Chapter 202: |
Dungeon Stampede 2.0 Acquired
After a fierce battle, we somehow managed to defeat the Giant Red Scorpion.
Or rather, after a desperate flight, a lucky turn on a slope saved us… So, it was a narrow victory. If there hadn't been a convenient steep slope, we'd have been completely stuck.
Well, I was ready to hide in a manhole if things got worse, but let's keep that secret from the other three. Still, I wonder why it was so persistent… That's a mystery.
While I was pondering this, the giant rock salt orb kept shrinking, and Shiotaro grew proportionally larger…
With this, the full extent of the squashed giant red scorpion became clear.
Yeah… The giant rock salt orb hit its abdomen, causing its guts to splatter out dramatically. The outer shell on its abdomen had a clear impression of the rock salt orb, like a hand pressed into the snow. Even a boss-level monster couldn't survive that. The power of the rock salt orb is terrifying.
Ah… but the life energy permeates my tired body… It's not quite like leveling up in a game, but soaking in this rich life energy restores my stamina, giving a similar sensation.
I'd like to let Ruu and the others experience this too, but there are still several monsters around with some life left in them. It's dangerous to approach now since wounded monsters can be unpredictable.
Well, that's human nature, I guess.
(Oh, right. Even if I can't acquire skills myself, I can get skill orbs with [Ursupation]. There are some monsters I've never seen before here, so I might as well try to get some skill orbs…)
"Shiotaro. I'll go around finishing off the remaining enemies, can you peel off the red scorpion's outer shell?"
Shiotaro, having almost fully absorbed the rock salt orb, had grown huge, looking like a golem.
But in this state, he seems strong enough to handle peeling off the giant red scorpion's shell. We need to secure quality monster shells, especially since the extra arms were broken. It's nice that monsters don't disappear on the surface like in dungeons, so we can take our time harvesting.
"Now then… there are still some monsters with life left in them…"
The monsters that persistently chased us.
They seem to be mostly fast ones at a glance. Four-legged beasts, some humanoid fish types… And there are small lizardmen, like tiny versions of the regular ones.
"Consider it an honor to fall in battle with me and meet your end here…! Offer everything to me! Skill [Plunder]!"
Using my badly battered and twisted, almost Longinus-like golden crowbar, I stab the dying monsters, using [Plunder] to try to obtain skill orbs.
…..
"Hey, Egetsu-san, what are you doing for so long…?"
Oh, the three of them came down the slope. The sticky substance on the slope had mostly disappeared, making it possible to walk down carefully.
"I was finishing off the monsters that still had life in them. It's dangerous to leave them wounded…"
"I see. Then I'll help too!"
"Serai-san, it's dangerous, so stay back. The footing is bad, and without aura vision, you can't tell if they're dead or alive."
"What! …Tch."
"Machi, listen to Coach. If you get hurt now, it would be a big problem."
"Alright… Then let's dismantle this scorpion! And what's this, wow! When did you make such a big salt golem, Egetsu-san??"
Serai-san is amazed at Shiotaro, who is peeling the giant red scorpion's shell.
"No, that's Shiotaro. He grew that big by absorbing the rock salt orb."
"Um… sorry, I don't quite get it…"
Hmm… I guess Serai-san can't understand because she's only seen Shiotaro in his small doll-like form. I was also surprised to learn he could do that just now. She probably didn't see Shiotaro absorbing the rock salt orb during the kobold fight.
"Wow! Did little Shiotaro grow this big?"
"Yeah, amazing. But I'm really glad everyone is safe."
"Yeah, that's the most important thing. Oh, right. All three of you, hold out your hands."
"Huh, what is it?"
I placed the skill orbs obtained with [Ursupation] on their hands.
"I only skimmed their details, but they seem to be body enhancement skills. There are three, so you can each use one."
"Eh… Coach, you're not using them?"
"Yeah, I soaked up the giant red scorpion's life energy alone. These skill orbs are my gift to you."
"""Yay!!!"""
I couldn't see their faces through the masks, but their delighted voices and gestures made it clear they were very happy. After everything we went through, we deserve a little good fortune.
…..
Thus, we defeated the giant red scorpion and the horde of monsters. Our efforts paid off, and naturally, we leveled up.
Current Previous
Level 15 13
Race Human
Class Teacher
Attributes
Strength: 380 302
Stamina: 375 286
Intelligence: 388 299
Spirit: 377 300
Agility: 392 311
Luck: 496 444
Desperation: 462 549
Blessings
[Salt Spirit] Kiyomitsu · [Pixie Queen] Sachimitsu · [Red Slime] Junkiomitsu
Skills
[Strong Acid 2], [Agility 2], [Disease Resistance 7], [Usurpation], [Mucus 9], [Space 6], [Good Luck 1.4], [Footwork], [Meditation], [Salt 5], [Craftsmanship], [Maggot 2], [Woman], [Martial Arts 6], [Paralysis 4], [Jump 9], [Sturdy 8], [Charm]
Titles
[Bug King], [Salt Mate], [Salty Guy], [Bug Queen], [Woman Killer], [Bug Friends]
Hmm… so leveling up by two increased my attributes by about 70-90 points.
Since the life energy acquired from the spirit system is distributed to Shiotaro, Pixie Queen, and Red Slime, we each get about a quarter. That means we got around 300 life energy from the giant red scorpion.
Considering we got 250 from the fly queen, the giant red scorpion was stronger. But it could also be that my attribute caps didn't exceed 500, so I'll reserve judgment on whether the giant red scorpion or the fly queen was stronger.
"I got the [Strong Arm] skill…!"
Oh, Serai-san got the [Strong Arm] skill. It was probably from that humanoid fish-like monster. That one had broad shoulders like a swimmer.
"I got [Healthy Legs]. Does that mean I can run faster now?"
Nina-san got [Healthy Legs]. That skill orb must have come from the beast that looked like a pre-evolved form of canines or felines. Nina already has healthy, beautiful legs, so if this enhances them further, it'll be impressive.
"I got [Agility]…!"
"Ruu, with [Agility], you'll be able to move faster temporarily. But be careful, it will make you very tired afterward."
"Wait… Coach, does that mean you have this skill too?"
"Yes, I do."
Ruu seemed pleased to learn she had the same skill as me. It seems I've hit Ruu's "same as me makes me happy!" spot again.
"What is it, Shiotaro? Oh, you found this just now? Hmm…"
As I was chatting with Ruu and the others, the now-big Shiotaro handed me a metal shoehorn, about 60 cm long. By the way, a shoehorn can be remembered as "Takeuchi Hisashi from the shoe store".
[Reeeeing…]
The moment I touched the metal shoehorn, it vibrated like a tuning fork, emitting a clear, resonant sound like a ting sha.
"Wow… what a beautiful sound."
"But it doesn't look like a musical instrument. It's a shoehorn, right? Why?"
"Hmm… It seems that the residual life energy from the red scorpion is reacting and causing the sound… Shiotaro, where did you find this?"
Shiotaro pointed to the remains of the giant red scorpion.
"So this shoehorn came from inside the red scorpion? I don't quite understand…"
When Susanoo no Mikoto defeated Yamata no Orochi, the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi was found inside. After defeating the giant red scorpion, we found a ‘tuning fork-like metal shoehorn' inside it.
How mysterious… but the sound is beautiful, and it has a bluish-silver color that looks nice. Yes, I'll gratefully accept this as a drop item.
