Chapter 719: The Turtle Cave
Chapter 719: The Turtle Cave
According to my Butchering skill, the turtle’s magic stone was located just beneath its shell.
All I had to do was peel off the topmost layer of the carapace, and I’d be able to dig it right out.
Yes, if I could peel off the shell.
But the damn thing must have retained its hardness even in death, because my knife showed no signs of penetrating it.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible to get the magic stone through the openings where the shell didn’t cover, like the head or leg holes.
But as you could tell from the way it was completely blocking the passage, the turtle was massive.
In other words, to dig through an unprotected area, I’d have to carve through its guts and go all the way inside.
Sure, the monster’s remains would vanish without a trace once I took the magic stone, so I didn’t have to worry about getting dirty.
But that didn’t make the disgusting feeling of digging through entrails go away.
So, if I could help it, I’d really rather not.
“It can’t be helped. I shall assist you.”
Seeing my predicament, Diana shook her head and offered her help.
True, with Diana’s magic, she could probably retrieve just the magic stone with finesse, without having to stick her body inside.
But listen. I appreciate the offer, I really do. But what’s with that look on your face?
“No, it’s fine. You must be tired from the last battle, Diana. You should rest. I’ll do it.”
And Diana wasn’t the only one shaking her head.
Sara, wearing an expression that seemed to say I had a long way to go, stepped forward, drawing the knife she wore on her leg for self-defense.
“No, Sara. Didn’t you just see? A dagger can’t possibly pierce…”
Shunk.
It pierced. And with incredible ease.
Wait a minute. That’s weird. She’s an archer. If anyone should be good with a dagger, it’s me. Me. This is weird.
No, on closer inspection, the dagger embedded in the shell was glowing as if it were self-illuminating.
Still, this is weird! What a dirty, broken class!
“O-Of course! I just have to use mana! That was the trick!”
“For a frontline fighter, isn’t it a bit strange you didn’t think of that…?”
“Alright, alright! Now that we know how, let’s get that magic stone! That’s enough, Sara! I’ll take it from here!”
I did my best to ignore Sara’s dumbfounded expression and hurriedly infused my knife with mana.
I may not look like it, but my job uses a dagger as a primary weapon! And I’ve even completed my first class change! There’s no way I can’t do what Sara can!
Just in case, I packed as much mana as I possibly could into the dagger, then I stabbed it into the creature’s shell with all my might.
“Grk… Hnnggg… Hah! How’s that?!”
And after a desperate struggle, I finally managed to embed the dagger in the shell.
“…Should I just do it?”
“Wh-What are you talking about?! Can’t you see the dagger stuck in it?!”
“…Guwon.”
The look in Sara’s eyes was slowly changing into one you’d give to someone truly pitiful.
“Wh-What.”
“The name of your new job was… Wolyeongmusa? I don’t know the details, but you said it was an attacker class, right? A mix of assassin and warrior. Main weapons were daggers and fists.”
“…Y-You seem to know an awful lot about it.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Don’t ask me with such an openly sympathetic look on your face!”
“Silvia is the tank now, anyway, so shouldn’t you focus on building up your attack power? It’s not like you have any defensive skills, right?”
“I said stop throwing these truth bombs with a face that says you’re genuinely worried about my future! Sara, sometimes you’re way too direct for my heart to handle!”
I know! I know, okay! I know better than anyone that I’m a mish-mashed, jack-of-all-trades character!
I might be called a tank, but I’m only good at drawing aggro and have zero defensive skills!
I might be called an evasion tank, but most of my combat skills are attack-oriented!
And on top of that, my skill levels are generally low!
And on top of that, my highest stat, besides Charm, is Durability!
Without my Saint skills, I’m a nobody, a character with zero presence!
The only reason I’ve been taking the lead in the party so far was because if I didn’t, I’d have absolutely nothing to do.
It made sense, after all. It was best to leave tanking to Silvia, who actually had defensive skills.
Attacking could be left to Sara.
Healing to Leia. Diana could handle any unexpected situations. And Matilda could defend the rear.
Yeah. To be blunt, even if I wasn’t in the party, it would have been perfectly balanced.
“No. Wait a minute. That’s right! Come to think of it, I do have one defensive skill! And it’s an incredibly efficient one! If I make use of this, I too can become a perfect tank…!”
But just then, something flashed in my mind.
My gaze naturally drifted down to my own crotch.
“Please, stop. For real.”
But my ambition was quickly crushed by Matilda’s cold voice, which was completely devoid of its usual pink aura.
“F-For your information, it blocked an attack from the 5th Floor’s Layer Boss…”
“You’re being persistent.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Well, Matilda did witness that scene firsthand, so I guess I can’t blame her for reacting that way.
Looking closely, even Silvia was shaking her head, as if to say it was absolutely out of the question.
“I will take the role of the tank.”
Hey, Silvia? Maybe you could let your voice tremble a little, like usual?
Is it that bad? Is it really that unacceptable?
“…Honestly, trying to turn even this into a joke. I’m being serious. There’s also what Diana said earlier.”
No, for my part, I wasn’t entirely joking, you know.
Well, her point was valid, though.
According to Diana, the Goddess wants me to have a certain level of combat prowess even without my Saint skills.
Just as Sara said, from now on, it would be better for me to decide on a proper growth path and raise my skill levels, rather than just blindly leveling up.
Wolyeongmusa. Simply put, it’s an infighter who uses fists and daggers, specializing in ambushes and high-speed combat.
And it was true that if I fought in a way that highlighted this job’s characteristics, our party’s balance would improve.
