Chapter 160: The number of conditions grew without my notice. Turns out the girls’ greed and negotiation ability couldn’t be underestimated.
Day 51 – Daytime, Dungeon.
Quickly escaping the sour dungeon we get outside and stop for lunch. As expected, it was a shabby dungeon with only one hidden room, but the boss drop and the hidden item were amazing, plus the magic stone was of high grade too. So high that we might not be able to sell it, so I ended up having to buy it out, but thinking that it will become a part of the magic accumulator too, it’s not that bad.
「It’s ready~? It’s only a trial product, but this is its test on human subjects, so it’s alright? Fresh pasta, or rather, Napolitan with handmade pasta? But it’s not quite napoli? Sort of? There are some suspicions that this is Napolitan Udon, but it is undoubtedly noodles?」
The only thing I could get in the frontier is Semolina, no idea if it’s actually from durum wheat, but since they told me in the general store that it’s not fit for making bread, I tried to make pasta with it, and they seem to have turned out okay? Perhaps we have udon here rather than spaghetti, but since it’s delicious, Napolitan Udon might be good too?
Frying boiled fresh pasta with mushrooms, tomatoes, bird meat for a bit, and add a finishing touch with ketchup and pepper. The wheat is the super cheap stuff that I got from the general store this morning, so it’s only a trial product, okay? I heard that durum wheat used in pasta isn’t fit for making bread, that’s why I thought this might work. Let’s have fried udon If I accidentally make udon noodles.
「「「Pasta! Napolitan! Kyaa! Let’s dig in.」」」
Yup. They turned out to be a bit hard and bland, but that’s not because I went easy on kneading, it is because of the wheat quality. Since the noodles lack in taste, I guess I’ll add eggs next time I knead them.
「So good! It’s real pasta! Aa~h, I met Napolitan-san again!」
「We might be able to get carbonara too! I like Peperonchino-san too, but I want to eat Carbonara-san next!」
「Sadly, carbonara might be the most impossible one. I’m yet to obtain cheese or cream.」
However,『Living a Country Life』had production methods described. We just need the livestock and dairy industry can be set up as well, but that will still have to wait.
「The harmony of taste produced by Mushrooms and Pasta-san is incredible! Is the way it feels. The mushrooms of this world never disappoint, right?」
What’s with the girls’ love for the mushrooms? No matter what I make, they always ask to add mushrooms? Are they getting addicted too? Well, it’s delicious though.
Well, everyone is alright, so we are good. But as I thought, there are other dungeon masters of level 100. Going past floor 50 is dangerous.
In the case of level 50 floor masters, a raid consisting of 3 groups should be enough to deal with them.
If a Lv50 dungeon master pops up on the 50th floor, then it will require a collective effort of all 29 people.
But if the 50th floor has a Lv100 dungeon master then it is impossible. Even if they manage to win, the damage will be huge. The probability of someone dying is high.
「Then, we will deal with the rest of yesterday’s Medusa? Dungeon. Please help the other groups to get to the 49th floor? Don’t try to challenge the 50th floor? I’m seriously serious?」
「「「We got it, but please don’t push yourself! Don’t do anything risky, okay? Today we have Salisbury steak! It’s a promise!」」」
Wha! Somehow, before I knew it, the Salisbury steak also was included in conditions! What terrifying girls’ power, as expected of Avarice-san’s friends. Their negotiation ability cannot be underestimated. They are even trying to hand me papers with even more extra orders for clothes? Such insolent greediness. Looks like they wanted M65 jackets too. Why is everyone trying to go military in a fantasy world?
When we just came to the town they were all overjoyed wearing loose tunics. It actually looked like something from a fantasy world. But now their clothes won’t stand out at all were we to go back to the modern era right this moment. But please don’t ask me to copy LV or GG, okay? And nylon is impossible, you know? Or are they telling me to dig up oil and set up a refinement industry? Are they intending to force me to make a gasoline engine as well? Awe-inspiring Girls’ Power (Greed).
「Then, let’s go in? Slime-san, you stick with us too. Don’t just wander off on your own. Then, onwards? I guess?」
(Jiggle Jiggle), (Nod, Nod)
No, Armored Pres-san, unlike Slime-san you can speak? You’ve gotten lazy, and completely stopped even trying to do that lately? You are dealing with everything through nods and gestures now, you know? The most you speak is when you scold me in the morning?
And we are on the 50th floor, as expected, I didn’t get to do anything, as always.
I really have absolutely nothing to do. Looks like Slime-san took a liking to Evil Hands, or maybe it is just being competitive, but it fought by stretching countless tentacles from its round body. Or rather, it even ripped off my new move, Wire Cutter. And it’s much better than my version? Slime-san has high defense and magic power, but it seems to be very fond of close combat. Predation attacks seem to be its favorite. I guess it always has room to eat more monsters.
