Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 91

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TL: ALT

Chapter 91 – Approach

Halfway through the fourth floor, what I feared happened.

‘Warning: dungeon flooding has occurred in the A-rank Okutama Lake Dungeon.’

‘This is the dungeon you are currently exploring.’

‘Those who have not yet completed an S-rank dungeon are advised to avoid entering the dungeon area.’

‘In addition, explorers who are exploring dungeons near the Okutama Lake Dungeon are advised to leave the dungeon immediately. There is a 91% chance of more cascades occurring in the surrounding dungeons.’

‘Severe Warning. This dungeon flood may cause cascades to echo around the dungeon. If the cascade echoes within the dungeon, it could further increase the rank of this dungeon.’

‘The dungeon flood has raised the level of all monsters in the dungeon to the level of the current dungeon boss.’

“Damn, that’s nasty!”

When I use Appraisal on a nearby Roper, I find that its level has been raised to 5079.

This is Clovis’ current level.

If its level had risen that high, it would be dangerous to run through it using only Agility.

“Thunder Strike!”

I knocked Roper out with an Advanced Lightning Magic that used skill synergy to the max.

As I fired the magic, the Sahagins in the same formation as Roper noticed me.

I knocked them down with Advanced Lightning Magic, and instead of using Escape, I fled normally to get out of the situation.

If I had used Escape after knocking them out, I could have gained a lot of SP from the level difference, but even the 20 seconds of the Escape timer was too much for me right now.

The idea of equipping the Level Sealing Bracelet and destroying them… came to my mind.

However, if the Level Sealing Bracelet disables experience up to 1,000,000, it will randomly break every time you gain experience after that.

It is not a device that should be overused for the sake of SP.

…But even if I gain experience and level up, there is only one way to make it disappear.

The first is to use the Summon Heroic Spirits skill to summon the ‘spirit’ of Junko Tozaki, who is burning in the flames of hell, and have it use Level Drain on me.

This would allow me to recover in case my level is accidentally increased.

However, I have to set a price for the Level Drain to absorb the level.

This is the quid pro quo I receive from the spirit of Junko Tozaki, which can be “ecstasy,” “SP,” or “skill.”

For me, it means that if I offer a level, I will receive one of those three considerations.

But Junko Tozaki has almost no SP and only a few skills.

So, the price I would get would be ecstasy.

But I don’t think “ecstasy” is worth the cost of having my level absorbed.

Considering that Junko Tozaki used it to control the Rakan explorers, it should be considered addictive.

I don’t want to be a cripple… addicted to the pleasure of the spirit I summoned.

Aside from my personal grudge against Junko Tozaki, I don’t want Level Drain to be a last resort.

These monsters have been buffed by the flood, but Advanced Lightning Magic with skill synergy on board is within range for a one-hit knockout.

Thanks to my improved weapon skills, I was able to dodge the Sahagin’s swords and spears with ease.

Of course, since they are level 5079, I had to be careful.

It seems that the outbreak of the Flood was immediately known on the surface as well.

The notifications on the phone in my pocket kept ringing.

In the Paladin Knights’ guild chat, Haitani-san was summoning the members.

The Voice of Heaven had suggested earlier that a cascade might occur in the dungeon.

The phenomenon of a dungeon flood spreading to other dungeons and causing a chain of floods is called a cascade.

This is already well known.

However, the phenomenon of a cascade echoing within a dungeon is not known.

Also, the rank of this dungeon is currently S, with floods that increase the rank by one.

The highest dungeon rank is universally recognized as S.

However, the Voice of Heaven has warned that the rank may increase even further.

Even S-rank dungeons have not been conquered by anyone.

What if a higher-ranked dungeon appears, and its flood is unstoppable?

Not only the Explorers’ Association but also the country and the world would be in an uproar.

As for me, I don’t want the explorers from the Explorers’ Association to come here.

At worst, the dungeon might collapse.

Even if that were not the case, Kudave and I would not be able to play our trump cards.

The more people came, the higher the risk that Haruka-san would be exposed as an elf.

Fighting my impatience, I ran through the fourth floor.

I caught my breath in the sanctuary in front of the boss’s room.

There is no door to the boss room, just a huge vertical crack.

I tilted my body and walked to the end of the crack.

Unlike the limestone caves before, the boss’s room was a concrete room that resembled the inside of a dam.

It was so wide that you could neither see the ceiling nor the depth of the room.

From the back, surrounded by darkness, one could smell the damp smell of water.

There was no wind and no sound of waves, but there seemed to be a lake in the back.

Okutama Lake is an artificial lake built for a dam.

The dungeon must have this history woven into its fabric.

With the Presence Detection, I noticed that Haruka-san and Clovis were on the shore near the lake.

