Chapter 202: This is Magic (3)
Chapter 202: This is Magic (3)
By setting a reasonable handicap for myself, I was able to adjust my pace to match Helena’s. We were in the middle of enjoying a tense, neck-and-neck battle when it happened.
The slimes, which had been blindly rushing us until now, hesitated all at once.
All good things must come to an end, I suppose. Is it starting now?
Having felt a sense of crisis as their numbers dwindled below a certain point, the slimes began to huddle together.
Squirm, wriggle.
Instead of lunging at me or Helena, they rushed toward each other, bloating their bodies.
“Brother? Are you just going to watch? I believe it would be best to attack while they are busy merging.”
“Where’s the flair in that… No, attacking now would actually be more of a hassle. Look closely at the center.”
It wasn't just their fluids combining; even the dark red nuclei inside were becoming one.
“The unity isn't complete yet, so it’s just a bunch of separate slimes stuck together. Even if you attack now, you’ll only shrink their size a bit; you won't be able to kill them.”
“To think… I must stand by and watch these things that look like globs of phlegm spat out by an evil god…”
Helena looked truly disappointed. Even if they merged, they would just become a giant slime, so defeating it wouldn't be that difficult.
Still, her disappointment likely stemmed from the fact that, as she said, she had to stand still with a monster right in front of her.
Watching Helena let out deep sighs, I scratched my cheek and continued.
“Well… since they have to stay still while they do their thing regardless of what we do, we might as well just blow them away all at once with a wide-area spell.”
“Hah! Brother! Please, the magic…! I would like you to fire a grand and beautiful spell at that mass of byproducts!”
“Then it’s guaranteed that I’ll win the bet. Are you okay with that?”
“Killing the monster is more important than the bet!”
Helena, sticky with slime residue, sent me a desperate look.
Hmm… if this had been the beginning of the semester, she would have charged in regardless, saying that even shrinking them a little was enough. Her skill and self-control had certainly grown much more than the Helena I knew from this period.
Was it because she had experienced an ambush in a practice dungeon, unlike back during the H&A incident? She was always the type to work harder when stimulated.
I gave a small smirk and a nod to Helena, who was twitching as if she wanted to pounce at any second.
“Alright. Oh, and it’s a bit awkward since I just said it, but… let’s not count this one toward the bet settlement. I think that’ll be more interesting.”
Since I was the only one who could take it down, it wasn't a fair competition to begin with. These things should be done equitably.
I adjusted my grip on my staff, lengthening it from the short grip I’d been using, and raised it high.
Glancing toward Carla, I saw she had finished her side long ago and was idling about. In other words, once I took this thing down, we were cleared.
Since it was the finale, a grand explosion seemed appropriate.
Thump.
My heart began to race wildly as I drew out the mana I had been restricting until now.
Listening to the surrounding mana howling loudly in response, I slowly opened my lips.
“『Righteous wrath. Noble benevolence. Thou art like the sun in the heavens above.』”
It was a light-attribute spell Helena would love. I even intentionally mixed in some religious flavor into the incantation. This would surely be to her liking.
As a massive amount of mana moved, a whirlwind naturally spiraled around me. Ignoring my fluttering clothes, I spread my arms wide.
Then, in the coolest voice I could muster, I recited the best catchphrase I knew.
“『Let there be light. Shining Judgment.』”
The moment the activation phrase echoed, lines of light flickered and pulsed above the slime. And then—
Fwaaaaaaaa—!!
A massive pillar of light erupted along those lines.
Helena’s jaw dropped at the overwhelming radiance that seemed to brighten the entire dungeon.
Yep. I knew she’d like it.
Actually… Shining Judgment isn't a spell used very often. It has great power, and being light-attribute gives it an advantage on many battlefields, but…
The mana consumption is just too high.
To give you an idea, it consumes about 2.5 times more mana than Starlight Rain, which is another intermediate light spell. Granted, Starlight Rain is specialized for clearing weak mobs and uses relatively little mana, but 2.5 times is still excessive.
However, this spell did have one advantage. If you opened a large-scale battle with Shining Judgment, the morale of your allies would skyrocket.
The lore said something about making them feel like the Light was with them… and I finally understood what that meant.
It just means it looks incredibly cool.
I stood beside Helena, mouth agape, looking up at the pillar of light with her.
I knew I was the one who cast the spell, and I knew I had a 25% bonus from the Sun God's Blessing… but even so, it was a sight that filled me with awe.
