Chapter 56: Since The Truth Of The Legend Has Been Revealed, I Decided To Do My Best
“Lady Iris, shouldn’t we head out to explore the dungeon as well?”
The captain said to Iris, who shivered at the news of her brother’s visit.
“We’d better have some results by the time Mr. Neuel arrives.”
“You don’t trust the adventurers I have chosen?”
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! No, of course not!”
The captain shook his head in a panic.
I’m just trying to help. But if we have trouble conquering the dungeon, Young Master Neuel will be nagging us about many things.”
“There is a mixture of aquatic and terrestrial monsters in this area, isn’t there?”
“Yes. In addition to Aqualizards, Giant Alligators, Large Serpents, Giant Spiders, Slimes, and even ghosts and skeletons of those who died in the sea may also be roaming around. It’s quite possible that adventurers will have a hard time finding them.”
“I agree.”
Iris looked at the maid and elf next to her.
They both stared at the entrance to the dungeon as they sipped their tea.
Their expression was calm, and they didn’t seem worried.
I wonder where that trust comes from.
“One hour. No, let’s wait half an hour. After that, we’ll head for support if we need it, okay?”
“That is wise, Lady Iris. You have made a wise decision.”
The captain of the regular soldiers coughed and turned to the maids and elves.
“Your Master may be very skilled, but there are many different kinds of monsters that live around here. You may not be able to handle them all. We can’t let Neuel see you in such a situation. We will spare no effort to assist you. Be grateful.”
“Thank you.” “Thank you very much.”
The maid and the elf bowed their heads.
But then they quickly shook their heads.
“But I don’t think he will need any help.”
“That’s right.”
The maid and the elf spoke up.
“Because I heard that Na-kun once built a dungeon.”
“Cecil and Rita are ‘Chitt Chara’ (Cheat Character), you know.”
Then they began to sip their tea in silence.
──Rewinding time by about an hour and a half when Nagi and the others had only just entered the dungeon…
We went ahead with Cecil’s regular version of [Light].
The surrounding area was damp and rocky, and the sound of flowing water could be heard constantly.
Puddles of water under my feet were slippery and difficult to walk on.
The waves were high, and there was a faint feeling of shaking.
Using Cecil’s [Magic Detection] and Rita’s [Presence Detection] as radar, we proceeded onward…
“Nagi, it’s a monster!”
A giant alligator just showed up!
Giant Alligator
A giant crocodile over five meters long.
Sometimes they eat harpies that come to drink water.
The scales are hard, making it difficult for swords and arrows to pass through.
“It is moving slow because it was blinded by the ancient language [Light] as soon as it entered the dungeon.”
Then Rita got closer with a feint.
“Okay. Now that it has opened it’s mouth, Cecil, hit it with the regular version of [Fireball].”
Bofun
The fireball exploded inside the giant alligator.
” The End!”
A giant alligator was killed just lke that.
A swarm of blue slime appeared.
Blue Slime.
A slime whose body emits a weak acid.
They live on rocky shores by the sea and melt and eat their prey as they approach.”
“Reggie, try to negotiate.
“I will give you one dried meat per slime, and you will leave this dungeon! Or I, with my enchanted beastman fists, will wipe you from the face of the earth right here and now!”
“…Oh, I know what you’re talking about. Master, they have a story to tell. They say that there’s a giant spider nest up ahead. What? An additional reward? Master is kind.”
“Remember, slimes, you owe my Master a debt of gratitude! What’s your reply? What?”
Wiggle, waggle, waggle.
The blue slime swarm escaped.
A giant spider appeared.
Giant Spider
A large spider, several meters in length.
It produces threads from its body to build a nest.
Its nest is so powerful that it can be called a ward, and even a medium-sized carnivore cannot escape once it is caught.
It’s a carnivore, with strong jaws that can chew through a child’s bones.
“‘Nest building’ is a space domination type of capture skill, right? Okay, Rita.”
“Understood. Activate [Area Breaker]!”
