402 Episode 0402



"It's quite different here than the sixth basement... above."

 Ray muttered as he looked around in a small room with stairs and magic.
 It was still in a small room, but the surroundings were distinctly different from the usual dungeon, which had stone pavings upstairs.
 Slapnil shoes tread on exposed ground.
 Unlike the fifth basement level, it was a cave-like atmosphere. The ground is bare soil, as you can see from the feel of the ground you stepped on. Other stones have fallen here and there.

"What should I say? This is also a dungeon..."
"Well, you can think of it as a cave, if anything. However, since it is a cave, there are places where ore can be mined, and there are many monsters of Golem descent. ... to be honest, the Golem monsters are mud muppets, stone puppets, and golem as big as or a little smaller than Ray."
"Yes,"

 Viehne points to the ceiling and pokes Viehla's arm, and Viehla nods when she notices it.

"Well, there's also a wind bat that uses the magic of the wind. Unlike Golem, you need to be careful...

 muttered Viehra, turning to Ray and Sett, Elena and her left shoulder.

"...but not to mention Ray and Elena, if you're an ordinary adventurer." I want to tell you to watch out for the monsters."
"Isn't that a bit too much to say, at least I've never seen a monster like Wind Butt, let alone a Golem monster?"
"But, after all, it's a low-ranked monster. "Would a princess, Shogun, have a hard time with such a man? If that were the case, my eyes would have been clouded."

 As Vihela asks with a strong, provocative smile, Elena can't back down when she says so.

"Of course I'm confident," But since it's a monster you've never encountered before, it's only natural to be wary, or will Vihela rush into a monster you've never encountered before?"

 Elena herself didn't realize it, but it was probably a sign that she was beginning to act together and forgive Vihela to some extent.
 In response to Elena's question, Vihela nodded, taking it for granted...

"Of course, you're meeting an unknown monster, and the only way you can learn how to respond to a fight is by hitting it and memorizing it with your body."
"...I see,"

 At Vihela's words, "I'm at the height of my fighting frenzy," Elena breathes a sigh of resignation.

"Yes,"

 It was something impressive to Ray's eye that Bune patted Elena on the waist to cheer her up.

"Anyway, the battle with Golem... oh, now that you mention it,"

 For a moment, he tells his mind as he recalls Ver's Golem fighting on the altar of succession.

(At that time, Golem was an alchemy Golem, so there was no magic stone, but... is there a magic stone in Golem as a monster? Well, if you actually fight it, you'll find out.)

"Well, has Ray ever fought against Golem?"
"No, I fought an alchemy-created golem, so think of it as something different from a monster. And I'd like to ask you, does the Golem in this dungeon, or the lesser Puppet Monster, have a magical stone?"

 Worried a little, Ray asks if the Puppet doesn't have a magical stone, but Viehla nods, taking it for granted.

"There's a magic stone," And basically puppets are a good game for her, too."
"Yes,"

 Bune nods back to Vihela's words without hesitation.
 Seeing her nod a little earlier than usual, Elena nods her head slightly.

"Is Puppets so good? Can you buy the proof of defeat for a high price?"
"It's a shame. Of course you can buy it for a certain price, but it's the materials that matter. Mudpuppet bodies made of mud can be used as alchemy materials, and stone puppets sell as building materials that are a little higher than normal because they contain some magical power. It's not all good things, though. Especially if you knock it down, it will turn into mud and stone, so the proof of subjugation is a magical stone. In other words, compared to when you beat an ordinary monster, you don't have to pay the price for the part that proves the killing. but that would add some money to the purchase of the magical stones."
"...huh,"

 It must be a regrettable event for Bune, who is looking for money. look down regretfully in agreement

"And because of the quantity, it's hard to bring back stones and mud without a porter. Fortunately, Ray is here today."

 Vichela murmuring to Ray with a glance at Ray It was clear what it was in expectation of.
 Ray, however, has no intention of sparing his own mistling. Or a typical aristocratic opponent Ray dislikes might have taken such steps.

"And I just started to tell you that windbutts should normally be kept away from them. But I don't think you need to worry about Seto."
"Closely?"
"Yes. I'm good at hiding because I have bats, but it's hard to find them because I use wind magic there. --as usual."
"Oh, I see," No matter how good the Wind Butts are at secret activities, they are not enough to deceive Seto's eyes, ears and nose."
"Yes, there are some other monsters like Oak and Goblin, but you don't have to worry about that. I make a little money on this floor with the hope of Bune, but is that OK?"
"Yes,"

 Viehla's words make Bune nod softly and turn his eyes to Ray and Elena.

"I don't care," Anyway, the map we have is up to the fifth basement. After today's search, I'm thinking of buying a map of the 6th basement level and beyond, but if you can reach the 7th basement level today, I'd be happy if I could."
"Well, I have no objection to Ray's opinion,"
"Glu".
"Squeak!"

 Ray and Elena nod, and Seto and Yero growl and agree.
 The opinions of all the people on the spot are now gathered, and the four and two of them immediately take a step toward the cave-like dungeon.
 The ceilings have stalactites that are dimmer but lighter than walls, and in some places the ground is a paltry pool of water. Since it's basically soily, the footing is worse than the stone paving up to the fifth basement.

