Chapter 395: The Day Before the Duel

Once we return to the inside of the Great Alban Mine, I decide to begin the levelling of Aro and the nightmare. The liquid metal [Magiatite Heart], magiatite-jii, also ends up coming along with us.

…Unfortunately, as treant-san is unable to humanise, it can’t come with us to subjugate the Demon Lord. Treant-san’s levelling this time is only a bonus. When the obstacle came up again, it looked incredibly sad, but there’s no helping it.

In order to take treant-san with us, I’d have to fly in and assault the castle from the air, but if I did that not only would it put the Demon Lord on high alert, all of the military potential in the royal capital would converge on me. Once that happened, Lilixira might even be compelled to join the subjugation effort against me.

In the first place, with its slow-wittedness and slow speed, the clumsy treant-san would be in too much danger this time. There’s unfortunately no reason to try overly hard to bring it along.

Aro puts a hand on the treant’s branch to console it, while the nightmare spits out thread to try and rile it up. Partner… The nightmare probably won’t listen to anything from me, so please say something to reprimand her.

『Isn’t it fine? You’re too uptight. She's just playing around.』

My partner replies while yawning. It might just be joking around now, but isn't this sort of thing is where bullying starts The nightmare might have grown bigger since evolving, but inside she’s still a child. If we don’t educate her, she’ll turn out bad.

Even if I try to persuade her, it doesn’t look like my partner will show any interest in the matter… There’s no helping it, I guess I’ll have to try scolding her myself.

With a sidelong glance at me and my partner, Aro hugs the treant lightly and glares at the nightmare.

“Nightmare, bad. Treant doesn’t like it.”

Scolded by Aro, the nightmare twitches, then after a few seconds of stillness, reluctantly bows her head towards the treant. Aro… As expected of a B+ rank. The nightmare seems to recognise Aro as her superior and is being obedient. Tears of gratitude form in the treant's eyes.

“Dragon-god-sama! Dragon-god-sama!”

Aro separates from the treant and runs up to my feet, peering up at me. Good job helping the treant, Aro. It probably wouldn’t have been convincing had it come from me, so you were a big help. I want to stroke her head, but it seems that my claw would get stuck and cut her scalp, so I hold back.

The treant looks a little lonely, and the nightmare stares at Aro’s back with a look as though she can’t accept something.

“…Gaa”

『…Aro’s also grown strong.』

My partner says with a tone of slight amazement. Not knowing what she’s talking about, I tilt my head.

We press on through the caves. The objective this time isn’t exploration but rather levelling, so I’m proactively searching for monsters with [Presence Perception].

Even though I look like this, I am a levelling pro. For my own levelling, Adam Island was perfect as it had B+ monsters all over, but for Aro and the others, this Great Alban Mine where C ranks seem to be the most common should be more efficient for their levelling. In other words, rather than forcefully taking on bigger targets by fighting as a group, fighting many opponents of the same or slightly lower rank will result in more experience.

Their levels right now are 【Aro Lv: 22/85】, 【Nightmare Lv: 20/70】 and 【Magical Tree Lv: 10/60】, so they’re still in the low-level band where levels are easy to raise. By grinding in a place like this with my support, they should be able to level up a decent extent in just half a day.

『Hunting monsters is fine, but… If possible, please avoid disrupting the balance of this place. The grim anmos have been overeating and multiplying out of control, so if anything, I would be grateful if you thinned them down.』

I receive magiatite-jii’s [Telepathy]. He’s been following us the whole time, but it seems he was just waiting for the right time to give advice. With how desperate I am, I’m grateful for his advice and willingness to be flexible. I bow my head lightly in thanks and, apparently relieved, magiatite-jii’s liquid body slackens, spreading out.

I-I wasn’t particularly planning on going on a rampage and eating everything though…?

Grim anmos are giant ammonites with have mineralised shells that shine with rainbow-coloured light. They’re monsters that once surrounded treant-san to try and eat it. As C+ rank monsters that act as a group, they’re the ideal targets for levelling right now.

Along the way, we encounter what looks like a more rugged version of a clay bear, a [Bear’s Stone], but magiatite-jii extends a featureless head from his liquid metal surface and shakes it, so I slam my foreleg down to threaten it away. The bear’s stone loudly flees with heavy movements.

『That one is of a rare species, and is timid and docile. They’re a staple food of the grim anmos that have overgrown. If possible, please overlook it.』

…It didn’t look like I could eat it, anyway. I’d feel guilty about killing a monster I couldn’t eat.

Eventually, we discover a cluster of grim anmos. Aro uses arms of earth produced by her [Rope of Regret] skill to seal their movements, then uses the wind magic [Gale] and earth magic [Clay] to hunt them efficiently. The nightmare freely wields thread to drag them out of their shells before biting into their frail bodies with the mouth below her mask.