Rita’s fist blew away the spider’s web.
“Cecil!”
“[Flame Arrow] [Flame Arrow] [Flame Arrow] [Flame Arrow] [Flame Arrow]”
The giant spider was burned out.
The giant spider dropped a skill crystal.
[Nest Building LV2]
Skill to “catch” “enemy” with “thread”.
I can’t use it because there is no thread (but I still recovered it).
A pirate skeleton appeared.
Pirate Skeleton
The corpse of a pirate who died at sea and was given a new life.
His weapon is a half-moon scimitar. Sometimes it drops treasures.
“Activate! [Fluent Fencing] ”
The magic sword Reggie caught the pirate skeleton’s half-moon sword.
“Come on, [Divine Power Grasp]”
Rita’s kick exploded in the pirate skeleton’s stomach.
Splat!
The pirate skeleton was shattered.
A Large Serpent appeared.
Large Serpent.
A giant amphibious and venomous snake.
They are so large that they can block the passageways of a dungeon.
The serpant wraps it’s long body around it’s enemy and then crushes the enemy’s bones and swallows it.
“I wouldn’t miss it since it’s so big. [Delay Arts](20 thrusts)
The blade of the gigantic cursed sword, Reggie, cut the Large Serpent in half.
The Large Serpent was defeated.
The Large Serpent dropped a skill crystal.
[Coiled LV3]
Skill to “choke” “enemy” with “torso” (do not use limbs)
The attributes didn’t match (but I still collected them).
So far, so good.
We descended to the second level of the dungeon.
The information from Iris was very helpful.
The map will tell you where to intercept the enemy, and there is a list of likely enemies.
It’s not that hard to figure out what to do.
When I was making games in the original world, I used to place monsters in dungeons by myself. I can almost imagine how to fight the monsters by the sea.
The walls of the Sea Dragon Dungeon are craggy and rocky, and the ground is covered with water everywhere.
There are lamps on the walls that are lit by magic.
It’s probably what Iris uses for her rituals, but it’s broken by the monster attack.
Once the wards are reattached, we’ll have to repair this as well. No wonder Iris is in such a hurry.
The rest of the locations are the corridors of the second underground level and the hall that leads to the heart of the dungeon.
In the dungeon, there are several small side holes that monsters enter through. We’ve been checking them out as we go.
So far, no abnormalities.
If we continue on to the main hall as it is, our work is done.
“Cecil, Rita, did you notice something?”
I asked Cecil and Rita.
“”Yes!””
At the same time, they both pointed at the wall stained with the blood of the Large Serpent.
“Anything ……else you noticed?”
“”Yes!””
They pointed again at the wall of the passage.
…This dungeon is a natural cave that has been modified by man.
I mean, for a long time, this place has been used for rituals with the sea dragons.
But there were also murals that had faded over time.(Mural means a painting or other work of art executed directly on a wall.)
And it’s really rare for monsters to nest in this dungeon…
There are times when a mural that was about to disappear comes back to life because of the blood that has been spilled.
We took a break in the middle of the dungeon.
I lined up and stared at the wall.
What we have here looks like an old mural.
They had carved the wall and painted it with paint, but after a long time, the paint was peeling off.
It’s covered in Serpent’s blood, and it just looks like ink poured over it.
Depicted in it is ‘The Legend of the Sea Dragon’.
A mural of a brave man with a sword, the sea dragon Kerukotoru, and the sea dragon’s natural enemy continues to the end of the passage.
“So this is the sea dragon, this is the hero, and this is the sea dragon’s daughter.”
“The one the hero is fighting is the natural enemy of the sea dragon.”
On my right side, Cecil said in an indifferent voice.
The natural enemies of the sea dragons seem strong.
To my left, Rita said.
“Yeah…it looks like it has a lot of regenerative powers and stuff.
“It has a lot of tentacles on it’s head.”
“But I’m sure Rita will be able to handle it easily.”
