kscans

Chapter 91 - Artificial Spirits

'GROOOOAR!'

A stone doll growled, raising a fist to strike me.

I deflected the blow from what should, in principle, be called a golem. With a shower of sparks, its stone right arm shattered.

The unbalanced stone doll’s chest was now exposed, and I drove my left fist into it. I had already pinpointed the ‘core’s’ location with my [Spirit Eye].

With a crunching sound, my arm punched through its chest, sending the human-faced mole inside flying.

Gnome.

The spirit that governs the element of earth. The mole, with its bearded, elderly face, had every bone in its body shattered by the impact and turned to salt.

Immediately after, a bullet of water shot toward me from the side.

Four of them, each with enough force to pierce a steel plate. But Byakuren stepped between us, blocking them all with its kite shield.

Peering over its silver back, I saw a fish composed of water floating in mid-air.

Undine.

The creature, about sixty centimeters long, emitted a gurgling sound from its mouth. A moment later, a magic circle formed in front of it, and a high-pressure jet of water shot out.

The attack was like something from a fire truck, but Byakuren stood firm. The wind released from its shield lessened the water’s force.

In that opening, I dashed past the golem and closed the distance in an instant. The Undine stopped its attack and tried to escape by rising toward the ceiling, but my blade was faster.

With a flash, my sword tip scraping slightly against the stone above, I cut down the water fish.

Splash. The water that hit the floor turned to salt. I raised my sword again, scanning the area, and confirmed there were no more enemies before letting out a breath.

"Nice work, Kyou-chan."

"You too. Good job with the Sylph."

"Yep."

I nodded at Erina-san, who gave me a casual wave, and replenished Byakuren’s mana.

Its fuel efficiency was an issue, but if it could last through one battle, I suppose I should consider that good enough. It would be a problem during a stampede, but during a dungeon crawl, I could just top it off like this between fights.

Once the drop items were collected, I touched my earring.

"Aira-san, where to next?"

'Right. I have to say, I’m a little surprised at how unfazed you two are after fighting spirits. Anyway, first, go through the door on your right. Then, two rooms ahead, take another right.'

"Roger."

"Okay."

It had been about thirty minutes since we started exploring, and we’d encountered over twenty enemies in total. We were making good time.

Still, we were uninjured, and Erina-san didn’t seem to be having any stamina issues. Byakuren’s armor and equipment were also free of any noticeable damage.

Ooyama-san had done good work. Which, conversely, only highlighted just how monstrous that Demon was for denting this armor in an instant…

'Say, Kyouta-chan-kun. May I ask a question?'

"Huh? What is it?"

I kept my guard up as I listened to the voice from my earring.

'Well, it’s something I should have asked earlier, but the forms of the four great elements of alchemy… was that it? The forms passed down in lore are quite different from the monsters appearing here. Especially the Undine.'

"Oh, that."

I gave a small nod at Aira-san’s question.

If I remember correctly, the club’s website had a brief note about this. Answering shouldn't be a big problem.

I might not need to worry about keeping these secrets from Aira-san or Erina-san anymore, but it's important to draw a line somewhere.

Besides, if I got too comfortable talking to them, I might slip up and say something to someone else.

"While it’s true that legends sometimes depict Undines as fish or sea serpents, the monsters here seem to have been designed for ‘greater combat effectiveness.’"

'Oh? Care to elaborate?'

"The Undines of legend often appear as beautiful women, but in a combat situation, a form that can swiftly ‘swim’ through the air is more advantageous. Conversely, for everyday tasks or communication, the form of a beautiful woman would have been more convenient."

Or so said my 'Arcane Gear book.' The club’s website had something similar, though it was written in a much more roundabout way.

'…If they were ‘designed,’ does that mean they were created by people?'

Aira-san’s voice was colored with undisguised delight.

It seemed to stimulate her curiosity as a budding scholar.

"It’s a possibility… but I can’t say for certain."

