CH 256

Episode 256 – New Equipment

Three days had gone by after our interview. For the past three days, I had been doing all of the small tasks that had piled up while I was in the Dungeon as well as resting up and preparing for the next Dungeon attempt. We had also visited Eagle Talon and received their generous support.

I knew from Arthur’s appearance that he was a former adventurer, so he understood perfectly what we would want and prepared our equipment accordingly. I was told that Aruna’s arrows were specially crafted by Arthur, and they were always practical in use and could be reused many times. As I listened to the explanation, I could see the ingenuity that had gone into the various parts of the arrows. It was no wonder that Aruna had become a regular at Eagle Claw for these arrows.

And then, with the help of many people… at long last, we began our Dungeon attempt aiming for the 30th layer.

“Large swing coming from the right, followed by a left kick.” (Lewin)

When I had fought it for the first time, I found it difficult to fight because it repeatedly attacked without showing any signs of fear or pain. But considering the fact that it never did anything unexpected or out of the ordinary, I would say that it was the easiest Boss to fight by far. The second form made its movements become somewhat more lifelike, but it wasn’t by much.

“Using [Sword Bash] now!” (Rosalie)

After dodging the large swing from the right, Rosalie matched up her timing with its left kick and used a Skill, causing it to stagger and lose its balance. I was ready as always to attack on her cue. Already standing in line with her, I then dashed forward, commencing my attack on the core.

Pulling out the dagger that Arthur made specifically for breaking the core, I sent forth a series of thrusts with it, making sure not to touch the hard parts of its body. As the point of this dagger was of a peculiar needle-like shape, it was meant to make attacking a single point easier, but it also required pinpoint accuracy. And to top it off, we had Aruna, who was weaving in shots at opportune moments. In no time at all, the Elemental Golem’s glittering core was shattered.

“Phew, a total victory. That was our quickest time, wasn’t it?” (Lewin)

“Yeah! I couldn’t really get used to using blunt weapons before, but now I can use my sword even against the Elemental Golem! I really have to thank Arthur!” (Rosalie)

“I’m also pretty happy about this dagger. Aside from it being a good weapon, it seems like it can also be used to harvest ores… How was it, Aruna-san?” (Lewin)

While both of us were smiling with joy, Aruna was alone, staring at her bow with a blank expression on her face. From my point of view, I thought that her shooting was as flawless as ever, but something seemed to be bothering her.

“When I shoot Magic Arrows, my hands get shaky. I can’t shoot where I want to… So annoying.” (Aruna)

“Is… that right? It seemed to me like you hit the core though. You didn’t accidentally shoot us or anything.” (Lewin)

“It’s a matter of feeling. Plus… it’s at the point where if I was further away, there would be a chance that I’d accidentally hit you two.” (Aruna)

I thought that all of us had gotten a power boost from the new weapons we received, but a new problem arose from an unexpected angle. The tips of the Magic Arrows were certainly shaped differently from a normal arrow, since they were loaded with magic.

Any ordinary person wouldn’t have minded that difference, but that feeling that something was off was probably incredibly obvious in Aruna’s eyes. She had brought along regular arrows just in case, so if it really bothered her then she could switch back to them. But…

“The position on the finger…? The angle…? The amount of force…?” (Aruna)

“Rosalie-san, let’s proceed with the 24th layer and beyond, keeping in mind that there might be misfires.” (Lewin)

“Yes. Well, misfires are normally supposed to be pretty common after all.” (Rosalie)

“That’s true. We should probably not get too used to being spoiled by Aruna’s skills.” (Lewin)

After having such a post-battle conversation, we collected the drops and entered the 24th layer at last. It was hard to say if Aruna was in a flawless state, but she at least seemed to have plenty of stamina and strength remaining. We could move on with clearing the 24th layer in an almost perfect condition.

I would have to keep an eye on Rosalie’s condition, but I wanted to clear our way to the 30th layer at a fast pace. Feeling enthusiastic in my heart, we stepped into the new area.