Let's Conquer the Dungeon (3)
“Master. Master.”
“What is it now?”
“I have a question about skills.”
I wanted to ask why she was so full of questions today, but since she was massaging my shoulders, I held my tongue. Polishing that magic sword had been exhausting work.
“What are you curious about?”
“Can monsters obtain special skills as well?”
“What a pointless question… To be honest, I don’t know either.”
This world is a game. It has levels and stats. Naturally, it also has status windows and skill windows. But I can’t see anyone else’s skill window. Monster skill windows are obviously off-limits too. I’ve seen a few skill names before, but whether they count as special skills is anyone’s guess.
“I might simply be ignorant. It’s possible they can.”
“Hmm. How surprising. You always seemed like the type who knew everything about these sorts of things, even if you were clueless about a lord’s duties or basic common sense.”
“I can’t say anything with certainty when it comes to special skills.”
I truly didn’t know. Information about special skills was something I only learned after possessing this body. It might have existed in the game’s settings, lore, or perhaps some discarded backstory.
“Oh, now that I think about it—”
“Is there something?”
“…Never mind. I was mistaken.”
“Master.”
“What? Why are you suddenly bombarding me with these questions today? Isn’t the timing a bit too convenient? Did someone put you up to this?”
The hands massaging my shoulders froze.
She wasn’t usually the type to pry like this. Could it be…?
“I was just…”
“You’re not secretly trying to get stronger behind my back, are you?”
“…You certainly have a way with words. I simply believe it’s better to torment monsters than to let people suffer from your peculiar tastes, Master.”
“What peculiar tastes? And are you telling me to train monsters or something?”
“Is that so? Then what were you about to say earlier? It sounds like you looked into it and have some idea.”
Melina’s hands resumed their work on my shoulders. Normally I shouldn’t feel anything, but when I let my body relax, the sensation came through clearly. It hurt.
“I don’t know.”
“There you go again, pretending not to know. Fine, I’m done asking. More importantly, how are your shoulders?”
“I don’t know.”
“…?”
To be completely honest, I really didn’t. Not just about that skill, but about the effectiveness of this massage. I could manipulate my own knotted muscles and loosen them at will, so why was I even letting her do this?
“You don’t know, huh.”
“About the massage?”
“No, the skill.”
“Stop changing the subject. I’m asking what you think of my massage.”
“I said I don’t know. I never asked you to do it, so why are you?”
Elite monsters might not have them, but it wouldn’t be strange for major boss-class monsters to possess special skills. In fact, there had been several bizarre ones. The Egg of Disaster, for example. That was less a skill and more a setting that justified the monster’s overwhelming strength. If left alone, it would grow at an explosive rate, with causality locked so that it would inevitably cause a catastrophe. The story involved discovering it and spending three years attempting to subjugate it, only to fail and begin preparing for a great war. In the original game, I believe it was a slime. The plan had been to sacrifice an entire city to resolve the causal burden, then scorch the land to finish it off. But Eres had opposed the idea, taking the magic sword and subjugating it alone. Apparently the sword’s power took precedence over the disaster’s causality. Or maybe the whole thing had simply been exaggerated.
‘Priority, huh. Then if two disasters fought each other, who would win?’
Hmm. I don’t know. Probably the stronger one.
“Fria!”
“I’m fine! I mitigated the damage with my armor!”
That much was true. Blood was dripping steadily from her, but without the armor her upper and lower body would have been separated.
“Fall back and stop the bleeding first!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! How are we supposed to stop that thing then?!”
“Leaving it to you right now is even more dangerous!”
Right before Alto and Eres’s attacks could land, the enemy’s presence changed in an instant. Its body had turned a deep black, making its original shape and outline nearly impossible to discern. It was no longer clear whether this was even the same goblin. The sword that had been oversized for its frame snapped and reformed to match its new proportions. The shifted perspective from the increased distance made it even harder to identify what it was.
“Gwaaaaaah!!”
“It’s coming! Both of you, get back!”
Its voice had grown thick and guttural, leaving none of its original form. The monster charged at them once again. A straightforward rush. Normally this would be the moment to dodge and counter from behind, but—
‘It’s fast…! And I can’t measure the distance!’
Its small frame, the awkward length of its blade, and the explosive power and speed that came with them created a combination that was difficult to read. Alto couldn’t find the right timing to respond. Dodging before the attack arrived or striking first would only leave an opening for a counter. Forced into a defensive position, Alto had no choice but to meet the blows with both swords, but—
‘It’s too close! I can’t switch to offense!’
