[Wha-]
When I showed the Dragon’s Jewel I had retrieved, Lord Agnasrelim appeared visibly startled, which wasn’t surprising considering its significance as an item belonging to the revered Dragon God.
[Wh-where did you find this!?]
Drawing even closer, Lord Agnasrelim stared intently at the Dragon’s Jewel. Perhaps, he no longer cared if I was here.
However, I couldn’t help but wish he would stop breathing so heavily with his face so close to mine; it felt like being caught in the midst of a typhoon!
“Ah, Lord Agnasrelim, please, calm down!”
[A-ah, I apologize.]
Finally, Lord Agnasrelim returned to his senses and moved his head back to its original position. But his gaze remained fixed on the Dragon’s Jewel. Was it such a treasure to him?
[You might already know, but this thing belongs to our dragon race’s ancestor, the Dragon God. Centuries ago, when it was stolen, the Dragon God ordered our kind to rampage across all continents in search of the culprit. As a result, several civilizations were destroyed…]
“Su-such a thing happened?”
Lord Agnasrelim reminisced about the past as he gazed into the distance… What is that fool doing? Is he responsible for nearly bringing the world to ruin? How can he bring the climax before the game has even begun?
[In the end, one of the goddesses descended and resolved the situation.]
“Is that so?”
But hold on, if that’s the case, doesn’t it mean that the world would never have been saved unless the goddesses intervened? Does the Dragon God possess power comparable to that of a goddess?
[Leaving that aside, my friend, what do you intend to do with this?]
“Yes. If possible, I would like to return it to the Dragon God myself. After all, it was I who defeated the culprit.”
However, that might not be entirely true. Because, in the “Trial of the Azure Moon”, defeating that idiot may not have been solely my achievement.
However, it is a fact that I was the first one to defeat him and the first to obtain the Dragon’s Jewel Therefore, I believe it is my duty to return it to the Dragon God. Besides, though it might be scary, curiosity compels me to meet the Dragon God, who possesses power on the level of a goddess. Humans cannot resist their curiosity!
[Well, that would be good too.]
“In that case, what I would like to ask Lord Agnasrelim is about the whereabouts of the Dragon God.”
Yes, I was determined to return the Dragon’s Jewel. However, I was unaware of the Dragon God’s location. It was quite a predicament. That’s why meeting someone like Lord Agnasrelim, a Dragon Lord who might know, felt like a stroke of good luck.
[In that case, I’ll tell you. The Dragon God resides on what humans call the floating island of Vetus. We call it the Dragon’s Paradise, an ancient skyland created by the people of old.]
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Yes, it was Sunday today. Lord Agnasrelim’s story contained too much information, and I logged out right after he left.
Then, the next day, which is today, I logged in again. Oh boy, on weekdays, I play until the last minute before bedtime, and on my days off, I’m playing almost all day long. Wait, does that mean I’m considered a gaming addict by most people…!?
N-No! That can’t be true! I’m a responsible office worker on weekdays, so I can’t be a gaming addict, right…?
L-Let’s stop thinking about that. It won’t lead to anyone’s happiness! Instead, new spells, titles, and evolutions are waiting for me!
First, let’s talk about the new spells. There were thirteen additions in total: Earth Change, Freeze, Flame Body, Wind Blade, Forest, Eruption, Sandstorm, Acid Mist, Thundercloud, Landmine, Light Armor, Light Lance, and Magic Echo. It’s genuinely exciting to have so many new spells, but checking them all out will be quite a task.
First on the list, Earth Change is a spell that alters the terrain. It can make the ground as hard as concrete or as soft as a sandy beach. While it might not be effective on its own for attacks, I can see it shining when combined with other spells.
However, it’s essential to keep in mind that it only changes the appearance of the ground, and the composition of the earth remains the same. So, while it can solidify a sandy beach to be as hard as concrete, it doesn’t actually turn it into concrete.
Secondly, Freeze is a spell with a narrow range that can freeze a designated area. It combines the effects of Ice Hand Freeze Touch and Ice Circle Freeze Circle.
