I arrived in the underground. At the entrance, guarded by security personnel, I told them I was here for a mission, and they let through.
It felt like I was now truly recognized as a Hero Candidate of our city.
Well, what would the guards do if they didn’t recognize ?
I had Fiora, who was both my backing and my sex partner.
’If I do well on this job too, maybe I can go grope Fiora’s breasts faster? Hu-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!’
A sour, fucking moldy sll perated the air. The wastewater flowing nearby instinctively filled with revulsion.
I didn’t even want to dip my foot in it, but if a sli appeared, I wouldn’t have a choice.
’This is worse than the semi-basent room I used to live in? Well, I guess that’s obvious.’
Clink!
Just in case, I brought a lantern from ho and attached it to my waist. Actually, there were naturally glowing ’luminous orbs’ in the underground passages.
I looked up. Many luminous orbs were embedded in the ceiling. They glowed faintly with a blue light, making them seem like jewels.
But in reality, they had no effect other than glowing, so their value was no different from ordinary stones.
Still, I wanted to fight properly, so I brought and lit the lantern.
As I went further, a straight path, resembling a maze, appeared.
I had a map, so I wasn’t worried, but the atmosphere strongly suggested I’d be totally screwed if I actually got lost.
’In this world, the underground is the world itself. It’s vast and mysterious enough to have existed even before human civilization. They say you can even travel to neighboring territories if you’re lucky, but the problem is that no one knows the way.’
A vast and complex maze. Or a dungeon.
In this world, the underground was such an existence. Even if you were comfortably resting in your bed at ho, it was a world where you couldn’t know what kind of monster was roaming right beneath you.
’How vast must it be for there to be talk of being able to go from neighboring territories to unheard-of ruins?’
Ruins an money. Just selling artifacts could bring in a lot of money.
What if it was an item? That would be a jackpot.
Moreover, monsters inevitably gather and live in ruins.
Because ruins were once temples or places that contained special powers.
Monsters drawn to such places would form settlents.
I’d like to see one soday.
Then I recalled the main quest details.
’It feels like it’s really starting now. Amur Mamba, I will definitely eliminate you all.’
I had to show them who the true owner of this territory was. To do that, growth was ultimately the key.
Following the map attached to the mission, I advanced, and as I went, I found more and more animal bones and rotting corpses.
The sll was truly foul.
As the atmosphere grew eerie, so wastewater was dried up in places, or there were even just bones and hides.
I also saw the corpses of Goblins and Gnolls.
’All sorts of monsters must co in here. It’s extraterritorial, after all.’
Gnoll-like demi-human monsters were usually the regular custors.
But if I was unlucky, Plague Wolves or Huge Gavials could also appear.
Sriiing....
I flinched and stopped. I felt a presence nearby.
Just as I leaned in to listen.
"Kuaaak, save ee!"
Ah, fuck. My eardrums are gonna burst.
Why did I have to hear a scream just when I was listening closely?
I rushed forward. A man was flailing, stuck in the wastewater.
My energy drained. Did he co in drunk?
It looked shallow enough to get out with a bit of movent, so why was he doing that?
’Besides, he’s a man, so my interest drops. If it were a big-breasted big sis in a torn see-through dress, it’d be worth saving.’
A sigh escaped . The man spotted and reached out his hand.
"P-Please, save ! Please! I don’t want to die!"
The man struggled to get out. Yet, sothing kept pulling him back, making him slide repeatedly.
I looked behind the man.
A giant, bear-like sli was squirming. It glowed with four colors, strangely out of place here, and held the man with a tentacle.
The tentacle was quite thick and murky.
’That’s a Royal Sli, a mid-boss of the sli family that wields the power of four elents.’
Even a Necro Sli would be a saint compared to this one. This one can even use magic.
To confirm if it was the one I was looking for, a quest even appeared.
『Side Quest』
◆Today is Pudding Day!
-Objective: Defeat the Royal Sli.
-Reward: All Stats 10, your and your aunt Selena Canape’s Abyssal Value 15
The reward is a bit subtle, but let’s do our best. I ca here to destroy that thing anyway.
The man cried out desperately.
"I am Lady Zara’s errand boy! Please save , if I die like this, it will be disloyalty to the nobility!"
’I can accumulate so debt with Zara, I guess.’
I nodded and stepped forward. Lucky , lucky .
"Calm down. I am Lucian Vane, a Hero Candidate."
"A Hero Candidate...?"
The man’s expression turned grim. He seed to despair that the person who ca was rely a Hero Candidate.
Well, I’d probably feel the sa way.
A re candidate, not even a Hero, trying to defeat a Royal Sli? It must sound ridiculous.
I drew my sword and aid it at the sli.
"Alright, it’s Show and Prove ti!"
As I was about to charge, the sli reacted first and swung a tentacle.
Thwack!
It ca flying at incredible speed, like the sound of a whip cracking.
I raised my shield to block and moved in a zigzag pattern.
As I kept dodging and closing the distance, the sli brought out all its tentacles and swung them in all directions.
It felt like dozens of people were madly lashing whips.
As I tried to dodge sohow, my foot caught on a pile of corpses, and I stumbled. The tentacles rushed at in a flurry.
"Gah, fuck!"
I struggled to roll to the side and catch my breath. As I moved to avoid the tentacles and approach, I stepped on a skull and fell again.
’This isn’t a favorable place for . Plus, the underground passages have many straight sections, making it hard to conduct mobile warfare. Fuck, this is annoying.’
