"Damn it, why isn't it there…" [Hajime]
It has been three days since they killed the Talon Bear. They had been searching for the route leading to the upper floors and had already finished exploring eighty percent of this level. Eating the Talon Bear caused their status to jump again, and there was no longer anything that exists on this level which could threaten them now. This allowed them to hasten their search of the vast area in a quick pace, but despite that, nothing was found.
No, it is wrong to say that nothing was found. More precisely, it is the path "upstairs", the path "downstairs" had been discovered two days ago. The Dungeon's structure which consists of many floors will definitely have a path leading up, but no matter what they did, it simply couldn't be found.
Furthermore, ignoring the strange dungeon, the method of directly creating a path upstairs through transmutation had already been tried. In the end, no matter whether it was upwards or downwards, Hajime and Tanaka found out that after advancing to a certain extent, somehow the walls become unresponsive to transmutation. There were no limits as to how much they transmuted within the level, but it might be covered in some sort of protection in regards to upwards and downwards. This 【Orcus Great Dungeon】 is a dungeon created since ancient times, and full of mysteries. It is hardly surprising.
That's why, they could only honestly search for a path up, but a decision has to be made should the path not be found. That was, to dive even deeper into the Great Dungeon.
"…Dead end huh. The branches have all been searched. What the heck is this. Sigh~" [Hajime]
"...This is getting frustrating honestly." [Tanaka]
They could only let out a deep sigh while resigning themselves that a path up couldn't be found. Then, they headed towards the room where they discovered the stairs leading down two days ago.
That staircase was extremely poorly constructed. It might be more accurate to call it an uneven hill road rather than a staircase. From that point on, there were no longer any Green Light Stones, plunging the area ahead in complete darkness and oozing an ominous aura. It was like looking into the mouth of an enormous monster. The feeling of "It's impossible to leave once you've entered' naturally arose.
"Ha~! Bring it on! Whatever it is, if it hinders me, Kill and Devour." [Hajime]
"Guess we have no choice, huh?" [Tanaka]
"Or more like, why are you two looking forward to it?" [Kaori]
Hajime and Tanaka snorted at themselves for thinking as such, the corners of the two's lips curving into a fearless smile making Kaori frown at the two reckless guys. They then stepped into the darkness without any hesitation.
This level was very dark. It's natural for an underground dungeon, but all the levels that they had been to so far had Green Light Stones, and though those levels were dim, it was not so much that they couldn't even see ahead. However, it seemed like this level did not have any Green Light Stones. Stopping for a little while, they were expecting their eyes to somewhat get used to seeing in the dark, but no matter how long passed, there were no differences. As a last resort, Hajime took out the Green Light Stone to serve as a lamp from the improvised backpack he made with transmuted wires from the Talon Bear's fur.
Bluntly speaking, possessing a light source in the darkness is equivalent to suicide if there were magic beasts around. However, since they weren't able to even move on without this, they could only take the plunge.
After progressing for a while, noticing something shining within the passageway, they raised their awareness to the maximum. Advancing while staying hidden under the shadows as much as possible, they suddenly felt an unpleasant presence from their left. they instantly jumped back and pointed the Green Light Stone towards the presence. There was a gray lizard approximately two meter in length stuck to the wall, glaring at them with its golden eyes.
Those golden eyes flashed momentarily and in the next instant…
"""—!?"""
Along with a cracking sound, Hajime's left arm began to petrify.
"!?—HAJIME-KUN!"
The petrification immediately spread to the Green Light Stone as well and within seconds, there was a creaking noise as it completely shattered. With the light source gone, darkness set upon the area once again. The petrification of Hajime's arm was already encroaching his shoulder.
Hajime clicked his tongue and took out a bottle of sacred water from his holster; which was made from wires of magic beast fur, and drank it in one gulp. As expected, the petrification came to halt, and the petrified part returned to normal in the blink of an eye.
"—It's fine now Shirasaki-san. I recovered using the healing water." [Hajime]
"How dare you do this!" While cursing inwardly, he took out a 【Flash Grenade】 from his waist pack and tossed it towards the golden-eyed lizard. At the same time, over in the darkness, those golden eyes started to shine once again. Hajime didn't appear to care as he instantly retreated from the area by using 【Ground Shrink】.
