Episode 31.1

"Lecan-dono."

Arios's word pulled Lecan back to reality.

(Did unrest show up on my face?)

Lecan getting shaken up here would drastically lower this group of five's survival rate. He pulled himself together.

His composed eyes look at the three members of <Grindam>.

"The stories I heard don't do this floor justice, tis' a whole different spectacle indeed."

"My, even you look like a hottie lit under this blue light."

"Floor 100 eeh. We really made it here."

They're feverish.

They can't fight in this state.

"All right. Today's expedition is over. Tomorrow is a rest day. We're going back here on the 2nd of month two. First, we're gonna have a feel of fighting floor 100's foes. Might end up having to fight a few battles against normal variants. Then once we're ready, which may take days, we'll take on the giant variants. Tonight we drink. My treat."

Cheers erupted on floor 100 of Dungeon Tsubolt.

"Arios you stay."

"Eh?"

"We're going around floor 90s as a warm up."

"You're kidding me, right?"

Lecan and Arios went around floor 90s' rooms. Lecan calmed down as he demolished magic beasts one after another.

(We need intel first thing first.)

That night the five had a toast in <Rafin's Rock Terrace Inn>.

"I still cannot believe we really managed to arrive at floor 100 with just five people."

"Are you still going on about that?"

"Tsuinga. A group of ten may be the norm nowadays. But that <Skeleton Ogre Zoltan> has gone on a record saying a five-person party fits best for this dungeon."

"Well yeah, we are talking about Zoltan here after all. But that's just cannot be done by your average adventurers."

"Oh not at all. I heard five-person parties were common back in the days."

"Excuse me, Bruska-san. What kind of person is this <Skeleton Ogre Zoltan>?"

"He's a legendary adventurer, see. A man who's been keeping his reign on floor 120 unchallenged. Did you know that the father of this inn's owner, Nark-san, is a member of Zoltan party?"

"Then I suppose Nark-san's father is someone who belongs to the <Other Side>."

"Nah. My old man left the party before they broke through floor 100. Was to weed my mother. After that, they built this inn. Here, freshly cooked dish coming right up."

Everybody cheered at the tasty looking food.

"Bruska. Tell me about floor 100s."

"Sure thing, Lecan. Ask away anything."

"First of all, there's five magic beasts in each room, is that right."

"Yea. I mean not like I've seen it myself, but there's no mistake about that info."

Both Tsuinga and Yoana also nodded.

"What's the breakdown of those five. How's ratio like for <Red Body> and <Black Body>?"

"No, that's not it. <Red Body> or <Black Body> don't spawn from floor 100 down."

"What?"

"Lecan. What dwells on floor 100 and below are neither <Red Body White Spectres> nor <Black Body White Spectres>. It's <Armored White Spectres>."

Thus Tsuinga spoke to Lecan.

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"<Armored White Spectre>?"

"Yep yep, Lecan. They're still White Spectres, but their whole body is covered in this super sturdy <Black Body>-like armored rind, they can also attack physically and magically."

"Hou."

The local adventurers <Grindam> had spoken. Therefore, even though neither <Life Detection> nor <Graph Make> could display them, magic beasts do exist on floor 100. That info brings relief as well as a fact that there are magic beasts undetectable by <Life Detection> or <Graph Make> out there.

Battles will undoubtedly become even fiercer from now on.

"Their bodies are smaller too, aren't they?"

"That's right, Arios. Yet despite that, they're so quick and sturdy. The reason why it's hard to deploy the usual encirclement through sheer numbers tactic."

"What about Grace Gear spawn rates? I have a feeling I heard something about better drop rate from floor 100 down."

"Starting from floor 100, at least one of the five magic beasts will always carry a Grace Gear with them."

"Hou."

"You sure look happy, Lecan-dono. Tsuinga, that 'at least one' caught my attention."

"It is said that all five of the beasts could carry Grace Gear with them in some edge cases."

"Hou! All five of them."

"Listen here, Lecan-dono. Are you aware just how tough that would be?"

"Of course I'm aware. All the more reason to get excited."

"Oh right, you're that kind of person. Bruska-san. Are there specific traits on each individuals?"

"By traits here, you mean?"

"Like maybe some are faster, some are bigger, or some specialize in magic."

"Hummm. Don't think I've heard something like that. Nark-san. Any clue?"

"Their size corresponds to the floor. The individual in a room with stairways is gonna be the same size as other rooms' beasts. Due to that, some people call those stairway room individuals <Guardian> instead of <Giant Variants>. I'm told there's no power gap between the five <Guardians> that spawn at the same time."

"Hou."

That was the title given to dungeon bosses dwelling in the final floor of dungeons found in his previous world. Felt oddly nostalgic.

"Though there's also this old hearsay about how there's only one <Guardian> of Dungeon Tsubolt. Dunno what's the deal with that."

"Fumu."

"Anyway, the magic beasts' stay the same size on each floor. It gets gradually bigger as you go down."

"I see. I got it."

"Oh and, Lecan. The most frightening thing about floor 100s is that you can't get out of a room once you go in, not until you've totally annihilated all the magic beasts inside."

"Hou."

That night, Lecan and Arios gathered as much information as they could about floor 100s from <Grindam> and Nark.

Lots of parties that treaded on floor 100s consisted of five members in the past, but nowadays it's averaged at around 8-10 persons per party.

There's presently around ten parties fighting on the <Other Side>.

Additionally, the magic beasts from floor 100 down are extremely well coordinated.

From floor 100, every room has an entrance and exit, you can get in the entrance, but not getting out. Neither can you leave from the exit unless you've exterminated all the magic beasts inside.

You've got to collect this kind of information, but you also must not swallow it whole either. As assumptions can and will cause issues when you're fighting in dungeon depths.

But as he listened to things pertaining floor 100 down, Lecan considered one possibility. Which could be the answer as to why <Life Detection> and <Graph Make> didn't show anything.

"Oh yeah, heard Appariton-type magic beasts are weak to <Purification>. Won't an adventurer who can use <Purification> reigns supreme in this dungeon then?"

Instead of Bruska and co, Nark replied to this question.

"<Purification> erases White Spectres. That is not wrong. In fact, a <Purification> user secretly invited by the town lord here did defeat Dungeon Tsubolt's White Spectres using <Purification>."

"Hou."

"They tried it on shallow floors, so no telling for sure if it works in the depths, but well, most regard <Purification> would work even on the last floor. But that ain't ever happenin' for real."

"Why."

"Oy oy. You gotta get close to the opponent and touch 'em with your wand if you wanna cast <Purification> on 'em. Not to mention how long it takes to cast one. The opponent ain't gonna just sit around. To begin with, ain't no way a <Purification> gonna work as an adventurer. And most importantly, defeating those White Spectres with <Purification> leaves no magic stones nor treasure chests behind."

"What. Is that true?"

"Yea. 'S why no point in using <Purification> to kill 'em. At least not in a dungeon."

The day after was a rest day.

Lecan and Arios went around 18 normal variant rooms on floor 90s.

Enjoying the dungeon to his heart's content while forgetting floor 100 for a moment.

Of course, against floor 90s magic beasts, a slight mistake would still cost them their lives. Yet they easily demolished such powerful foes now. Lecan can never get enough of the exhilaration he gets from these live or die by a paper thin difference battles.

Dawn breaks, it's the 2nd of month two.

The day the joint party of <Willard> and <Grindam> challenges floor 100's giant variants. They're finally taking the first step toward the <Other Side>.