That would mean allowing the enemy to invade their space. Every weapon had its optimal range. Too far and you couldn’t attack, but too close and you couldn’t generate power. The monster had stepped into the perfect range for itself—like a swordsman closing in on a spearman. It was a distance where Alto couldn’t exert his full strength, yet it was the monster’s ideal fighting distance.
“Gruaaaah!!”
“Ugh…! What power!”
He wanted to create distance immediately, but the moment he lifted his feet or shifted his center of gravity backward, the monster would send him flying. Unlike Fria, Alto couldn’t create crystal armor. To escape this situation, he would have to—
‘Push forward…!’
Not backward, but forward. Endure the monster’s attack at least once, deflect it, and advance.
“Step back.”
“Eres!”
“Greeh—!”
Or have someone intervene. Eres lowered her stance and thrust her sword into the monster’s side.
“Gwaaaahk!”
“Oh.”
Perhaps because it had endured Fria’s greatsword even before evolving, Eres’s thrust only managed to push it back slightly.
“Hm. It doesn’t work. It feels less hard and more rubbery.”
“I see. But Eres.”
Was that even possible? No matter how much weaker Eres was compared to Fria, Fria’s attack had been blocked by the sword once, while Eres had stabbed it in the side with a surprise attack. Yet the damage was this negligible?
“That sword of yours—when was the last time you maintained it?”
“Maintained?”
“Have you ever sharpened it?”
“Do I need to sharpen it?”
“We’re in trouble…”
She hadn’t! This countryside girl who had learned swordsmanship through self-study had no concept of maintaining a blade!
“When did you buy that sword?”
“Hmm… five years ago.”
“We’re really in trouble…”
If she had only swung it through empty air for five years, of course it wouldn’t be worn down. The first time it had touched anything besides its scabbard and the air was during the skill evaluation. That blade was no longer a sword—it was closer to an iron club with a worn-down edge!
“Eres, fall—”
“It’s coming.”
“That sword won’t work! Get back!”
The attack had even pierced Fria’s crystal armor. There was no way to block it with a sword in that condition. But Alto’s worries proved unnecessary for multiple reasons.
“Gruaaaargh!”
“Ah.”
Even with a good sword, she probably couldn’t have blocked it. Eres was light. Lighter than Alto, obviously. Lighter than Fria, who wasn’t even wearing armor. She was even lighter than Melina. Why? The moment Eres tried to block the sword without any contest of strength, she was sent flying backward like a person hit by a car.
“…Huh?”
“Eres!”
“Stop yelling and block that thing!”
Clang—!
While everyone else was stunned, only the monster chased after the tumbling Eres. Fria, who had barely recovered, managed to stop it, but—
“Ugh…!”
She was only forcibly closing her wounds with crystal. The more strength she used, the wider they opened, making her frown.
“Hm. That’s strange.”
“What is?!”
“Fria, step aside.”
“How can I leave it to you after seeing that?! Eres, you and Arte get behind us!”
Eres couldn’t contribute to their combat strength. After that exchange, both Alto and Fria had reached the same conclusion, yet—
“Hm. This way.”
“I told you not to interfere! You’re in danger too!”
Eres jumped in again anyway, only to be knocked flying once more.
‘…Irrational.’
“Gweeeeh!!!”
“Yes.”
Mid-flight, Eres used the momentum to perform a somersault!
“Come at me.”
“…Grek?”
“What the hell is that?”
Clang—!
Though her feet had left the ground, she had corrected her posture. She blocked the monster’s attack again and was sent flying backward once more. The otherworldly movement left not only her companions but even the monster momentarily wide-eyed.
“Hey, Alto, why didn’t you do that earlier?”
“How was I supposed to do that?”
It was the most rational way to recover one’s stance as quickly as possible after blocking an attack.
‘Irrational.’
On the other hand, after blocking the goblin’s attacks three times, Eres voiced her confusion.
“Hm…”
“Gweeeehk!”
‘Irrational.’
Another attack. This time, to close the distance that had grown too wide from her companions, she didn’t block but deflected and dodged.
“Hey Alto. Why couldn’t you do that?”
“…You and Eres were behind me.”
“You told us to fall back.”
“Just drink a potion.”
It was strange. To Eres, the situation looked far too bizarre.
“Alto, Fria. This monster doesn’t exploit the openings we show it.”
“What? You mean you were fighting something like that while showing openings?!”
“Hm. I wonder why.”
“Who cares about the reason! It’s just stupid!”
