Thorough preparation comes from meticulous checking.
In our party, everyone meticulously checks their gear before entering a dungeon.
Armor, weapons, consumables, and single-use magic tools.
We’re about to plunge into a dragon’s den.
No amount of checking will be too much.
“Everyone, I believe you have the map memorized, but time has passed since then. It’s expected that there will be changes, and not just minor ones.”
What’s being checked isn’t just equipment, but also our action plans.
It’s commonplace for us to talk while inspecting things.
So, even as they listened to my words, their gazes remained fixed on their inspection tasks.
“We must also anticipate the possibility of being separated by sudden events, but don’t force a reunion. If it’s a worst-case scenario, send the retreat signal and withdraw from the area.”
However, I still received responses even while they were checking.
Once I confirmed a response from each person, I nodded, acknowledging it.
Then, I checked the item I carried on my back one last time and stood up.
Following my lead, everyone lined up behind me.
“Well then, shall we go in search of the lost item?”
“Don’t forget about striking it rich, gozaru!”
“I know.”
As usual, casually yet without letting our guard down, I answered Minami’s lighthearted remark and we passed through the gate.
“Whoa, it’s been a while since I’ve been here, but it’s still an amazing place, isn’t it?”
“I knew it was an open-type dungeon, unlike others, but this is just too open. It’s amazing you were able to find a single sword lost in a place like this.”
And then, the canyon appears.
The dragon’s den, woven by the wilderness, elicits voices mixed with exasperation and admiration from Kaido and Kitamiya right from the first step.
Kaido holds out his hand, trying to see into the distance, while Kitamiya shakes his head, facing the vast expanse of land.
Though it’s not evident from their posture, their eyes clearly show their wariness of the dungeon they are about to challenge.
The sound of dragons echoes through the canyon.
“Did they notice us?”
“I think they definitely noticed us.”
“This place is highly alert to intruders. If we stay here too long, dragons will gather in no time.”
“In that case, we must move quickly, gozaru.”
And then, everyone pulls up the hoods of the robes they had already put on.
The hoods are integrated with concealment spells.
These are new pieces of equipment purchased for this dungeon attack.
While they may only offer a small comfort against high-ranking dragons, they are expected to be effective against lower-ranking ones.
The price of fifty thousand yen per robe is not unaffordable, but it’s not cheap either.
Kitamiya and Minami, who usually wear different robes, are now clad in deep green robes and follow behind me as I lead them, leaping into the canyon.
“Wasn’t the estimated depth of this place around three hundred meters? It’s shallower than I thought, gozaru.”
“That’s just a feeling; it’s probably not accurate. As you go deeper from the entrance into the valley floor, it gets darker, and your sense of distance gets distorted. It’s probably even deeper further in.”
“Ugh, so it’s going to be a pain to search, huh?”
With the magic users, Minami and Kitamiya, in the center while Katsu and Amelia guard the left and right flanks, I take the lead, and Kaido covers the rear. We advance rapidly, unlike last time, relying on our memories.
After a while of leaping and moving like ninjas.
“Ah, speaking of which, here it is. This is the place.”
“Whoa, what kind of terrifying opponent leaves a mark like that?”
“Wow, a big hole.”
“Calling it a hole feels wrong; it’s more like a path at this point.”
We discover what we’re looking for less than ten minutes after setting off.
A direct trace of a dragon’s roar.
It’s the aftermath of our previous battle with the eight-headed Skull Dragon.
Kitamiya instinctively recoils at the attack range indicated by the trace, while Amelia is purely astonished.
Kaido’s tone is one of exasperation, but the twitching at the corner of his mouth suggests he’s a little scared.
Their gazes head towards the source of the trace, trying to follow it, but the path ahead is shrouded in darkness. It’s a direct route to our destination, so carved out it looks like a natural feature of the canyon itself.
“If we follow this, we’ll reach our destination, won’t we? But there are still so many of them, gozaru.”
It’s not like we can ignore such a main thoroughfare.
Even in the darkness, we can see things wriggling around the passage.
Is it a Basilisk, or a Hydra, or some other dragon?
All we know is.
“Ugh, just like Senpai said, they really are fighting each other.”
“That’s probably why their individual stats are so high.”
Even now, beneath our feet is a battlefield where dragons are fighting each other.
Occasionally, the ground lights up, illuminated by dragon breath.
And what reaches our ears isn’t just the roars of dragons, but also the sounds of claws tearing, the clash of large bodies, and the thudding of earth-shaking footsteps, all woven together.
And it’s not just one or two.
This is happening throughout the entire canyon below.
“The materials from strong individuals fetch a high price; that’s only natural, gozaru. Now then, shall we proceed as planned?”
“Yeah.”
