Vol. 3 Chapter 13: Dungeon diving for the elixir

We were now in a dungeon. Patrick and I followed Remn as he led the way with enthusiasm. 

We were here to obtain the elixir, as we had decided to equip ourselves with a means to fight Yumiela from the parallel universe.

This dungeon was located near the royal capital. This was the more difficult one among the two located on the outskirts of the capital. The dungeon, also known as the hidden dungeon, was sometimes used at the school.

The royal soldiers, adventurers, and academy students chose the easier dungeon, so this dungeon was always available to use. 

Patrick also used to level up here while he was in school and now he’s on his way to level 99. His efficiency was also pretty good… Hmm? When he first entered the academy, he must have been barely around level 10. That being said, he’s been leveling up in this main dungeon and is already around level 90?

How much experience did it take to reach level 99? Given Patrick’s growth rate… perhaps I had reached the level cap long before entering the academy?

My childhood efforts were in vain… no, stop thinking like that. It was not good for my mental health. 

We decided to get the elixir a few hours ago and immediately traveled to the royal capital with Ryuu. And here we are. 

Remn is walking in front of me and complaining about Sanon, but he was in a good mood. 

“Sanon is a cheapskate, isn’t she? As long as the sun is shining, she can travel anywhere. She could’ve carried us.”

“Teleportation is useful, right? Wouldn’t it be nice if I could do it too?”

“Why does Onee-san want to obtain God’s power?”

“I feel like it’s not my personal desire, but a desire that all of us humans have.”

We kept walking deeper while conversing with each other.

Remn seemed familiar with the dungeon as he took us through the shortest paths without hesitation. 

The only thing that’s a little troublesome is the monsters on the path. They treated Remn as if he wasn’t there, passing by him and coming after Patrick and me. 

The monsters only attack humans, which reminded me that Remn is a God.

We were about to reach the deepest part. Then, Patrick leaned in and whispered to me. 

“Yumiela, I heard somewhere that the boss here is dangerous, but what kind of boss is that?”

“Did I say that?”

“I think so. You said we should never fight the boss in this dungeon.”

If my memory serves me right, the boss is a giant golem. They possess one of the strongest physical and magical defenses, but they lack attack power and speed. 

The dungeon wasn’t good for leveling up because it took a long time to beat and the loot was terrible, it wasn’t a good dungeon. 

…Ah, I remember. Is that why I warned him about it? 

“I remember. The reason why you shouldn’t fight them is not that they’re strong but because they’re tough. It’s not efficient for leveling up.”

“That’s so… Yumiela.”

“You often said that, is that a compliment?”

“…Yeah, it’s a compliment.”

There was a pause before he finally answered, but I let it go since he said it was a compliment. That’s what I thought as I defeated a monster that jumped out from the corner with a roundhouse kick. 

We made good progress without any particular trouble and reached the boss room on the 15th level in less than an hour.

Before going inside, I checked with Remn.

“Can we really get the elixir after defeating the boss?”

“The odds in the dungeon can be manipulated, so you’ll be guaranteed to get it.”

“That’s good to know. Because I don’t want to have to do multiple runs.”

“Please just defeat the boss. I’m sure you guys could handle it.”

The elixir in the game was a random drop from the boss. After clearing the main story, I only found out about this, then started circling this dungeon in preparation for the battle against Yumiela. 

After much frustration dealing with the hard boss, I got the elixir. The item restored the HP and MP of one party member. A thing that could restore someone to full health instantly from 0 HP and being unable to fight was valuable. 

Don’t spend it on a strong hidden boss that’s unreasonably strong. I ended up defeating Yumiela without using the elixir. The elixir is a recovery potion that regular people can’t use. 

“Let’s go.”

The boss’s room door opened, where a giant golem sat in the background. It was made from some kind of metal and you could tell from looking at it was highly durable. 

When the golem’s single eye began to glow upon detecting the intruder, Patrick lamented. 

“That thing is going to be a challenge.”

“Leave it to me, I have an idea.”

I had a secret plan to deal with the golem. The world is like the game, but different. The battles are not about shaving each other’s HP, but truly killing each other. Targeting weak points is effective and strategizing is important.

There was no need to cut straight through the dull, shiny armor plate. We had to aim for its joints. The armor there is absolutely thin due to its structure. The weakest one was the neck joint that connects the head to the body.

If you remove the head, the golem should immediately stop working. And if it did continue to move, it would be severely restricted. Because the head is where the eyes are. It is only the main camera, but it is still one of its cameras. 

Slowly walking towards the metal giant, I was called out from behind. 

“Would you like to use my sword?”

“Using my bare hands is fine. Because it requires precision movements.”

I left my sword at home. With a sword, it’s doubtful that I’ll be able to target its weak points accurately. No, bare hands are better.

The golem towered over me from a great distance. Looking at the huge arm that was slowly raised, I thought about how to reach the neck. 

This is where I need my partner’s help. We can combine our minds and improvise. 

“Patrick! Joint attack!”

“…What?”

We couldn’t do it. No way, I thought as I turned around and saw the golem’s arm swing down.

With one hand holding down the huge arm that was trying to crush me, I discussed it with him. 

“You know, the one where Patrick makes the ground rise up  I’m about to make a big jump.”

“You’ll have to tell me or else I won’t know what to do.”

“Mhm, sorry.”

Yosh, let’s start over. I pushed the golem away and shouted again.

“Patrick!”

“I got it.”

Patrick activated his earth magic. The stone floor rose upward in the small area where I was standing. Immediately I had surpassed the golem’s height. 

Immediately as the special jumping platform stopped rising, I flew high into the sky using my own power. 

And my head hit and got stuck in the ceiling. 

“…Onii-san, what is she trying to do?”

“I don’t know either.”

I heard Remn and Patrick’s confused voices. While trying to pull my head out of the ceiling, I thought to myself, This isn’t something I could do inside a dungeon. One day, I’ll try this again when I take on a powerful enemy.

This strategy is how it was done initially. While keeping this stance, I turned my body around and kicked the ceiling. 

I made a straight line toward the golem’s head. The slow-moving guy had no way to react. 

The strongest hand blade with the added speed provided by gravity will pierce the golem’s neck!

“…Ah, it’s a little off.”

My extended fingers pierce deep into the golem. To be precise, the golem’s chest where the armor seems to be the thickest.

I pulled out my hand and landed on the ground. Simultaneously, the golem’s massive body fell backward. 

“Well done.”

“Not really, this is my ability.”

I was ashamed of myself for thinking so long about the joints being the weak spot. The plan was to play smart, but it turned out to be a completely brainless move. 

There are problems on the golem’s side as well. It’s pathetic that a mere human’s bare hands can kill you instantly. I’m surprised that this is the monster with the highest defense. Is he weak or am I too strong? How ineffective. 

“Haa, let’s go home.”

“Huh? All of this only for one elixir?”

“How many elixirs are there?!”

I thought they were unique items. The drop rate is extremely low, it’s possible to get more than one in the game. 

Remn used both hands to hold up seven fingers. 

“There are seven elixirs in total. I can make sure they drop with my authority, let’s do six more laps. With your help, it won’t be long, right?”

“Are you sure there are seven elixirs?”

“…I would never lie to you about something like that. It’s the truth, okay?”

There are definitely more. Even though there are multiple elixirs, they are precious and finite in number. This suspicious god is unlikely to release them all. 

But seven is more than enough. Let’s move on to the next lap without asking too many questions.

---

Previous | Table of Contents | Next