Read Novel Full Chapter 270
Chapter 270
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Chapter 270 – Reconnaissance
The day after, I unexpectedly became an A-rank Hunter.
With all the major suppliers of key materials completely overwhelmed, I decided to explore the deepest underground levels for reconnaissance purposes.
While treasure hunting in the valley, I’d gradually pushed further in, but predictably, the deeper I went, the scarcer the loot became—a clear sign of how few people ventured that far.
Still, I found a few things, so I kept searching, though I mostly skimmed the valley floor to save time.
As I made my way in and took out monsters along the way, I came to the end of a long, steep descent. From experience, I immediately knew that the opening ahead was too suspicious.
I was able to reach this point so easily because I was flying. However, even with the light illuminating the ground, the only passable path was a narrow strip along the wall, and the footing was poor.
If this were a group raid requiring collective movement, it wouldn’t just be a matter of suffering from the heat as with Varakan. The terrain was so poor that casualties would be a very real possibility during the journey.
Peering inside just before the obvious opening revealed no signs of life whatsoever.
There was only one option: advance until I could see clearly.
I entered the dome-shaped space with utmost vigilance and finally grasped the full layout of the boss field.
(This terrain is… quite terrifying…)
Rather than a dome, the room was more like a sphere, which would have been pitch black without a light source.
The sole entrance, where I stood, was positioned almost precisely at the center of this spherical structure. Yet, advancing just three meters revealed a vast subterranean lake stretching out ahead.
The room was huge, likely 400 to 500 meters wide, but it was only slightly surrounded by flat ground, about three meters wide.
The bulk of the room was occupied by a deep blue subterranean lake.
Within that lake, a shadow so enormous and eerie that it was clearly the boss swam with grace.
Its size… just how big was it?
It seemed larger than the black elephants near the base, but judging size underwater was tricky.
There were other things that bothered me as well.
There were things within the lake and in the upper half of the room that were not submerged.
Countless small holes, about a meter wide, dotted the entrance, radiating a suspicious atmosphere.
“You’ll suffocate.”
Recalling the guild lady’s words, I instinctively looked back at the path I had come. There lay the long, descending slope that had stretched out before me just moments ago.
Are these holes meant to save people or finish them off? Which is it?
(…But I’d be fine if it was just me.)
Keeping an eye out for an escape route, I flew overhead to catch the boss’s silhouette again.
Deep breath. I held it, ready to endure whatever came.
—Insight—
I tried to gauge the enemy’s strength.
“Phew. Just a little down, maybe?”
By feel, it seemed closer to the Rokish I’d fought in the Sea of Trees.
I still don’t understand how Insight judges strength, but this wasn’t a monster that made my hair stand on end or knocked me off my feet.
Since it’s a normal boss whose skill set I can peek at, it’s definitely closer to Varakan’s level than King Ant’s.
Then I can do this. I should be able to. If the death rate is too high, I’ll just have to handle it alone. But what about unseen skills—three types?)
No need to rush. This boss has remained untouched for years because it is considered dangerous.
First, I’ll level up the crucial skills for this boss fight to level 8 around the Palmera base. Then, I’ll challenge the boss again.
Since I was returning to base anyway, I stowed away a huge haul of monster materials as souvenirs before heading back.
▽ ▼ ▽ ▼
“Hey, Carla! I have a lot of materials, so I’ll leave this to you.”
“Pyaaaaaaa!” Dragons only?! Can I really drink all of this!?”
“Only Carla and Zeo drink blood, so do whatever you want. Oh, neither of you are good at pharmacy, right?”
“I’m totally useless at it. I’ve never seen Master make medicine, either.”
“Guess we have no choice. Ah, but just one for now…”
With that, I sliced through the slain Querebre, hung it up, and collected its blood in a hastily made stone jar.
Maybe Mey-chan’s parents could do something with the blood.
Since there’d be tons of leftover meat, I’d bring some over for them to try.
I left the rest for Carla, who started dismantling it frantically as if it were his favorite food. I went to the backyard to feed the wild boar some corn that I had bought at the stall before heading to the supply warehouse.
Lodge was working in a corner of the warehouse while Zeo was building shelves a little further away.
“I’m back! How’s it going? Is everything okay?”
“Oh, welcome back. The second furnace is fine, too. I’ve already started melting stuff.”
Lodge seemed to like the corner; he had set up his own private workspace there.
The furnace that he and Zeo built together was a large type, mainly designed for melting metals. Currently, they were melting tons of iron weapons obtained from the bandits’ loot, partly as an experiment.
“Looks like the wind-blowing magic tool’s doing its job, too.”
“If we combine your ‘White Fire’ with these things, I think we can handle most minerals.” The warehouse has gotten brighter, too. Oh, did they sell any copper?”
After he said that, I took out the one piece I had stored away.
It seemed like Lodge wanted this material, but apparently, there wasn’t any in the warehouse.
