CH 38

December 17th, 2022

Beta Reader: My_Own_Worst_NPC

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Before eating breakfast, I gave orders to the Iwaos. “Equip the large shields and move to the open area in front of the dungeon. Wait at the west end so you won’t get in the way of the other soldiers.”

Iwao’s are very slow, so it’s better for them to start moving earlier so others won’t have to wait for them. After they started out, I then give instructions to the Gokus on what they needed to do for today. They’re so helpful; this inn is basically running thanks to them.

After the soldiers had finished eating, I went to the dungeon together with them.

I couldn’t possibly ride Silver alone while Gram and the rest of the soldiers were walking, so I travelled on foot. Wonders held positions in front and behind me, acting as escorts. I’m curious, how would a Wonder fare against the monsters? I pretty much grasp how Iwao would fare, considering I’ve seen how they fight, or rather, defend themselves with shields.

“Gram-sama, may I make a small request?”

“What is it?”

“Can you allow Wonder no. 1 to participate in the fight when we encounter the next monsters in the dungeon?”

It made sense, since the best way to understand Wonder’s combat capability would be to see it in actual combat.

“Alright… Only if we’re facing a single monster. I can’t let it to participate in an organized battle against groups of monsters. Iwao is fine since it’s only taking defensive position, but if Wonder is going to join the attack I don’t want to risk hitting the soldiers.”

“I understand. Thank you very much.”

This meant I could take measure of Wonder’s ability while being protected by Gram and others, I’m so lucky!

“Wonder No.1, you’re going to fight a monster today, so do your best and show me what you’ve got!”

I think it understood what I meant, as it lowered its head and made a low purring sound.

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The survey team is continuing through the first basement floor of the dungeon today; they are mapping the corridors and checking the rooms from one end to another.[1]

The underground labyrinth reminded me of the underground mall in the city center. Sure, the walls and floors were made from different materials, but the layout was similar to the underground mall in Shinjuku. [2]

Just like yesterday, the Iwaos were acting as vanguards in formation, followed by the soldiers. Sometimes we encountered the monsters when we were moving through the corridors, and other times the monsters would ambush us inside the rooms we were trying to examine.

To this point, the monsters hadn’t been appearing alone, so Wonder hadn’t gotten the chance to test his ability.

“Okami, how is your condition?” Vice commander Lane asked. She seemed concerned that I would faint again.

“It’s alright. I think I’ve gotten used to the dungeon, even if just a little. However, my legs still freeze up whenever we encounter monsters.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s understandable you’d be frightened, since men can’t use magic.”

Actually, I can use magic, but it’s not suitable for battle.

After considering my situation regarding the dungeon, I still think the best thing I could do for now is to further improving the level of my golem creation. Not only would having new golems help ensure my own safety, it would also improve my standard of living, so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.

In the dungeon, these three types of golems seem the most useful: Iwao as a tank, Wonder as a scout, and Poppo [3]as a courier. Poppo’s task is to deliver messages to the stand-by unit on the main floor.

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The survey team’s priority is the safety of the soldiers, so it’s a little slow going. Gram is being really careful to avoid any casualties. She may look unfriendly at first, but I think she is a superior officer who cares about her subordinates.

“We’ve finished our preparations and are ready to proceed.”

It seems the preparations for opening the new door we just found are completed.

“Okami, if you would.” Gram said with her usual neutral expression, but for some reason she felt more guarded and distant.

I’m certain it’s because I got drunk and kissed her, but I’m not going to bring that up now. We’re inside the dungeon and can’t afford to let down our guard.

“Understood. Iwao, brace yourself for attack. When the door is opened, raise your shield and advance forward.”

It’s the same procedure whenever we open a new door now, it’s almost become a routine.

After the scouts finished checking for traps, the door was opened. The room was illuminated by the magic lantern, and we could see something crouching in the corner; it looked like an ostrich, but its wings were more colorful and its eyes sharper.

“It’s a cockatrice.” Gram announced the monster’s name as she stared ahead.

The bird made a strange cry when it saw us and made a threatening posture.

“Okami, if you want to see Wonder fighting, this is the chance.”

“Understood. Wonder No.1, go!”