There are different types of spirits. Unlike the ones here, which might be artificial, natural ones should exist, 'in theory.' It's possible that those kinds of spirits can change their form at will.

'You’re right. It’s still just a possibility. However, when you consider the structure of the dungeon and the information we’ve gathered so far, the theory that dungeons and monsters were originally created by some kind of intelligent life grows stronger.'

"Huh."

'Goodness. I wonder what kind of beings created them? Dungeons are universally habitable by humans. If so, then their creators must have had a similar biology to our own—'

"Paisen. We’re in a dungeon right now."

'…My apologies.'

At Erina-san’s calm voice, Aira-san apologized, sounding embarrassed.

This self-proclaimed ninja is usually all business in a dungeon.

"…All I can say is that the design of these spirits is similar to the technology behind 'Homunculi,'" I offered. "Though the difficulty is on a whole different level."

According to my book, the 'anchoring' or 'creation' of a spirit is an extremely advanced form of alchemy. The required skills and environment are incredibly demanding.

If someone did create this dungeon and place the Salamanders and other spirits here, their technological prowess would be immense. Their understanding of alchemy would likely surpass even the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club, and it would have required a budget and timeframe so vast it’s hard to even imagine.

My book didn’t contain instructions on how to create spirits, though. It was probably too far beyond the scope of the basics.

Well, it did include some ‘interesting transmutation circles’ instead.

Lost in thought, I followed Aira-san’s directions until we came to a thick door.

Unlike the previous ones, this door was made of metal and looked incredibly sturdy. It had no keyhole or doorknob and, apparently, wouldn't budge whether you pushed or pulled. I hadn't tried, but that's what the SDF's investigation had concluded.

In the center of the metal door was a carved transmutation circle, just under a meter in diameter.

'Alright. There are two ways to open that door. Brute force, or alchemical unlocking.'

"You’re up, Kyou-chan! Oh, and I don’t hear any sounds from the other side."

"Roger."

I took a file from Byakuren’s backpack and pulled out a single sheet of copied paper.

I also took out a small memo, holding one in each hand. I pressed the paper with the transmutation circle against the door and, glancing at my memo, channeled mana into it.

A few seconds later, with a heavy grinding sound, the metal door began to slide sideways.

"You’re amazing! The modern-day Saint-Germain!"

"I don’t feel like that’s a compliment…"

All I know of him is from manga and anime, but he always seems incredibly shady.

'Goodness. But you really are like a professional alchemist, Kyouta-chan-kun.'

"Well… I guess I just have a knack for it, maybe…"

'Hmm. Well, I have no intention of prying, so you can relax. Please take it as a sincere compliment.'

"Thank you…"

"Secrets are a part of being a ninja, after all…!"

"I’m not a ninja."

"?!"

How many times have we had this exchange?

Even as we engaged in this pointless banter, neither Erina-san nor I let down our guard. As she’d said, there were no enemies on the other side of the door.

The room was much larger than the previous ones, maybe the size of a gymnasium. The ceiling was nearly five meters high.

Dozens of bookshelves lined the room, all of them empty. The SDF had taken everything, and I’d heard that scholars around the world were still working to decipher the contents. I hoped they were making progress.

The space between the shelves was wide, so there was plenty of room to swing a sword. As I scanned my surroundings,

"Kyou-chan."

Erina-san’s whispered warning reached me.

I, too, felt a distortion in the flow of mana and gripped my sword with both hands.

"Doors to the front and left just opened. Two from each. Can’t see them because of the shelves… but I think there’s a Salamander on the left. I smell fire."

"Got it."

Then we’ll hit the left side first. Fire in this space would be no joke—

In that instant, my [Spirit Eye] triggered a premonition.

"Get back!"

I moved to Erina-san’s front left, and a moment later, a furious tsunami of fire surged toward us.

That amount of mana… a Sylph must have amplified the Salamander’s breath!

I met the roaring flames with the tip of my sword, using [Concept Interference] to entangle and slash them away. But I only managed to deal with the portion coming directly at us.