The reason for cutting through the heart of such a battlefield is solely for Minami’s material recovery.
This time, we’ll put that aside for later.
We conserve our stamina and use this direct route to rush to our destination.
“Any signs of enemies?”
“There are three rampaging ahead, but we can apparently detour around them, gozaru.”
“Amelia, how about your side?”
“It seems okay for now. There are no loud noises approaching.”
There are no signs of the dragon king we’re wary of yet.
I wish they would remain this way, and though I am an atheist, I find myself wanting to pray to the gods now.
Spotting dragons entangled in a fight from a distance, we plot a course to avoid getting caught.
And then.
“Hold up, gozaru. Ahead, there are four, no, five of them. They’re hiding, gozaru.”
“If they’re hiding around here, it’s likely Basilisks. Can we go around?”
“We can, but it seems like quite a detour, gozaru. That also increases the possibility of encountering other enemies.”
Our objective is solely the location of the ore trees, and we’ve been trying to avoid combat as much as possible to reach it.
At that moment, Minami, who had activated her detection magic to search, gave the instruction to stop.
Minami points in a direction, and after counting one, two, she indicates something lurking in the darkness.
Given the surrounding environment and the enemy’s stealthy behavior, there’s no doubt that what lies ahead are Basilisks.
We’d prefer to avoid combat if possible, but it’s probably better to avoid increasing the number of encounters by taking a long detour.
“Then we have no choice. Prepare for combat. We’ll initiate the attack and finish them off in one go.”
I grip the handles of the item on my back and bring it forward.
“Nuhuhu, the price of Basilisk materials is quite high, gozaru. My arms are tingling!”
“Don’t get careless and end up petrified!”
“That’s an all too possible outcome.”
“Nuh, Kitamiya and Katsu, that’s rude!”
I hear a slurping sound behind me, as if someone is wiping their mouth, and I can tell without looking that Minami’s eyes have turned into dollar signs. I manage a wry smile, and I know Katsu and Kitamiya are beside her, pointing it out.
“Still, how could you afford such a big shield, Senpai?”
“Actually, I thought it was something our party was missing.”
Kaido, who had swapped places with Amelia for rear guard duty, steps forward and looks at the item I’m holding.
It’s a hexagon, long vertically. A rugged, midnight-blue shield.
A greatshield, large enough to easily conceal a person.
“Well, for me, it’s about time, gozaru. After all, our two frontliners have been maintaining the front line with either charging in to draw enemy attention or cutting them down. Having the option to defend here has honestly been a lifesaver, gozaru.”
I offer a wry smile to Minami, who nods in admiration, and re-ready the shield.
There’s a fighting style called shield arts.
Primarily focused on defense, it’s a legitimate form of frontline combat.
It can also defend against area-of-effect attacks like dragon breath. I bought it thinking it would be useful as a sturdy frontliner when combined with a monkey’s roar, drawing the attention of surrounding enemies. But honestly, I also bought it because I found the gimmick on the back of the shield to be a bit playful.
“Well, if it’s not for the ore trees, something like this is fine. If it comes down to it, I can even cast magic while holding the shield, becoming a fixed turret.”
“In that case, we’d have no place for our skills.”
“Indeed, gozaru.”
I thought it would be better than buying a weapon and developing bad habits, so I held it and found its usability surprisingly good.
So, after a little practice, I’m deploying it in actual combat.
This fight is the real deal.
“Kitamiya, please lure them out, gozaru!”
“Yeah, yeah, I understand!”
And so, the battle begins.
Kitamiya conjures ten ice spears in the air.
The start is smooth, and the spears are generated in less than two seconds.
But.
“They noticed us!”
My gaze is drawn to the shield, which I had reinforced with magic, sensing the ore trees.
The petrification sensation and my magic are in a stalemate.
As expected of a dragon species. Their reaction to an intent to attack is swift.
A sliding sound echoes around us.
“They’re surprisingly fast, aren’t they? Petrifying magic eyes after surrounding us—a solid strategy, gozaru.”
“Stop your admiration and issue your orders, Kitamiya!”
“Understood! I’ll go all out with the new equipment’s debut, gozaru!”
Everyone readies their new equipment.
Minami’s staff glows, and in an instant, our surroundings are enveloped in mist.
However, being shrouded in mist doesn’t mean our visibility has decreased.
It’s a visual obstruction spell, an application of magic mirrors.
We can see clearly from our side, but it’s harder for the enemy.
“The burden has been reduced. Attack, Kaido!”
“Got it!”
Feeling the pressure on my shield lessen, and sensing that the petrifying magic eyes have been weakened, I give Kaido the command.
He slashes at one of the black shadows moving with a whirring sound, his silver blade flashing.
“Amī-chan, could you try to get a sneak attack on the head? Is that possible, gozaru?”
