Jigoro and Genjuro had been facing off against the Headless Elite Royal Guards in a stalemate. It was a two-on-two fight, yet the fact that they were holding their own against higher-level opponents was solely due to their superior skills.
“Hey, old man! Looks like things are wrapping up over there, huh?”
“Then, let’s hurry up here too!”
There was only one reason why the two of them were in a hurry. Since they were confident in their own skills, they wanted to secure victory before their companions could defeat their own opponents.
Of course they understood that the battle was far from over, and they were wise enough to conserve their skills with limited use or those that could result in prolonged stat debuffs. With that in mind, they wanted to end the fight quickly.
“Let’s gooo!”
For the opening move, Jigoro lowered his stance and closed the distance, probably with the intention of grabbing and sweeping the legs of his opponent to cause him to fall.
However, a large shield was raised to block his attack. Jigoro was in danger of colliding headfirst and taking the damage alone.
“I saw that coming! Nice try!”
Just before the clash, Jigoro suddenly jumped up from his low stance with a grin on his face. Using the upper edge of the enemy’s shield as a foothold, he jumped toward the halberd-wielding guard behind him. Almost instantly, a thrust of the halberd came at him, but he actually managed to catch the shaft in mid-air.
“Gotcha!”
After landing, Jigoro slammed down the axe head of the halberd and stepped on its base to drive it deep into the ground. Then, using the shaft as a makeshift platform, he leaped forward and toppled his enemy.
The other Headless Elite Royal Guard who had been jumped over quickly moved to help his ally. However, this turned out to be a grave mistake.
“You shouldn’t turn your back on me.”
Without giving the guard the chance to even consider retreating, Genjuro sliced through the thinly armored back of the knee and, mimicking Shio’s earlier move, hurled his spear at the neck area of the armor. The spear, forged from Genjuro’s own horn and materials from the Heavenly Spirit Island, spun through the air and struck the shield-wearing guard. The latter crumpled to his knees before falling forward and taking heavy damage.
“Wrists, elbows, shoulders! Ha! You can’t hold a weapon anymore, can you?”
Meanwhile, Jigoro was busy disabling the arm of the Headless Elite Royal Guard he had pinned to the ground. He twisted and crushed the joints of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder. Although breaking bones through armor was a difficult task, joints were another matter, and Jigoro took full advantage of this weakness.
Had he been facing a creature like Isam, whose entire body was made of bones connected by magical joints, or a transparent enemy like a demon spirit, his efforts might have been in vain. However, the Headless Elite Royal Guards they were up against were undead with physical bodies clad in armor, much like the undead race or the Hero Jiangshi race, who belonged to the zombie category. Without any means of healing, the destroyed joints wouldn’t recover.
Moving fluidly, Jigoro shifted his focus from the arms to the legs and started methodically dislocating the ankles, knees, and even the hip joints. The grinding and snapping sounds of the joints were audible even through the armor.
Genjuro was not to be outdone. When the shield-bearing Headless Elite Royal Guard tried to rise, he used his wings for acceleration, closed the distance and while drawing his spear, he delivered an upward slash from below the armpit. His strike was so precise that it cut through the flesh and bone beneath the armor. The armor remained intact, but the arm underneath was nearly severed.
“Now, all that’s left is to deliver the final blow.”
“It seems the others have finished their fight as well… Shall we conclude ours?”
The incapacitated Headless Elite Royal Guards were left in dire straits; one could only crawl, while the other was unable to rise from a kneeling position. Since they didn’t have any penchant for cruelty, the two warriors prepared to deliver the finishing blows at the same time.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
――――――――――
Race level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.
The level of [Intelligence Enhancement] skill has increased.
The level of [Spirit Enhancement] skill has increased.
The level of [Advanced Magic Control] skill has increased.
The level of [Earthen Magic] skill has increased.
Newly learned “Rockfall” spell.
[Earthen Magic] has reached its growth limit. SP is required to break the limit.
The race level of your familiar has increased.
The job level of your familiar has increased.
――――――――――
Those two truly defeated them. They held the title of “Underdog” but to think they would casually defeat an opponent one stage higher in evolution was astonishing. I deeply felt relieved that they were truly on our side these days.
Even before entering the crumbling castle, the battle was fierce, but to break through without any major damage was a considerable achievement. Let’s heal quickly, skin the enemies, and storm the castle without delay.
“Oooh~… Oh?”
“Look at this armor… Isam, please take a look.”
I decided to appraise the items that Iris and Shiitake had stripped off. The [Appraisal] returned the following results:
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- Armor of the Septen Duchy’s Royal Guards – Quality: Inferior, Rarity: S (Special)
Armor belonging to the royal guards of the now-fallen Septen Duchy which once existed on the Luxresia continent.
The Septen Duchy, known for its high-quality mines, was also a producer of quality weapons and armor.
Though its former glory is nowhere to be seen, its performance has not yet been completely lost.
Equipment Effects: [Magic Resistance] Lv5, [Physical Attack Resistance] Lv5, [All stats Enhancement] Lv1
――――――――――
Hmm, it seems this armor was issued to the royal guards of a country known as the Septen Duchy. The reasons for the country’s demise and why it ended up from the Luxresia continent to this Timbrica continent remain unclear. Will these mysteries be unveiled in time?