The bookshelves in the line of fire, and everything near them, were now engulfed in flames. The fire spread as if fueled by oil, and in the blink of an eye, a quarter of the room had turned into a sea of fire.

"You…!"

'GYYYYYYYYH!'

The Salamander burst through a burning bookshelf, charging toward us. It was clearly faster than before. Was it using fire and wind to accelerate?

As the fire lizard bore down on us, the silver-armored golem stood in its way.

Instantly, wind converted from mana erupted from both of Byakuren’s feet. It shot forward at incredible speed and collided head-on with the Salamander. For a brief moment, they were locked in a stalemate. Then, the giant lizard made of fire was sent flying.

As the Salamander flew toward the ceiling like it had been hit by a truck, I kicked off a relatively untouched bookshelf and leaped into the air, beheading it mid-flight.

In the corner of my vision, I saw Erina-san moving to an unburnt bookshelf, skillfully running and jumping from one shelf to another.

A volley of water bullets flew toward her. Looking closely, I saw that each one contained a fist-sized, sharp stone, increasing their lethality. So an Undine and a Gnome had come from the front door.

I exchanged a brief glance with her as she gracefully dodged the attacks, then landed on a section of the floor that wasn't yet on fire. Even if the caster dies, the primary magical effect might disappear, but secondary phenomena do not.

The bookshelves continued to burn, collapsing with a clatter. The Sylph on the other side was likely using wind to protect itself while closing in on us.

My eyes darted around as I touched Byakuren’s shoulder. Its mana had been depleted in the head-on collision with the Salamander, and I replenished it in a single breath.

I was already used to this feeling of mana being drained in a huge gulp, and the sensation of it being instantly refilled.

"Byakuren. Go over there and protect Erina-san."

I pointed with my sword in the direction she had gone, and the knight-armored golem charged, smashing through any bookshelves in its way.

Now then… there it is.

I pinpointed the Sylph’s location with my mana sense and took a small, deep breath.

The flames were closing in, and the air was hot. The air I inhaled would have scorched the throat of anyone who wasn't an Awakened Person.

I held my sword at my waist, concentrating mana in my hands and feet. Then, I released it all at once.

With a whoosh, the surrounding flames were pushed back. The wreckage of the collapsed bookshelves was blown away, and my body was propelled forward.

One step, two steps, kicking off the floor every few meters to accelerate. I scattered the obstructing flames with wind and pressed onward.

In exactly three seconds, I had the wind spirit within my sword’s reach.

The vacuum blade it launched, its expression as emotionless as ever, was dodged with a spinning sidestep as I crushed the floor with my left foot.

Carried by that momentum, my sword swung and made contact with the wind barrier the Sylph had deployed.

[Concept Interference]!

My blade, accelerated by its own wind, easily tore through the small body. The doll-like form dissolved into wind, then turned to salt and fell to the floor.

…Yeah. Still no guilt.

More importantly, I was worried about Erina-san. I located her with my [Spirit Eye] and once again forced my way through the wall of fire with wind.

As I ran in a straight line, I saw her ninja sword cutting down the water fish just as an axe crushed the stone doll.

I stomped on the human-faced mole rolling on the floor and looked at Erina-san.

"You okay? Any injuries?"

"No problem! More importantly, what do we do about this?"

Erina-san replied with a V-sign, but her expression quickly turned serious as she looked behind me.

I turned around to see the fire had spread even further. Bookshelves were collapsing one after another, crackling and popping. I might have gone a little overboard.

It was unlikely the fire would spread outside this room… but I felt bad just leaving it.

"I have a fire extinguisher, want me to use it?"

"No, Erina-san, you should head outside the room. Byakuren, turn your back to me."

'What are you planning, Kyouta-chan-kun?'

"I’m putting out the fire."

I took the file of transmutation circles from the backpack and quickly pulled out the one I needed.

I was glad I’d put it somewhere easy to find, knowing we were going to a dungeon with fire-using enemies.

