Chapter 462 - Chapter 411: What Lurks in the Darkness
As the [Small Magic Boat] slowly reduced speed and drew closer, Sweee's light spirit illuminated the cave interior.
There were no signs of monsters near the entrance…
"Spirit's Blessing!"
He activated [Spirit's Blessing], equipping his [Round Shield] on his left arm. His right hand was poised to draw his [Ken-nata] at any moment.
He slowed down even further, inching the boat deeper into the cave.
The water seemed quite deep, but its clarity was high, allowing him to see beautiful sand accumulating on the bottom.
After advancing about ten meters…
"Woof!"
Lupi's bark echoed through the cave.
Then, from ahead and above, came bats, nearly a meter across?
"Kiiiiiii!"
"Kyu!"
True and the [Selkies] drove away the attacking creatures with their [Tridents].
Stopping the boat, Shou moved to the bow.
"Whoa!"
A bat — a Sludge Bat — lunged, attacking with bites, but he fended it off with his [Round Shield].
The enemies repeatedly hit-and-ran from the darkness at the back, making it impossible to tell their exact numbers, but there had to be at least five.
True and the [Selkies] were trying to intercept the attacking Sludge Bats with their [Tridents], but they were struggling to hit them.
"[Stone Projectile]!"
"Kururu!"
In response, he fired the [Stone Projectile] magic like a shotgun blast, but they skillfully dodged that too.
Raz's thin [Fire Arrow] grazed one initially, but after that, they started widely evading it.
Mion's voice sounded. "Shou-kun! Maybe we should retreat for now!"
Shou heard Mion's voice… Ah, that's it!
"[Sound Barrier]!"
The moment he activated [Sound Barrier] around the boat, the Sludge Bats suddenly began to flail about as if they'd lost sight of them.
Mion sounded surprised. "Huh?"
Then, aiming at one that flew close to the barrier,
"[Stone Projectile]!"
The scattered stone projectiles struck a Sludge Bat, which tumbled onto the deck.
He left the finishing blows to Lupi and True's group.
"Raz. Target only the ones that come close to the barrier."
"Kuru!"
Raz's [Fire Arrow]s also began to hit, and they ended up defeating over ten Sludge Bats.
After using [Presence Detection] to confirm everything was clear, he deactivated the [Sound Barrier].
"~~~?"
"Oh, right. I heard that bats perceive their surroundings using ultrasound, so I thought, 'Why not block the sound with a [Sound Barrier]?'"
Mion exclaimed. "That's brilliant!"
[Asanasan]: "I see~"
[Otton]: "That's echolocation!"
[Sacre]: "You're so quick to think of things like that."
[Dengana]: "Just like Shou-kun!"
etcetera, etcetera…
I don't really understand the complicated stuff, but it's good that the barrier could block ultrasound too.
By the way, Sweee, who had asked the question, was making a confused face beside him. But setting that aside for now.
"Is everyone okay? No injuries?"
"Kyu-kyu~"
True tugged one of the [Selkies] over, with a clear "report properly" kind of vibe.
There was a small cut on its upper arm… blood was seeping through its seal-like clothing. He hurriedly cast [Holy Magic] healing, and just in case, detoxification magic too.
"Is that okay now?"
"Kyu."
[Your Holy Magic skill level has increased!]
Oh, so that makes [Holy Magic] level 5, right?
I'll have to read the [Holy Magic] books I left at the church.
[Izayoi]: "Congrats!"
[Mayutan]: "What's your [Holy Magic] skill level?"
[Choccol]: "Huh? You could use [Holy Magic]?"
[Nasi Goreng]: "Um, if you can use detoxification, couldn't you have used a blessing too?"
etcetera, etcetera…
…Ah.
"I forgot to cast the blessing. My bad."
Mion replied. "Don't worry about it, Shou-kun."
He then cast the [Holy Magic]'s blessing on True and the [Selkies], Lupi, Leda, and Roy.
Yeah, that takes quite a bit of MP.
"Woof."
"Thanks."
Sensing his need, Lupi used [Mana Aid], restoring his MP.
The comment section exploded at the sight, but then again, he hadn't used [Mana Aid] during a live stream before.
[Kusakoro]: "S-so strong…"
[Satena]: "This is mental healing♪"
[Lucol]: "Lupi-chan, so cute~♪"
[Matchiru]: "How much does it recover?"
etcetera, etcetera…
"Kyu?"
"Oh, right. I'll check, just in case."
He used [Appraisal] on the Sludge Bat that had fallen onto the deck.
It's kinda gross, though…
[Sludge Bat]
"A bat monster that lives in seaside caves and similar places. It has high evasion capabilities due to its agile movements."
"Hmm, I guess dismantling them isn't really necessary. Just toss them all into the sea."
"Kyu," "Kyu-kyu," "Kyu-kyu!"
At True's command, all the Sludge Bats that had fallen on deck were tossed into the sea.
Wings, or rather membranes, I think? I feel like they could be used for waterproofing or something, but [Saloon Lizard] leather would be better for that anyway.
More importantly, we need to explore deeper into this cave first.
"Alright, I'll go a little further."
Mion responded. "Okay. Be careful."
Lupi's group and True's group returned to their positions, while Shou headed to the bridge.
Sweee and Raz kept watch to the left and right respectively, so he pushed the lever forward for a slow advance.
He proceeded for a while, leaving [Presence Detection] to Lupi's group…
"A dead end? Oh…"
To his right, he could see a dock that clearly showed signs of human construction.
The walls, floor, and ceiling resembled those of the [Ancient Ruins], and above all,
Mion observed. "I see a door further inside…"
"This definitely connects to the building on top of the cliff, doesn't it…?"
[Karin]: "I'm getting excited!"
[Kedaman]: "But the time…"
[Nantsuu]: "Whoa, I'm curious!!"
[Porpol]: "Is it possibly a Wandaba device?"
etcetera, etcetera…
Mion reminded him. "Shou-kun. Your remaining time…"
It seemed like less than fifteen minutes were left.
What a terrible time to find it…
"Alright, I'll just check if that door can be opened."
Mion agreed. "Ah, yes."
If it opens, then the continuation will be next time, I guess? If it doesn't open, then that's the end of it for today.
Oh, right…
"True and the others, please watch the boat. I'm just going to see if the door opens."
"Kyu!"
He slowly guided the boat to the dock and moved the throttle to the stop position. With only Lupi as his companion, he stepped onto land.
He cautiously approached the door. [Presence Detection] didn't pick up anything.
Standing directly in front of it, he removed his gloves and placed a hand on the door.
[Access by a Blessed One has been confirmed. Authority is insufficient.]
That was close, that was close. It was a good thing I took off the [Azure Star Ring] along with my gloves.
Looking at the comment section, talk was spreading about how doors with authority requirements needed a ring obtainable in the [Necropolis]. Yeah, I know that.
"It doesn't look like it'll open. So, this means the tower above? I guess we'll have to go that way. Well, for today, I'll give up and head back."
Mion assented. "Okay."
That's all well and good, but it seems impossible to turn the boat around here, so I'll have to back it out…