Then changes appeared on the boulder behind where Hajime originally stood, and subsequently, it crumbled as if it had been weathered. It seems to possess considerably powerful Evil Eyes of Petrification! In RPG terms, this is probably a Basilisk.
While thinking of such things, Hajime pulled out Donner and held it up before his eyes, shielding his closed eyes. And "Bang!" The surroundings were bathed in an intense light, painting their vision with light.
"Ku-ua!?"
Perhaps it had never experienced such an intense light up till date, the figure of a disoriented Basilisk emerged in the darkness. Hajime fired without hesitation. The tremendous power hidden within the bullet without aiming, bore into the Basilisk's head and pulverized its skull, completely ravaging the insides. The bullet pierced through the head left a deep hole on the wall and "Shuuu~", leaving behind the sound of burning rocks.
"Whoa~ Seriously, that weapon is bad news. Easily pulverizing magic beasts." [Tanaka]
As a result of the electromagnetic acceleration, the location that was struck was emitting high temperatures. This is probably the power of the Taur Stone which strengthens when heated.
While they were still keeping a lookout on their surroundings, they approached the Basilisk, quickly tore off its flesh and retreated from that location. As expected, it is impossible to leisurely eat when faced with such a situation where they were practically blind. For now, they chose to continue exploring.
They kept walking in the darkness. Despite feeling as if they had continuously searched for several tens of hours, yet the staircase leading down was still nowhere in sight. Along the way, they had defeated many magic beasts and collected many ores and it was gradually becoming an inconvenience to carry. Thus, Hajime and Tanaka decided to construct a base.
After finding a suitable spot, the two placed their hands on the wall and began transmuting. There weren't any particular problems opening up a hole in the wall, and they went even deeper into the passage. They continued to transmute and a nine tatami space was formed. Then, taking out a bluish-white crystal the size of a basketball from their baggage, Hajime attached it to a dent in the wall. What was taken out was the God Crystal. They also set up a container below it to collect the droplets of water.
By the way, Hajime named the God Crystal as 【Potion Stone】, and the Sacred Water as 【Potion】to which the other two agreed as it simplifies what the stone and its essence is. It is indeed a representation of restorative medicine in games, though due to the vast differences in effects, it is rather pathetic for it to be simply called a potion.
"Well, then, time to eat." [Hajime]
"I'll cook it~" [Kaori]
They took out the meat from the container (made with transmutation) in the backpack. Using 【Lightning Clad】, Kaori cooked it evenly. Today's menu included: Whole Roast Basilisk, Whole Roast Owl, which fires its feathers like a shotgun, and Whole Roast six-legged Cat. With no seasoning.
"""Itadakimasu~"""
While eating with munching sounds, pain began to gradually course through their body. That is to say, their body has been strengthened. If that was the case, it means that the magic beasts here possess strength equal or higher than that of the Talon Bear. The combination of the dark environment and unique magic will definitely prove to be a problem. But their true feelings were that, as long as they have the power and weapons, everything will be smashed into smithereens.
They continued to eat while ignoring the pain and drinking Sacred Water. The continuous pain starting from the phantom pain had made them extremely resistant to pain.
"Chomp, Fu~u. I'm done. Now then, my status…" [Hajime]
"You should eat more slowly, you know?" [Kaori]
"Sorry, I just couldn't help it. I was curious what new skill we would gain this time." [Hajime]
While saying that, Hajime took out his status plate. Hajime's current status is…
Nagumo Hajime 17 Year old Male
Class: Synergist Level: 23
Strength: 450 Vitality: 550
Resistance: 350 Agility: 550
Magic Power: 500 Magic Resistance: 500
Skills:
Transmutation [+Mineral Appraisal] [+Precise Transmutation] [+Mineral Investigation] [+Mineral Separation] [+Mineral Fusion] • Magic Manipulation • Iron Stomach • Lightning Clad • Divine Step [+Aerodynamic] [+Ground Shrink] • Air Claw • Night Vision • Presence Perception • Petrification Resistance • Language Comprehension
There was a substantial rise just as expected. Even the number of skills in the skills column increased by three. Looking around carefully, Hajime could certainly see further into the surroundings as compared to before. It appears to be the effects of 【Night Vision】.
