LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 17: - Netting
We raced through the second floor and finally arrived at the boss room.
Along the way, there were several traps, but Anneliese used her magic to disarm them all. I never imagined that a translucent hand would emerge and disarm the traps with a swoosh sound. But it’s quite convenient.
After that, my level as the Dual-Sword Hero increased to 4. It feels good to level up steadily. I hope things continue to go smoothly.
The second-floor boss consists of two monsters: Greater Rat Lv. 6 and Wood Golem Lv. 7.
The Wood Golem has a humanoid shape closer to a person compared to the Ash Golem. Naturally, it’s stronger.
“I’m going in.”
“Yes, best of luck.”
I like these exchanges. It’s like we’re newlyweds.
I raised my Mythril dual swords and charged towards the Greater Rat.
The Greater Rat moved back and hid behind the Wood Golem.
I never expected monsters to use such tactics.
The Wood Golem swung its thick branches like whips, attacking me. I intercepted it with my Mythril dual swords, but it bent and hit my back.
“Argh, you’re good.”
My HP dropped by 15. They truly live up to being bosses. However, with my current HP, I can endure this ten times over!
As I dodged the Wood Golem’s branch, the Greater Rat suddenly leaped at me from the side.
“Don’t underestimate me.”
I dodged to the right, and the Wood Golem’s branch extended towards me.
They were quite coordinated, attacking from multiple angles.
I swung my Mythril dual swords forcefully with one hand. I didn’t need to hit; the goal was to buy some time.
“Annoying.”
I swung my Mythril dual swords with all my strength, creating an opening between me and the monsters.
“Phew…”
While individually not that fast, their coordination was tricky.
“My lord, please do your best!”
“Alright. I’ll finish them in the next round.”
For some reason, Anneliese’s encouragement made me feel more energized. I wonder if I’d be even more motivated if she wore a miniskirt.
With my newfound energy, I considered that I could overcome their coordination with speed. As the Dual-Sword Hero, I should be able to do it. Please, Dual-Sword Hero, I’m counting on you!
“Prepare yourselves, you sewer rats and wooden puppets.”
I kicked the ground and rushed forward towards the Greater Rat, which was trying to hide behind the Wood Golem.
The Greater Rat’s movements stopped abruptly when it saw me approaching.
“Now’s my chance!”
“Take this!”
I slashed through the Greater Rat, not stopping my momentum. I continued running until I reached the wall. I didn’t stop; instead, I put more force into my legs and made a sharp turn at a right angle. My dungeon leather boots squeaked like they were screaming.
While running along the wall, I glanced at the monsters. The Greater Rat was nowhere to be seen. I felt the satisfaction of defeating it just moments ago. Even after battling dozens of monsters, I had learned to sense these things.
“Now it’s just you.”
Without stopping, I swayed my body left and right to approach the Wood Golem.
“Haaaah!”
Its branch came at me, a strike aimed at my forehead. But if you look carefully, you can dodge it. I tilted my head to the side and swayed my face away to avoid the branch. It grazed my cheek, stinging a bit.
“Take this!”
Ignoring the branch next to my face, I swung my Mythril dual swords.
With a metallic clank, the Wood Golem disappeared.
“Kyaa, my lord!”
Anneliese’s cheerful yell. It’s kind of embarrassing.
Should I wave my hand and strike a pose? Nah, let’s not. It doesn’t suit me.
However, if bosses coordinate like this, regular adventurers would be in big trouble. Even I, the Dual-Sword Hero, was bewildered by their coordination. If adventurers encountered such coordination for the first time, it could lead to significant casualties.
Fortunately, there were no relics in the boss room. I should consider myself lucky.
“Drop items are the Greater Rat’s tail and Heal Leaf. Both are common drop items.”
“Yeah, they don’t seem that rare.”
“Too bad.”
I don’t think it’s that bad, though. While the Heal Leaf is a common drop item for the Wood Golem, it’s also a rare drop item for the Ash Golem.
Defeating the boss, the Wood Golem, can yield a decent amount of money thanks to the Heal Leaf drops. I want to make money, but it’s best not to be too greedy. I’ll be satisfied if any rare drops happen.
“Can I challenge the boss once more?”
Breaking their coordination isn’t just about speed. That’s what I think.
“Of course. Please defeat the boss as many times as you like, my lord.”
We moved to the second floor boss room with Dungeon Move after switching jobs to adventurers on the third floor.
Oh, there were adventurers in front of the boss room. A party of five villagers, three with swords and two with spears, were trying to enter the boss room as the door opened.
Our emergence from the wall via Dungeon Move went unnoticed. Well, even if they saw us, it wouldn’t matter much, but causing a commotion would be troublesome. Being mistaken for monsters isn’t fun either. It’s fortunate we went unnoticed.
“Wanna try some grilled pond squid?”
