On the fifth basement level of the Death Dungeon,
Clarice’s area purification magic defeated half the enemies,
and the remaining half, with their health halved, could be vanquished quickly.
“Um, is it truly okay for me to do nothing?”
“Ah, for now, just consider it as observing our fighting style.”
Nastasia, surrounded by succubi in the rear guard,
wore the ‘Fairy Ring’ on her finger,
hoarding all the greatly increased EXP for herself.
(If Anju were here, I wonder what level she’d be by now.)
Shadow-types appeared from all directions.
According to Helen, who could appraise monsters,
they were Stalking Shadows and Division Shadows.
“Hmm, even though we’re defeating them, they still offer no challenge.”
Nina said, swinging her Berserk Sword.
From this point on in the dungeon, Shadows were plentiful, and the area was vast.
A regular adventurer, if surrounded, would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
(On our side, the front-line succubi are also doing a great job.)
Clarice continued mapping while cradling her staff,
while Helen and I dealt with the Shadows emerging from the ceiling and floor.
(Nastasia seems to have a lot of free time.)
As I fought, I struck up a conversation.
“Nastasia, your parents?”
“My father is an Imperial citizen and works in the Imperial Capital.
My mother is apparently from Ailee, but she’s been traveling far outside the Empire for a long time.”
“What, she’s from the same region as me?”
“She only comes back very rarely, leaves souvenirs, and then leaves again.”
She’s so carefree.
It’s probably natural for a daughter who has become a Hero, they won’t have thought that she’d fallen into slavery.
“I see. Well then, if I go to the Imperial Capital, should I say hello?”
“He’s a strict father, so under these circumstances, I’d rather not meet him.”
“Is that so? Did I do something bad?”
While having such conversations, we quietly dispatched Shadows.
Stalking Shadows are a type that isolates a target and pursues them.
Division Shadows apparently split into two if they aren’t defeated in a single blow.
(So the ones that survived the area purification magic are splitting into two.)
No wonder there were so many.
“Ah, that’s right, Nastasia. There’s a tournament coming up at the Colosseum in Shucco. Would you like to come see it? With us?”
“Yes, certainly. Who will be participating?”
“Anju, and then three male Slave Heroes we took in.”
She looked down, a little troubled.
“…Won’t I be able to participate?”
“No, well, Nastasia is still in training!”
If a beautiful Slave Hero were to perform outstandingly in a tournament, people might think she was an item for auction a month later.
Should I not say that? Being constantly told to sell her is annoying.
“Nastasia, let me tell you, from now on Nastasia will become astonishingly strong.
There’s no need to gain experience in a tournament or show off your strength.”
“…If you say so, Master Nina.”
“Besides, if you get too noticeable and attract the attention of men, Deles will get jealous.”
No, no, no, no, no!
“…Delus.”
“What is it, Clarice? You look troubled.”
“It’s about how to obtain Gas Magic Stones.”
She had been thinking deeply this whole time.
She’s busy mapping while casting area magic.
“Have you come up with any good ideas?”
“Yes. First, taming is impossible, but…”
Yes, we tried it on the first basement level this time, but the success rate was 0%.
“If taming isn’t possible, then what?”
“We can create them ourselves, by transforming.”
“Into Silver Succubi!”
In other words, transforming a Silver Succubus into a Shadow.
“Then, if we defeat them, if we defeat a Shadow with a Shadow, we might be able to get Gas Magic Stones to drop.”
“That’s an interesting idea. The question is, to what extent can a Silver Succubus truly transform?”
If they could change their body mass, or even into a gaseous state… perhaps…??
“Helen.”
“Understood.”
She gripped her whip and concentrated, and the Silver Succubus transformed into a Shadow.
However, her outline remained the same, making her look like a Shadow Succubus.
(Ah, they’re defeating them!)
As I continued to defeat Shadows, I glanced sideways.
After defeating about twenty of them, something resembling a mass of gas fell.
Yes, it was the same as the Gas Magic Stone found in a treasure chest.
“We did it! As expected of Clarice!”
“As expected, when a Shadow defeats another Shadow, they seem to drop Gas Magic Stones.”
“You figured it out quickly. Was there any hint?”
I put the Gas Magic Stone into my Item Box.
“One of the predictions for how the Hero Houkra obtained Gas Magic Stones was ‘mutual destruction’.”
“Attacks that would shatter a Gas Magic Stone wouldn’t work on Shadows fighting each other.”
“Yes, the method of having a tamed Shadow defeat them was impossible.
Another method is to cast confusion magic on Shadows; such magic and skills exist.”
Yes, I recall hearing about it at the academy.
“However, we don’t have such abilities. So, I wondered if there was a way to create Shadows on our side.”
“Transforming a Silver Succubus into a Shadow… I see, that was the trick!”
While we were talking, we quickly obtained a second one.
“Thanks to Clarice, we should be able to mass-produce Gas Magic Stones.”
“Yes, not only as material for the transfer device, but with these, we should be able to summon Shadow-type Succubi.”
“It really looks like we can create a true Shadow Succubus!”
(Once I have about a hundred, I’ll ask her to summon one.)
And so, we diligently continued to hunt Shadows until past noon.
