[Arc 5] Chapter 1-1: Up the Mountains of Mysteries

Greydra

Don't forget to take a look at the "spin-off" novel: Nightmare Fantasy Online

???:

"Ahahaha! There are so many nearby! Good job, Nian!"

This is because you placed the Quest on top of my handwork. And I only did so because you asked for it.

"I mean, Woden-chan's just too diligent! You have to reward that loyalty for his country, no?"

You are not wrong there, but is that the point of our conversation, or are you trying to sneak away?

"Aw, I got busted~!"

Why you..., your ancestors would turn in their graves if they could.

"Yeah, yeah. But what about you?" 

I will not participate in this coronation. Neither should you.

"Tch, so boring. I'm not as restricted as those geezers, so I'll be doing what I want! Someone interesting is heading for this Lightning Treasure Tower anyway~. This is gonna be fun~!"

---

8 days before the release of the Invidia Overlord.

Mira's PoV:

*Slash!* *Cut!* *ZAP!*

"Wo-hoo! Here comes Mira, the conquer of the Mystic Mountains and more!" - Zaria

"No monster will live to tell the tale!" - Thin kamaitachi

"All that remains are looted corpses and our fat wallets!" - Smart kamaitachi

"But remember to be careful." - Fat kamaitachi

"Shut up, bystanders! And yes, I'll be careful!" - Mira

Zaria and her three kamaitachi subordinates kept on cheering from the sideline while I mowed down the ranks of Anger Monkeys that kept on pestering us on the mountain road. 

One of the Angry Monkeys, a specimen notably bigger than the others, came at me while swinging a club made from a broken tree. I caught the club with the jagged back of my greatsword and delivered a punch to the monkey's face.

While doing so, I activated one of my new Crystal-related skills. The surface of the glove started to look like it was covered with crystals, and the result is obvious. The big monkey is clutching its face that's filled with small wounds from the sharp ends of the crystal coating. 

Seeing the big guy was distracted, I took his head with a swift stroke with my greatsword. Seeing the big monkey's head rolling around the floor, the remaining monkeys took to the hills in a panic. Did they forget their species name?

Ah, now I get it. The big one must have been the boss monkey. Even so, he wasn't even worth half my effort. 

"Wow! As expected of Mira-chan~. So reliable~." - Zaria

"Yeah, yeah. People, gather what values we can strip of these monkey corpses before we continue our march to the Dungeon!" - Mira

I gave a sharp order to the various troops that were related to Damavand. The Malpherus and Goblin Scouts started to loot the corpses of valuable materials and gave them to the monsters that were capable of using Storage-type skills.

"Are you sure this "geezer" friend of yours lives here?" I asked Zaria who was acting as the guide for our expedition.

"Of course. Old man Ling always orders a set of mochi from the towns close to the mountain's foot before every new year, and our firm has had the honor of delivering the wares to him for the last three years~." - Zaria

"And you alone went all the way to this place?" I asked my childhood friend while looking at the scenery.

The huge mountains that are covered in trees and the deep, misty ravines that made up the local ecosystem of the Mystic Mountains. And to travel past this rough terrain is a single road marked with white rocks.

Despite there being a road here, you have to travel past countless monster-infested areas. We've been attacked several times now, but since the attackers were either E-ranks or low D-ranks, we finished them off easily, and some people, like Zaria and her group, started to see the attacks as a source of income and monster parts. Not that I mind that, but how did Zaria deliver the goods to this "old man"?

"Because the monsters normally stay clear of this road. It's unnatural for them to attack travelers." - ???

"Yeah, what he said...?" - Zaria

A voice from behind us answered my question before Zaria could. Spooked by this presence, I and Zaria turned around in a hurry, alerting the Dungeon monsters who had just finished cleaning up the remains of the monkey battle.

"Hohoho! The young bat has matured enough to show caution for once. This..., this is such a great day!" - ???

Is he...crying? An old man with a long, white beard and a bald head appeared from the woods. He's dressed in simple Wakoku clothing in blue and green colors, but nothing else noteworthy...

"Old man! Weren't we going to meet you at your place?" - Zaria

Meaning this guy is...

"*Sniff*, excuse me, that was unsightly of me. I am Ling, Dungeon Master of the "Mystic Apex" Dungeon," said the old man, the Dungeon Master named Ling, as he blew his nose.

But Zaira has a point there. 

"The pleasure is mine. I am Mira Aureola, an old friend of Zaria and essentially the right-hand woman of the Dungeon Master of the "Damavand" Dungeon, Garami Blackwood. Dungeon Master Ling, may I ask why you are here and not at your Dungeon as our messenger told us?" - Mira

I did a deep bow to the old Dungeon Master and spoke to him with all the regality I could think of. And ignored Zaria's shocked expression as if she'd seen a leopard change its spots.

