Chapter 135: Day-trip Dungeon (3)
Chapter 135: Day-trip Dungeon (3)
Woooong—
My body melted away, becoming transparent as it assimilated into the scenery.
I lightly lifted my hand, but I couldn't see a thing. It was the same when I looked into a puddle of water at my feet.
It seems the invisibility is working perfectly.
Naturally, invisibility isn't the only function this robe possesses.
Iris is a High Magician, after all; there’s no way she would have inscribed a mere invisibility spell and called it a day.
The true value of this robe lies in its presence concealment.
The moment the invisibility is cast, mana above a certain threshold is suppressed, making it impossible to detect through ordinary means.
Of course, those who have transcended certain boundaries or those using senses other than sight might still catch me… but even that can be managed to some extent.
"Veil of Silence, hide my footsteps. Silence."
Mana of this level won't leak out. This function was likely designed for exactly this purpose.
Unless I use full-scale offensive magic or powerful support spells, my mana shouldn't leak out to the exterior.
…Then again, I doubt many of the Fishermen at this level could even sense mana to begin with.
Regardless, I took an Odor Removal Potion from my inventory and poured it over my head like a shower before finally peeking out.
In the distance, four blue figures came into view.
They had heads resembling fish and bodies resembling humans. However, their entire bodies were covered in scales, and they wore light armor that looked as if it were fashioned from giant conch or crab shells.
Those were the Fishermen.
Fishmen who once coveted the position of rulers of the sea after driving out the merfolk.
Well, nowadays, most of them are monsters trapped in dungeons, treated as little more than pirates.
Despite their dull expressions—being literal fish—their noses and eyes are quite sharp.
Their eyes, in particular, aren't the type to see far, but rather the type to catch minute movements, so I had to be much more careful from here on.
I approached slowly, taking care not to step in the puddles on the floor.
One step, two steps… I reached the back of one Fisherman, and they hadn't noticed a thing.
It might have been because the four of them were huddled together, weapons set aside, busy chatting.
“Nina njaa.”
“kuwa mvumilivu.”
“kuwa mvumilivu? kiasi gani zaidi?”
“mpaka apige simu. hutakufa hata hivyo.”
Before the War of the Gods, when the entire Eurelia Continent was divided by race and nation, everyone was busy fighting one another.
Back then, it was said that most races and countries used their own unique languages.
However, when the Evil God descended and everyone faced extinction, they created a common tongue to break down the barriers of communication.
That’s why I have no trouble talking to Elisha and Iris, even though they have their own Elven language.
But those who have lived in isolation for a long time, or monsters who feel no need for a common tongue, still use their independent languages.
“Nani zamu ya kuwa mwathirika wakati huu?”
Just like right now.
Of course, since some monsters speak both their own language and the common tongue, some people have attempted translations using conversations with them or documents found in dungeons.
In other games, some people even created rough dictionaries or interpretation tables for things like Dragon Tongue.
Naturally, thanks to my Excellent Memory trait, I remembered all of that too, but…
“Sijui, ni mimi tu.”
Yeah, I have no idea what they're saying.
In the game, it all appeared as text, so I could just look at it and interpret it, but hearing it with my ears, I can't even get a feel for it.
I suppose if I wrote it down phonetically and compared it with similar words, I might be able to translate it slowly, but…
“Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock.”
“hiyo?!”
“kwake!”
“booger…?”
“yak!”
It’s not like I’m going to have a heart-to-heart with a Fisherman, so there’s no need to put in that much effort.
Shock is a basic magic spell that requires no special chanting.
Surprisingly, these guys have resistance to fire magic, but they are weak to lightning, so even basic magic causes significant paralysis.
I plunged the dagger I had already drawn into the neck of a Fisherman who was trembling and foaming at the mouth.
Kagak.
“Oops.”
It managed to sink in, but perhaps because of the hard scales, the impact transmitted to my wrist almost made me lose my grip on the dagger.
Right. These guys have rather high physical resistance, don't they?
I’ve been using the Shining Lion Dagger like a literal spear lately, so I swung it out of habit again.
The Shining Lion Dagger is powerful, but it’s only truly devastating against cultists.
Against other opponents, it’s just a decent dagger that occasionally lands a powerful blow, making it an inefficient weapon for the later stages of the game.
These are lower-tier Fisherman Walkers, so I should be able to pierce them with my strength, but… it would be bad if I injured my wrist.
I kicked one of the trembling ones, stacking him on top of another, and instantly surged my mana.
“Flash. For I am the pale current. Thunderbolt.”
Crackle!
““……!!””
This time, two Fishermen collapsed without a word, convulsing before going limp.
However, it seems that while basic magic is fine, lower-tier magic is a no-go.
The robe’s invisibility deactivated, revealing my form to the last remaining Fisherman.
“binadamu!”
His voice was filled with shock.
The paralysis from Shock seemed to be wearing off as he barely managed to grab his weapon and lunged at me.
