Chapter 59: The Essential Virtue of a Merchant
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59: The Essential Virtue of a Merchant
Fwoosh...
"Well, would you look at that."
Not long after the magic was cast, the green mana bracelet that had been circling my wrist vanished as if consumed by flames. It looked exactly like what happened with the Skeleton Mages.
"That just now...! That was a Skeleton Mage's magic, wasn't it!?"
"What on earth... Is this really okay?"
The only reason those skeletons can move around is because of a Lich's dark arts. To be precise, it's the magic of Necromancers, a school of magic expelled from the Academy long ago.
It’s a bit complicated, but to put it simply, you can think of it as a forced contract magic that utilizes the mana of the dead, who no longer possess a will.
The problem was that I had forcibly intruded upon the contract between the Lich and the Skeleton Mage, plundering the magic the Lich had provided to the Skeleton Mage as part of their deal.
"Aven, are you sure you're okay right now?"
"Yeah. I don't feel anything in particular."
I need to be extremely wary of this. I’d already been feeling like my thoughts weren't what they used to be as the human proportion of my body decreased lately.
"A Lich's command invading my head... how absolutely grisly."
The mere thought of someone messing with my corpse is unpleasant enough. But to think I was nearly incorporated into a Lich's dark arts while still alive.
Sizzle...
"Oh, it's back."
The magic circle bracelet appeared on my wrist once more. While being able to use magic was an unexpected windfall, I couldn't let my guard down.
Just imagine if I had been even slightly less cautious and replaced my entire skeleton with that of a Skeleton Mage.
Actually, I wouldn't even need to go that far. If I had replaced just my skull, I might have had to crush my own head with my tail immediately.
"What a shitty feeling."
As I reverted the Skeleton Mage bones occupying the inside of my left arm back to their original state, the mana bracelet flickered out and vanished—a different sensation from when it disappeared after using magic. Just to be sure, I summoned the Skeleton Mage bones inside my left arm again, and the bracelet reappeared.
I knew that by consuming blood and using it, I could utilize the mana circulating through their bodies to some extent.
It seemed that blood with physical singularities, like that of the Snowfield Troll, could manifest the same abilities as the original even without mana. Above all, because it didn't mix even when sharing the same vascular system as other blood types, its potency didn't fade.
The issue was that having magic engraved into the body I consumed was a different case entirely from just mana.
It was unlikely, but I wondered what would happen if I consumed a summoned monster under a total obedience contract and then used its body as my own.
"Let's head back to the surface. Theodora, it's too dangerous for you."
"Huh? Me?"
"What if my head just snaps? I won't be able to protect you. In fact, I might become a threat."
"I mean, that's true, but... are you really okay? Should I introduce you to a Scholar I know?"
"A Scholar, huh?"
I suppose getting help from academics would be a more certain way to handle this.
"No, it's fine. I'll ask around the people I know first. I don't want to make a scene for no reason."
"Mm, okay."
On the way to the 11th Floor Base, we encountered ordinary skeletons frequently, but there were no major issues. I did get the feeling they were targeting me more persistently for some reason, though. Maybe it's just because I'm stronger.
Then again, hadn't they always targeted me first? Theodora's impressive stealth probably played a part in that too.
"Theodora, look into my eyes."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Theodora's bright, clear golden eyes. Her busily twitching ears and tail.
"Phew, I think I'm calming down a bit."
"R-really? You can look as much as you want..."
"Thanks for the sentiment."
Without stopping at the 11th Floor Base, we took the portal straight to the 10th floor. How exhausting would it have been if we had to return one floor at a time?
"Returning to the 10th floor?"
"Yes, that's right."
From the 10th floor, you can go to the 5th, and then straight back to the surface. Can't we just go straight to the surface? That's a bit of a shame.
"You'll feel better once you get some sunlight. Don't worry, Aven."
"I suppose so."
Being in this pitch-black Labyrinth without any light makes a person feel like they're going crazy. Of course, farming the Skeleton Mage's corpse was the biggest factor, but it wasn't like I came away empty-handed.
Wooooong—
As I stepped into the pale, whitish portal, light momentarily flooded my vision, accompanied by a warm sensation. A cool breeze seemed to ventilate every part of my body, and as I took a deep breath, a refreshing scent filled my lungs...
"Ah, the smell of blood."
"Something must have happened nearby."
Come to think of it, I heard there was an Orc Chieftain raid on the 10th floor before we went in. The explorers must have had a grand old time slaughtering orcs. Despite the silence, the thick scent of blood suggested they had finished their business and moved on.
"Hmm."
The sun was even starting to set. I wanted to feel the warm midday sun, but my timing was off.
"The fight isn't over yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Theodora, who was looking around, pointed in one direction. Following her lead, I saw the corpses of dozens of orcs, along with a few human bodies scattered here and there.
"If the raid were over, they wouldn't leave the dead like this. They would have recovered the bodies and cleaned up."
"Does that mean the Orc Chieftain raid is still ongoing?"
"It was never going to end in a single day. It takes at least two days."
"Is... is that so?"
"Of course."
If high-grade explorers wiped out the 10th-floor boss, where would the promising low-grade explorers earn their scores? Explorers at Gold Grade or higher are encouraged to refrain from participating in Orc Chieftain subjugations.