"Ah, no need to be so formal. An old relic like me likes to keep things casual," replied Ling with a light attitude. "As for the agreement about meeting you in my Dungeon..., I lied! More precisely, I wanted to see you guys' merits before deciding whether to hand over my comfortable home or not." 

The old man talked with a frivolous tone that seemed to tick off some of the more "fanatical" demons in our group. Please, stop. He didn't insult Garami by not holding his part of the agreement, so stop looking at him like you want to dismantle him next after the monkeys. Take a lesson from the goblins. Geez.

"And just what were you testing? Did we ace it?" - Mira

The deal was for Ling to give us his Dungeon in exchange for a life in retirement in Damavand's best facilities. Despite this Dungeon being made up here in a high-ranking mountain area, or maybe because of that, Ling's Dungeon has only 3 floors. Meaning it's still at Lv.3 despite all these years he's lived here. You can't expect many luxuries from a Dungeon with such a low level.

"*Cough*, from what I've seen on your travels up the mountain, you have good enough equipment, subordinates, and even leadership to make me believe this Damavand-place truly lives up to its reputation. This makes you pass my first test." - Ling

Does he want to see if we're trustable? That sounds fair, but I still feel a little annoyed over it all.

"Huh!? Then it was the old man who sent all those monsters at us!?" - Thin kamaitachi

"Perish the thought! What would I do if those sleazy creatures hurt poor Zaria's fair skin!? Are you messing with me!" - Ling

W-wow..., the old Dungeon Master released a wave of power along with that outburst. Old or not, "losing his touch" is the last thing he needs to worry about.

"Ah, is it the rumored tower scaring the wildlife?" asked Zaria who was completely unfazed by Ling's outburst. Is she used to it, or has she grown numb to such during her time with Garami and the big boss in the Demonic Sea?

"Yes, Zaria-chan~," replied Ling with a super-doting attitude toward Zaria only. Were you lonely? Were you lonely up here so you practically adopted Zaria as your granddaughter or something!?

"*Cough*, as for the second test I wanted you to pass is to see whether you were an honorable bunch that would stand by our contract. The appearance of your gears made me doubt a little, but..." - Ling

He's not wrong for thinking that. Flint's replaced the armor that got broken in the Yamatai Grand Festival with a masterpiece made of mostly leather and some metals to reinforce it.

The whole armor is jet-black, with some dark-gold parts visible, and it comes with gloves, greaves, and even a mantle. All of it is made of high-quality items such as the leather Flint's created from the Darkness Dragon's materials and metal from the meteorite. Even Anasia from Damavand-Nest has had a hand in creating it.

On the other hand, its dark coloring and outright wicked design is making me seem like a classic knight of evil. And the Dungeon Monsters aren't looking any better. We got goblins, fiends, and various other demons with us. The undead can't walk underneath the sun, and the arachnid is waiting for us to create a Transfer Array in the (potential) new Territory.

Even Zaria is wearing a black kimono-like outfit with rust-red accents and silverish metal parts on it, including a gauntlet on her left arm for protection (it's lighter than it looks like), and a belt filled with Item Bags for items she could take out in the blink of an eye, which added together transformed her from the old courier-bat she used to be into a real ninja. 

You can't blame Ling for having second thoughts when all that is added together-

"Eh? You don't think this looks cool, old man?" - Zaria

"Of course it does~. Forget anything I said before." - Ling

The last part was directed toward me before he returned to watch Zaria twirling around in her new gear with the warm eyes of a guardian. Convincing this guy may be easier than I first thought.

"Then, regarding your Territory-" - Mira

"No. Before that, there is one more important subject I have to test you, and you alone, missy, in." - Ling

The old Dungeon Master spoke with a serene voice as if his doting persona had left the world completely as he turned toward me. Then, a large amount of...mist? Smoke? Lots of fog-like stuff started to appear around Ling. Zaria made a quick retreat with a pale face as she saw that, and most of the monsters with common sense, led by the three kamaitachi brothers, did the same. 

"If your goal is to face the owner of that tower, prove to me that your ambition will not end unfulfilled!" - Ling

Ling's voice roared out from the fogbank as a massive creature emerged from it..., no way!!

"A Loong!?" - Mira

The first serious opponent I'm facing after the Festival turns out to be the worst thing I've ever faced in my whole life!

---

Kigal-Note/Monster Skills: [Spirit’s Crystalized Skin]

Description:

[Spirit's Crystalized Skin] is a skill limited to the spirit-races, but as the skill requires the user to have a proper body, only Sprites are said to be able to use this skill to its full potential.

The skill produces a layer of crystal over the user's skin, giving them an appearance as if the spirit had been crystallized. These crystals act both as armor and as a weapon, increasing the average defense of the user on the affected areas, as well as acting as a semi-magic catalyst that grants a Mana Burst-like effect if the spirit forces more MP into the crystals.

Mira's comment: I took this in the hope it would be something like the Dark Knight's Crystal series, but it works like this too, I guess.