Chapter 18

Chapter 18

◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (18)

KiJun woke up sharp at six in the morning as usual and washed his face with water from his inventory. The dark brick ceiling had become familiar after hundreds of glimpses.

He wanted to run, but since that wasn't possible, he substituted his morning exercise with push-ups, double crunches, and squats. After wiping down with a damp towel, it was time to prepare breakfast, just as the Demon Lord and Lucy woke up.

"Yawn."

"Awake?"

―Slept well, contractor?

As a rare-grade spirit, Lucy used to spend much time awake, but since her spirit magic evolved to unique grade, she began showing more human-like behaviors.

Though sleep wasn't essential for her, KiJun made sure to let her rest whenever she wished. After all, their tent was alarm-equipped against intruders, unless it was the Demon Lord herself, who was sleeping nearby.

"I want something sparkly for breakfast today."

"Even if you didn't ask, I was going to make it that way."

KiJun proudly whipped up the level 70 skill, Cooking of Light. Today's menu was Shining Toast... rather, ham and cheese toast.

The simple toast, layered with ham, cheese, and pickles atop buttered bread, was exceptionally delicious thanks to the sauce. Harnessing his enhanced seasoning skills post reaching the rare skill level, KiJun developed a top-notch sauce with a sweet and salty fruit base to complete his toast.

"Ah, delicious as always..."

―I'm going to spend the rest of my life enjoying leisurely mornings with the contractor's toast.

"Leisurely, my foot," KiJun muttered under his breath.

Having quickly finished their meal, the Demon Lord sighed and gazed at the ceiling.

"We've been stuck in this dungeon for over three years now."

"But we're close to the end now."

"Close? It's been four years, including the time before! Four years is enough to clear ten regular dungeons!"

―Ah, seriously noisy.

The Demon Lord's sudden outburst led Lucy to promptly create a light barrier to prevent the sound from spreading. Thanks to her human-sized form and swift spirit magic casting, her desired peaceful morning wasn't dungeoned by a monster ambush.

"I'm heading to that place we found yesterday. I don't care if it's a trap or not, I'm going to finish this quickly. I'm at my limit!"

"Take it easy," KiJun advised as he opened his status and skill window to review the changes over the last three years.

[Status Window]

[Title ― Discoverer of the Hidden Dungeon (Legendary) +7]

[Degraded Light Person (Uc) Lv97]

[Strength (R) ― 54]

[Dexterity (R) ― 61]

[Endurance (R) ― 57]

[Light Magic (R) ― 73]

[Charisma (R) ― 99]

[Spirit Power (U) ― 36]

[Skills/Spells]

[Uncommon]

[Butchery Lv99]

[Rare]

[Cooking of Light Lv67, Double Turtle Fangs Lv98, Flash Throw Lv79, Wholehearted Taunt Lv99]

[Unique]

[Light Spirit Magic Lv51, Rapid Regeneration Lv54, Steelization Lv52, No Rest for the Wicked Lv55]

[Legendary]

[Unbreakable Internal Clock Lv――]

Considering there wasn't much left of the dungeon, the prospect of leveling up amidst the remainder seemed daunting. Despite the excessive monster hunting, more time was spent searching the vast dungeon than gaining experience.

"I've learned my lesson, though. Never again will I explore a dungeon without a rogue or a mage."

"Lucky you," the Demon Lord remarked as she scrutinized his status and skill window, conveniently ignoring the maxed-out charisma as always and examining the other skills nearing their limits.

"Butchery and taunt... coincidentally, skills that have nothing to do with me. Oh, your weaponry skills are also nearing their cap. Hit 99 before entering the boss room, and you can grow during the boss fight. Perfect, right?"

"To outsiders, is it normal to level up skills while fighting a boss monster?"

"Of course, it's normal. Who do you think raised you?"

The Demon Lord, looking like a proud mother, slapped KiJun’s back with confidence.

"Done eating? Then let's go. I have a feeling you can definitely level up there."

'There' referred to a room cloaked in darkness that a weary KiJun had stumbled upon, which contained a treasure chest that looked conspicuously like a trap. They decided to sleep on it and deal with it the next day.

Compared to when it was a rare grade, the effects had doubled in potency.

This meant that not only did his self-created skills like Double Turtle Fangs, Flash Throw, Cooking of Light, and Blinding Taunt gain an additional 10% in ability, but if these skills were to rise in rank, further positive adjustments would apply.

"Is this the true power of a title? Then what were all those garbage titles I had before...?"

"Don’t be too sad, hero. Once we clear this ruin, you’ll experience the effects of a legendary-grade title."

After the battle, the Demon Lord, who came into the room to console KiJun, looked at the dead mimic and exclaimed.

"It’s a unique-grade?"

"There are grades for mimics?"

"A shabby mimic is common, a plain one is uncommon, a flashy one is rare. A mimic with attributes is unique. If it transitions to legendary, it acquires additional strange properties."

"Attribute mimics..."

Being in such a dark-filled place, it would naturally be a dark mimic.

But what meaning did it have, being just a mimic, not even a treasure chest?

"Ah, I guess you as the hero wouldn't know yet. Mimics above a rare grade really are treasure chests."

"A mimic?"

"Because it’s a mimic. Imagine how many tears and blood it has swallowed pretending to be a treasure chest. If it ingests even a single piece of jewelry, sword, or even a gold coin, it could mature in despair and time into an artifact with ease."

"Did you have to explain in such an unsettling way?"

"Let's open it!"

The Demon Lord, looking almost vicious for once, tore open the mimic’s lid and pulled out the contents.

What emerged was a dark, circular object that would have been excellent if it was a black shield forged from countless people’s blood... but it wasn’t.

"No, this is an industrial product from magical engineering. Why would this be inside a mimic in a dungeon?"

It was something circular and too large for a coin.

The Demon Lord stared at it incredulously, picked it up with one hand, and offered it to KiJun.

"Why would such a useless thing appear? It might have transformed inside the mimic, absorbing magic over time..."

"Magical engineering product? A fusion of magic and technology?"

"More precisely, the science of your Earth or other civilizations doesn’t take hold well in Leta. Magical engineering is the result of combining magic and science after many trials."

And this was it, slightly smaller and thinner than the buzzer one gets at a café when waiting for coffee.

Holding it in his hand, KiJun narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, if my memory serves... this is a shock absorber. They use it at construction sites for heavy machinery to carry heavy materials. When placed on the ground, it absorbs all kinds of shocks in the area, reducing stress."

"Shock absorption."

"Ah. I get what you're thinking, but it won’t be that effective."

The Demon Lord smirked.

"At the end of the day, it’s construction equipment. Even if you wear it, there’s a limit to the amount of shock it can absorb."

"Still, it might serve its purpose against the boss we're about to face, even if it’s just for one hit."

"That’s true."

"If you're going to wear it, let me check for curses...," said the Demon Lord, taking the device, but she jumped back, startled, dropping it the next moment.

KiJun quickly caught it mid-air.

Thanks to the Demon Lord’s appraisal, item information was now visible to him too.

[Shock Absorber (Rare) - Growth Type]

[Durability - 2,578/3,500]

[Defense (R) - 78]

[Option 1 - The device absorbs some of the shock exerted within its attached area and stores it. There is a limit to the storage; beyond a certain amount, it can't absorb more, and the stored shock diminishes over time.]

[A perfectly ordinary magical engineering product holds the grudge of its owner, transformed inside a dark mimic into an artifact. If supplied with significant force or magic, it may grow.]

"Wow."

KiJun asked, stunned.

"Do magical engineering products usually grow like this?"

"No."

The Demon Lord replied.

"That's now an artifact. A relic."

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