What Is Las? (2)
The shock of learning about the language of Las lasted only a moment. I pondered for a bit on how to handle the two Andrases. Since they were creatures I could actually communicate with, I thought perhaps I could recruit them as subordinates or prisoners, even if it was just for a sub-dungeon.
Monsters in a sub-dungeon cannot be recruited as subordinates or prisoners!
"Tsk." I was genuinely disappointed. I had hoped to see some twerking involving flapping wings rather than bird-brained twerking, but if the system blocked it, there was nothing I could do. In the end, I had to choose between killing them or turning back. If they were targets I had to kill, I needed to know their information. I scanned the enemy data that had been ringing in my head since I entered the boss room.
The two had the same level and the same race. I thought about whether there was a way to sweet-talk them into submission, just in case, but the system was ruthless.
BOSSes of a sub-dungeon cannot be recruited as subordinates or captured as prisoners!!
The system didn't need to emphasize it, but the fact that it notified me twice was slightly annoying. The two Andrases became targets to be killed, and I clenched my fists. "How should I kill you?"
"That's our line!"
"Honey, after we catch that thing... let's Las!"
Just now, one of the sub-species Andrases had planted a massive death flag. And I was the one who would execute that flag. The two Andrases dropped their bodies and sharpened their claws. They were claws that looked like mana-infused aura, distinctly different from the previous Andrases. 'Getting cut by those wouldn't just be a little painful.' It was a good thing I entered first to check. I clenched my hands and beckoned the two Andrases to come at me. "If I win, you two are going to Las."
"That perverted pig bastard!!"
That was the highest compliment and a provocation. I rolled up my robe and shook out my hands, facing the two charging Andrases, Levi-Unz. "Orc warriors have a code!" A true warrior gives their all in a fight, no matter who the opponent is. "I don't go easy on someone just because they look like a woman!" Whether it's a man or a woman, human or monster, if they charge at me to kill me, it's only right to fight with my life and honor on the line. "Long live equality!"
I punched both Andrases in the stomach as they charged from both sides. Thud-!! "Gah!" Before they could even scratch me with their black claws, I had lunged forward and struck their bellies. The Andrases gasped and stopped in their tracks. I pondered for a moment which one to take down first. 'One has belly fat, the other has a tattoo.' Levi? Unz? From today, these two are Belly-Fat and Tattoo.
I pulled back the fist I had extended toward the one with the tattoo and struck again. BOOM!! Tattoo gasped and stumbled back. It was a short distance, but the continuous punches forced them to retreat. "Kieeeek!!" The one with the belly fat shrieked and tried to scratch me with its claws. While I was attacking Tattoo, Belly-Fat endured the pain and tried to sink its claws into my arm.
"Not a chance!" I crossed my fingers and swept them across Tattoo. As I flicked my pinky, the tattoos all over my body began to glow red. Berserk. My vision began to turn red, and I managed to pull my arm away just before the claws could touch me. But Belly-Fat was a dungeon boss in its own right, so dodging completely was difficult. Sshhh-! Three sharp lacerations appeared on my lower arm. Dark blood droplets splattered within my red vision. Seeing the blood on my arm, Belly-Fat grinned, emitting a ghostly aura. "Kehehe!"
And I grinned back. Belly-Fat's smile froze. I reached out with my bleeding arm toward Belly-Fat's collar and grabbed its neck before it could pull back. "G-gah?!" Belly-Fat grabbed my wrist and started scratching with its claws. It didn't cause deep wounds like before, but the claws still sank in. However, it was just stinging, not painful. I had to finish this quickly. I slammed my hand, still gripping Belly-Fat's collar, straight into the ground. With a crunching sound from the wings on its back, Belly-Fat struggled, gasping for air. "You're a Level 55, don't just charge in like that. Puh-hoo." Snap. I pressed down on its neck and broke it. The Andras that was Belly-Fat dropped its head to the side with its tongue lolling out. One down, very easily.
"Kieeeeeek!!" Tattoo charged at me again, eyes bloodshot and screaming. It felt confusion and terror at its partner's death, and then, filled with revenge, it tried to unleash its rage upon me. So, to shatter the one charging in a straight line, I stepped forward and swung my other leg. Thwack! Tattoo's waist bent sharply. With the sound of a spine crushing, the Andras rolled its eyes back and foamed at the mouth. I retracted my leg before the claws could touch me, grabbed the Andras's neck, and threw it to the ground. Thud! Tattoo landed on top of Belly-Fat. Because it landed on the part where the claws were still raised, I heard the sound of the black claws piercing Tattoo's belly. Kieeeek...
The two sub-species Andrases screamed and scattered into mist. Belly-Fat and Tattoo, turned to ash, disappeared, leaving behind only two pairs of long black wings and sharp claws.
"Ah, damn." After the battle. Three minutes passed, and as my vision returned to normal, a wave of dizziness hit me. Perhaps it was because I had ignored my wounds to keep fighting, but the backlash of the battle was no joke. 'This much will recover in no time. Still, being an Orc has its perks; the race's unique recovery ability is helpful in many ways.' I pulled my sleeves back down. 'I really do need some armor.' Or maybe a weapon like a flail, like before. As the pain gradually subsided, I examined the items the sub-species Andrases had left behind. Black wings and claws. If the Slime sub-dungeon's reward was the Slime Dragon itself, it seemed Andras was a place that dropped wings and claws.
