Episode 16.6-7-8

They sat down in an open space they found in the web-shaped passages.

Heles started removing her armor. Arios offered to help but she declined.

She did manage on her own and quickly.

She shook her head greatly to let her hair down when she took off her helmet, before taking a deep breath.

"I'm guessing it must be really stuffy inside that helmet."

"Indeed, Arios-dono. However, I have gotten used to it already. It even feels chilly without this on now."

"I would imagine."

Lecan handed three skewers he bought at a food stall and bread to Eda, ate his own shares and drank water.

Arios and Heles also brought out their own food and started eating.

"Lecan-dono. Where in that overcoat do you put your <Box>?"

"Don't ask."

"Won't your other luggage get all sticky putting that inside your <Box> together?"

"Don't mind."

"Did you leave that huge shield at the inn?"

"That's a secret."

"Lecan, you're merciless even toward a beauty, aren't you."

"Beauty?"

"I mean look at her, isn't Heles-san quite a beaut. An imposing big beauty."

"No idea."

"Nike-san's also pretty, Norma-san's another beauty, and Arios-kun is handsome. There's so many good-looking people around Lecan, don't you think?"

"No idea."

"Eda-san."

"What is it, Arios-kun."

"I think Lecan-san likely doesn't consider whether someone is good looking or not when he sees them. Rather, I think he doesn't even have the concept of such."

"Then what is he seeing?"

"Probably something like, oh they've got a sturdy frame, or oh over there would be their weak point."

"Pft. That's so true."

"It's not about whether someone is beautiful, but if they're strong or weak. Are they foe or ally. What kind of technique they specialize at. I think that's about it."

"Ah, I can see that. You're so right."

Eda drank down her water and energetically stood up.

"Okay. Let's get going!"

"Not yet."

"Lecan. What are you doing lying down over there?"

Lecan turned around and raised his upper half.

"Eda."

"Yes?"

"When you're on an escort mission, you often don't have time to slowly eat. You might even be forced to eat while walking."

"Un."

"However, inside a dungeon, after meals are the times to take it easy."

"Why?"

"You react slower right after taking meal. Though it's hard to notice yourself. You'd better rest until your body settles down. That in turn makes you fight at your best."

"Hmmm. I understand."

Eda lay down on her side.

"But you can't all relaxed up like this in every dungeon, can you?"

"Normally, you create a safe zone by putting up magic beast wards. Otherwise, you sleep on stairs."

"Uweh. That sounds draining."

<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka.com >

Once they restarted their exploration, Lecan called the group to a halt not long after.

"There's a giant variant over there."

"Giant variant?"

"There's a number of giant variants on each floor of a dungeon. Someone who defeats two giant variants in a row and those nearby during the second time will receive a <Mark>."

"Mark?"

"Seeing is believing. Eda, Arios, follow me."

"Un."

"Yes."

Down the cavity, there was a spider as tall as Lecan's shoulder.

Lecan walked up right to it and cut the middle of its head in two.

He was going to get Eda fetch the magic stone, but it would be a tough work for her with her stature.

"<Move>."

The magic stone floated up in the air and drifted into Lecan's right hand.

"That magic looks so handy."

"Now this is surprising. I had no idea Master Lecan was capable of such feat."

"Let's fall back a bit and wait. Giant variants respawn in the same spot they're defeated."

"Hee, do they now."

After waiting a bit, another giant variant respawned and Lecan made short work of it.

"All right. We should have the <Mark> now. Next, you simply need to recite <Floor (Sijmel)> on the stairs between floors and the floor map should float up in your head. You then just need to pick a floor with a <Mark> and recite <Warp (Palp)>. Now then, let's get down the floor."

When the three of them got back up reunited with Heles, Eda spoke up.

"Lecan."

"Hum? What's wrong, Eda."

"I wonder why are those people locking spiders up in a cage."

"They do it to get threads."

"Can't they, you know, take one back home and keep it there."

"What?"

"Like, they can just bring those spiders back, feed them and get the thread."

Dungeon magic beasts cannot get out of the floor they're on. They'd die if they did. Lecan was about to say that since it was common sense.

That was when he realized something.

Lecan's common sense is that of his former world, it may not necessarily be true in this world.

"Fumu. Heles. Answer her."

"Eda-dono. Magic beasts cannot move out of the floor they are on. You can take their dismantled parts out, but it's not possible to take even their corpses with magic stones still inside out of a floor."

"Hee. So that's how it works."

They made Eda and Arios try to recite <Floor> once they get on stairs. The two of them could see floor map in their head no problem.

"Heles. Tell me about floor 11 magic beasts."

"Lesser variants of Eighteyed Great Spider (Gienur Hadr) spawn on floor 11 to floor 20. These spiders are powerful magic beasts which would bring great damage were they show up above ground, thus even a lesser variant of it is quite an adversary."

"Ah. Eighteyed Great Spider is the magic beast Nike-san beat. Right, Lecan."

"So it was."

"They've got an elastic belly, bladed instruments don't work too well on it. Their head and legs are also awfully sturdy, you could even chip your sword's blade hitting those parts. They're about as tall as Lecan-dono, their legs are about three step long even when folded."

"As big as the giant variant on floor 10?"

"Their legs are even bigger than that one's. Hard and sharp to boot. They attack by raising their legs up high before swinging down on you. It could pierce through your head down to your legs even if you have some light armor on."

"I definitely won't get hit by that."

"But since the terrain is the same as the ten floors before it, ranged attacks are a huge advantage. These spiders basically won't enter other spider's cavity even when they get out of theirs, but they will get to the very limit of perimeter during combat. There are even cases where their attacks reach the passage above, so some extra precaution is needed."

"Is that all they can do?"

"They can bite as well. Their fangs are far bigger than Spotted Spiders', and they can skilfully twist their head around as they furiously bite at you, you must stay on guard. Naturally, you're envenomed if you get bitten."

"Hum? The magic beast catalog I bought at Adventurer Association doesn't mention anything about them having venom."

"Perhaps it's because it's well known that Eighteyed Great Spiders are venomous."

"Got it."

"I forgot to tell you one important thing. In addition to the two eyes Eighteyed Great Spiders have on their head, they also have four eye-like patterns on each sides of their abdomen. Gazing at those patterns will cause unbearable dizziness and headaches."

"What's gazing?"

"It's when you keep looking at something. Eda-san."

"But ya gotta keep an eye when you're locked in a fight."

Apparently Eda has turned back to her previous boyish speech pattern during her time fighting in this dungeon.

"That's exactly why Eighteyed Great Spiders are such tough opponents."

"Are their venom potent."

"It is potent. A bite will paralyze you immobile. Their jaws are powerful enough to bite off a log clean though, hence you could be dead even before the paralyze kicks in depending where you're bitten."

"Got it. OK then, we're going down floor 11."