Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Episode 14
The second floor wasn't much different. The only monsters that appeared were noisy Fire Lizards, and the dungeon's structure was the same: a cave engulfed in flames.
"Keeek!"
I shot a [Mana Bullet] at the Fire Lizard that was loudly announcing its presence while trying to ambush me from behind. Now that I thought about it, I didn't even need basic magic. As long as I could hit its head, [Mana Bullet] was enough to take them down.
"Keeek..."
"Honestly."
I stomped on another Fire Lizard that crawled towards me, screaming.
"Keeek...!"
"So annoying."
I blasted the head of the idiotic monster that was screaming even while trying to ambush me from the ceiling.
"Keck!"
"Nothing's dropping!"
I had killed at least 40 Fire Lizards on this floor alone. But I still hadn't gotten a single material item. Did they even drop here?
"...Or is Oz's luck stat garbage?"
There was no luck stat in the game, but I suddenly thought it might be a possibility. Oz, regardless of his in-game performance, was a joke in the story. He was strong, but he was always getting bad matchups or being caught off guard and silenced. A walking comedy routine.
Was it because of an abysmally low luck stat? Wasn't it because of a hidden, ridiculously low luck stat? I decided to kill the second-floor boss and then go back. Luck or no luck, I was going back after that.
I was now a member of the Disciplinary Committee. Of course, due to my position and personality, I wouldn't be patrolling with them. But since it was the first day, I should at least show my face. There was no reason for me to be in the Disciplinary Committee other than symbolism. I didn't have to be bound by their rules. My role was to prevent other idiots from trying to copy me, the biggest troublemaker. Especially easily influenced idiots like Eleanor.
So, I had to at least set a good example.
"Hmm?"
Come to think of it, no more Fire Lizards were appearing. The magic I had been mechanically casting had nowhere to go. In this case, there was only one possibility. In the game, to encounter a boss monster, you either had to find the boss room or defeat all the monsters in the dungeon to summon it.
I had killed at least 40 Fire Lizards since entering the second floor. If no more monsters were appearing, it meant the boss monster was about to appear.
[Contemplation - Activated]
"Ugh?!"
I increased the output of [Contemplation] and looked around. A giant Fire Lizard was crawling just two meters in front of me. Invisibility? No, it was different. Its color was simply similar to the surrounding environment. A simple camouflage.
The second-floor boss monster, Salamander. It looked exactly like a Fire Lizard, but the tattoos on its body gave it a camouflage effect that allowed it to blend in with its surroundings. In the game, its HP bar was displayed above its head, so it was a rather pointless setting, but it was different now.
I was surprised. And it was dangerous. It was even humiliating that I was caught off guard even though I knew about it.
[Erosion Rate 10%]
The [Erosion Rate] shot up to 10% from the shock. What a sneaky tactic. I shouldn't forget that this wasn't entirely a game world. All the monsters that had appeared so far approached while screaming loudly. That was true even when they were ambushing.
I was distracted by that. That's why I didn't notice the camouflage, not invisibility, with [Contemplation]. Even though it was right in front of me, I was too focused on the sound to notice.
"This is..."
Despite the situation, Headmaster Tia's words came to mind. She told me to leave the Daily Dungeons be if they seemed to be of an appropriate difficulty, for practical training purposes. In my opinion, this Daily Dungeon was a perfect training ground. Didn't it teach a valuable lesson to fools like me?
Hiss-
"So sneaky until the very end?"
The Salamander flicked its tongue out like a frog and grabbed my wrist. I heard a sizzling sound and felt a sharp pain as if my wrist was being grilled. Even its attack was silent. If ordinary people were attacked without noticing, they might panic.
Flinch!
I felt the Salamander flinch through its tongue wrapped around my wrist. It was probably trying to pull me closer, but unlike ordinary mages, I had considerable strength.
"Let's see."
[Mana Dominator Lv. 1]
I grabbed the Salamander's tongue and pulled it towards me. I could have just blasted it with magic from a distance, but there was something I wanted to confirm. The magic generated by [Mana Dominator] was an R-rank area-of-effect spell.
[Lightning Burst]
This intermediate-level magic spell caused both knockback from the explosion and paralysis, characteristic of lightning attribute. In the game, it was usually used to disrupt enemy formations.
Then what would happen if this area-of-effect spell was used at close range?