On a patch of floor still wet from the Undine’s remains, I held out the paper with the transmutation circle.

"Fuuu…"

I exhaled and checked the memo in my left hand.

Then, I poured mana into the transmutation circle in my right hand.

What I was about to do wasn’t that difficult. This fire was no longer a magical flame, but a simple physical phenomenon.

Therefore, it stood to reason that it could be extinguished by physical means. All I had to do was deprive the fire of oxygen.

I changed the flow of air to enclose the flames. As I gradually narrowed the area, the fire began to shrink, and after about ten seconds, it was down to a smolder.

That should be enough. I ended the transmutation as I looked at the embers.

Now I just had to stamp out the rest… wait, is something burning?

"Gah!"

The paper with the transmutation circle I was holding is on fire?!

I frantically patted it out with my hand, but a part of the transmutation circle had been singed. I’ll have to redraw it when I get home…

It’s such a pain, since even a millimeter of deviation isn't allowed.

Should I go through the trouble of preparing a 'transmutation circle for drawing transmutation circles'? No, that seems a little beyond my skill level.

As I contemplated this, I stamped out the remaining embers on the bookshelves with my feet.

"It’s done… I think."

"That was amazing, Kyou-chan!"

I turned toward the door to see Erina-san running toward me with a huge smile on her face.

"To think you were such a master of wind style! As expected of a ninja!"

"I’m not a ninja."

'Then should I call you an alchemist? Or are those who can use alchemy as a skill even more amazing?'

"Uh, I dunno…? But they could probably do it normally. As long as they have enough mana."

The technique I used was pretty crude, really. It was mostly a brute-force approach that relied on sheer output.

If I had to say, I was already used to the sensation of 'turning mana into wind,' so that made it a little easier.

Still, someone with the skill could probably do it more elegantly.

I surveyed the room, now forty percent scorched, and confirmed there were no remaining embers. I breathed a sigh of relief.

In the meantime, Erina-san seemed to have collected the drop items and was now returning.

"Well then, let’s resume our exploration."

"Roger!"

'Right. Now, according to the map…'

＊　　　　　＊　　　　　＊

After another hour of exploring the dungeon, we returned.

Our total monster kill count for this trip was forty-two. With the subjugation reward from the store, it was a hefty income.

Even split in half, it was a profit of over ‘500,000 yen’… I think I’ll come back to this dungeon again…

Well, the monster ‘respawn’ rate here was relatively slow. That was why the drop items were so valuable.

I put the drop items I was keeping for myself, rather than selling, into a small bottle. Looking at them like this, they kind of resembled a souvenir from somewhere.

But with these, I could make ‘that.’ I was already looking forward to getting home.

"…"

"What’s wrong, Kyou-chan? Why are you grinning like that?"

'What is it? Are you having lewd fantasies? Like about Mia’s appearance yesterday!'

"Shut up."

I retorted at the teasing, disappointing college student as I put the small bottle into my backpack.

The bus arrived, and we boarded and took our seats. As expected, it was practically empty, almost like a private charter.

So why does Erina-san always sit right next to me…? It’s bad for my heart.

"The reason is a secret. It’s just like remembering something funny, that’s all."

"Ooh, I’m curious! What kind of memory?! Was it one where you shot fire style from your eyes, wind style from your mouth, and earth and water style from your right and left hands respectively?!"

"I have no such memory."

I replied with a deadpan expression, inwardly breaking into a cold sweat.

…Why does she always get so unsettlingly close to the truth?

Of course, I had no intention of becoming such a ridiculous person, so conversely, everything else she said was way off the mark.

"Aww. Boring."

'Alright! Then how about modifying your glasses to shoot beams from your eyes!'

"You’re trying to turn this into a comedy routine, aren’t you? Stop it."

"I accept your challenge!"

"Don’t accept. Sit down."

"Yes, ma’am."

From there, the disappointing beauties began their ad-lib comedy competition.

…Professor Arisugawa. Are your granddaughters less like ladies and more like comedians?