"...when you look at it in this way, it's quite different from the fifth basement."
"Yes. Like the dungeons we used to dive into, they are different from one hierarchy to hierarchy."
"Well, half right,"

 Vichela, who was listening to Elena's words, says so and continues to explain.

"To be exact, the 5th basement floor is an ordinary dungeon, and the 6th basement floor to the 10th basement floor is cave-like. From the 11th basement to the desert wind, it's changing from about five stories at a time. --however, after the sixteenth floor it seems to be no longer five stories at a time, but on the first or second floor...that might be a little too early for Ray and Elena."

 Elena frowned slightly uncomfortably at the remark, but she couldn't open her mouth as long as it was true that she and Ray weren't yet familiar with dungeons.
 It's about half an hour to have a conversation like that. Eventually Bune, who is walking in front of them, gently reaches out and stops them.At the same time, you can hear a dirty sound when you hear it.

(This kind of sound in the dungeon...don't remind me of the zombies I encountered in the succession altar dungeon.)

 Though he thought so privately, Ray's sense of smell did not smell as bad as it had ever smelled.
 He glanced sideways at Elena, who was walking next to him, with a slight frown, perhaps reminiscent of Ray.
 Elena must have felt the stare. turn one's eyes to Ray
 As our eyes crossed and the two of us, who were thinking the same thing, smiled bitterly, we heard a little cough.
 When I look over there, Vihela opens her mouth with some dumbfounded gaze at them.

"It's all right for us to mess with each other, but I wonder if we can do it after the battle is over."
"No, not really me and Ray..."
"Well, that's all right. First of all, I'm sure it's the Mad Puppet that's approaching, judging from the sound of footsteps. ...well, Ray, do you want to fight?"
"Me?"
"Yes. It's one of them by the sound of footsteps, and it's better to have some combat experience." -- Bune, you don't mind?"
"Yes,"

 a nodding veneer
 For himself, the Mad Puppet is a reasonably lucrative opponent, but it's not something you should fight against. Rather, he thought it would be more convenient for Ray and Elena, who had never fought against the Mad Puppet, to gain combat experience.
 a creeping noise coming from across the dark side of the aisle Then a figure of the mud came into view of Ray...

"Is that the Mad Puppet?" It's just as the name suggests."

 Considering his size, he is about 150cm tall. He is just a rough figure, as Ray said. It has limbs, torso and head. It's like a child's doll that's been made out of mud, and it'sort of like that.
 There are no eyes, nose, or mouth on the head, and it's almost flat. But I guess they're checking the surroundings somehow even in such a situation. As soon as they see the lays at the end of the aisle, they walk a little faster than before, with a clatter.
 Every time, mud spills from my body and spills to the ground of the cave.
 Ray frowns slightly at the sight of the Mad Puppet walking around dirty.

(For the time being, it's better to stop fighting close by using death size. Then, is it magic.)

 mutter in one's heart and chant a spell while concentrating one's magical powers.

"Fire, burn the enemy according to my will."

 While Ray can be used, magic is large and powerful for a short recitation. While chanting the spell, a fireball of about 30 cm was formed on the stone butts...

"The Fireballs

 With these words, magic was invoked, and the fireball that had been made in the stone-butt was released...

"Ah,"

 Just before hitting the Mad Puppet, Vihela screams involuntarily.
 But it's already too late, and the shot hits the Mad Puppet, and the next moment it wraps up the 150cm mud doll in flames, dries it up, and burns it out. Mud crumbling to the ground within seconds... no, Bune mutters regretfully, seeing the remains of the Mad Puppet, completely evaporated by Ray's fireball into scorched soil.

"...huh,"

 That was the only word that leaked out of Bune's mouth, but that made the listener feel what seemed to be a sense of sadness.

"Oh, I never thought I'd get this far." I thought I'd knock him down with that scythe... well, I wonder if this is also an experience."
"...what are you talking about?"

 a charred pile of earth remaining on the ground Ray bows his head slightly at Vihela's words while watching it.

"I told you that the mud that forms the body of the Mad Puppet is a useful source of alchemy?"
"Oh, I'm sure you've heard of it."
"On the other hand, it can only be used as a material for alchemy without mud. It seems that the water that makes the soil muddy is important."

 Pickly. I can't help but move my eyebrows when I hear Vihela's words. The only thing ahead of the line of sight is the charred soil, evaporated by Ray's magic. And if Vihela's words are correct, it means that the soil, which has lost its moisture and disappeared from mud, is useless as an alchemy material.

"I'm sorry,"

 Ray, realizing that using the magic of fire was a failure, bowed his head down.
 But Bune and Vihela shake their heads in despair.

"That's experience, too," Ray's magical powers are certainly high, and there is no problem in terms of eliminating enemies. But it's also good to remember that some enemies can't get the material out of them."
"Yes,"

 Viehla's words make Bune nod.

"Grull".
"Squeak!"

 Seto cheers up and scrapes his face against Ray, who stops on Ray's shoulder and pats him with his forefeet.
 That kind of look calms everyone down.

"I can't say anything more than I didn't know, but don't worry too much."

 With words of encouragement from Elena, they began to re-enter the cavernous dungeon, getting only the magical stones of the Mad Puppet.