Crack-
I shoved my fist, along with the spell, into the Salamander's mouth. I winced; the inside of the Salamander's body was surprisingly hot.
"Die."
Crackle--!!!
The moment I unleashed the magic I was holding, the Salamander exploded. There was no sign of knockback or paralysis. It just exploded the moment it detonated, so I couldn't tell.
"Oh..."
It had decent power. Perhaps because the area-of-effect spell, meant for multiple enemies, was concentrated on a single target, it was more powerful than I expected. This was all thanks to [Mana Dominator], which prevented me from being harmed. If I had done this normally, my hand would have exploded as well.
"Not bad."
[Mana Dominator] still had many hidden advantages. I thought it might become useless once I learned intermediate and advanced magic, but there was still plenty of room to use it for creating variables.
"Now, did any resources drop?"
I shouldn't forget my objective. I came here to confirm whether the Daily Dungeon rewards actually worked.
"There is..."
I examined the exploded remains of the Salamander and found a red orb. I almost missed it because it was engulfed in flames. In the game, it was just a red orb on a fiery background, so there was a sense of disconnect.
I examined the resource with [Contemplation]. A fiery orb obtained from Tuesday's Daily Dungeon:
{Fragment of Prana}
In the game, this item was used as an experience potion to level up characters. Then what would it do now, when there were no experience points or levels?
Perhaps there were levels, and I just didn't know about them. Or maybe it was just a simple burning orb. That would be a shame. I hoped there were levels, and that I could raise them...
"Hmm?"
I examined the {Fragment of Prana} with [Contemplation], and an unexpected answer emerged. To put it simply, the {Fragment of Prana} did increase experience. But not character experience.
[Mana Dominator Lv. 1]
Exp: 1/200
[Spatial Barrier Lv. 1]
Exp: 1/300
The moment I examined the {Fragment of Prana}, the information window displayed by [Contemplation] for my skills changed slightly.
"Skill level...?"
Come to think of it, it was there. It clearly said [Lv. 1], but I hadn't thought about it. Even though the purpose of the in-game resources had changed, it was good news that I could strengthen my powers through grinding. The problem was that it was a useless skill like [Mana Dominator]...
I stared at the {Fragment of Prana} in my hand. It was burning, but not hot. If I used this, I could gain 1 experience point. What a ridiculously inefficient system.
"Third floor... should I go?"
Should I just go up to the third floor? In games, the drop rate increased as you went to the lower floors of a dungeon. Perhaps a lot would drop on the third floor.
"Well, the third floor is still within the safe zone."
I stepped towards the stairs leading down to the third floor.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
By the time I came out of the Daily Dungeon, night had already fallen. The sky was filled with brightly shining stars, clearly visible despite the bright streetlights. It was a sight I could only see because this was a game, a world inside a game.
I had conquered up to the fifth floor of the Daily Dungeon today. I initially planned to stop at the third floor, but those of us who played collectible RPGs had an unfortunate habit.
"I can't stand dying with resources left..."
If we died with resources remaining, we had to see it through to the end. That was our nature. Well, what did it matter? I hadn't made a mana oath or anything. Thanks to that, I was able to obtain seven {Fragments of Prana}. I could gain seven experience points with this.
Damn it.
"Hmm..."
I came to a fork in the road. If I turned right, I would head towards my isolated dormitory. If I turned left, I would go towards the academy building. And if I turned slightly from the academy building, I would reach the Disciplinary Committee room.
"It's late, but..."
I had to wear the Disciplinary Committee armband starting tomorrow. It wouldn't matter if I got it tomorrow, but if Headmaster Tia found out I was walking around without it, my life would be in danger. I had already crossed her line many times.
"...Alright."
I'll just stop by for a moment.
I turned left and headed towards the academy building. The stars were shining in the sky, and the streetlights were bright. It was well-lit. Perhaps because of that, I saw a few other people besides myself. Some of them were familiar faces I had seen in the game.
"..."
All the familiar faces avoided my gaze and ignored me. It felt like they didn't even dare to look at me. Oz was a commoner, but he was a monster who rose to royalty through his own power. Moreover, this was the Mage Kingdom of Spellerge, where power reigned supreme. To others, I was probably a walking strategic weapon. But would ordinary people talk to a bomb?
Unless they were crazy, they wouldn't. I made all sorts of excuses, but the conclusion was simple.
"This is depressing."