"【Night Vision】, huh? Quite useful, now we won't have to use the lamp. It's a death wish carrying a light source around." [Tanaka]
"True, with this and with 【Presence Perception】 we won't have to worry about getting ambushed by a magic beast." [Hajime]
"It's really relieving now that we have this reassurance." [Kaori]
Since the magic beasts of the abyss had faint presences, it is incredibly advantageous in this level.
Lastly, was the literal skill. Regrettably, Basilisk's unique ability was 【Resistance】 and not 【Petrify】. "Evil Eyes of Petrification! Sounds kind of cool…" Hajime was slightly disappointed.
"...eh? [Kaori]
"What is it, Shirasaki-san?" [Hajime]
"I got it..." [Kaori]
"Got what?" [Tanaka]
"I got both the 【Petrify】and 【Resistance】..." [Kaori]
""Seriously!"" [Hajime and Tanaka]
Shirasaki Kaori 17 Year old Female
Class: Priest Level: 49
Strength: 450 Vitality: 560
Resistance: 390 Agility: 440
Magic Power: 700 Magic Resistance: 700
Skills:
Recovery Magic Affinity [+Improved Proficiency] [+Increased Casting Speed] [+Image Supplementation] [+Piercing Spell] [+Remote Heal] [+Improved Status Effect Recovery] [+Reduced Mana Consumption] [+Improved Mana Efficiency] [+Chain Casting] [+Multicasting] [+Spell Retention] [+Effect Multiplication] • Light Magic Affinity • High Speed Mana Recovery [+Meditation] • Magical Diagnostics • Magic Manipulation • Iron Stomach • Lightning Clad [+Lightning Fist] • Divine Step [+Aerodynamic] [+Ground Shrink] • Air Claw • Night Vision • Presence Perception • Petrify [+Petrification Resistance] • Language Comprehension
Surprisingly, only one of them, Kaori, is the only one to get the 【Petrify】skill from eating the magic beast.
"How unfair…" [Hajime]
"D-Don't worry, Hajime-kun….You still might get a better skill later on too." [Kaori]
"I guess you're right." [Hajime]
Hajime could only sigh in disappointment for not being able to get the skill, and gets depressed as Kaori tries to cheer him up.
—-
After finishing with their meal, Hajime and Tanaka began transmuting to replenish their consumables. Creating even a single bullet required immense concentration. At any rate, it is an ultra precise product. The rifling carved on Donner was meaningless if the size was not a perfect match. The amount of compressed explosives permit no room for errors. Therefore, producing a single bullet took nearly thirty minutes. Even Hajime himself considered it a job well done and was amazed by the display of extraordinary strength by humans facing death.
Although it was time-consuming, its power was undisputed and since Hajime and Tanaka could also greatly increase their proficiency of transmutation at the same time, there was nothing to complain about. Thanks to their skills, removing the impurities within the minerals has become an easy task, and conversely, even fusion could be easily done. In reality, the two's transmutation skills now are comparable to the top Synergists of the Kingdom.
Hajime and Tanaka kept on transmuting silently. Besides, they have only descended one level. It was impossible to estimate how much deeper this abyss stretches. They planned to set out to search immediately after finishing transmuting for the sake of returning home even a little bit earlier. There was no point in lingering around. In the silent abyss, the God Crystal's pale light illuminated Hajime's resolute expression and Kaori who was by his side silently watches him as she admires his working figure.
Other than using transmutation at their base to replenish their consumables at times, The trio was constantly on the move. Taking a short rest during their search of the vast dungeon, they have no idea how long had passed. With help from 【Night Vision】, they no longer had to worry about the darkness and with 【Presence Perception】, they were able to sense any magic beasts within a ten meter radius. The group advanced their search quickly.
Then, the stairs leading to the lower floor was finally discovered, which they unhesitantly descended.
On this level, the ground was entirely covered in tar like a sticky swamp. Since it stuck to the legs, it was dreadfully hard to move. It was so hard for them to move that they had to use the protruding rocks or 【Aerodynamic】as footholds and began their search.
While using the 【Mineral Investigation】skill to examine the surrounding minerals while advancing, Tanaka discovered a very interesting mineral en route.
