Ossan Saikyō Chapter 8 Part 11
As planned, Miss Sphenia joined us from the morning of the following day.
First, we completed our early morning training.
At Miss Sphenia's level, she was already consciously training several skills.
However, she apparently had never paid much attention to more finely divided abilities such as【Dynamic Acuity】or【Surge】.
When we had her participate in those exercises, she seemed genuinely surprised.
“I think it's remarkable that you even noticed the existence of concepts like these.”
From my perspective, it was simply knowledge I'd learned in my previous world, so all the praise felt a little embarrassing.
In any case, afterward the four of us entered the D-class dungeon together.
As expected, the village's D-class dungeon was another giant tree with a hollow opening, a relatively small dungeon consisting of five floors.
On Floors 1 and 2, the monsters that appeared were Killer Bee Soldiers.
They had been F-class Bosses, but against Freynil's «Sacred Ray», Rani's combination of【Dash】and【Vault】, and Miss Sphenia's archery, even groups of seven were practically erased instantly.
Floors 3 and 4 were populated by giant pill bug monsters called Iron Bugs.
Their steel-like shells and ability to curl into a ball and charge made them seem troublesome on paper, but in front of my mace they shattered like watermelons in a watermelon-splitting contest.
“I don't think even C-rank adventurers could destroy an Iron Bug in a single strike. Soushi-san's strength alone is extraordinary.”
At Miss Sphenia's remark, Freynil nodded in agreement while Rani flashed another thumbs-up.
On Floor 5, we encountered the higher-tier version of the worm-type Killer Worm from F-class tree-type dungeons: the Large Worm.
Twice as long, at roughly six meters in length, its slick body supposedly made attacks difficult to land effectively.
However, since it moved slowly except during the instant it attacked, it became easy prey for Freynil's and Miss Sphenia's magic.
Incidentally, regarding Freynil's «Sacred Ray», Miss Sphenia had this to say:
“«Sacred Ray» is particularly effective against undead, but I've never seen one that possesses this much power against ordinary monsters.”
That was her assessment.
Eventually, after progressing through the dungeon like that, we arrived before the Boss door after about four hours.
Honestly, our clear speed was absurdly fast, especially with Miss Sphenia present.
“Reaching the Boss on the first run through a D-class dungeon...”
Miss Sphenia's words more or less expressed what everyone was thinking.
Though perhaps it wasn't all that surprising considering we had a C-rank adventurer with us.
The Boss turned out exactly as expected, with no irregularities: the standard boss, a Murder Tree.
It was a large tree-type monster whose dangerous attacks consisted of close-range strikes from roughly ten whip-like branches and long-range volleys of poisonous fruit.
That said, I blocked all of the fruit attacks from a distance.
While I kept it occupied, Freynil and Miss Sphenia blasted away its branches with magic.
After that, Rani's fire-element magic sword and my mace smashed into the massive trunk, ending the battle.
The skill I acquired was called【Steel Core】.
It appeared to strengthen the body's core and help maintain posture.
Combined with【Steadfast】and【Stability】, it supposedly allowed me to stop charges from large monsters head-on.
My specialization in pure physical combat was becoming even more extreme.
Freynil obtained【Vital Aura】, which increased the effectiveness of healing spells under【Life Magic】.
Improving the party's overall survivability was wonderful, though it also made her seem even more Saint-like than before.
Rani acquired【Dampening】.
Just as the name implied, it dampened the impact of attacks.
Not only did it lessen combat damage, but it also reduced the shock from falls and the strain placed on the body when using【Dash】.
Subtle, but an extremely useful skill.
“Soushi-san's party is unbelievably strong. Even against large numbers of monsters, there's never a moment of danger. And your teamwork is excellent.
…
It's obvious how much trust binds all of you together. Would it truly be acceptable for me to join this party?”
After we exited the dungeon, Miss Sphenia asked that question with a gentle expression.
“Of course. After fighting together, I've realized just how necessary Sphenia-san would be to our party. If you'd be willing, we'd be happy to have you join us.”
“Exactly. And this isn't even the true strength of our party yet. Let's get stronger together!”
“It would be very reassuring to have you with us, Sphenia-san.”
The three of us each offered our invitation.
Miss Sphenia bowed deeply.
“Please take care of me.”
Rani and Freynil immediately hugged her, and the three girls celebrated together.
After sharing a room and traveling together, they had clearly become quite close.
Still...
To think that a C-rank adventurer, and a high-status elven beauty at that, had joined us.
Would there come a day when I was the one no longer needed?
(E/N: Don't worry Ossan, with how obsessed Freynil-chan is with ya, that day's not coming unless the party dismantles i.e. never basically 😂)
Carrying that strange anxiety with me, I led everyone out of the dungeon.
◇◆◇
The following morning, when the four of us visited the guild, the receptionist Mylan called out to us before we even reached the counter.
“Soushi-san, do you have a moment?”
“What is it?”
“Actually, reports of undead sightings have increased since yesterday. We're currently preparing extermination requests.”
“That is concerning... What kind of monsters have appeared?”
“Zombie-types. Most of them are undead animals, and several have emerged from the western forest. We've increased patrols along the road, but their numbers seem to be gradually growing.”
“I see...”
I turned back toward my party.
The three of them seemed to understand exactly what I was thinking and nodded in unison.
After confirming that, I made a proposal to Mylan.
“If you'd issue an investigation or extermination request, we'd be willing to look into it ourselves. We're quite experienced when it comes to undead investigations.”
“Really? Then I'll process the request immediately. Please, I leave it to you.”
Mylan pulled out a ledger and immediately began handling the paperwork.
I turned back toward the party.
“Does anyone have any concerns?”
“What happened to that party we saw the other day? They weren't here yesterday or today either.”
Perhaps hearing Rani's question, Mylan answered.
“Now that you mention it, that party really hasn't shown up at the guild for the past two days... There, that's done. I've registered it as an investigation and extermination request.
…
Since it's urgent, the reward will be the standard amount for now, but because it's also an investigation request, it may increase depending on what you discover.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
And so, after accepting the request, we headed toward the forest that stretched west of the village.
Now then.
Let's see what kind of shenanigans the【Bad Luck】skill decides to do this time.
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E/N:
Finally, Sphenia joined the party! 🥳🎉 Let's fight all the evil together and get stronger!
Stay tuned!
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