Chapter 105: Adaptation 1
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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From the 10th floor to the 20th, and then from the 20th to the 21st.
'Come to think of it, the gate hasnt been installed yet. Maybe I should've rested for a day, using the divine energy as an excuse.'
It seems there's still a day or two left until the gate construction is complete since the pride battle between the Magic Tower and the Knights Division has just ended.
If they mention a reward, we should opt for a gate access pass.
After a long climb, we entered the 21st floor passage.
Instead of the refreshing forest air, a damp and musty atmosphere pricked at my nostrils.
The air of the 21st floor always made me feel sick of climbing the tower.
At this unfamiliar sensation, Grace, who was following behind, quietly sticks to me.
Maybe it's because the rest of the party hasn't crossed the passage yet or perhaps she's accustomed to the expansive forests and mountains, she finds the confined space of the cave unsettling.
She clings to me, like a scared child.
It's wider than I expected?
"Its wide enough to walk, but a bit restrictive for combat. Also, the width of the cave corridors varies, so we need to be careful."
Grace peeked ahead from beside my arm, but without Han Se-ah and her light magic, visibility probably wouldn't exceed 10 meters.
One by one, the rest of the party began to cross the passage, looking around the cave in curiosity.
The cave is wide enough for one person but is too narrow for two people side by side without their shoulders bumping.
Naturally, there's no space to set up tents either.
"As you can see, the floor is uneven, and the width of the path is irregular. We also need to consider that there's no space to set up tents."
"Are there any safe zones in a place like this?"
"There's a massive cavern. But, unlike the forest with its clear paths, we'll need a guide who can memorize the route."
Grace gulped, seemingly overwhelmed by the unfamiliar cave environment and the daunting task of memorizing a maze-like path.
Of course, I didnt say this to burden her, but to give Han Se-ah a chance to chime in.
"Um Roland? If that's the case, I think I can handle it. Just like in the Obernu Forest, I can remember the path with my magic once I've walked it.
Really? Then Grace can scout the path, and Hanna can mark it with her magic.
We're pretending the inventory is a type of magic and the minimap is a technique using magical markers.
So, with the help of Han Se-ah's minimap, Grace no longer needed to memorize the entire route from the passage to the safe zones and vice versa.
Her expression visibly softens.
Though there was no real need for her to stress. She could have just marked the cave walls.
"From the 21st floor onward, we need to be cautious of cave spiders and vampire bats. One can climb walls, the other can fly. Since the 20th-floor gate hasnt been built and the caves are a new environment, let's take it easy today and just explore nearby."
"...Then, Roland should lead the way, followed by Grace, Irene, myself, and Kaiden."
She structured our formation without any objections from the group.
Everyone quietly arranged themselves in the narrow path as Han Se-ah had suggested, preparing to move.
I took out a baton-shaped magic tool.
Now that I have divine energy, I think I should really take a more defensive passive role.
As I did so, Grace, from behind, lightly tapped on my armor, asking curiously,
"What's that, Roland?"
"It's a magic tool. While it's dimmer than a regular torch, it doesn't flicker, which makes it much more convenient."
It's a magic tool with the appearance of a rod that construction workers waved around.
Its brightness was too subtle for combat but adequate for walking.
There was a significant advantage to its design.
It was designed to be exceptionally durable rather than emitting a strong light.
Once a battle begins, you could just toss it on the ground like a glow stick or flare.
With this faint illumination, nowhere near the brightness of sunlight, our group ventured into the cave.
"Visibility really is limited here It doesn't interfere with sensing presences, though."
"You'll get used to it. Beyond this cave lies a marshland with areas so dense they're almost like jungles."
Responding to Grace's murmured comments from behind, I shared some of the tower's challenging design.
The higher we go, the more concerned I become.
After navigating the winding, narrow caves, there's a marsh so treacherous it's hard to walk through.
What difficult terrain would come next?
Considering the game's design, I'd guess a desert or maybe a snowy field.
As we quietly traversed the cave, Grace whispered for us to stop, sensing something.
Our group came to a standstill.
"Did you detect something, ?"
"It's a fork in the path, and I feel the presence of monsters from the right. It doesnt feel like goblins or kobolds maybe spiders? The movement sounds very different."
"If it were vampire bats, they would be motionless, hanging from the ceiling. So if you hear movement, it must be the cave spiders."