“Yes.”
We took out some grilled pond squid from the Item Box and shared one piece each. It’s not because we’re stingy; it’s just that we’re conserving for the upcoming boss battle. Besides, Anneliese seems to have regained her appetite now that she’s returned to her normal girl form. That’s all there is to it.
We waited for about 30 minutes. The door to the boss room finally opened. While I wanted to fool around while waiting, I refrained from doing so, considering that we were in a dungeon.
Furthermore, there was a party of six men waiting behind us. It wouldn’t be appropriate to fool around right in front of them. If I were in their shoes, I’d probably curse at seeing a cute girl like Anneliese fooling around with someone else.
Upon entering the boss room, we spotted a sword lying in a corner. It was a relic. Those five adventurers must have been defeated by the boss. It’s a sad reality, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Perhaps this is a common occurrence for adventurers. However, I could feel my spirits sinking.
No, this won’t do. If I keep brooding in a place like this, I’ll become an easy target for the bosses.
“Phew…”
Alright, I’ve reset my mood. I’ll turn this sense of powerlessness into anger and fight with all my might.
“My lord, the boss has appeared. Your expression looks dark, but are you okay?”
I made Anneliese worry. I’m not a good master.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
I readied my Mythril dual swords and closed the gap with the Wood Golem, which had a gloomy expression.
As usual, the Greater Rat hid behind the Wood Golem.
The distance to the Wood Golem closed to 7 meters, then 6 meters, 5 meters, but they still didn’t move.
I continued to advance. The distance shortened to 4 meters, but they remained still.
“Well, it looks like they won’t move even if I get this close.”
Recalling the previous battle, the attack range of the Wood Golem was 3 meters. Its branches couldn’t reach beyond 4 meters. While the branch attacks were quite fast, the Wood Golem itself moved slowly. It seemed to be a strategy of waiting for me to approach within 1 meter.
My assessment appeared to be correct.
“That will be your downfall.”
I raised my Mythril dual swords high and focused on activating the skill.
“Go, Buster Slash!”
I swung the Mythril dual swords downward, releasing a translucent blade.
*Zusha.*
I cut through the Wood Golem and also sliced through the Greater Rat that had hidden behind it.
The range of Buster Slash extended 5 meters from the tip of the swords, not from my own position. Considering the length of the swords and my arms, it was nearly 2 meters. Thanks to this, I was able to defeat both the Wood Golem and the Greater Rat hiding behind it in a single strike.
“Once I get the hang of it, it’s not that hard. Thanks to the Dual-Sword Hero.”
“Wow, my lord, you’re amazing!”
Anneliese clung to my back and shouted with enthusiasm. I felt her soft touch on my back, and I raised my right arm, holding the Mythril dual swords, high.
“Anneliese, I won.”
“Yes, it was a complete victory.”
It was a victory for the Dual-Sword Hero and my observational skills. A resounding triumph!
Our haul for the day was as follows:
– Rat meat: 24 pieces x 50 gril = 1200 gril
– Sharp front teeth: 3 pieces x 1000 gril = 3000 gril
– Ash branches: 22 pieces x 100 gril = 2200 gril
– Heal Leaf: 4 pieces x 1200 gril = 4800 gril
– Greater Rat tail: 2 pieces x 1500 gril = 3000 gril
Total: 14,200 gril (equivalent to 142,000 yen)
Note: The Heal Leaf is a rare drop from the Ash Golem and a common drop from the Wood Golem (BOSS).
We didn’t take the relic from the boss room this time.
The party that was standing behind us will likely take it. Those six people probably think we’re dead.
Also, the value of the common drop item from the Wood Golem (BOSS) has surpassed the common drop item from the Greater Rat, the boss of the first floor. This is not a mistake.
The Greater Rat’s tail is in higher demand. HP potions are often used by soldiers and adventurers, but not so much by ordinary people. However, indigestion medicine is used by everyone. I think it’s because there are no laws regulating the prevention of indigestion.
Seeing the record-breaking earnings, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Anneliese, how about having dinner at a fancy restaurant tonight?”
“Your words are very tempting, but I can’t enter a fancy restaurant in this attire.”
It seemed that combat equipment like this couldn’t get you into a fancy place. At most, you could enter a slightly better restaurant.
“In that case, let’s take a day off tomorrow. We can go shopping.”
“Is it alright even though I just reached Level 5?”
“It’s fine. Taking one day off won’t cause your level to decrease.”
“Understood. Thank you for the day off.”
There’s no need to thank me for this.
From now on, we’ll explore the dungeon on a 3-workdays-1-day-off schedule.
I won’t create a black working environment without days off. If I ever feel overworked even with a 3-workdays-1-day-off schedule, I can switch to 3-workdays-2-days-off. I aim to be a white dungeon explorer.