Chapter 501 - Chapter 445: The Training Camp Begins in Earnest?
First, we all met face-to-face… mainly with the island residents, so we sat on the stairs of the passage connecting the Ancient Ruins to the island. When I offered our classic Torotoro Dried Papu Fruit as a snack, Sweee and Seth started to fight over it…
“~~~♪”
“Mhm.”
But they didn't, they just split it and ate it. It's not my imagination that they seem oddly close. Meanwhile, Shal knelt before Bell-buchou, saying,
“Nya. Nyanya.”
“Huh?”
“Um, she’s saying thank you for your help in the Necropolis.”
Something about wanting to repay the debt for helping her kin, but now she serves the Jade Goddess… She seems more like a knight or samurai, but all the while, Bell-buchou was stroking her head.
“Ryu?”
“This is Pan’s first time, isn’t it?”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
“Ryu~♪”
Pan happily shook hands with Bell-buchou and Seth. Pan really isn’t shy and gets along with everyone easily. After going through a general ‘fluffy-time’ greeting with Lupi, Leda, Roy, and Raz, before we got to business…
“Azure-san, I heard the lottery for the requests ended successfully, but have there been any problems since?”
“No, not at all. Everyone who won the lottery was well-behaved too.”
That’s what he said. Azure-san has the True Appraisal skill, so he’s probably checking that sort of thing thoroughly. I had already heard about the lottery itself from Bell-buchou on the plane today; it was apparently a huge success with many ups and downs. Someone Master Chef-san knew won the request for Masterpiece Score Collection Volume 4, and a player from Natto’s guild, Moonlit Banquet, won the Raw Crystal Ore request.
“Oh, by the way, some items have already been delivered.”
“Ah…”
The requests for Masterpiece Score Collection Volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, and 8 have already been delivered. No, that was expected and within our projections. The reward, medium barrels of wine, has already been handed over, and the delivered items will be brought tomorrow. Not only that, but five boxes of Purple Steel Ore have also been delivered, leaving me waiting for the Mithril Ingot reward…
“Oops, I’m sorry. I’ll bring it next time.”
I have extra Mithril Ingots, so I need to remember to give them.
“Okay~. The people who delivered said they’re not in a hurry for the reward.”
“Understood.”
I also feel like the Raw Crystal Ore will be gathered quickly, and I need to finish the Wooden Statue of Lupi soon. I’ll finish it during the weekend after returning from the training camp.
“Shall we go soon?”
“Ah, yes.”
Before that, I’ll have Bell-buchou and her companions join Sweee’s party. Today, I, Mion, Lupi, Leda, Roy, and Raz are in one party, and Sweee, Shal, and Pan are in another, forming an alliance. I figured it would be just right if Azure-san, Bell-buchou, and Seth joined Sweee’s group.
“~~~♪”
“Nice to meet you~.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
They touched Sweee one by one, and their party entry was successfully completed.
““Huh?!””
“?”
“Is something wrong?”
Bell-buchou and Seth seemed surprised by something.
“I have the Fairy Queen’s Blessing. What is this?”
““Ah.””
I’ll explain that later…
…
…
…
“Hmm. The Mage’s Tower was complex from the first floor, but this seems to be just a passage.”
“The floor seems quite large, and I wonder if we can descend from the upper floors?”
“That might be the case.”
Seth, Bell-buchou, and Azure-san were seriously contemplating. I hadn’t thought about anything and was just walking… Before long, we arrived at the Transfer Elevator.
“Brother, you came from the tenth basement floor, did you not?”
“Yes. So, what do we do today? Up? Down?”
“If we are looking for the Control Room, we should go up first, but…”
All eyes turned to Azure-san.
“Oh, for me, anything is fine as long as I can see inside. The White Dragon Princess said it’s fine as long as this island itself can be managed by people Shou-kun and I trust.”
At that reply, everyone’s gaze now turned to me. I don’t know why me, but it seems we won’t proceed unless someone makes a decision.
“Alright, let’s go up. Let’s check out the floor above first.”
So, we all got on the Transfer Elevator. After listening to the usual announcement, I pushed the △2 button…
“Wait, wait, Brother. Mion-dono, may I have a blessing?”
“Ah, yes.”
“That’s right. Sorry…”
Once Mion’s blessing was firmly applied to everyone, Seth stood in front of the door. When I received the signal that preparations were complete, I pressed the button. Since everyone was used to traveling by Transfer Elevator, we arrived at the second floor without much surprise, and the door opened with a ding.
“Hmm. No one seems to be here.”
Seth lowered her greatshield. As we exited the elevator, Lupi and the others immediately followed, checking the surroundings. I tried Shared Presence Detection, but there wasn't anything particular.
“It seems to be an elevator hall.”
“Was the Mage’s Tower like this too?”
“Yes, it was. Though that one was a bit smaller, or narrower, as a tower itself.”
“Ohh, I’m interested in that one too~.”
Looking around, paths extended straight ahead and to the left and right. The left and right paths probably led to the back of the elevator.
“What do we do?”
“No point agonizing over it, let’s go straight.”
“Mhm. Then, Lupi-dono.”
“Woof.”
Understanding Seth’s intent, Lupi walked ahead cautiously. Smart. The passage was quite wide, but there wasn't enough space for Leda and Roy to walk side-by-side, so I had them guard the rear. After advancing a bit, it curved, just like the tenth basement floor, and…
“Hm. Seth, wait a moment.”
“Mhm.”
Lupi glancing at me was a signal that there were enemies. Fully aware of my Stealth Skill, and with Lupi activating Lurking, the two of us crept to the corner. Peeking beyond it… golems stood in front of doors on both sides of the passage. Three rooms on the left, three on the right, for a total of six, and probably one more room further back.
“Why seven? Oh, if there’s a large Stone Golem Commander, it’s best to save that one for last. It self-destructs after being defeated…”
I returned and explained to everyone. I think we can easily win with our numbers, but it’s scary if a Golem Commander self-destructs.
“Hmm. So it’s best to defeat them one by one from the front.”
“How should we deal with a self-destructing golem?”
“Mostly, just make it explode far away. When I dealt with it, I went into a room and waited it out…”
Besides the blast, the flying fragments of the golem seemed dangerous. Seth’s greatshield could probably only cover two people at best.
“So, how about this: after defeating the one closest to us, we open that door?”
“That might work if the others don’t gather around, but…”
“Sounds good, doesn’t it? If worst comes to worst, I’ll hold them back.”
…This person, despite his demeanor, was a dragon. “Alright, let’s lure them out one by one from the front.”
“Mhm!”