I really have become strong.
To think an intermediate spell cast by someone who just reached the rank of Intermediate Magician could be this powerful.
How incredible would the magic be if I mixed in element combinations?
These pleasant imaginations continued until the gate announcing the dungeon clear appeared before us.
*
Ding!
“Huh?”
After clearing the dungeon, a notification popped up even before I touched the rewards floating in the form of light clusters.
What is this?
======================
【Dungeon Cleared!】
You have cleared a hidden dungeon!
A truly commendable feat!
The Righteous Light hears your incantation and rolls around on the floor in delight.
The other gods watch her in disbelief and offer you their blessings.
Trait: Blessing of All Gods (B) grows slightly.
======================
Ah, so it’s this.
A growth-type blessing that can be leveled up bit by bit by clearing dungeons or subjugating cultists. A minor dungeon like this wouldn't provide any significant growth.
Still, as they say, many a mickle makes a muckle. If I keep clearing them, it’ll grow eventually.
It seems the Righteous Light is doing something weird again, but…
More importantly, it’s time for the dungeon rewards. The items here are quite good compared to the difficulty. Maybe it’s because the prerequisite quest is such a pain?
“Up we go.”
I reached out toward the cluster of light floating before me. I felt a solid sensation in the empty air.
As the fading light died out completely, a large medallion sat in my hand.
======================
【Roaring Lion Medallion】
A large medallion carved in the shape of a roaring lion.
Having been neglected for a long time, it has lost its original luster, but something still remains.
A warmth that puts the wearer at ease. And whose traces are those faint bloodstains?
Remember.
In the most desperate moments, people tend to cling to something.
…Even if it is a prayer that goes unanswered.
“Oh.”
If I were a Holy Knight or a Battle Priest, this is the kind of performance I would have cherished in the early stages as much as the Shining Lion Dagger.
It supports survivability, and it’s a well-made piece of equipment in that it covers the lack of offensive power for clerics to some extent with Divine Explosion.
Unfortunately, later on, when you have plenty of money for potions and become proficient in healing divine arts as a proper cleric, its utility drops. Divine Explosion is still useful, but the Holy Power charging limit is awkward, so people tend to stop using it at some point.
Well, since it’s an accessory and not a weapon, it can be used effectively until the mid-game. Equipment that increases Holy Power efficiency is quite rare, after all.
I smiled with satisfaction at the medallion, which looked and performed exactly as I remembered, but then—
“Ah? Ahhh…?”
Helena was trembling, her eyes fixed on the medallion in my hand.
It was only natural. As the name suggested, this was one of the divine objects of the Righteous Light.
“Br-Brother? This is…”
“I’ll give it to you.”
“…Pardon?”
Helena froze solid, as if she had never imagined I would give it to her.
It was true that this medallion was a good piece of equipment, but it was completely useless to us. Healing? Why bother when we have overflowing potions? Divine Explosion? Isn't magic the best for firepower?
Since we had already entered the "inefficiency zone" I mentioned earlier, there was no need to covet it.
Above all, it required Holy Power charging, and it would be a hassle to ask someone to charge it every time. The Holy Power efficiency was also a meaningless option for us, as we were a party of mages.
Since it was a divine object, I could probably get something from the Church of the Righteous Light if I used it as a bargaining chip, but…
Who am I?
A prospective Apostle of the Righteous Light (not really).
My affinity with the Church was already at its maximum. They would grant me most favors anyway, so there was no need to go as far as trading a divine object.
Therefore, the most ideal thing was to give it to Helena, who could use the medallion well and whom I had already earmarked for recruitment as a party member later. If I could also dismantle the bad image she had of me in the process, even better.
“Ah, uh, um… I, well. I didn't mean for you to give it to me… but a divine object… ugh…”
“Why are you so burdened? I’m not just giving it to you for free, you know.”
“Eh?”
“Just do me a few favors later. I’m giving it to you on that condition.”
“W-Wait a moment, Brother? Favors? What kind of favors…?”
“There.”
I hung the medallion around Helena’s neck as she sputtered like a broken machine.
“There! Now that I’ve given it to you, it’s a promise, okay?”
“……!!”
Man! Wasn't that a bit cool?
I praised myself internally and looked at Helena with a sense of pride.
For some reason, Helena had an expression like someone who had just been pressured into buying dozens of boxes of overpriced health mats by an acquaintance.
What gives? Why is she looking at me like that?
I couldn't make heads or tails of it.