After I gave the order, Wonder jumped over Iwao’s head and moved forward, attacking the cockatrice. It kept its body low to the ground, dodging attacks while trying to bite the cockatrice’s legs. However, the cockatrice was moving too quickly for Wonder to land the attack, so their stand-off continued. Eventually the cockatrice’s movements began to slow; it was only natural, as the Cockatrice was a creature of flesh and bone, while Wonder was an inexhaustible construct. Like a man fighting a robot, this was a battle of attrition, eventually the person would grow fatigued and make a mistake.

In the end, Wonder’s fangs sunk deep into the Cockatrice’s long neck. It flailed its limbs in a futile bid for escape, but eventually it stiffened and went still as the last of its vitality drained away.[4]

“It’s over, I guess?”

“Yeah. The cockatrice is dead.”

I’m glad that Wonder managed to win.

“Wonder, come here.”

Wonder’s body was coated in blood, and when I examine it, there were many small scratches in its body. It didn’t seem to be injured, however, since I found no abnormalities in its movement. So, it’s strong enough to win a battle against a Cockatrice, huh, and if I let both Wonders fight together, their fighting capabilities would increase even more.

But then again, I’m a total amateur when it comes to judging one’s fighting ability, so maybe it’s better if I ask Gram’s opinion about Wonder’s ability.

“Gram-sama, from your perspective, what do you think of Wonder’s fighting capability?”

“Yes. It’s quite capable. I’d say it’s on par with three regular soldiers in fighting capability.”

It’s as good as three regular imperial soldiers, huh… Which means that if there were seven soldiers attacking me, my two Wonders won’t be able to fend them off…

“Umm… I assume that the officers are stronger than regular soldiers?”

“Why, of course we are. The Imperial Army is a system of meritocracy; only those who are proficient in both martial arts and magic can be promoted as officers.”

“So, how strong would the officers be, in comparison to regular soldiers?”

Gram tilted her head in thought. “It would depend on the individual… but I think an officer should be able to handle three to five regular soldiers.”

That meant I would have no chance at winning if I were to be attacked by two imperial officers. Right now, I’m still safe because Gram is leading the military unit with strict order, but who knows what would happen in the future.

Just as I thought, I needed to raise the level of Golem Production as soon as possible.

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Creation Magic Lv.10　 All category creation time reduced by 5%

MP 736/736

Food Production: Lv.6 Food creation time reduced by 11%

Tools Production: Lv.6 Tool creation time reduced by 11%

Weapon Production: Lv.2 Weapon creation time reduced by 3%

Material Creation: Lv.6 Material creation time reduced by 11%

Golem Production: Lv.5 Golem creation time reduced by 9%

Medicine Production: Lv.2

Repair Lv 1

Other ――

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That is my current status, but I need to create three more golems to raise the level of golem production. I’m currently setting my magic to create Wonder No.3, but the time needed to complete all three golems would be at least five days.

And that’s if I’m not making anything else in between.

I really, really hoped that I would be able to create multiple things at once soon. Right now, the only thing that I can do while waiting for one item to complete is the [Repair] skill, which I gained when my Creation Magic reached Lv 10.

The problem is, it costs a heck of a lot of MP.

I once tried experimenting with broken plates, and when I used [Repair] skill on it, the cost was 76 MP, meanwhile I could just make a brand new plate by using the Tool Production and it would only need 24 MP. The good thing about it is, it only took around 10 seconds to fix the plate using the [Repair] skill.

The skill would be useful if I was in a hurry, but I don’t think there will be many situations that would warrant the skill.

When I examined the repaired plate closely, I noticed it was as good as new, not even small scratches remained. It wasn’t that the broken pieces of the plates were back together, even the wear and tear from daily usage was gone.

Maybe the [Repair] skill has something to do with reversing time? Well if that was the case, the amount of MP needed would make sense; I could accept that.

Also, since there’s a level on the [Repair] skill, it would mean that as the level increase, the skill would hopefully require less time and MP.

I’m looking forward to increasing its level. 

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1 I thought they already cleared the first floor, but it seems they only covered a portion of the floor the day before.

2 I tried checking Shinjuku underground mall in google map, and it seems the basement in Shinjuku is covering very large area; you can enter the subway from several blocks away from the east side of the station, and emerge several blocks away from the west side of the station.

3 Poppo: The bird type golem Shirou created back in Chapter 29

4 The cockatrice probably died by having its neck crushed, rather than by blood loss.