This was a different kind of fight than before. I had to fight in a narrow, restricted underground passage, not an open plain.
My feet kept getting caught or tripped, and the tentacle attacks were powerful.
Again, tentacles ca flying, intertwining. As I tried to block with my shield.
Thwack!
I took a hit to the head. Reducing the damage with my mask, I swung my sword.
Chwa-rarak!
I cut through the tentacles and advanced. The Royal Sli seed angered and made a bubbling sound.
Following that, its body glowed. I felt a powerful mana reaction.
[Fla Spear]
"You crazy bastard!"
Boom!
I tried to block with my shield, but it exploded. As I was pushed back, several more spells flew at .
[Hydro Sphere]
[Electric Wave]
They were all 1st Circle magic. I sohow closed the distance and thrust my sword.
[Stone Armor]
The strike I had just unleashed was blocked by its stone-transford outer skin and bounced off.
As the distance widened, the monster once again spamd spells.
I dodged the incoming Fla Spear and rolled. As I pushed off the wall and closed the distance, a Hydro Sphere flew at .
I tried to block with my shield, but an Electric Wave ca at an off-beat timing and struck my thigh.
Zzzzzzt!
"Kuaaak!"
I raised my shield as high as possible and retreated. As the Royal Sli swung its tentacles again, I barely blocked them and kept being pushed back.
’I’ve only just beco Runner Late-stage, and the terrain is advantageous for the monster. Thanks to the resistance on my shield, I avoided a fatal injury, but another hit would be dangerous.’
I moistened my dry lips and concentrated. I gripped my holy sword with both hands.
Looking at the man’s face, he was despairing. Because I was being pushed back.
I smirked, as if to show off.
’Aura Activation.’
A brilliant golden light, enough to make the lantern’s glow seem insignificant, emanated from my sword. Soon, it enveloped my entire body.
An unknown energy inside writhed as if it would explode at any mont.
Power surged as if I could blow away a mountain.
The sli trembled and tried to spam spells.
[Fla Spear]
[Hydro Sphere]
[Electric Wave]
[Slow]
It even cast an earth-attribute magic that slows movent.
But you know what? To , with my aura activated, it’s nothing.
I kicked off the ground. In one breath, I closed the distance with the sli.
Even with Slow cast on , my body felt as light as a feather. That’s because all my Stats nearly doubled when I activated my aura.
As expected, a tentacle ca flying. I dodged, and another ca from the opposite side at an off-beat timing.
I swung my sword and cut them all down.
Gurgle!
The monster made a sound as if displeased.
’Right now, I’m stronger than Lumina at full power!’
A sli that only swung tentacles and sprayed low-circle magic seed laughable.
Dozens of tentacles ca flying, filling my vision. It was truly a tentacle hell.
[Leonhardt Severing Sword Style - White Lightning]
Shaaaak!
My vision, murky from the tentacles. I thrust my sword straight ahead.
My murky vision instantly turned white and was purified. The bundles of tentacles were cut and scattered in all directions.
As I took a step closer, the sli seed surprised and activated Stone Armor.
Regardless, I thrust my sword.
[Leonhardt Severing Sword Style - Divine Strike]
Swooosh!
I rely struck it with the flat of my blade. The sli trembled violently, and its body split open significantly.
The monster tried to spam spells again to create distance. Its tentacles were already cut, and it had sustained critical damage.
I pushed forward, taking the incoming spells with my shield and masked face.
Perhaps this sight was more terrifying, as the sli trembled.
Its fear was fully conveyed to . I grinned and closed the distance.
I gripped my sword and pulled it back with all my might.
"Human desire is endless. That’s what makes us human!"
[Leonhardt Severing Sword Style - Naless Thrust]
Swoosh! Pwaaaak!
I split the sli in two, even shattering the core inside its body.
The gigantic sli instantly evaporated, leaving only byproducts behind and disappearing.
[You have defeated the enemy!]
[You have gained 15000 Collector Points (CP)!]
[Conditions t!]
[You have acquired the title ’1st Circle Grand Resistor’!]
[1st Circle Grand Resistor (Rare)]
Type: Title
Effect: You beco immune to all 1st Circle magic.
Huh, I’ve beco invincible against 1st Circle magic. Lucky !
I obtained byproducts from the sli’s remains. I even acquired a rare item called Hybrid Species Leather.
’Special byproduct? I can use this for enhancent or crafting.’
[Side Quest ’Today is Pudding Day!’ Cleared!]
[All Stats increased by 10!]
[Your and ’Selena Canape’s Abyssal Value increased by 15!]
I received the quest rewards. My Abyssal Value increased again. The enemies are gonna get tougher, I guess.
Having rescued the errand boy, I began to leave the underground.
I almost lost my balance while supporting the errand boy. My breathing was a little ragged.
’Is it the effect of using aura? My energy is really draining incredibly fast, like a bank account balance.’
The stronger I beca, the more my energy consumption beca unimaginable. I really need to use this sparingly.
"Thank you for saving ."
"Be careful next ti."
"No way, how can a Hero Candidate use aura...."
"I was lucky. Co on, let’s go."
"Yes, yes! If Lady Zara finds out, she will surely bestow a reward!"
"I wasn’t particularly hoping for a reward."
Actually, I was hoping for sothing. Because I’m the future Debauched Hero.
"No, Lady Zara, who reveres justice, will surely be pleased!"
She’s a justice fanatic, alright.
I smiled, looking forward to eting her in the future. Well, just a little.
I felt a sense of accomplishnt as a Hero.
User Comments
0 comments from readers