After all, our party didn’t have a melee dealer.
Well, if you wanted to be technical, Silvia and Matilda were closer to bruisers, so it wasn’t like we had no melee options at all.
Still, if I took on the role of an infighter who used speed to disrupt the enemy, our party would definitely become much more balanced than it was now.
I’d even seen that kind of combat with my own eyes.
When we went to the 5th Floor with the Arachne Clan, the sexy rogue, Lutia, played that exact role.
Well, I had no intention of fighting in a skintight suit like she did, though.
“Alright. Then from now on, shall I try taking on the role of a close-range dealer?”
“Hmm. In that case, would you care to try your hand against the next turtle? Provided it isn’t too much of a burden on Miss Silvia, of course…”
“Huh? No, even so, for me to suddenly go alone…”
“Yes. I’ll be fine. It’s no problem.”
Isn’t making me fight a turtle all by myself a bit of a Spartan training method?
I was about to say that, but before I could finish, Silvia nodded her head.
…Silvia. I know you’re all fired up from the last battle, but maybe, just maybe, you could relax a little and act like your usual self? That’s what I’m thinking, anyway.
“W-Well, let’s do that then!”
But with the tank, who does the most work, saying she’s up for it, I couldn’t very well back out.
And so, that’s how our party’s basic combat strategy in this turtle cave was decided.
Silvia would block, and I would start by pouring on as many attacks as I could alone. If the turtle was still standing when I hit my limit, Sara would provide support to finish it off.
“Hah… Hah…”
And so, for the first time in a while, I was experiencing the taste of death by combat.
Things were so much easier when I used my Saint skills.
The fact that my opponent was a ridiculously hard turtle also played a part, and I was now keenly feeling just how convenient my Saint skills had been.
No, listen. I have excuses.
This turtle bastard. It’s ridiculously disadvantageous for a melee dealer to fight!
When its health is full, it won’t attack unless you get close, but I’m a melee dealer, so I have to get close! It keeps attacking by sticking its head out!
No, that part is fine. Silvia would block the dangerous attacks with her shield, and every time it tried to bite, I could attack its relatively soft head.
The problem was after its health dropped below a certain point.
My dagger already couldn’t pierce it, but when it started spinning, it was pure hell!
Even when I tried to press down with all my might, the uneven shell would spin and grind against my dagger, and the shock would travel all the way up my arm!
Anyone can see this thing is easier to kill with ranged attacks!
Thanks to that, I was already exhausted after just one battle.
I’d wasted a ridiculous amount of mana trying to pierce that pointlessly spinning shell.
If I had used that mana on my Saint skills, I could have taken down dozens of these turtles.
“Guwon-ssi, are you okay?”
Seeing me look even more exhausted than usual, my angel peeked at my face with an expression full of worry.
“Honestly, you’re pathetic. Want to sit the next one out? I’ll handle it by myself.”
Sara, too, though her tone tried to hide it, made the suggestion out of concern.
For some reason, I could feel a kindness I never felt when I was playing the role of the reliable tank.
No. I’m not that weak! I’m fine, so don’t treat me so kindly! It just makes me sad!
“I’m fine. I can still do this.”
“Are you really okay? It’s good that you’re trying to get stronger, but you shouldn’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
“Don’t worry. Ah, but if you really want to help.”
“Yes? Is there something I can do to help?”
“Yeah. I’m low on mana, so let’s go over there for a little healing… Gyaaaah! It’s gonna break! It’s breaking!”
The moment I pointed to a corner with my finger, Sara’s hand grabbed it and bent it in a direction it was never meant to bend.
“Don’t say weird things. Honestly, I can’t let my guard down for a second. And Leia, please don’t take him so seriously. It’s because you do that Guwon always acts so spoiled around you…”
Hearing Sara’s words, I looked at Leia’s face again, and sure enough, she was blushing slightly.
Don’t tell me she was actually considering it.
An angel. There’s an angel right here.
She really is the oasis of my heart. Just looking at her is healing.
“Hey, Sara.”
To protect that oasis, I put on a serious expression and grabbed Sara’s shoulder.
“Wh-What is it.”
“Don’t say unnecessary things to my angel. Don’t corrupt her innocence. My angel must forever have that pure reaction to my sexual harassment… Gyaaaah! I’m sorry! I got carried away! I apologize! It’s bending! It’s really bending!”
However, my fatal mistake was forgetting that Sara’s hand was still holding my finger.
“Anyway, if you have the energy for jokes like that, you must still have plenty of strength left. You can handle the next turtle by yourself, Guwon.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“…I guess I can teach you how to infuse your weapon with mana more efficiently.”
“Honestly, she just can’t be honest with herself. If you like me, just say you like me… Gyaaaah! Let go of my finger already!”
And so, we continued onward, clearing out turtles, with me doing most of the hard work.
Well, it wasn’t so bad, since the more I struggled, the faster my skill levels rose.
Though that was probably just because my skill levels were too low for this floor.
In any case, after defeating several turtles and passing through a few forks in the winding cave, the turtle cave entered a new phase.
That’s right. The turtle cave wasn’t just a simple structure of mossy tunnels.
“…A pool of water.”
“A pool… of water.”
Looking at the pool before us, the one with the most defeated expression was, as expected, Matilda.
“I guess we have to go in?”
“All other paths are blocked, so it is only natural.”
No, I know. The map shows the path continuing downward through here.
But listen. If I’m having this much trouble with the turtles on dry land, what’s it going to be like in the water where it’s hard to move?
And the turtles will probably be flying around in the water!
Sigh… I really don’t want to go in.