At my remark, the team swallowed hard and assumed a combat stance.
Even though, on paper, we shouldn't be feeling this tense just on the 21st floor, the unfamiliarity of the cave added enough psychological pressure.
Firstly, the forked path ahead was so dark we couldn't see beyond.
Monsters lurked in that unseen darkness.
Unless you're a veteran accustomed to night combat, this situation is tense.
Even with the tension, the group naturally headed to the right, towards where Grace felt the presence of cave spiders.
I head down the right path with them, holding up my shield and the baton-shaped magic tool.
"Hanna, Light."
"Got it."
-streamer Han Se-ah's dazzling debut(brighter than the magic tool)
-Ugh, damn it! Why spiders? I'd rather see goblin underwear.
-Is it a relief they don't have eyes? Or is it even creepier because they don't have eyes?
-Isn't it somewhat better without the fur and the eyes?
-Their legs are creepy enough; let's not even talk about the sound of them laying eggs with their mouths.
As Han Se-ah murmured, a glowing orb rose gracefully above her staff, settling above the heads of the group.
Thanks to this, the shapes of the cave spiders clinging to the cave walls and ceiling became visible.
Noticing our presence, large spiders about 1 meter in size began moving towards us.
A monster with a sleek appearance devoid of hair and eyes, it had a bulbous head and a slightly elongated body.
"As you can see, their thin legs are their weakness. Surprisingly, their biting power is stronger than that of the Moss Wolf. If bitten by their pincer jaws, a poisonous stinger, which acts as their tongue, will shoot out. So as long as you're not caught, they're easy opponents."
If we didnt notice it and allowed it to approach, it would leap at our necks from above.
But with a 4 scout in our party, theres no way we'd let a mere monster get the drop on us.
In truth, anyone with a torch would notice it.
If someone hadn't noticed them crawling up the wall and reaching above their heads, they would have probably been killed by an Orc Hunter on the tower's 20th floor.
As soon as I finished explaining, a wind-cutting sound - 'shiik' - rang out, and arrows flew towards the spiders.
Grace's arrows, aiming not for their vulnerable legs but precisely piercing the pincer jaws and mouths.
"Looks like we'll be using a lot of arrows on both cave spiders and vampire bats."
"Well, yes. In this cave, Grace will have to work a bit harder."
I couldn't exactly tell Kaiden, who was guarding our rear, to jump off the cave wall and slash at the spiders.
No matter how fantastical this world is, it's not a place where giants attack or where 3D aerial battles take place.
So, naturally, Grace will be busy intercepting the monsters with arrows before they approach us.
If they swarm her in numbers too overwhelming, Han Se-ah can switch from using Light magic to offensive magic.
Even at the cost of visibility.
-The lighting is really good, is she a professional or something?
-From being the main defense with Irene to just handling the lighting, quite the downgrade.
-For the only mage in the party, she doesn't seem to be doing much.
-Carrying the inventory, a mini-map, and Light magic... Is this a porter cosplay?
Each time Grace releases her tightly drawn bowstring, arrows shoot forth, cutting through the air.
The spiders, faster than expected, dont always get hit directly in the mouth, but none miss their heads.
Shield in hand, I block the front, and behind me, Grace rapidly fires arrows.
With just the two of us, we efficiently dealt with eight spiders, much to the astonishment of our viewers.
If we encounter a larger group, Han Se-ah will probably have to use more offensive spells, but... that's a story for later.
"There are more cave spiders roaming around than I thought?"
Given that we're higher up the tower, its safe to assume their numbers are higher as well.
Does that mean there are more goblins and kobolds too?
Exactly. There'll be swarms everywhere.
Hearing Grace's murmurs, Han Se-ah quietly poses a question.
Moss Wolves and Helmeted Deer roamed individually, but from the start, cave spiders traveled in large groups.
If vampire bats, faster than the cave spiders, swarmed in groups of ten or more, Grace's arrows wouldn't be enough.
Or encountering over thirty goblins or kobolds.
Just ascending one level and already facing double the number of monsters; Han Se-ah might end up endlessly casting spells.
"Ah, geez. Don't say 'it's dazzling, it's dazzling'. Seriously, or I'll flash the camera with the light. I laughed too? Yes, at first. So no more trolling."
For now, she's teased not as the party's mage but more as the party's porter.
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