I was becoming perfectly isolated in Scientia. Moreover, I was acting arrogant and authoritarian to assert my presence. Coupled with [Contemplation], it couldn't be helped. Yes, this was intentional. It was absolutely not because I was a loser. The only ones who approached me were Lucia and Eleanor.
Lucia was a soldier of the Empire, so I would have to interact with her several times in the future. It was a business relationship. She found my gaze intimidating, but it was better than being seen as weak. As for Eleanor, she simply placed all my actions on the same level as hers. She thought I was acting. It was the same when I activated [Contemplation]. How humiliating.
It was an act, but it felt humiliating that Eleanor was the one who thought that. I wasn't the same as her.
"Hmm?"
I arrived at the forest where the Disciplinary Committee room was located, without talking to or making eye contact with anyone. I thought it would be hard to find since it was in the middle of the forest, but it was easy to follow the path thanks to the light bulbs. Well, even without the light bulbs, finding the path wouldn't have been a problem with [Contemplation].
"Is anyone still here?"
The lights were on in the Disciplinary Committee room. Was there a poor workaholic working late? Or was there someone waiting for me? Either way, it would be awkward to encounter them. But I couldn't just not go in. If they were waiting for me, I wouldn't be able to sleep because it would bother me.
Click
I opened the door and saw an empty room. There was no one there. Maybe they forgot to turn off the lights, but that was unlikely. [Contemplation] told me there was someone there. If there was someone, it would be over there.
"Office..."
Come to think of it, the only person who would be waiting for me was her. The other members of the Disciplinary Committee disliked me. So, if there was someone, it could only be the Saintess, who was kind to everyone, who couldn't help but be kind.
I knocked lightly, and I felt a flurry of movement from inside. Were they flustered?
"Yes, come in."
I recognized the voice. As expected, Arietta was inside. I opened the door and saw the large executive chair, along with the refreshing scent of apple mint.
Whirl.
Did she have to do that every time? It felt unnatural, like a boss monster's entrance.
"What a coincidence, Oz..."
"Indeed."
It wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be. Arietta was definitely waiting for me. She was the head of the Disciplinary Committee, but she couldn't do paperwork because she was blind. There was no reason for her to stay here.
"You recognize who I am."
"To be precise, I don't 'recognize' you, but I can sense you."
Arietta was blind. But she was just blind. Even in reality, there were people whose other senses became sharper because they couldn't see. It was similar to that. She couldn't see, but she could sense the world. This vast holy power that permeated her surroundings was her sense, so to speak. As a result, she could be said to see more than others. But not to the extent of seeing the ink on paper. She could see more than others, but she couldn't see what others took for granted.
"Oz... would it be alright if I touched your face?"
"Yes, go ahead."
I approached the chair where Arietta was sitting, and she cautiously reached out. Her warm hand traced my face. It felt a bit embarrassing, but I quietly accepted her touch. I had seen blind people memorize faces like this on TV before. She could grasp the shape of my being, but she couldn't know exactly what my face looked like.
"How is it?"
Not to brag, but Oz's face was quite handsome. I wasn't sure if she knew the standards of human beauty, but I believed it wouldn't be unpleasant.
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you confirm what I look like? By, you know... touching my face and memorizing its shape..."
"I can't do that."
"...?"
You can't? Then why were you touching my face like that? I looked at her face and saw the corners of her mouth twitching upwards slightly. Was it a joke? I could confirm it by activating [Contemplation], but I decided not to. It felt like a sin to scrutinize her with [Contemplation]. Besides, if it was black humor using her blindness, it was unfortunate. I couldn't bring myself to laugh.
"You're cold."
"I just came in from outside."
"Then shouldn't your face be warm?"
"It varies from person to person, doesn't it?"
Even while making small talk, Arietta didn't stop touching my face. Was this sexual harassment? But her touch felt so respectful that I couldn't push her away. Her touch was infinitely gentle, as if she was carefully caressing something precious and fragile.
"You're cold."
"..."
Arietta said that again. But the nuance was different this time. It was a sad, yet understanding tone, with a hint of bitterness and regret.
"You've become truly cold."
Arietta continued to caress my face for a while. I could feel a slight tremor in her touch.
"...I'm a little late with my welcom
e. Welcome to the Disciplinary Committee."
And at that moment...
"Oz."
The slight gap that existed between my name and the honorific disappeared.
[Erosion Rate 21%]
And as if cutting something along with that gap, something between Arietta and me was severed.