The effect seems dramatic, but the magic power consumption is quite high, so I need to consider when to use it. It’s one of my new trump cards.
Thirdly, Flame Body is a spell that transforms the body into flames. While using it, there’s a property that nullifies physical attacks. However, it consumed magic power at an astonishing rate, not even lasting for ten seconds despite using all my magic power. Of course, I had the Dark Grimoire with me.
Moreover, even with physical attacks nullified, I would still suffer significant damage from Water and Ice magic. Besides, I couldn’t use other spells while using Flame Body. However, I heard that it grants a fire attribute to weapons and armor, rather than dropping them. It might be perfect for a magical warrior if used for a brief moment.
Fourthly, Wind Blade is a spell that launches blades of wind. It feels like something I would have learned in the early stages, but its power is extraordinary. It can cut through even iron within its range, reminiscent of Genjuro’s slashing attacks.
It was incredibly potent, but it might be too powerful, making it challenging to use effectively. Depending on the situation, I needed to adjust the spell’s power to make it more manageable.
Next, the fifth spell, Forest, creates a forest in an instant. However, it wouldn’t last forever and would wither away in about ten minutes, making it impossible to change the environment permanently.
It could be useful for slowing down pursuers during an escape or narrowing the enemy’s field of vision to increase the success rate of Ruby’s assassination. Nevertheless, it lacked offensive capabilities itself, and the situations in which it could be employed were limited. I wondered if there would be any suitable opportunities to use it.
The sixth spell, Eruption, allowed magma to erupt from a designated coordinate, effectively creating an unexpected volcano vent.
While it dealt significant damage if it hit, the ground trembled before the eruption, making it relatively easy to dodge. It demanded skill in setting up situations where hitting the target was certain.
Lastly, the seventh spell, Sand Storm, conjured a storm filled with a massive amount of sand. In terms of sheer power, it wasn’t much different from the Storm spell, but it had some noteworthy attributes, such as sand-induced blindness and obstructed movement.
Regarding the obstructed movement, it meant that the sand could get into the gaps of the equipment, making it difficult for the target to move. It would be particularly effective in PvP, especially against opponents wearing rigid armor. Surprisingly, using [Sand Magic] to launch a full-scale attack on an enemy was a high point.
Next, the eighth spell, Acid Mist, created an acidic mist, as the name suggested. While it didn’t deal a significant amount of damage itself, its main feature was its ability to damage the enemy’s equipment.
The acid would cause rust. Not many players could fight effectively without their weapons, like Jigoro, armed only with their fists. Moreover, it would be effective against monsters like Lizardmen, who relied on weapons. It was a perfect spell for catching opponents off guard or causing them to panic.
The ninth spell, Thunder Cloud, summoned clouds that could release lightning. Its power wasn’t on par with Thunder Arrow’s, but it had the drawback that the lightning only struck directly beneath the cloud.
Due to the time lag between the cloud’s formation and the lightning strike, one could easily avoid it by quickly moving away. Perhaps adjusting the spell to create larger clouds might be a solution, but it would increase the magic power consumption, making it a challenging balance to achieve.
Lastly, the tenth spell, Land Mine, was quite self-explanatory. It allowed the caster to place explosive landmines that would detonate upon being stepped on.
This was a rare kind of magic that could be used as a trap without employing [Trap Magic]. In other words, it meant that in addition to the number of traps I could set with [Trap Magic], I could also use Land Mine to set up even more traps. From now on, I could lay traps more efficiently! It suited my style perfectly.
Next, the eleventh spell, Light Armor, allowed me to temporarily don a suit of light armor made of light. It wasn’t like [Enchantment], which directly increased my defensive power, but rather felt like creating a disposable defensive membrane.
It seemed like it wouldn’t break until its effect time expired or it was hit by an attack it couldn’t completely withstand. Since it was effective against both physical and magical attacks, it had high versatility. I might end up using it quite frequently from now on.
Moving on to the twelfth spell, Light Lance, it was exactly as it sounded. It was that spell used by the Hero-guy’s party members in the “Cursed Tomb Tower”.