Flame Ore
A black shiny ore. It becomes tarry when heated. Its melting point is at 50 Degree Celsius, incidentally, its tar form ignites at 100 Degree Celsius, reaching up to temperatures of 3000 Degree Celsius. The burning duration depends on the amount of tar present.
"…No way." [Tanaka]
"What is it?" [Hajime]
"Take a look." [Tanaka]
Hajime's expression stiffened into a smile as he slowly lifted his legs. Then having stepped several times on the tarry substance that covered the entire level just now, the semi-liquid dripped from Hajime's shoes with a wet sloppy sound.
"Fi-Firearms are out…" [Hajime]
"Yeah, you can't use Donner here. We will get burned to smithereens here if it caught on fire. We also can't use 【Lightning Clad】here." [Tanaka]
"That's really worrying." [Kaori]
"Right? We should proceed with caution on this floor." [Tanaka]
"Got it." [Hajime]
Considering its ignition temperature at one hundred degrees, it probably wouldn't catch fire that easily. If it ignites, the chain reaction will cause the entire level to be engulfed in high temperatures of three thousand Degree Celsius. In that case, they weren't confident that they could survive even with their stockpile of Sacred Water.
Donner is a powerful weapon. Even without electromagnetic acceleration, just the explosive made from the Combustion Stone alone, displayed more than enough power. However, that was the case for ordinary magic beasts only. For example, against the Skeleton Soldier, it will be enough without electromagnetic acceleration and even towards Behemoth, it is expected to deal decent damage, but the magic beasts of this abyss are abnormal. The magic beasts upstairs don't appear to be only at the level of an ordinary monster. Therefore, would the magic beasts of this level be taken down simply with the power of explosives…..?
Putting aside that sort of anxiety, the corners of Hajime's lips lifted.
"It doesn't change what we're going to do anyway. Kill and Devour." [Hajime]
"Yep, we have other means of skills to use, so no worries." [Tanaka]
With both Hajime's railgun and their 【Lightning Clad】 in a sealed state, they restarted their exploration.
Advancing for a while, they reached a three-forked road. Following the theory of leaving a mark on the nearby wall, they stepped forward planning to explore the left passage.
At that instant, Gachin!
"""—!?"""
With rows of countless sharp teeth lining its opened huge jaws, a shark-like magic beast jumped out from within the tar. Aimed at Tanaka's head, the jaws snapped shut as a resounding sound of teeth striking each other was produced. Although Tanaka managed to dodge by bending his body at once, he shuddered.
"【Presence Perception】 didn't react! How the hell!?" [Tanaka]
"Mine too, the skill didn't react." [Hajime]
Well, ever since they obtained the 【Presence Perception】 skill, they have kept it continuously active. They should have been able to detect any living thing within a ten meter radius without fail. Despite that, they completely couldn't sense the shark from a moment ago until just before it attacked.
Missing its bite on Tanaka, the shark dived into the tar with a Plop and disappeared once more.
"Damn, as expected, its presence can't be grasped!" [Tanaka]
Tanaka gnashed his teeth at the incomprehensible situation. At any rate, to prevent any damage, they resumed their movements using 【Aerodynamic】.
Almost as if waiting for that instant, the shark jumped out once again.
"Don't look down on me!" [Tanaka]
Tanaka somersaulted in the air, and slashed towards the shark which was passing overhead in his inverted field of vision. The sword released from its sheath which was meant to shred apart its foes cut through the air and accurately landed on the back of the shark with exquisite timing.
However,
"!? It was repelled! It's skin damn tough!?" [Tanaka]
The moment the blade hit was as if striking rubber, the shark's skin depressed and easily reflected the sword. It seems like the shark's skin has the property of Physical Impact Mitigation.
"Grr!"
Thinking that it was natural for it to dive back into the tar after passing through, the shark made an astounding movement. Landing for a single instant, the shark turned around and leapt towards Kaori this time. Kaori somehow managed to dodge by twisting her body, but her side has been lightly gouged. The impact caused Kaori to fall into the tar. Despite having her entire body dyed pitched black, she hurriedly got up and skipped into the air. Immediately following that, the shark's jaws materialized directly below where Kaori stepped out from, and with a loud Bakun!, snapped shut.
