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You have won the battle.
You have defeated the dungeon boss, “Thunder Triceratops”.
You will receive a reward and 3 SP.
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The boss had been defeated by Hanna and Roja. Even just watching from the sidelines was overwhelming. It was not often that we could see a giant dinosaur and a cavalry charge head-on into each other.
“It was good training.”
“Sorry for making you listen to my whims.”
Where had their ferocity in battle gone? Now, they spoke in their usual calm tones. Their ability to switch so quickly was impressive.
“No, no! I was amazed! A head-on battle between a Triceratops and a human is rarely seen! It was much more impressive than the recent movies!”
“You both looked so cool!”
“You’ve worked hard~.”
Two others were even more excited than me. Eiji was breathing heavily with excitement, while Shishu bounced up and down on Wool’s head as she expressed her excitement. Although their appearance was far removed from that of humans, their rich emotional expressions were just like those of Iris and Ruby.
“I’m glad you’re satisfied. Shall we leave this place then?”
“Alright. Should I post the battle information on the bulletin board?”
We successfully conquered the “Wilderness of Dinosaurs” but there was a dedicated bulletin board for random dungeons. It seems that once you enter these dungeons, you can’t step into the same one again. However, the monsters that appear in these dungeons are said to exist somewhere in this world. Hence, there’s a bulletin board to share information about the monsters encountered and their dropped items, regardless of whether the dungeon was successfully conquered or not.
This means that somewhere on one of the five continents in this world, there must be a type of monsters similar to “Dinosaurs” Maybe it’s a continent covered in fern-filled jungles. Or perhaps it’s a wilderness like in the dungeon? It’s unclear, but it’s certainly a place that dinosaur enthusiasts would find irresistible.
“If I remember correctly you can’t make posts anonymously on that board. But as long as you keep our location hidden, there should be no problem.”
“In that case, I’ll just post something vague.”
Hanna and Roja, being cautious, wouldn’t carelessly leak information about us. Besides, they seem to be celebrities, so their posting might even become a topic of interest in the bulletin board community. That could be quite amusing!
With these thoughts in mind, we left the “Wilderness of Dinosaurs”. I’m already excited to see what can be made from the dropped items!
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The day after we conquered the “Wilderness of Dinosaurs” the time had finally come to take on the “Black Death Ice Forest” once more. Everyone was equipped with “Black Lantern Amulets”, updated their weapons, and even raised their levels to the 50s. I hadn’t set any norms for leveling up, but it seemed that everyone had naturally leveled up while being driven by necessity in battle.
Shio has evolved from a Birdian Sharpshooter to a Birdian Sharpshooter Hawk. It appears that upon reaching level 50, one’s Birdian type becomes clear. Not only did her stats increase, but she was also delighted that the scope for her bow and gun narrowed more quickly than before.
Eiji evolved from an Orc Heavy Warrior to a Boar Orc Heavy Warrior. He became an ironclad shield bearer who boasted a muscular, hulking body, which I have seen several times in Bigdareio. I was quite surprised when he first used his shield to completely block Jigoro’s kick in a mock battle. Needless to say, Jigoro smiled happily then proceeded to pummel Eiji with throwing techniques and other stuff.
Usaji evolved from a Ghoul Sword Dancer to a Ghoul Flame Sword Dancer. Apparently, this race is skilled in fire magic among the Ghoul Sword Dancers. Her high firepower and low defense remained as extreme as ever. But I was sure she would handle it as skillfully as she had before.
Shiitake had evolved from a Venomous Stinging Mushroom to a Large Venomous Stinging Matango. She who was once petite had grown to about the average height of an adult woman. Her arms and legs remained short and she was as frail as me. However, the amount of items such as mycelium she could produce in a day had increased significantly. This meant that we could more reliably obtain potent poisons. This was a very welcome development.
Seventh Armor evolved from a White Crow Summoner to a Shine Crow Summoner. In appearance, he resembled a crow with divine, faintly glowing feathers. His abilities were now more specialized in [Summoning Magic] and [Holy Magic], though this meant a reduced effectiveness in other magic skills and vanguard skills. Previously, he had focused on raising only his [Summoning Magic], but in the “Black Death Ice Forest” that was filled with undead creatures, his ability to use [Holy Magic] was expected to be a huge advantage.
However, even though he held the titles “Angel Slayer” and “Earle’s Enemy” just like me, his current appearance seemed more akin to that of Earle’s minion angels. This was merely a matter of attribute alignment and not of any real concern. He even joked once by saying “Wouldn’t that goddess go mad if she saw me?” and laughed about it. Although he was considered a common-sense person within our guild, he seemed to have a peculiar personality as well.
Moth-san evolved from a Big Blood Fighter Bat into a Four-Winged Blood Fighter Bat. As the name suggests, he now had four wings instead of two, which allowed him to skillfully combine flight and combat. Initially, he struggled to manage his new appendages, but many of our companions, including myself, had avatars with multiple arms or legs. Thanks to the advice from these experienced members and the system assistance, he was now able to fly through the air in unpredictably swift trajectories.
Shishu evolved from a Bloody Sword Spider to a Bloodlust Sword Spider and now she looked even more ferocious. Along with this, she seemed to have gained a skill similar to [Frenzy] called [Blood Frenzy]. This skill would force her into a frenzied state if she inflicted a certain amount of damage on her enemy in a single battle. Her base stats were very high and the effects of this skill were even more potent than regular [Frenzy]. However, the forced activation of this state looked to be troublesome.