First, the claws. I picked up the three claws the Andrases had left behind. The black claws, curved like hooks, were attached to a fairly sturdy-looking base. I took them and scratched the ground. "Whoa, this is almost like a plow." If I attached a wooden handle or fitted them into a groove, their hardness would be perfect for tilling barren land. Of course, they were farm tools and proper weapons at the same time. Even though the sub-species Andrases had scratched with all their might, the sharpness was only enough to give me lacerations on my skin. "......." I lifted my robe slightly and scratched my belly with a black claw. I scratched quite hard, as if tilling the earth, but I only felt the refreshing sensation of scratching my back with my own fingernails. "Damn it." It had been like this for a while, but my belly was significantly harder and tougher than any other part of me. When I fought Eila's expedition, I had used it as a weapon, but I would have much preferred it to disappear, even if it meant becoming a weak point. 'What if I stay like this even after becoming a 5-star?' If I take the Great Warrior tech tree, which is a fighter class, maybe I'll lose some weight? I was busy gathering the materials the Andrases left behind when— "Ah. Stack." I checked my evolution status.
"One stack, sweet." My level was still maintained. It must be because I caught monsters with much lower levels than mine, and I had given up on levels until a dungeon or enemy with a similar level appeared anyway. The important thing was the third condition. I had defeated the dungeon boss, Andras (★★★★★), who had a lower level than me but a higher grade. The stack had accumulated while I wasn't paying attention. "This..." A bad thought crossed my mind. 'Can't I just stack them individually?' I didn't necessarily have to do 2 and 3 together. If there were more low-level, high-grade entities like Andras, it would be easier to catch them. "I hope the door to another dungeon opens soon." I wished some new dungeon would open around here like the Andras dungeon. I scanned the surroundings, looking for the dungeon exit. There had to be a shortcut somewhere. "......." About an hour later. No matter how much I looked, there wasn't one. In the end, I had to return through the same path I had run through the sub-dungeon.
* * *
There was still some time left before the dungeon grade rose. I pondered how to use this remaining time and decided to run the sub-dungeon twice. "All the key named personnel of our dungeon are gathered here." Ryun (Lv.35), who had fainted but regained consciousness and returned. Eila (Lv.25), who joined after working hard to teach Arthur and organize the wooden fence. Lime (Lv.35), who had been piercing through the dungeon as I instructed. And finally, Harsus (Lv.19). All the existences that could be called 'executive-level' were gathered, and I explained the dungeon's structure and the enemies that appeared in Andras's sub-dungeon to them. I also shared the rule I had discovered to make leveling easier. "At first, a 20-level male Andras appears. And then, a 20-level female Andras appears." Men and women appearing alternately. "And once a pair passes, the next Andras's level increases by 2." A pair of level 20s, a pair of level 22s, and then a pair of level 24s. "Ryun, then what level would the 7th pair of Andrases be?"
"Hmm... since it starts at 20, if the 6th is 30, then the 7th is 32?"
"Oh, I thought so too, but it was 31?"
I carved the letters into the wall with an Andras claw. If I judged a pair of enemies as a wave, the 1st to 6th waves increased by 2 levels from 20 to 30, but from the 7th to 10th waves, it was a form where it increased by 1 from 31 to 34. How did I confirm it? I confirmed it by touching all the female Andrases. What I touched is a secret. "In other words, the deeper you go into the dungeon, the higher the difficulty of the opponent." The difficulty issue didn't matter to me at all, but there were many things to pay attention to for the named characters who had to carry the other subordinates. "That's 20 monsters up to here. And there are 5 monsters right before the boss room."
"What level are they?"
"...I don't know."
Only male Andrases came out, so I didn't even think about checking. I didn't want to check, either. But considering they hadn't evolved into sub-species Andrases, they were probably all around level 35. "Since they didn't evolve, probably five level 35s? That's it. There were only 25 monsters total inside the dungeon."
"Kieeeek...." While we were talking and walking, an Andras appeared. The sight of it sticking its tongue out like a sick chicken and rubbing its back against the dirt wall was far from normal. "Harsus, go." Krrk. Harsus walked straight ahead and lunged at the Andras. The Andras stared blankly at Harsus, then realized Harsus was a clear enemy and raised its arms high. "Las!!" "......." To shout Las at Harsus—it must have been truly out of its mind. Harsus and the Andras clawed at each other, and eventually, Harsus won by sinking its claws into the Andras's neck first. Krrr.
"As expected, it takes time to face similar levels."
"Then it's my turn." Eila drew the sword she had at her waist. It was an iron sword looted from the hunters' village, but Eila handled it skillfully, like a beloved weapon she had used for a long time. The next Andras. "Keruk, keruk, keruk." It was a female Andras, but it was stuck to the wall like a starfish, rubbing its forehead against it. Dust fell, and dirt got on its body, but the Andras didn't care. "I will cut it down." Swish. Eila easily cut down the level 20 Andras in one blow. It was a clean movement without any waste, and Eila sheathed her sword with an indifferent face. "I have cut down something trivial."
"If it's trivial because the level is low, Eila, what are you going to do about me and Lime? Anyway, in front of the Master, everything becomes a trivial existence." At Ryun's sharp remark, Eila blushed. I recalled the memory of the day Eila Aries was captured by me. Eila Aries was the type to show off her skills more than I thought. "I'm sorry...."
"No, you don't need to be ashamed. You can just slowly improve your skills from now on." We just had to kill them one by one according to their levels. We had Harsus and Eila face as many Andrases as possible according to their levels. "Hehe, another trivial thing." Krrrk. "Harsus says don't bluff after barely winning." "...Is that your thought, Ryun, or Harsus's true heart?" Krrrk. Harsus banged his head against the wall as if he were aggrieved.