I was surprised that I couldn’t use the Lance spell until my skill level reached 10. [Light Magic] truly lived up to its reputation of being defense-oriented.
Nonetheless, I had finally succeeded in leveling up my [Light Magic] to level 10. I hadn’t evolved it into [Holy Magic] yet, but I was really looking forward to it. It felt strange that someone who looked like the incarnation of evil, like me, would be using “holy” spells… It was quite unsettling.
Lastly, the thirteenth spell, Magic Echo, allowed me to sense the presence of beings with magic power. It served as a reconnaissance magic for detecting enemies.
With this, there was no longer a need to burden Ruby alone with enemy detection. From now on, I would also be able to contribute to the scouting. The increased vigilance would make it easier to protect ourselves from surprises and ambushes. There was no reason not to make use of this.
Phew, that’s about it. Overall, many of the spells I learned seemed to be of the type “powerful if they hit, but not easy to land.” Perhaps that’s the trend for spells learned at this level.
“Hey there, did you come, brother?”
Just as I finished confirming my spells, Jigoro entered the house. He seemed somewhat refreshed, so he must have fought until he was satisfied.
“Yeah, just now.”
“Great! Listen to this! I went back with the Lizardmen to that filthy nest again a while ago, and you know what? I saw two types of monsters nearby that I’d never seen before!”
“Oh, really?”
Apparently, when Jigoro logged in, it seemed that the lizardmen were heading to their nest to hunt down remnants of the Toadmen and collect the remaining supplies left behind. Taking advantage of the situation, Jigoro followed them and ended up encountering the Toadmen and some other monsters inside the nest.
By now, the lizardmen who had collected the Toadmen’s supplies must be quite satisfied. However, what intrigued me more were the unfamiliar monsters Jigoro mentioned. There was no information about such creatures on the bulletin board. Does that mean we were the first ones to discover them?
“What kind of monsters were they?”
“One of them was a huge fly. It was about the size of a human head. And this is the drop item.”
――――――――――
- Big Fly’s Compound Eyes – Quality: Inferior, Rarity: C (Common)
The compound eyes of a giant fly called Big Fly, which transformed into a monster due to its gigantic size. Used as ingredients for potions and alchemy.
- Big Fly’s Forelimbs – Quality: Inferior, Rarity: C (Common)
The forelimbs of a giant fly called Big Fly, which transformed into a monster due to its gigantic size. Various pathogens breed on them, making them useful for alchemy.
――――――――――
This was the result of the [Appraisal]. It’s a Big fly, I suppose. Even the compound eye that Jigoro took out was the size of my palm.
Even someone like me, who wasn’t easily surprised by insects, was taken aback. How did the Toadmen live in a place where such creatures exist? No, considering they were frogs, maybe these were their main food source… I’d rather not think about it.
“I don’t really want to ask, but what about the other one?”
“It’s a huge grasshopper. Look.”
――――――――――
- Big Grasshopper’s Hind Legs – Quality: Fair, Rarity: C (Common)
The hind legs of a giant grasshopper called Big Grasshopper, which transformed into a monster due to its gigantic size. Generally avoided, but in some regions, they are considered a delicacy.
――――――――――
Next came the hind legs of a big grasshopper, about the size of my arm. Since there was only mention of using it for food, it must be some sort of culinary item.
I’ve had grasshopper pickles before, but I couldn’t imagine eating such large insect legs. Iris, who was in charge of cooking, would most likely be fine with it, but Ruby would probably refuse to even try.
“Can I be honest with you?”
“Sure,” Jigoro replied.
“I really don’t need these.”
“Figured! Hahaha!”
The materials from the Big Fly had some substitutes, and as for the Big Grasshopper, it was both inedible and unappetizing. They were really lackluster ingredients for me.
Jigoro laughed like a mischievous child who had successfully pulled a prank. He knew I was hoping for something useful to come out of this.
Grrr! I’ll admit that he got one over on me today. But I’ll get him back when he least expects it. As I watched Jigoro continue to cackle, I made that silly determination.
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