Regardless of the item’s background, the armor’s performance is superior. It offers resistance to both physical and magic attacks and additionally enhances all stats. The equipment effects are straightforward, yet its versatility is exceptionally high. There seems to be no curse, thanks to the [Magic Resistance], and it could serve as excellent armor if tailored properly.
“A halberd and a large shield each, three sets of armor, four swords, and the rest are magic stones. Is the loot a bit stingy?”
“They were reasonably strong, but that made the experience points all the more rewarding.”
Shiitake reported, and Hanna shared her thoughts. The total number of drops matched the number of enemies, but it was a bit disappointing that many of the magic stones, which could come from any monster, were considered duds.
As for the experience points, she was right. Karl and I leveled up, and even Jigoro and Genjuro finally reached level 70 and were ready for evolution.
“Uwahaha! I’ve got more horns now!”
“Hoho, what a rugged look I’ve got now.”
Jigoro transformed into a race known as Golden Asura. Apart from a third horn sprouting from his forehead, there were no other noticeable changes in his appearance. However, it seemed his stats had improved, and he had gained special skills.
Genjuro became a Samurai High Master Insector Edge Beetle, a race with a rather lengthy name. Unlike Jigoro, as he himself noted, his exoskeleton had developed rugged protrusions all over. It seemed that his defensive power was now comparable to that of a heavily armed warrior, and half-baked weapons wouldn’t be able to inflict even a single scratch on him.
Furthermore, both of them had the potential to acquire new “Secret Arts” or “Ultimate Techniques” which would greatly boost their fighting power. Though their stats increased less per level compared to humans, the dramatic strength gain following an evolution was exhilarating!
“There’s no time to fully test your new abilities, but we should move on. There are probably strong enemies in the castle as well.
“I get it, brother.”
“Umu. Let us proceed.”
I understood their excitement, but we were in an unexplored field. Our aim was to advance and, if possible, defeat the boss. Whether we could achieve that remained to be seen.
With everything else taken care of, we began to explore the castle. The monsters inside were familiar types: the Headless Royal Guards and the Failed Homunculus. Their numbers were not great, just a few here and there.
“My body feels so light!”
“Umu, getting used to the changes is tricky as always.”
Jigoro seemed to quickly adapt to his newly evolved body and started kicking away enemies as if warming up. On the other hand, Genjuro was struggling with the subtle changes in how his weapon felt due to his increased stats. This happened all the time for him, so he had no choice but to do his best.
What puzzled me was the absence of any monster presence in the city itself, yet inside the castle, enemies would appear with a certain frequency. What could be the reason?
“Ruby, aren’t there any treasure chests around?”
“Hmm, I can’t detect any. The ones we found were all traps.”
“You mean those Mimic chests~~ssu, right?”
Ruby confirmed Shio’s question by bobbing up and down. Shaking up and down meant yes, and shaking side to side meant no. Even though she lacked a face or limbs, we were used to Ruby conveying her emotions and intentions this way.
Treasure chests which were promised in the fields and dungeons that we explore have certainly been found in several rooms in the castle. However, all of them turned out to be Mimic monsters that were deceptively disguised as treasure chests.
According to the information on the bulletin boards, Mimics are creatures that take on the appearance of chests or similar containers. While not particularly strong, they are known to prey on those who attempt to open them and often result in instant death. Even if defeated, there was no guarantee they would drop items which made battles with them frequently more trouble than they were worth.
Such Mimic chests were scattered everywhere. Just like its crumbling exterior, the castle’s interior was in a dire state. Thus, any conspicuously pristine-looking chests or cabinets immediately raised suspicion. Everyone was on guard, and Ruby’s checks were almost unnecessary.
“Maybe there’s a treasure room somewhere, with everything stored together.”
“It’s a castle, after all. It’s possible.”
Seventh Armor also nodded his head in agreement. If someone was managing the treasures of the castle, it wouldn’t be strange for them all to be hidden in one place. I would design a strong treasure room filled with traps to make entry difficult and ensure that any intruders would be dealt with decisively, whether it was feasible or not.
While we engaged in such casual conversation and used the encounters with enemies as an opportunity for Jigoro and Genjuro to get used to their new avatars, we continued our exploration. The castle seemed to have many rooms, but many areas were buried under debris due to the giant misting ash tree that seemed to pierce through the castle. This made a thorough exploration less difficult than expected.
“Is this the innermost part?”
“We managed to get through quicker than expected.”
Just as Iris had predicted, we arrived earlier than expected at a large door that seemed fit for a boss. It must have been about five meters high. The heavy wooden door was carved with beautiful geometric patterns. It seemed to preserve a glimpse of the castle’s former beauty.
Beside the door stood two statues as tall as the door itself, each gripping a greatsword with both hands with their tips pointing downward.
The armor of these statues was very similar to that of the Headless Elite Royal Guards, except that these figures had heads. Their bucket-shaped helmets with horns protruding from the sides were unique. Personally, I found them stylish…. though I suspected that tastes might vary.
“So, shall we smash our way through?”
“Let’s not start by trying to break it. We should at least try to open it normally first.”
“Then, let me give it a push… huh?”
Jigoro was ready to punch the door in an attempt to break it but he was restrained by Eiji who tried to push the door open. However, before he could, the two giant statues beside the door began to rotate, and in response, the door started to open automatically as if inviting us in.
It felt as though we were being beckoned in. And the hint of a trap hung in the air, but as the saying goes, one must enter the tiger’s den to capture its cub. With no other options, we exchanged glances and stepped through the door.
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