But how strong could a spear thrust be when his movements were still creaky?
Thud!
There was no need to dodge; the Shield I had activated in advance deflected his spear.
Taking advantage of that opening, I poured a massive amount of mana into my mask.
Voom.
The mask, receiving my mana, vibrated slightly and immediately began to emit a strange, wave-like pressure.
So this is how it works?
Whether it was because his final struggle was blocked by the Shield or because of the strange pressure, the Fisherman froze, just as he had when hit by Shock.
Before he could regain his senses, I prepared the next spell.
“Clotted rock, rupture. Rock Blast.”
Dust-like particles in the air clung to the top of my staff, quickly forming a stone the size of a head. And then—
Crack.
With an ominous sound of something breaking, the stone began to fracture, turning into five or six sharp fragments that rained down upon the Fisherman.
Thwack, thwack!
“Kuumiza…!”
With a final cry that sounded like a death rattle, the mangled Fisherman collapsed.
In less than thirty seconds, let alone a minute, all four Fishermen were annihilated.
“Hmm.”
The performance is certainly solid.
However, there was one thing on my mind.
Actually, I used that last spell to test how high the Fisherman Walker's defense was.
Most earth-attribute spells have physical properties, after all.
But they were much sturdier than I expected.
He died because one of the fragments pierced his head; otherwise, a single Rock Blast wouldn't have been enough to take him down.
Is it because they have hard scales on top of armor made of things like crab shells?
At this rate, it would be better to avoid physical attacks at my level altogether.
The Knight Department students could probably just crush them with raw strength by reinforcing their bodies with Aura… but I’m not at that level.
Lately, my physical stats have grown significantly, and after stabbing several cultists with the Shining Lion Dagger, I sometimes delude myself.
But I am a magician. I am strictly a rearguard class.
As I nodded to myself, Iris, having deactivated her stealth, approached the room with the rest of the group.
She glanced at me, looking perfectly fine, and then at the Fishermen sprawled on the floor, before curling her lips into a smirk.
“How was it in actual use, Master?”
“It’s the best. It might be a bit difficult to use against enemies stronger than me, but conversely, I don’t think there’s any gear more useful against enemies weaker than me.”
“Hmph, hmph. Of course. It is an artifact made without budget constraints by one who has reached the pinnacle of High Magicians. It should naturally perform at that level.”
Iris nodded with a satisfied expression.
She looked so cute that I tried to give her a little 'plane ride' by lifting her up.
“Not a chance!”
As if she wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, Iris nimbly dodged my grasp and hid behind Elisha.
“Master! I have told you many times, I am not a child!”
“What does that matter? I just want to show you some affection.”
“It matters! It is embarrassing!”
“People who get praised usually either feel bashful or boastful. It seems you’re the bashful type, Iris.”
“You know very well that’s not what I meant! Praise me with words! Words!”
“I don’t want to. Come here. I’ll only give you ten 'up we goes.'”
“Kyaaaaak! No! Stop! Please don’t do that!”
After chasing her in circles around Elisha, I finally succeeded in catching Iris.
I only shook her in the air ten times as promised before setting her down, but for some reason, she seemed to have lost all her strength in the process, dangling limply from Elisha.
“Elisha…”
“Sigh… Yandel. No matter how cute Master is, you shouldn't tease her like that.”
“Teasing? It’s an expression of love.”
I shrugged, but all I got in return was a look from Elisha as if she were looking at an immature younger brother.
How cruel.
“Anyway, the invisibility and presence concealment were great, but the pressure from the mask was really good too. I saw him flinch quite a bit earlier.”
Iris, who had been rubbing her head against Elisha and whimpering, peeked her head out.
“Mmm. I saw it from a distance too, but that part was a bit strange. No matter the situation, it’s not a magical tool with that high of an output…”
“Isn't it just because I poured a lot of mana into it?”
“Well, for the sake of durability, I did design it with a simple structure where the power increases in proportion to the mana consumed.”
“It’s probably true that the power increased because you put in a lot of mana. Master has such a vast amount of innate mana that he has a habit of pouring it into even minor spells,” Carla added.
“I had a habit like that…?”
“Yes. However, since it’s actually a more effective method for someone with overflowing mana like you, Master, I didn't mention it separately.”
Carla added that she had started using a similar method after her own mana capacity increased significantly upon reaching the rank of Intermediate Magician.
Iris, though a bit puzzled by those words, nodded in understanding.
“I think I understand what happened. However, magical tools are problematic whether their output is lower or higher than expected, so if you feel anything strange, tell me immediately.”
“Yeah. I’ll keep that in mind. …By the way, Senior Fay, what are you doing?”
“Eh? What do you mean? You don't even know that, Junior?”
Heh.
Fay, who was busy butchering the Fisherman corpses into pieces, flashed her characteristic gloomy smile.
“Harvesting materials, obviously.”
“…….”
Hearing that from her blood-stained face made it feel like a scene from a horror movie.