“OK! Leave it to me!”
As Kaido, fighting conspicuously, draws the attention of the Basilisks, Amelia, with light, staccato steps, ascends into the air and disappears into the darkness.
Watching her move with the agility of an assassin, I too begin my attack.
“Now then, shall we attack? Katsu, throw a flash bomb, then a tear gas bomb, gozaru!”
“Understood. How many?”
“Two flash bombs in the two o’clock direction and one at eight o’clock. One tear gas bomb each will be fine, gozaru!”
“Understood.”
The threat of Basilisks lies in their petrifying magic eyes and potent venom.
Minami, fully aware of both, first aims to blind them.
Kaido’s flashy attack draws two Basilisks.
The remaining Basilisks, whether hiding or timing their attack, are three according to Minami’s detection.
Katsu throws spheres about the size of softballs towards the three lurking points.
“When they flash, Kitamiya, fire your magic volleys, gozaru.”
“What’s the distribution?”
“Half and half is fine, gozaru!”
It’s like a game of chess.
Unlike games, these monsters don’t have predictable patterns of behavior.
However, Minami seems to anticipate them, proactively implementing countermeasures based on pre-existing information.
The spheres Katsu threw roll to the location of the Basilisks, who were timing their attack, and then flash.
Though they closed their eyelids to protect their pupils, the Basilisks had already seen the intense flash.
Their eyes hurt, and as if to add insult to injury, Kitamiya’s ice spears rain down on the Basilisks whose petrifying magic eyes were temporarily sealed.
Blood splashes, and cries of agony erupt.
This alone isn’t a fatal blow. And as if to further infuriate the Basilisks, who had been blinded and damaged, another sphere rolls in front of them.
The Basilisks, with their eyelids closed, thought: You fool. Do you think the same trick will work twice? Their pupils still ache, but they will recover. They sneered, anticipating their attack in a frenzy. They planned to strike once the rolling spheres flashed.
But instead of an attack, smoke emerges, contrary to the Basilisk’s expectations.
“Grrr!?”
“Oh, a direct hit, good, gozaru.”
“You’re merciless!”
“Show no mercy to enemies; that’s common sense in a dungeon, gozaru.”
The dust, causing excruciating pain that seems to crush their respiratory systems. The three Basilisks that had been complacent inhale the smoke and writhe in agony. Minami, realizing their plight from their pained groans, is watched with a weary expression by Kitamiya, who is providing support attacks to Kaido. Their eyes are gouged out, they’ve been hit, and their noses and throats have been damaged. Even in this state, the Basilisks haven’t given up. Unlike other dragon species, Basilisks also possess characteristics of snakes. This means they can sense the location of their opponents by temperature. They’ve been so humiliated. They won’t let it slide. Enduring the pain in their wounded areas, and relying on their magically enhanced senses, the three Basilisks suddenly attack Kitamiya and the others. However.
“Yes, checkmate, gozaru. Leader, Kitamiya.”
“Ooh.”
“Yes, yes.”
Minami had anticipated this.
“You’re too kind. We didn’t suppress those senses on purpose. We’re aiming for reduced effort and efficiency, gozaru. It’s nonsensical for us to attack blindly, gozaru.”
Minami, shaking her index finger left and right, passes by. She blocks the heads of the three approaching Basilisks. Using her shield, she flips two of them into the air.
“Good timing, Jiro-san.”
The timing is perfect. Two ice axes are waiting at the raised position, and they cleanly sever the Basilisks’ necks.
And the last one.
I’ll make it a victim of my shield’s gimmick, which splits vertically. The two blades that emerged from the shield cross and capture the giant Basilisk’s neck.
“You know, scissors are quite a weapon.”
The final Basilisk, caught by the blade from beneath its neck, is decapitated with a sensation as if slicing through marshmallow, as I apply force with my arm, the blades forged by the Giant cutting through its neck.
“They’re finished on their side too, gozaru. Hmm, a complete victory, gozaru.”
“I think ‘annihilation’ fits better.”
“It’s good that no one is injured.”
And when I look back, the Basilisks that Kaido had attracted were swiftly hunted down by Amelia’s surprise attack.
While it might be insufficient as a preliminary battle for the eight-headed Skull Dragon.
“Well, it was enough to get warmed up, I guess?”
It was a battle sufficiently adequate to warm us up.
Today’s Word:
Always double-check.
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*The first volume of this novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.*
*It was released on October 18, 2018.*
*The e-book version was released on October 31st of the same year.*
*Furthermore, the second volume was released on December 19th.*
*The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.*
*The content includes revisions and additions to the material posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, along with the inclusion of unpublished interlude chapters.*
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*A manga adaptation is currently being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”*
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