However, the issue with Shishu was resolved by her partner Wool. Wool evolved from a Nightmare Sheep into a Nightmare Song Sheep and was able to use even more powerful cries. And now that his job has become a bard-type job, he could use his songs not only to boost his allies but also to cure fear and madness status ailment. The two of them capable of neutralizing each other’s disadvantages, could be considered a formidable pair, comparable even to Hanna and Roja.
Sei evolved from a Martial Monkey to a Staff-Wielding Monkey, and his familiars evolved into an Ice Edge Wolf and a Phantom Pure Fairy, respectively. The Staff-Wielding Monkey seemed to specialize in [Staff Mastery]. The Ice Edge Wolf was transformed into a chimera by Shiitake’s hand and it was a wolf with icy blade-like horns, while the Phantom Pure Fairy appeared to have evolved naturally.
Incidentally, when I asked Sei about acquiring new familiars, he said he couldn’t find any that matched his “feeling”. It seemed unlikely he would add more any time soon.
In any case, we had prepared more meticulously for this adventure than ever before. This time, we were set on challenging the boss as a primary objective. And we were determined to defeat it and reach the Dragon God!
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Around the time Isam and his team were gearing up for their expedition, a certain cave on the Luxresia continent was under attack. This cave was one of the hideouts of an NPC’s antisocial organization and it was located in a secluded corner of a field away from the city.
In that hidden corner, away from the city’s guards, their discussions could go unnoticed, and anyone approaching would be easily detected. The entrance was camouflaged to blend with the surroundings, making it difficult to find… or so they thought.
“Damn it! Nick’s been hit!”
“Is he dead?”
“No, he’s alive! But he can’t stand! His leg’s broken!”
“Damn it all! And right in the middle of a leadership meeting…!”
That day, the group’s boss and the executives were holding a regular meeting. Key members of the organization, who were usually in the city, had gathered together. If their meeting room which was located deep inside was breached and disrupted, their safety would be at risk. In the worst case, the organization could completely fall apart.
Therefore, skilled guards of the organization were assembled for protection. It was difficult to confront and defeat the highly trained and evolved high humans directly. However, with the items prepared by the organization, they could potentially kill, and they had the power to easily eliminate ordinary people or new players. Yet these formidable guards were now at a disadvantage.
“Die, monster! Heavy Axe Slash!”
“Deadly Thrust!”
A large man wielding a battle axe and a smaller man hidden in his shadow launched their attack. Distracted by the powerful axe strike, the opponent didn’t notice the smaller man who suddenly emerged from behind, aiming his dagger at a vital spot. This was their unbeatable strategy.
“Whoa, that was close.”
However, their attack failed to reach the assailant. It was deflected by two round shields, and at the same time, the two men were forcefully struck down with a hammer. They were sent flying and crashed into the wall before crumpling in agony. Apparently, the man with the battle axe had broken his arm, while the one with the dagger had fractured his leg.
“Ah, those two…”
“There’s no way we can win this…”
Even though those two were known as skilled, they were just thugs from a remote town. Hence, they were not prepared to risk their lives against a superior foe, and most of them were already showing signs of retreat.
“Just our luck that big brother isn’t here at a time like this!”
Furthermore, their misfortune was compounded by the absence of the assassin, the High Beastman, dispatched from the headquarters. He was away on a different task. Had he been present, they wouldn’t have been reduced to mere defense; they could have likely turned the tide in their favor.
“So, you won’t tell me what I want to know?”
“Shut up! Don’t you talk, you damn monster! It’s disgusting!”
“You guys! Surround and finish this!”
Those who were still conscious, while on the verge of succumbing to fear, roused themselves to confront the threat. They continued to fight despite their terror, driven by two reasons.
The first reason they fought was the knowledge that fleeing would only lead to being pursued and purged by their organization. They were but a small part of a colossal organization that wielded influence over most towns on the Luxrecia continent. In fact, their boss who was currently deep in the cave, was merely a man assigned to a remote town in the kingdom of Lichtenburg by the headquarters.
However, to put it in another way, it meant that the boss had earned the trust of the headquarters to be given charge of this land. If the organization were likened to a country, their boss would be considered a lord. Abandoning him and fleeing would inevitably make them targets of the organization’s purge.
The second reason was that their assailant was a monster. While they were not devout believer of Earle, they were raised in its cultural sphere; hence, they were deeply ingrained with the belief that “monsters are the enemies of all humanity”. Therefore, they never expected to have meaningful communication with monsters and any monster seeking communication was deemed a more dangerous and intelligent threat.
“…We’re in a tight spot. Is this also hopeless?”
Gazing at the thugs surrounding him with open hostility, the sole monster let out a weary sigh. He was reluctant to kill NPCs indiscriminately, so he intentionally caused fractures to incapacitate them for battle. However, it was also true that he found it challenging to restrain himself, especially when there was no point of fighting with his opponents.
“I just want to know how to get to the Vetus Floating Island…”
“Take this!”
“Eat this!”
Ignoring the monster’s mutterings, the thugs charged with raised spirits. And while observing them with his multiple eyes, the monster wielded his shield and hammer in response.
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