And Armored Pres-san, as usual, was shining in her silver armor all over the place. However, despite having an offensive fighting style, no attack can touch her. Such keen focus on attack, that her offense literally became a defense, cutting apart incoming attacks.
This『Taming』skill is probably meant for backliners, like monster tamers, making monsters fight on the frontlines, while attacking with magic or using support skills front behind. Am I a backline spellcaster now? But my frontliners are exterminating everything on their own, ditching the master? They aren’t coming back at all? Yeah, I can’t be a monster tamer, no one listens to me.
In fact, I’m not in a position to say this or that about others fighting styles. After all, I don’t have one, since my abilities make no sense.
My Martial Arts are for close combat hit-and-run, my magic is advanced enough for a full-fledged backliner, yet I keep teleporting and enhancing my physical attacks with it. The skills are stealth and high-speed movement type. Clearly, a sneaky magician specializing in blitz melee attacks? Is there any style to speak of? High-speed close combat stealth magician that fights by cladding himself in magic? I don’t get what that is supposed to be, and I can’t even imagine it.
The only thing I can tell for sure is that this is not suited for fighting in a team. Such a fighting style doesn’t allow any cooperation, so there is no way to command or direct that. It’s a style of ambushing enemies on my own. And it got me the Swordmaster title after all?
So even though there are three people, or rather, 3 beings? No, I’m properly a human? Anyway, although we are now a group, we can’t make any coordinated attacks. I can’t.
The only one who can tank is Slime-san. Me and Armored Pres-san are full evasion.
In the first place, since we rely on speed in our fighting style, there is simply no point in any defensive formations.
Everyone rushes in, no plan involved. No fighting style aside from swift attacks.
I was so full of myself talking about the girls’ fighting style, but look at me, all I have is offense. Forget adaptation or improvisation, there is only charge. Basically, adjusting to the opponent is something I get to think about after I kill them.
So for now, I’ll just charge in?『Metalhorn Eland Lv51』, eland are oxen, that insist on being antelopes, even-toed, ruminating antelopes. Having metal horns, they must be rearing to stab someone. Even the part about charging in a group makes them similar to oxen, but unlike them, they have incredible jumping power, descending at their target from above with those giant bodies. Pointing their horns forward they come smashing down. Plunging into them right in the middle of that leap, I knock them down, while Slime-san, that turned giant for now, is having a meal.
Meanwhile, Metalhorn Elands on the ground are being swept away by the Pres in Silver Armor, who is kindly sending them flying towards Slime-san.
(Jii~ggle Jiggle!)
Looks like they were delicious. Slime-san is jumping around, overjoyed. Maybe it absorbed『Leaping』from Metalhorn Elands through Predation? Well, if it can have a tasty meal and also get stronger from that then there is nothing but positives.
Now, let’s go down.
And on the 52nd floor, we were met with a simultaneous attack.
A hellish storm of surging waves of burning magic projectiles pouring down in a carpet bombing… is the new thing on the menu.
(Jiggle Jiggle)
See? That’s not enough? Please, kindly shoot more? My, how can I thank them for sparing me so much food expenses?
Armored Pres-san is nimbly deflecting stray magic bullets to Slime-san. She is so nice.
Having all their spells absorbed, the horde of『Mandrill Magi Lv 52』was devoured by a giant jelly body. Until now, I never thought anything of mandrills, but looking at them now, they do sort of look like mages. Like shamans? Even though they are monkeys.
They had numbers, but with mere fire magic from level 52’s, it could only end with it being absorbed through predation. Slime-san just went over level 10, so it might’ve been a bit dangerous if it was Advanced Fire Magic. I have to be more careful with what it eats. It goes for everything if I don’t warn it, you know?
If it looks delicious, Slime-san eats it, if not, Armored Pres-san eliminates it. I don’t get to do anything.
It seems that『Phantom Lord Lv 57』of the 57th floor didn’t appear tasty, so we chopped it up together. Turns out, slimes can cut ghosts?
So I guess it prefers beast types? But didn’t it eat puppets as well?
The items are good though? On the 53th floor, we found 『Sturdy Gauntlets – PoW 30% Up, DeF 30% Up, +ATT』and on the 57th floor『Magic Mail – Magic Resistance (Greater), Physical Resistance (Intermediate) + DEF』, good enough for me to wear or to auction them. I sort of do want them, but there is not much point in raising my defense, attack power is also nice, but with Dimension Blade it also can be considered useless. It will be better to upgrade my classmates’ equipment through auction after all. Although the girls don’t have money. I mean, they are buying too much clothes? And they made even more requests.