I can’t do it by myself, unless Master lets the tentacles’ regenerative abilities run amok. Wouldn’t Cecil be able to strike a blow with the ancient language [Fireball]?
“I’ll need Nagi to buy me some chanting time.”
“That means the three of us will have to work together to defeat it.”
“Right?”
Simply put, the mural decipted a whale with a sea anemone on its head.
To put it bluntly, it was the “Great Monster Fish Leviathan” we had fought about 10 days ago.
It was a monster I met in a village I stopped by the day after I was summoned to this world.
At that time, Rita, who was still the chief priest of the Iturna Cult, was fighting against it in order to protect her fellow cult members. In the end, Rita and I rescued the Order members and blew them away with Cecil’s ancient language [Fireball].
It was the monster that inspired Rita to become my slave, and I can’t forget it even if I tried.
If it weren’t for this guy, Rita wouldn’t have become my companion, and she wouldn’t have been fired from the Order.
It must be complicated for Rita to think that this guy was the “natural enemy of the sea dragon”.
“It is the monster that brought me and Nagi together.”
But she’s holding her hands together like she’s grateful.
“Nagi.”
“What’s wrong, Cecil?”
“Didn’t Nagi pick up something after we fought Leviathan?”
“I picked up some scales.”
“Like the one in this mural?”
“…Like the one in this mural.”
The sea dragon hero was holding up a scale-like “something”.
“I mean, it’s there now. Leviathan’s Scales.”
The mural ended with the hero bringing back the scales and being recognized by the sea dragon Kerukatoru, and the hero and the sea dragon’s daughter physically bonding.
“I wonder if Iris knew about the legend.”
She is a Shrine Maiden, so it’s not surprising if she knew the detailed legends.
But if the one who has the Leviathan Scales is certified as a sea dragon hero then, it could be me.
…By the way, when Iris and I were in the hot spring together, she said, “When I interact with a hero, my scales glow pearly.”
At that time, Iris and I were attached back to back.
What if… something had changed after that?
…No, no, no. I’m thinking too much into this.
But then, that explains why Iris wrote her name on the “Rough Goods List”.
The “Sea Dragon Shrine Maiden” can escape her role as a Shrine Maiden by connecting with the “Sea Dragon Hero”.
So, if that “Rough Goods List” is accepted as an official ‘Master-Slave Contract’, it means that as soon as I sign that document, Iris will become my slave and will be released from her role as a Shrine Maiden.
“IS that Iris’s plan?”
As expected of the Shrine Maiden, she is very wise.
“What do you intend to do Nagi?”
“Of course, I’ll do my best to ignore it.”
The inside of the dungeon is dark.
We noticed the mural thanks to Cecil’s normal version of [Light], but I’m not sure Iris has noticed it . Water is dripping from the ceiling, so the Serpent’s blood will be washed away in a short time. It should be unreadable by the time we leave.
“That means we’ll pretend we never noticed the mural.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“No matter what, our job is to ‘defeat the monsters in the dungeon,’ not to awaken as heroes, right?”
“But Nagi…”
Cecil squeezed my hand with a worried look on her face.
“If you say, ‘I am the hero of the sea dragon,’ won’t everyone praise you, Nagi?
“Yes, Nagi. Everyone will feed us.”
“No, it’s troublesome.”
“”Troublesome?””
“I can tell by looking at Iris that it’s going to be tough. If I become an important person, the Order of Divine will be involved. I’m sure the people in the town won’t be happy if a visitor from another world holds the fate of the port town in his hands.”
Besides, the king might hear about it.
If he could control the fate of the port town by getting me, he would at least send someone with cheat skills.
We already know that the king is disposable of visitors because of that “Fake Demonkin” incident.
“For now, I’ll see if Iris is aware about me, and then we can negotiate.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want, Nagi?”
“Oh, I’m determined never to do anything like being a Hero or PC phone support.”
“What is ‘Pee-See Telephone Port’? What happened?”