The presence above them, beyond the reach of the light, is the… Thunder Gryphon.

It emits light from the lightning it carries.

The reason it is placed in the sky rather than on the ground is probably because they are wary of a surprise attack.

Clovis’ Summoning Magical Beast is level 5.

There is a chance that he can summon up to four more magical beasts.

There is also the possibility that he has already summoned them, and I just haven’t been able to detect them… But the possibilities are endless.

I approach cautiously with Covert and Stealth.

Clovis has no skills related to enemy detection.

However, Clovis used to have Enemy Search 3 in the fake stat that was displayed in Disguise.

On the other hand, Spirit Magic, which is in his real stat, was not listed in his fake stat.

If I read too much into this, I might think that Clovis could do something similar to enemy search with Spirit Magic and that he included Enemy Search in his fake status to fool people.

However, despite my concern, Clovis did not seem to have noticed me.

I couldn’t sense any signs of magical beasts other than the Thunder Gryphon.

The boss room of the Okutama Lake Dungeon looks exactly like the scene of Okutama Lake and the dam that I saw on the surface.

It is built like a view of the artificial lake from the top of the dam.

In terms of space, it far surpasses the boss room of the Tengumine Shrine Dungeon in size.

With this space, even Kudave can be summoned with room to spare.

According to Serika’s dive records, the dungeon’s boss was Mizuchi―a giant water serpent.

It is said that Mizuchi, whose body is made of water, is almost ineffective against physical attacks… Serika did well to defeat such a thing.

This boss room must be a huge underground lake for this Mizuchi to be running around.

This boss seems to have been defeated already.

Clovis’ taunting voice echoes in the strange space of the vast underground dam.

“To interrupt the flow of nature and use it for one’s own convenience is… appalling stupidity. There is no respect for nature. They have sunk an inhabited village to the bottom of a lake to build an above-ground weir.”

He offered a tainted critique of the dam.

“This is a country prone to natural disasters. They had to control the floods. It is not our place to interfere with their decision.”

Haruka-san replied quietly.

Her hands were tied behind her back, and her wrists were bound with a cord.

There were no other signs of harm.

At the Tengumine Shrine grounds, Haruka-san and Clovis had been caught in a magic attack, but Clovis had probably recovered from the damage.

Although I had no choice, I would have to apologize to Haruka-san later.

And that was only after I’d rescued her safely.

From the way he treated her, it looks like Clovis wants to win Haruka-san over.

Haruka-san stares at Clovis with a stern expression.

Clovis spreads his arms and continues to speak in a theatrical tone.

“A large number of water spirits are stagnating in a huge, artificially created stagnation area. The dammed-up water indicates a coming catastrophe. To go to such lengths to sow the seeds of one’s own destruction… Humans’ folly remains the same, even though the world is different.”

“…The civil engineering technology of this world is far beyond the level of that world.”

“Hmph. You’re an elf, don’t you know that? I don’t care how safe this dam is. When water of this magnitude is dammed up, it is natural to think of a breakthrough. Humans secretly hope for what they secretly fear. While they fear a disaster, they actually hope for its arrival. This dam has been storing up such haunting expectations for decades.”

In God’s way, does this mean that the dam is given the causality of “something to break” over time?

But if I were to say that, it would mean that bridges and airplanes are meant to fall.

Even natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes would be caused by human “expectations”…

No, that’s not what I should be worried about right now.

It’s about catching Clovis within 8 meters, the range of Short Teleportation 4.

Or even Haruka-san.

If there is something I need to know, I can just ask Haruka-san later.

“If you dam up such a large amount of water for such a long time, the twisted cause and effect will be concentrated, creating a wonderful foundation for a spiritual catastrophe. Elves would never do such a foolish thing. That is why the world should not be entrusted to humans.”

“The original laws of this world would never allow for spirit pools or the self-fulfillment of cursed expectations. If you had never seen it, this dam would never have broken in the future. The people of this world are not as stupid as you think.”

Haruka-san, who has been in this world for a long time, argues with Clovis.

“You’re just afraid of dying, aren’t you?” Haruka-san said.

“…What did you say?”

“The physical lifespan of an elf is long, but that doesn’t mean their spirit is any better than that of other humans. As they age, elves end up with a worn-out spirit in an eternally young body.”

“It is the mission of the elves to overcome this and move into the spirit dimension.”

“I find it hard to believe that you would be faithful to this mission. Only a handful of elves are able to sublimate their way of being at all… Most elves are forced to make more practical choices to keep their spirits from wearing out. To put it bluntly, to be a plant or to be an animal.”

“I don’t want to be either. Neither is it possible for me to lose myself like a hollow tree or to indulge in fleeting pleasures like a pig.”

