that all right?"
Hey! Ruby! You didn't have to be that honest!
"Hahaha, I have no objection. In fact, I should be thanking you for defeating them and allowing them to enter true rest. Naturally, you may take anything you obtained from them."
S-so that's how it was. Killing the Undead infesting this place was allowed, then. In that case, we can come here without holding back and collect items. Bone Wall yields magic bones, while the living corpse types yield dark-attribute magic stones, so this is a pretty profitable hunting ground.
More importantly, what kind of reward was the Gravekeeper offering us? Hopefully, it would be something valuable enough to trade for all the grave goods, but that was probably too much to ask.
"You came all this way out of curiosity. Here is a map leading to a place that can satisfy that insatiable spirit of exploration. I want you to have it."
"Ah, I'll gladly accept it."
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You acquired an Old Map.
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An old map, huh? I'd expected something like treasure, so it seemed I'd guessed wrong.
It was quite different from what I'd expected, but I didn't show any disappointment. Since I had no facial expression, hiding my true feelings was easy as long as I paid attention to my voice.
"In that case, we should be taking our leave soon."
"Indeed. I must also get to work hunting down the remaining rats. May fortune smile upon your journey."
"Thank you. Stay well yourself."
And so, our exploration of the underground graveyard came to an end. An unexpected reconciliation ending with the boss! I never expected something like that to happen!
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When we returned to the laboratory, we immediately opened the map. Since it was old, parts of it had been eaten away by insects, and the shapes of the landmasses were drawn rather roughly.
The writing on it was old as well. Without 【Archaeology】, I probably couldn't have deciphered it. I had to thank Iifa-sama.
"So, we go north from the city of Fars, cross the lake, and head to the mountain beyond it. Then, if we recite the incantation written here at the summit, something will happen?"
"That sounds pretty suspicious."
"Suspicious? Come on, let's trust that Gravekeeper-san. It was a reward, after all."
Iris was right. This was a map we'd obtained after a battle fierce enough to nearly kill Jigoro and Genzuro. Wouldn't it be strange if it led nowhere?
When all was said and done, this was a game. There was no way an item an important NPC had handed over as a reward would be a mere scrap of paper. Right?
...Y-yeah, that's right, isn't it? No, wait! In WSS-style games, there's apparently still a chance that all our effort could amount to nothing, so I can't say that for certain!
"However, there is a problem."
"That's true. Even if we hurried, it would take a full day to get there."
"That's the problem, all right."
Exactly. Everyone may have forgotten, but I have the 【Light Weakness】 trait. It applied to sunlight as well, severely hindering my ability to act outdoors during the day.
It had been quite a while since 【Light Weakness】 had reached Level 1, but even if I logged out every day with a lamp left on, it stubbornly refused to reach Level 0. By feel, it seemed like it should be happening soon, but...
"Then why don't we split up until Izam's weakness disappears? It's Friday, anyway. You said before that it was almost gone, so I'll go wander around outside for a while."
"Yeah... do that."
It was dispiriting to think that my racial weakness was holding everyone back.
"Then I shall go hunting outside as well."
"Oh, Grandpa! I'll come with you!"
"Then I'll focus on production. You three, bring me back some souvenirs, all right?"
And with that, we'd decided how to spend our time. For now, until bedtime, I would use the magic bones we obtained in the underground graveyard to train 【Alchemy】 while continuing to raise my resistance with the lamp.
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I diligently combined magic bones, improving their quality. I didn't dislike repeating simple tasks. In fact, working without thinking suited me perfectly, and I was now using my four arms skillfully enough to improve my efficiency.
Now, while I work, I'll explain the new martial technique and spells. First, there's Triple Slash from 【Scythe Arts】. It's exactly what it sounds like: you slash an enemy three times in succession.
You can adjust the path of each slash from the first to the third, so it probably has a lot of possible applications. It doesn't matter much to me, though, since I don't fight in close quarters.
Next is Black Thread from 【Dark Magic】. It creates magical thread whose thickness can be controlled fairly freely. It would be difficult to deal damage with this alone, but its pure restraining power is exceptional. It seems like it could be useful for traps or stopping enemies in their tracks.
Next are Illness and Slow from 【Curse Arts】. Illness inflicts a troublesome status ailment that can only be cured with a potion specifically for illnesses or specialized recovery magic.
In exchange for being difficult to remove, the symptoms that develop seem to be random. It might do nothing more than make your throat feel scratchy, or it might cause every effect at once—headaches, coughing, fever, a runny nose, nausea, fatigue, and so on. Its effectiveness comes down to luck.
As for the other one, Slow, it doesn't lower Agility. That's a separate curse called Agility Down. So what does it slow? All five of the target's senses. Their vision becomes slightly blurry, their hearing a little duller, their sense of smell slightly less acute, and their fingertips become sluggish. That's the general idea.
It may not sound like a major effect, but according to Jigoro and Genzuro, having your senses fall out of sync during battle is a serious problem. The more evenly matched the battle, the more effective that sensory discrepancy apparently becomes.
Apparently, its effects are especially vicious because this is VR. If we encounter an opponent that gives them trouble in the future, I'll try using it.
And finally, there's Astral Trap Formation from 【Trap Magic】. Like the Astral Magic Formation from 【Magic Formation】, it now seems to let me set up to five traps. If I can lure an enemy into a trap loaded with a powerful spell, that alone might be enough to defeat it. I need to learn how to use this properly.
So that's the gist of it. My magic has been getting quite a bit stronger, too. I'm only three levels away from my next evolution, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what evolution paths and Jobs will be available then...
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Your 【Alchemy】 level has increased.
Your 【Light Weakness】 Skill has been mitigated.
You lost the 【Light Weakness】 Skill.
You acquired the Title 'Darkness Beyond Light's Reach.'
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Th-this is...!