I won’t tell you. I don’t want to be reminded of it.
“And Iris’ Shrine Maiden is ‘black’ no matter how I think about it. If I am told,” The hero is a precious person, please don’t go outside.” I will have to escape with all my might.”
After we escape, we’ll all have to become adventurers together in the end, so if that’s the case, it won’t be any different than now, right? If that’s the case, I don’t see the need to add an extra step.
“I don’t know if Nagi is selfless or greedy.”
I’m just doing my best to live a lazy life, what of it?
“Anyways, as for the murals we saw this time, we didn’t see anything.”
When Iris asks me about it, I will say, “Oh, by… the way.
When they find out about the scales, I will say, “What a surprise. I didn’t even notice them.”
Then we’ll negotiate to see if I can transfer the heroic rights. Let’s go with that policy.
If Iris said, “I want to quit being a Shrine Maiden, so please help me,” I would help her.
But if I make her a slave, I’m going to make enemies of all Irgafa.
I wish there was a way to “connect” with Iris other than through a ‘Master-Slave Contract’.
“So, we’ll just pretend we didn’t see anything and continue to conquer the dungeon, okay?”
“Yes, hehe, Nagi.”
Cecil smiled happily as she took my hand.
“What’s wrong, Cecil?”
“No, it’s a little chilly, so I wanted to make sure your hands weren’t too cold.”
Then Cecil wrapped my hand in her tiny hand.
It’s nice and smooth, but it’s not chilly. It’s cool because it’s underground, but Irgafa is a southern town, so it’s basically warm. But there are goosebumps on Cecil’s palms.
“I’m sorry.”
I put my palm on Cecil’s forehead, … normal temperature.
She doesn’t seem to be sick as before. Her face is red. She seems to be in a hurry.
“…Oh, um… Nagi?”
“Cecil, does the chilly weather mean you have a cold or something? Have you caught a cold?”
“No, it feels like the wind is blowing towards the back of the dungeon.”
Cecil nodded her head curiously.
Rita is puzzled, too. The wind is not blowing.
But if Cecil feels it, then…?
“…No, Nagi. This is the flow of magic power. It’s flowing all the way to the back of the dungeon.”
Flow of magic?
…I see.
Cecil is a demon, so she has the power of [Magic Detection].
“The magic power was flowing so vigorously that it felt like the wind was blowing.”
“Someone’s trying to use some big magic in the back?
“No, it’s more like someone’s sucking the magic out of the dungeon.”
Cecil nodded her head.
“But it’s strange, isn’t it? There should be a ward in this place. If there’s something in there that sucks the magic out of wards, it’s only natural that the wards would be weakened.”
I, Cecil, and Rita looked at each other.
We ate a quick portable meal, drank some water, took a deep breath, and finished my break.
We start walking towards the back of the dungeon.
I instructed Cecil and Rita to keep activating [Magic Detection] and [Presence Detection] for a while, and raised the alert level.
In addition, I advanced the slime to the range limit (10 meters) of the [Slime Bringer].
After about ten minutes, we saw the exit to the passage.
According to Iris’s map, beyond that is a large hall with a door leading to the center.
Bang
The vibration came.
Boom, boom, boom.
It sounded like something was hitting the wall.
“As promised in these situations, there’s a boss character in front of the seal door.”
At the door, he said, “If you want to go through here, you must defeat me before you go through.
As a player, the best part of the game is beating him, and as a game creator, the best part of the game is how to make him beat you.
“But this is a dungeon controlled by Iris, right? There are only natural monsters here, there can’t be any boss characters.”
“Nagi, I can feel the magic in the air.”
“I sense something big moving, Nagi.”
“My Master. There’s a big one.”
…I shouldn’t have said anything.
Report from the child Elder Slime (Reggie) who preceded me, observation by Cecil’s [Magic Detection] and Rita’s [Presence detection].
According to them…
The source of the vibrations was a hall with a door leading to the central hub.
There was a golem made of ice that was over five meters tall.
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