The Frog's Lair
I settled into position along the riverbank for the farm village quest, tasked with clearing out the frogs. There were quite a lot of them, so pushing all the way up to the rocky mountain was inevitably going to take time.
"Aqua Arrow."
Even with Eos helping me by casting spells, the moment I took down one, another would burst out from the underbrush, its massive eyes rolling wildly. Their numbers were as endless as slimes, but they lacked the cunning of goblins. They had no tough hides either—just monsters that split cleanly in two when you slashed them. They were simply protecting their territory with sheer overwhelming numbers.
'I probably should've taken the frog extermination request from the guild. Wouldn't have been a bad idea.'
With a touch of regret, I lopped off the head of the charging frog.
"This is the rocky mountain."
After decapitating the last frog, we arrived at a place filled with rocks, just as Eos had said. It wasn't particularly tall. Compared to the mountains back in Korea, it felt like a rather pathetic little hill.
"It's wider than I expected."
"It looks like it'll take some time to find the vein."
As we climbed the rocky mountain, I scanned the surroundings. Various herbs and mushrooms glowing with mana caught my eye. I wanted to gather them all, but we didn't have that much time. The sun would set in a few hours. Finding the blue ore came first, so it wouldn't be too late to collect the remaining herbs after meeting our quota.
"Nothing here. Let's head deeper inside."
"Yes, Master."
We moved cautiously, staying alert as we ventured deeper into the rocky mountain. That's when I began to notice traces of blue mana underfoot. They were tiny blue pebbles scattered across the ground.
"Found it."
"But there isn't much."
Just as Eos said, the amount wasn't significant.
"It's already lucky that we found any traces at all."
My gaze shifted further ahead. I could see blue fragments trailing along like a thin thread.
"If we follow this, there should be more."
We followed the blue powder like Hansel and Gretel searching for their way home.
-Shaaaaaaa...
At the end of the trail was a waterfall.
"It seems this water flows all the way down to the village."
I wondered where such a large volume of water was coming from. I didn't recall seeing any rain recently. Regardless, the blue ore powder ended at the stream created by the waterfall. It looked like the blue ore vein was probably located beneath the falls.
"I'll have to go into the water. Wait here."
"I'll cast Underwater Breathing for you."
"So there's a spell like that, huh."
I stripped off my robe and all my clothes until I was completely naked. I wasn't exactly thrilled about throwing myself into cold water, but it had to be done. Once Eos finished casting the spell on me, I grabbed a pickaxe and dove straight into the water.
-Bubble bubble...
"Hooo... I really can breathe."
Magic really was fascinating. It was a mysterious power that made the impossible possible. I could breathe underwater just like a fish. I looked around, searching for the blue ore vein.
'...Not here either, huh.'
The traces of blue ore visible underwater led off in yet another direction.
'Hmm... there's something down below.'
Instead of the vein, I spotted something sparkling in the depths. It was emitting mana even brighter than the blue ore, and my eyes were naturally drawn to it.
-Grip...
I swam down as far as I could. After struggling and flailing to reach it, I finally got it in my grasp. Clutching it tightly, I swam back up to the surface.
"Hoo..."
"Welcome back, Master."
Eos was in the middle of piercing a frog's head with a water bullet.
"This isn't the spot."
"I see."
"But I found this instead."
In my hand was a pickaxe and a key radiating a dark light.
"It's a key imbued with powerful mana."
"Do you recognize it?"
I stepped out of the water and showed it to Eos. Her face flushed slightly when she saw me approaching naked, but she quickly composed herself and examined the key.
"It appears to be a key made by a human mage. Judging by the mana traces, it must be at least several hundred years old."
"An ancient mage's key..."
It felt strange that something like this had been abandoned here for so long. Maybe it had been thrown in so it would never be found again. But that wasn't the only unusual thing. The black mana contained within the key was a color I'd never seen before. Black... It looked incredibly dangerous. Just like my black hair, which was said to be cursed.
'Heh... Yeah. Dangerous things should stick together.'
It seemed like a good idea to keep it. After all, the word "dangerous" often meant "jackpot" in equal measure. I had a feeling that while wandering the continent, I'd eventually learn more about this key. I didn't believe in fate, but it felt like there was a reason this black key had ended up in my hand.
"The vein isn't in the water—it's connected to the waterfall."
"...Indeed, I can sense a space behind the waterfall."
"A space? You can sense something like that?"
Eos didn't only possess the abilities of a mage. As a demon, she could see and feel things that I couldn't.
"Good. Let's move immediately."
I tried to shake off as much water as possible from my wet body and get dressed.
"I'll remove the moisture for you."
"Hmm?"