That was actually correct. This was the first time the monster had faced an opponent that used weapons. The humans it had fought before had bodies harder than their swords. It had no concept that unblocked areas were vulnerable!
“Eres’s fighting style puts her at a disadvantage! Fria, are your wounds okay?!”
“This medicine isn’t bad. I’m going in first!”
Thud—!
Fria charged forward and swung her greatsword. The monster matched her.
“Gweeeehk!!!”
The broken sword, even more damaged than Eres’s, met Fria’s greatsword head-on. As expected, the sword was heavy. While the monster was occupied blocking the heavy blade, and when it sensed danger—its mind burned with rage.
“Krwaaaaaah!”
“That’s enough!”
Slash—!
While the monster was distracted by Fria’s greatsword, Alto struck from the side. The sharp crystal sword created by magic tore through the shell of blood and inflicted a wound.
“Gruu… Grwaaaaaahk!!”
It hurt. Why did it have to hurt this much? Did it still lack the strength to kill humans? Why did humans torment it so? Humans who had destroyed their nest. Humans who had wounded it. Why were they still here?! What did they want from them by remaining here?! There was no value left in this place! It had erased everything! Because you humans made those things worthless to me! What right do you have to torment me?!
Even after its back was shredded, its strength didn’t diminish. Instead, it grew even stronger.
“Krwaaaaaah!!!”
“Wh-what is this?!”
“There’s something strange on its sword…”
Black energy coiled around the broken blade. Resentment that had surpassed the limits of its mind.
“…! Alto! Fria! Get back!”
Grudge Strike
The materialized form of the inner demon that had consumed even its own mind.
It probably couldn’t be blocked. Alto and Fria couldn’t even gauge what it was, but they at least understood that from now on they wouldn’t even be able to attempt to stop it.
“Fall back! Arte, you duck too!”
“Y-yes!”
“Kieeeeeeaaaah!!!!”
Kwaaaaaang—!
The moment Fria pulled her sword free and retreated, the black sword energy swept out in a wide arc. Its power gouged the dungeon walls. As the blackness spread, the luminescent magic inside the dungeon weakened, plunging the area into darkness.
“Th-this is…”
“Stay down.”
If Eres hadn’t grabbed the crouching Arte and forced her completely to the ground, she would have been caught in the attack and killed. But the two who couldn’t avoid it were—
“Cough…! What… is this…”
“A mere goblin… how…”
“…Sir Alto? Lady Fria! Both of you…!”
“Stay still.”
Because they had been relatively close when they tried to withdraw, they hadn’t completely escaped the range. Their conditions were horrific. They were slammed against the wall with no strength left to even take out potions.
“What do we do… what do we do…”
“Arte, I don’t want to say this, but pull yourself together.”
“Pull myself together…? How can you stay so calm, Eres?! Those two are…”
“Because I believe you can do it.”
And—
“Grwooo… Graaaaaah!!”
As long as even one human remained, its resentment would not stop. No matter how much advantage it gained. No matter what absurd things happened now. Since fighting itself was because of the hateful humans, even claiming victory brought stress. It would try to kill even Eres and Arte.
“Arte, listen carefully. I’ll take care of that thing.”
“B-by yourself?”
“Yes.”
Understanding that, Arte immediately regretted her words. Eres could not be shaken right now. Against that thing, not even the slightest opening could be tolerated.
“Alto has potions, so help him drink them. But Fria already drank one earlier, so it might be dangerous.”
“…I should give her mine, right?”
“Hm. I’m counting on you.”
She had to succeed. Eres had been planning to hand over her own potion, but even she could tell the situation wasn’t relaxed enough for that. For everyone to return alive, or at least to attempt it, Arte would have to step forward herself.
“Leave it to me… I’ll definitely do it…!”
“Good. And I have one plan.”
Eres conveyed a very short and absurd plan to Arte. In a way, it was an even more difficult request than giving her the potion.
“Will that… really work?”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Umm… But were you aiming for this from the beginning when you brought me…”
“Who knows. We don’t have time to talk.”
“Grwaaaaaah!!!”
After the recoil and adaptation from using the special skill for the first time ended, the goblin turned its gaze full of hatred toward Eres.
“Hm… I don’t like being interrupted while I’m talking.”
“Kieeeeeeek!!!”
“Hm. Yes. Since you don’t like me either, we’re even.”
Rotato Mountain. Deep underground in the dungeon. She, who would have originally suffered the fate of the magic sword here and marched toward ruin, was now carving out her own destiny with a cheap sword bought from the village blacksmith.