As a result, a large number of Lead, Iron, and Silver Grades gather to take down the Orc Chieftain, which naturally takes some time. The Orc Chieftain itself is strong, but the real problem is the increased number and heightened aggression of the Orc Warriors.
Unlike other bosses that can be taken down in a one-on-one duel if you have enough combat power, high-grade explorers don't particularly want to fight them. Those at Cobalt Grade or higher might have the ability to mow down several orcs with a single swing.
But those explorers are already in the deeper floors. It's not like there are many explorers at Cobalt Grade or higher to begin with.
"What do you want to do? Are you going to join the raid?"
"Theodora, you said you were Silver Grade, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then shall we go and just add the finishing touches?"
"Finishing touches...?"
"Like putting a spoon on a set table... no, that's too much of a Korean metaphor."
I wondered what kind of metaphor would fit here.
"Let's go and sprinkle some gold leaf on a finished dish."
"Huh...?"
* * *
"Barricade number three is breaking! Hold the line—!!"
"Where's the healer?! We have a serious injury here!!"
"Arrows...! We're out of arrows!"
A raid party of 50, consisting of 12 Silver Grades, 21 Iron Grades, and 17 Lead Grades. Most of the Lead Grades were non-combat personnel skilled in healing magic, scouting, or searching.
They were responsible for identifying the boss's movement path and location, as well as supplying necessary combat materials. Since raid parties for boss subjugation offered high scores relative to difficulty and material support from the guild, quite a few Lead-grade explorers participated.
Silver-grade explorers commanded the combat personnel and led the situation to their advantage, while Iron-grade explorers provided the muscle.
If the battle went according to plan, the humans would naturally have the advantage over the orcs, starting with the benefit of choosing favorable terrain.
Of course, that was only if things went well.
"Dammit...! Why is this happening...!"
The Silver-grade tanker, who had been holding the front line firmly, was struck by an orc's lucky punch combined with the blunders of his teammates and died. As a result, the seven party members responsible for that sector were killed.
Since they had increased the ratio of low-firepower explorers relying on the Silver-grade tanker, it was only natural that they couldn't defend the area once the tanker was gone.
An orc horde led by an Orc Chieftain could number anywhere from 140 to 220. With seven people dead, it was inevitable that they would start to struggle and be pushed back.
Since over 30% of the party consisted of Lead-grade explorers who couldn't be expected to fight, they had fortunately secured an escape route and sent a fast Iron-grade explorer to the surface. However, it was uncertain if they could hold out until he reached the surface.
"It's a cliff! Fight with your backs to the cliff!"
With their reduced numbers, they couldn't cover all four sides. If they had held the narrow alley they originally intended to fight in, they wouldn't have been pushed back to this wide, open forest, but there was no use crying over spilled milk.
They were attempting to reduce the engagement to three sides and make a stand.
"Hoo, they shouldn't go that way."
I knew because I'd fought there. To be precise, I'd seen the Lizardmen fight there, and going to the cliff meant death. Orcs are large and heavy, so they find it harder to fight while constantly moving than to fight with their backs to a wall.
"Forty-two people. There were seven corpses, so I guess one was sent to the surface."
"Probably, since they need to call for reinforcements."
Naturally, the guild wouldn't do nothing while explorers were at risk of dying. They could send people down if a request for support was made. But if that happened, the high-ranking explorers who helped would also take a cut of the reward, so it wasn't exactly a pleasant situation for the explorers already in the raid.
"I'm also Silver Grade. Theodora, let's go. Or do you want to stay here?"
"Huh? Oh, well... I don't want to stand out. If you can do it alone, go ahead."
By Theodora's estimation, there were still about 120 orcs left. She had seen Aven fight a few times on the 2nd Stratum, but the early parts of the 2nd Stratum didn't require much martial prowess against powerful monsters.
Theodora was curious to see what kind of battle he would display against such a large number of monsters.
"I'll be back. Stay here."
"Yeah, okay."
After waving from the top of the cliff, Aven jumped straight down.
"A-Aven!?"
Before she knew it, he was sliding down the cliff face using his long tail to slow his descent, landing gracefully among the people. He lightly leaped over the front line the other explorers had formed and landed right in the middle of the orc horde.
And then, the battle began.
"Whoa..."
He threw spears created from his hands, lashed out at his surroundings with his tail, and retrieved his weapons.
In between, he would occasionally crunch down on an orc's corpse with his massive mouth, followed by more throwing, retrieving, and devouring.
As the number of orcs rapidly dwindled, the other explorers took advantage of the momentum, moving away from the cliff and slowly pushing the front line forward.
And then, the Orc Chieftain came into view.
"That's..."
A green fireball erupted from Aven's hand, slamming directly into the Orc Chieftain's face and causing a massive explosion.
BOOM—!!!
—KWAARRRRGH!!!
The sound of the explosion and the Orc Chieftain's scream could be heard clearly even from the top of the cliff. Aven, who had leaped into the air, swung his massive tail and smashed the flaming skull of the Orc Chieftain. To anyone watching, he was clearly not just a Silver-grade explorer.
"He's... incredible..."
Theodora thought of the explorers she knew and tried to calculate Aven's current combat power.
"Hmm..."
Her thoughts didn't last long, and she reached a conclusion.
"Yeah, I have to hold onto him."
Buying low is one of the essential virtues of a merchant.