“Is that so? You chose the latter, didn’t you? No matter how much you degrade people, it doesn’t make you spiritually higher. It’s the other way around. You are now less than the humans you look down on. If you don’t curse, the spirits won’t listen to you, right? The spirits have abandoned you, you know.”

“Huh. What does it matter? Why do I have to look at the spirits’ mood every time I want to know what they think? I am not the spirit’s servant. The spirit is my servant.”

“…Pathetic.”

“What?”

“You can only maintain your ego by looking down on others and belittling them, can’t you? You may think you have control over people, but you are the one who suffers when they are gone. You can only live by contempt…”

“What you say is… crap. You are the one who chose to be a pig in the first place. I understand your fear. Because of your fear of death, you can’t help but indulge your lust. Is the object of your new obsession that filthy human explorer? Is it not you who cannot control your ego!”

“I can’t deny it. The reason I’m obsessed with Yuto-san is to satisfy my spiritual hunger with my lust… Like a bloodsucker.”

As if weighing herself, Haruka-san muttered.

Was there such a circumstance behind Haruka-san’s hasty approach?

But that doesn’t mean she can say, “I was moved by love! Let’s have a bigamy!”

“It would have been better if gentle love could have healed the wear and tear on my spirit. Only a more intense and lustful emotion can give vitality to a worn spirit. I can’t let my mind wither like a plant.

Is it better to be an animal or a plant?

Even if you are immortal, if your mind does not have the lifespan to match, you have two choices: you can either indulge your animal desires, or you can let your ego wither and become an unfeeling plant.

“Sometimes I wonder if it isn’t a lie to say that elves are a race blessed by God. Rather, I wonder if they are sinners locked in a prison that never decays.”

Haruka-san says, questioning the faith of the elves.

At these words… Clovis looked slightly impressed.

“If you know that, come with me.”

“Ara, what makes you say that?”

“If you need lust to escape death, so be it. I won’t monopolize you now. When we return there, I will find you as many men as you want. You can build a castle and surround yourself with men. It’s the kind of lustful life you want.”

Haruka-san did not immediately react to Clovis’ words.

After a few seconds, she stiffened,

“Pfft…”

Haruka-san burst out.

“…What’s funny?”

“Fufufu… Of course, it’s funny. You really don’t understand anything, do you? If you understood me at all, you wouldn’t make such a suggestion… Ufufu… It’s beyond pathetic, it’s hilarious.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to die because of Honoka. I can’t die before she grows up and finds her way in this world. If I can see her grow up… I won’t have any regrets.”

“It’s probably the same thing. It’s still an obsession with life.”

“No, it’s not. It’s completely different.”

“I live for myself. You live for your daughter, who shares your blood. You are more careful but no less self-centered. You are going to die anyway, so you want to procreate your offspring instead.”

Haruka-san shook her head from side to side at Clovis’ words.

“I’m afraid I have to refuse your offer. If I accept such an offer, I won’t be able to be the mother she looks up to.”

“If that mixture is important to you, take it with you. If it is out of my sight, I will not kill it.”

“That’s not the point. Even if I cooperate with you, you will still bring disaster to this world. How can she not care about living like that?”

“It’s a meaningless obsession. I don’t care if you cooperate or not. It would be faster to make you cooperate, but I can achieve the same result by killing you. And even if you sacrifice yourself as a mother, I’m the only one who will know. Frankly, I don’t understand you.”

“I am not trying to make you understand.”

“If you can’t make me understand, you will die a dog’s death. You won’t be able to fulfill your purpose of watching over your daughter.”

“Even if I die, Yuto-san and the others will still be here. …No, I’m sure Yuto will be here… But I don’t think he’ll make it in time…”

The second half of Haruka-san’s words were almost inaudible.

Still, it’s hard not to get nervous when you hear your name called.

I’m sure Haruka-san thinks I’m coming to help her.

But at the same time, she doesn’t expect me to come so soon.

In fact, I am confident that I came by the quickest and shortest route.

If even Haruka-san wasn’t expecting it, Clovis-san, who has underestimated humans for so long, must be even more so.

I guess there’s an opening to take advantage of.

“That’s enough of your nonsense. I’ve completed the spell by sacrificing Mizuchi. The spirits that dwell in this lake have completely submitted to me.”

Spirits, huh?

I can’t see them at all.

I can’t even sense them.

I can’t even feel the magic power of the water in the lake of the underground dam.

Is it an innate sense that only elves have, or is it a side effect of Spirit Magic?

It remains to be seen if Spirit Magic can be used to sniff out enemies, but it may be that the elves could not afford to devote resources to searching for enemies.

He’s got the Thunder Gryphon watching this place, and even if I were to come after him, he probably thinks I’m still a long way off.

Clovis looked back at the lake and turned his back to where I was.

――This is a chance.