“I bought extra since it was sold at the ore-specialized ingot shop. Today’s haul should cover the treasure hunt gear for now, but since I also brought back quite a few Quoitz monsters, I think Carla will eventually bring the materials over here.”
“Awesome, that’s a huge help!”
Seeing him work while drinking from a barrel within arm’s reach was shocking, but his face was only slightly flushed—he wasn’t even close to being drunk.
Besides, having one A-rank weapon crafted would normally cost at least 30 million Beeke for a formal request in Rosberia, and the cheapest option would cost around 10 million Beeke.
Getting that done for free meant the cost of the booze was negligible. As long as the product is decent, he can do what he wants with it.
Then there’s just…
“Zeo, do we have enough wood?”
“We’re fine for now, but we’ve started making charcoal outside, too. It’s better to secure a bit more just to be safe.”
“Well, there’s a huge surplus of ‘upper’ stuff, so I’ll go get some. I’ll eat over there today, so feel free to drink as much dragon blood as you like, Zeo. I brought plenty today, and Carla’s processing it now.”
“Hoh, all-you-can-drink today? That stuff makes me feel like my power surges.”
He says it’s just a feeling, but, honestly, you never know what might trigger it.
Since it’s called the source of life, I want Zeo, who looks drained of vitality, to drink it.
Lodge isn’t weak either. If Zeo could regain enough strength to avoid being instantly killed by the monsters here, I’d feel more at ease.
After moving some of the mountain of lumber from the upper plateau to the materials warehouse, I headed to the dining table on the upper plateau.
Alicia, who’d been practicing cooking, called everyone over, so I laid out the dishes I’d procured in Rosberia.
I’m so glad I pushed myself to max out Spatial Magic.
After all, it means I can bring back as much freshly made, piping hot food as everyone wants.
This meal served as our group’s report meeting, which is held roughly once every ten days.
While the goddesses mostly shared their impressions of sightseeing in the lower world rather than giving actual reports, I told them that once my preparations were finished, I would start doing inter-guild transport work on the side. Riste seemed to grasp the significance immediately, her hand pausing mid-bite.
This work might stimulate the central continent or turn into something far more significant.
That’s something we won’t know until we try…
Since they also wanted me to transport ready-made equipment and ore irregularly, this will likely not result in a net loss overall.
All I can do is hope the Hunter Guild handles things smoothly behind the scenes so I don’t get arrested for tax evasion.
Oh, and I should probably mention this, too.
“I found the boss. I’ll challenge it once I’ve trained a bit more.”
This time, Ril, who had just perked up and resumed her activities, froze completely.
“Which one?”
These words came from experiencing the King Ant battle.
So,
“This is a boss with a history of having been defeated before. I’ve figured out the spawn pattern for that shady hidden boss, but I’m not going to bite off more than I can chew, so don’t worry.”
“I see. But you know? Are you sure it’s okay?”
I think 90% of that was concern.
But perhaps because a hint of wanting to join the fight was visible, Ria, not me, drove the point home.
“It’s the same kind of monster as when Loki was set up by the race, right?” [T/N: In case you missed it, the goddesses called the people of this world “race.”]
“Exactly. The hunting ground rank for this one is ‘A,’ so it seems stronger than the last one, but it feels about the same level as me right now.”
“Then we shouldn’t help you so easily. It’ll hinder Loki’s growth and make you dependent.”
“Ara… Ria, you sound so much like an Onee-san right now!”
“O-Onee-san, you say?”
“Fufu.”
“Ah! I agree, agree, agree! It only matters because we’re letting you solve it yourself as much as possible. That’s probably the point, right?”
“That’s correct! As expected of Felin!”
“Ehehe~”
“However, if something were to happen, it would be difficult to bring you back to life again, you know?”
“Well, I understand that.”
I guess Feeril is against monster hunting…
She wouldn’t say anything about normal hunting, which isn’t life-threatening, but she’d probably object to boss fights.
But right now—
“Loki-kun will be fine, right? Regardless of whether you win, you can use spatial teleportation if necessary, right?”
“Yeah. Alicia’s right. If things get dicey, I’ll escape right away. I have no plans to stick around until I’m on the brink of death.”
“Well, that’s good to hear, but I’m still worried.”
“Defeating those strong bosses is how you get stronger, after all.”
That’s what adventure is all about.
If you’re scared of the boss, you’ll never reap the rewards of defeating it.
I want the boss’s skills, and I can also get materials to craft equipment from it—Huh?
“Oh crap, I forgot.”
“”””””?””””””
Yeah, what the hell am I doing?
The Quoitz Dragon Burial Mountains are an A-rank hunting ground. The boss there is probably S-rank, or maybe even higher.
Depending on Lodge’s skill level, even if I defeat it successfully, it’ll be a waste of a good find.
(I really need to get some preparations done quickly…)
While pondering this, the lively dinner party passed peacefully, filled mostly with casual chatter.
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