Eos looked at my drenched form and cast a spell. The water droplets clinging to my body transferred to her palm. I was instantly dry and fluffy again.
"You're even more capable than I thought."
"It's nothing special."
After changing clothes, we headed toward the waterfall.
-Shaaaaaaa...!
The closer we got, the louder the roar of the waterfall became, and the chill grew more intense.
"On three, we jump."
"Yes."
"One, two... three."
Eos and I plunged through the waterfall.
-Goooooo...
"As expected, it's a dungeon."
"A dungeon..."
This was my first time entering one. I'd heard about them from the adventurers' guild. They were secret spaces with complex layouts, usually inhabited by monsters. The final room contained a monster boss, and defeating it would yield great rewards.
"A dungeon with a blue ore vein..."
The interior wasn't dark. It was filled with blue ore that glowed brightly.
"Grruk..."
"Grururuk."
Along with plenty of frogs, of course.
"Looks like the frog mother is at the end."
"It seems so."
No wonder there were so many frogs along the rocky mountain. They had been hiding here. Countless people must have passed by this place without discovering it. Or rather, it made sense that a demon like Eos wouldn't have come through this rocky mountain before.
"Can we clear it within three days?"
"Judging by the size of the space, we should be able to get out by tomorrow morning."
"Excellent."
Thinking once again that buying Eos as a slave had been a great decision, I stepped deeper into the dungeon.
-Slash!
"Pueee...ek..."
I advanced further inside, cutting down the charging frogs.
"Are you not tired, Master?"
"What do you mean?"
"You've been walking and fighting nonstop. Aren't other humans resting because they're exhausted?"
"I'm not tired since you're helping me."
"Still..."
"Are you worried I won't be able to hold you tonight?"
"That's not it..."
"Don't worry."
-Swoosh...
"After we defeat the boss, collect the loot, mine the blue ore, and return, we'll rest."
"Yes, Master."
Ever since I started sleeping with the women of this world, my stamina had grown insanely. If I used to be so weak that I'd collapse after one woman, now I could handle two or three with energy to spare. My stats for vigor and endurance had risen dramatically, and I rarely got tired anymore.
"Are you tired?"
"No. Demons don't tire easily... but not as much as you, Master."
A magic stone in her hand glowed, piercing through dozens of charging frogs all at once.
"Impressive."
With a single spell, she massacred an entire group of frogs more efficiently than swinging a sword once. This was exactly the kind of mage I'd always wanted.
"We're going to run out of magic stones at this rate."
"I'll handle the rest, so save them."
It felt like a waste to use magic stones on these small fry. As Eos said, there would be a boss deeper in the dungeon. It was better if I took care of more of them.
Noble Swordsmanship
-Slash!
Siiiing!
Deflection
-Ting!
Thwack!!
My sword moved faster and faster. The noble swordsmanship I'd learned from the blue-haired woman was becoming more and more familiar. I'd used it well from the beginning, but now that my proficiency had increased, it felt like it was adapting to my body. I could now see the flaws in the noble swordsmanship, and I corrected them using Deflection and adjusting my stance. I was even predicting the direction the blood would spray and swinging accordingly.
"A clean finish, Master."
"You think so..."
Eos, who had been watching from behind, clapped her hands lightly.
"Your swordsmanship feels somehow pure, Master. There are no unnecessary movements, and the finish is concise... It doesn't have that messy feeling other swords have."
Maybe it was because it was noble swordsmanship, but it did have a disciplined, precise feel to it. That was probably why it came out so fast.
"Are there demons who use swords too?"
"Yes. There is a group called the Iron Demon Clan that mainly uses magic swords."
"They use both magic and swords..."
"More precisely, they enchant their swords with magic. When they swing, iron shards fly in all directions, and any wounds they inflict corrode."
"An interesting way to fight."
Eos seemed to have fought the Iron Demon Clan herself, as she knew a lot about them.
"Then how does the Blue Demon Clan like to fight? Or rather, what kind of situation is comfortable for you, Eos?"
"I... never lose when I'm in the rear and there's water involved in the formation."
"Is the current setup good enough?"
"Yes. If I can see both you and the enemy within the same space, it's the best battlefield."
"I like that."
Eos liked the position I'd always wanted a mage to take. The image of me holding the front line while she bombarded from the rear. When I thought about how Syucali preferred fighting me head-on... I really had to be grateful to Eos.
"This is the final room."
The final room was supposed to contain the boss. Seeing frogs continuously pouring out, the probability that the frog mother was here was extremely high.
"I'll enter first."
"Yes, Master."
I stepped into the round passageway with no door. After walking for a while, I noticed water rising up to my ankles.
"Just as I thought."
A vast empty space appeared. And in the center stood a frog far larger than any we'd seen so far.