The treant uses [Antipower] to reduce their attack strength while laboriously running away from them and leading them into the range of Aro or the nightmare. I was worried that it would push itself to attack and deal damage, but I’m relieved to see it obediently taking on a support role. Right, just like that, keep supporting like that! Amazing, I can see how talented treant-san is! Let’s keep the indiscriminate obstruction magic, [Gravity], sealed.

Whenever I spot any danger, I quickly use [Wind Slash] to send the grim anmo flying, and if any of them take damage, my partner heals them right away with [High Rest] or, in Aro’s case, [Fake Life].

Once both the nightmare and the treant's MP is exhausted, and Aro starts to appear tired, we take a break. Aro’s HP and MP are endless if she uses me as a battery, but doing so seems to cause her a lot of mental strain.

Tomorrow, I’ll be heading back to the royal capital… I’ll settle things with that slime once and for all.

I check their levels. Aro has risen from 【Lv: 22/85】 to 【Lv: 29/85】, the nightmare from 【Lv: 20/70】to 【Lv: 25/70】, and the treant from 【Lv: 10/60】 to 【Lv: 15/60】.

If they were to stick at it, it seems they could get all the way to level 40 in just a few days, but… Regrettably, we don’t have the time. But the significance of this levelling is still big. Their stats are now closer to those of the Three Knights.

It’s been a while, so I’ll take a full look at our combat strength.

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[Irushia]

Species: Ouroboros

Condition: Normal

Lv: 102/125

HP: 2655/2655

MP: 453/2564

Attack: 1029

Defence: 584

Magic: 1129

Speed: 735

Rank: A

Divine Skills:

[Human Realm: Lv-]

Characteristic Skills:

[Dragon Scales: Lv7] [God’s Voice: Lv5] [Grisha Language: Lv3] [Flight: Lv7] [Dragon Scale Powder: Lv7] [Dark Attribute: Lv-] [Evil Dragon: Lv-] [Automatic HP Recovery: Lv8] [Presence Perception: Lv5] [Automatic MP Recovery: Lv6] [Double-Headed: Lv-] [Split Spirit: Lv-] [Mutual Understanding: Lv3] [Ruler’s Demon Eye: Lv1]

Resistance Skills:

[Physical Resistance: Lv5] [Fall Resistance: Lv6] [Starvation Resistance: Lv5] [Poison Resistance: Lv6] [Loneliness Resistance: Lv6] [Magic Resistance: Lv4] [Dark Attribute Resistance: Lv4] [Fire Attribute Resistance: Lv3] [Fear Resistance: Lv3] [Oxygen Deprivation Resistance: Lv4] [Paralysis Resistance: Lv6] [Illusion Resistance: Lv3] [Instant Death Resistance: Lv2] [Curse Resistance: Lv2] [Confusion Resistance: Lv2] [Strong Light Resistance: Lv1] [Petrifaction Resistance: Lv1]

Normal Skills:

[Roll: Lv7] [Status Inspection: Lv7] [Scorching Breath: Lv5] [Whistle: Lv2] [Dragon Punch: Lv3] [Plague Breath: Lv6] [Poison Fang: Lv7] [Paralysing Claw: Lv6] [Dragon Tail: Lv2] [Roar: Lv3] [Heaven’s Drop: Lv4] [Return to Ground: Lv2] [Humanisation Technique: Lv8] [Wind Slash: Lv7] [Neck Breaker: Lv4] [High Rest: Lv7] [Autoregeneration: Lv5] [Travelling Companion: Lv-] [Death: Lv4] [Soul AppendmentFake Life: Lv4] [Holy: Lv2]

Title Skills:

[Son of the Dragon King: Lv-] [Walking Egg: Lv-] [Klutz: Lv4] [Simple Fool: Lv1] [Infighter: Lv4] [Pest Killer: Lv8] [Liar: Lv3] [Evasion King: Lv2] [Path of Evil: Lv9] [Calamity: Lv9] [Chicken Runner: Lv3] [Chef: Lv4] [Mean King: Lv9] [Gutsy: Lv4] [Big EaterGiant Killer: Lv3] [Pottery Craftsman: Lv4] [Group Leader: Lv1] [Laplace Interference Authority: Lv2] [One Who Knows Eternity: Lv-] [Ant King: Lv-] [Hero: Lv7]

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…Tomorrow, I’m going to use [Soul AppendmentFake Life] unsparingly. Even if I were to make followers here, I couldn't bring them with me, so I’ll have to make them on the scene. From the example of Aro and the treant, they’ll start at level 1, so I don’t know how effective it’ll be, but… They might be useful for creating a diversion inside the castle that will be swarming with enemies. Depending on how it’s used, I imagine the skill could be quite effective.