Cold sweat began to flow from them who were skipping in the air using 【Aerodynamic】. Nevertheless, despite being driven to a corner, their lips had a fearless smile.
"Bring it on!" [Hajime]
"You're dead! You shithead!?" [Tanaka]
Using 【Aerodynamic】 again, Tanaka bounded in the air, never stopping at any location while waiting for the attacking moment. Fully demonstrating his concentration during his transmutation training, the surrounding landscape gradually faded out of sight.
(…It's not a problem to be unable to detect its presence. I didn't have this skill initially either. Even if I can't sense its presence, it will definitely be there at that instant it attacks.) [Tanaka]
Tanaka was so focused on his thoughts while jumping that he accidentally lost his balance. The shark didn't miss this opportunity and instantly leapt from a blind spot at the back.
"Saved by your simplicity!" [Tanaka]
Tanaka who was supposed to have lost his balance immediately righted himself and fended off the attacking shark with a mid-air side flip while swinging Honoikazuchi which was in his right hand.
In the next moment, the shark was spraying blood from a deep cut on its side as it fell into the tar. The shark splashed about in the tar as it struggled in agony.
Tanaka's deliberate act of losing his balance and exposing his back was to provide the time, place and opportunity and incite an attack. Then, wrapping Honoikazuchi in the Talon Bear's unique magic 【Air Claw】, he tore it apart.
Hajime then approached the squirming shark and swung Donner down at its head. 【Air Claw】 cleanly bisected the shark's head. Though Hajime wasn't able to form three Air Claws like the Talon Bear, its sharpness has far surpassed that of famous swords. It is a truly reliable unique magic for close quarters.
"Now then, let's confirm the reason why its presence can't be detected?" [Hajime]
Hajime said that while licking his lips.
After that, the shark meat was removed and stored before continuing with the exploration, and finally, the staircase leading down was discovered.
Nagumo Hajime 17 Year old Male
Class: Synergist Level: 24
Strength: 450 Vitality: 550
Resistance: 400 Agility: 550
Magic Power: 500 Magic Resistance: 500
Skills:
Transmutation [+Mineral Appraisal] [+Precise Transmutation] [+Mineral Investigation] [+Mineral Separation] [+Mineral Fusion] • Magic Manipulation • Iron Stomach • Lightning Clad Lightning Clad [+Lightning Pierce] [+Lightning Strengthening] • Divine Step [+Aerodynamic] [+Ground Shrink] • Air Claw • Night Vision • Presence Perception • Hide Presence • Petrification Resistance • Language Comprehension
Tanaka Taiyo 17 Year old Male
Class: Synergist Level: 23
Strength: 470 Vitality: 570
Resistance: 400 Agility: 590
Magic Power: 500 Magic Resistance: 500
Skills:
Transmutation [+Mineral Appraisal] [+Precise Transmutation] [+Mineral Investigation] [+Mineral Separation] [+Mineral Fusion] • Magic Manipulation • Iron Stomach • Lightning Clad [+Lightning Flash] [+Lightning Stun] [+Lightning Bolt] • Divine Step [+Aerodynamic] [+Ground Shrink] • Air Claw • Night Vision • Presence Perception • Hide Presence • Petrification Resistance • Language Comprehension
Shirasaki Kaori 17 Year old Female
Class: Priest Level: 50
Strength: 450 Vitality: 560
Resistance: 440 Agility: 450
Magic Power: 700 Magic Resistance: 700
Skills:
Recovery Magic Affinity [+Improved Proficiency] [+Increased Casting Speed] [+Image Supplementation] [+Piercing Spell] [+Remote Heal] [+Improved Status Effect Recovery] [+Reduced Mana Consumption] [+Improved Mana Efficiency] [+Chain Casting] [+Multicasting] [+Spell Retention] [+Effect Multiplication] • Light Magic Affinity • High Speed Mana Recovery [+Meditation] • Magical Diagnostics • Magic Manipulation • Iron Stomach • Lightning Clad [+Lightning Fist] • Divine Step [+Aerodynamic] [+Ground Shrink] • Air Claw • Night Vision • Presence Perception • Hide Presence • Petrify [+Petrification Resistance] • Language Comprehension