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Name: Aro

Species: Revaana Lich

Condition: Cursed

Lv: 29/85

HP: 412/412

MP: 430/430

Attack: 211

Defence: 185

Magic: 476

Speed: 104

Rank: B+

Characteristic Skills:

[Grisha Language: Lv4] [Undead: Lv-] [Dark Attribute: Lv-] [Flesh Transformation: Lv7] [Privilege of the Deceased: Lv-] [Ruler of Earth: Lv-] [Evil Demon Eye: Lv4] [Undead Maker: Lv-]

Resistance Skills:

[Status Condition Nullification: Lv-] [Physical Resistance: Lv5] [Magic Resistance: Lv5]

Normal Skills:

[Gale: Lv7] [Curse: Lv4] [Life Drain: Lv5] [Clay: Lv7] [Autoregeneration: Lv5] [Clay Doll: Lv6] [Mana Drain: Lv6] [Rope of Regret: Lv6] [Fog of the Dead: Lv5] [Charm: Lv1] [Wide Drain: Lv2] [Dark Sphere: Lv2]

Title Skills:

[Right Hand of the Evil Dragon: Lv-] [Hollow Sorcerer: Lv7] [Undecaying Body: Lv-] [Final Evolution: lv-] [Undead Queen: Lv-]

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Aro’s strength lies of course in her magic power, but also in her outstanding HP that comes from being an undead. She also has her Drain skills, so she can put her HP to full use in a fight. Her speed is her weak point, but she can usually cover for that by using long-range magic and Flesh Transformation to fight in a tricky style. Among the three of them, not only are her stats outstanding, but also her skills.

With Aro’s toughness, she can withstand an attack from the higher level [Poison Ruler] Thermal. That’s not all, as she also has the godlike resistance from [Status Condition Nullification] which can completely block out Thermal’s skills. The problem still remains of their difference in stats, but Thermal would undoubtedly be her best match up. If she has the support of the nightmare or of adventurers, she might be able to win.

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Species: Nightmare

Condition: Normal

Lv: 25/70

HP: 218/218

MP: 18/211

Attack: 183

Defence: 117

Magic: 190

Speed: 145

Rank: C+

Characteristic Skills

[Dark Attribute: Lv-] [Automatic HP Recovery: Lv3] [Poison Sash: Lv5] [Presence Perception: Lv3] [Nekomata: Lv-] [Stealthy Movement: Lv5]

Resistance Skills:

[Physical Resistance: Lv3] [Magic Resistance: Lv4] [Poison Resistance: Lv4] [Curse Resistance: LV4]

Normal Skills:

[Poison Fang: Lv4] [Spider Thread: Lv5] [Ally Call: Lv1] [Thread Daruma: Lv3] [Poison Thread: Lv3] [Neck-Hanging Thread: LV4] [Sneak Attack: Lv3] [Curse: Lv2] [Humanisation Technique: Lv5] [Autoregeneration: Lv2] [Dark Sphere: Lv2] [Clay: Lv3]

Title Skills:

[Pet of the Evil Dragon: Lv-] [Thread Expert: Lv5] [Malicious: Lv-] [Mutation: Lv-] [Obsession: Lv5] [Cunning: Lv4] [Abyss Eater: Lv2] [Assassin: Lv5] [Final Evolution: Lv-]

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The nightmare is far below Aro in terms of stats, but has vicious thread skills. She’s also cunning enough to rely entirely on setting up traps. It would be bad if she got hit, but if she can avoid fighting directly and sticks to supporting, there should be plenty she can do. She’d struggle against the Three Knights, but against the underling soldier slimes, she should easily be able to overrun them with traps.

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Species: Magical Tree

Condition: Cursed

Lv: 15/60

HP: 223/223

MP: 11/166

Attack: 64

Defence: 134

Magic: 169

Speed: 78

Rank: C+

Characteristic Skills:

[Dark Attribute: Lv-] [Grisha Language: Lv2] [Harden: LV3] [Automatic MP Recovery: Lv1]

Resistance Skills:

[Physical Resistance: Lv5]

Normal Skills:

[Take Root: Lv4] [Clay: Lv2] [Rest: Lv4] [Fire Sphere: Lv2] [Aqua Sphere: Lv2] [Clay Sphere: Lv3] [Wind Sphere: LV2] [Telepathy: Lv2] [Gravity: Lv3] [Poison Cloud: Lv1] [Physical Barrier: Lv3] [Antipower: Lv4]

Title Skills:

[Servant of the Evil Dragon: Lv-] [Eater of the Fruit of Wisdom: Lv-] [White Mage: Lv4] [Black Mage: Lv4]

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Treant-san is… Right, no matter how much it levels up… Even though [Antipower] would make it a lot easier for Aro to fight, we unfortunately can’t take treant-san with us. I unconsciously bow my head down, and treant-san quickly bows back in reply.

We start to settle down to sleep in a tunnel of the Great Alban Mine. As I lie down and become still, magiatite-jii comes up to me.

『Are you going to attack the Demon Lord?』

…It seems he worked it out from watching us. As I thought, he knew about the Demon Lord. Do you want to stop us? I think in reply.

『……No.』

After thinking for a few seconds, magiatite-jii shakes his body slightly in denial, then moves away from us. What was that about? Something felt a little off there…