Swinging the greatsword like a club, Lydia’s swordsmanship was an incredible lesson for me.
Having only learned for a day, I could only do the basics, but there’s a huge difference between 0 and 1.
Plus, the use and applications of a dagger and a greatsword are as different as their sizes.
And just like Lydia’s swordsmanship, Benny’s acid magic was also quite helpful.
The name “1/16 Scale Dragon Acid” was either really cool or total garbage, but its effect was definitely there.
Even though the twisted and concave glove allowed the acid solution to pool effectively for corrosion, I never expected it would pierce through that thick glove in one go.
…And I certainly didn’t expect it to melt the materials that would become loot.
“Uh?!”
In the blink of an eye, not only the brain inside but also the thin metal covering it began to dissolve.
The brain was fine to dissolve since I was going to kill it anyway, but the metal covering was a problem.
The alloy most monsters on the third floor wore must have been something great a thousand years ago.
Even during the time when technology was rapidly advancing due to war, it must have been a pretty advanced technology.
Similarly, right after the cataclysmic war that wiped out most civilizations, it would have been an incredible piece of lost technology.
But not anymore.
The alloy you see on the third floor has had its recipes revealed through sufficient research, with a few exceptions for special types.
Thanks to that, the price of the alloy has plummeted to the point where it doesn’t make sense to even consider it loot anymore.
Thus, that thin metal covering, which still couldn’t be replicated by Pangrave’s technology, maintained its high price.
In fact, when I sold a few of them last time, the profit was on a whole different level compared to the second floor. The only problem was that it was tough to kill monsters.
…Well, now it was melting away so quickly due to its thinness that I didn’t have time to react.
“Kyyaaaaak!!”
Screaming and jumping, I quickly reached out my hand. Or at least I tried to.
Thinking about it, isn’t it dangerous to touch something with strong acidity with my bare hands?
Seeing me hesitate, Benny shook her head and snapped her fingers.
Snap!
Then, the acidic solution disappeared as if it had never existed.
Noticing the magic stone slightly bent among the brain mush, I realized that if it had stayed just a bit longer, I might have lost everything.
“Benny! What are we going to do about this? There’s nothing left!”
“Well, since it was my magic, there’s not much we can do. If it was you, Jonah, casting the spell yourself, you could have canceled it at the right moment or adjusted its power as needed.”
“Jonah is an amateur! Just do it!”
“Whining won’t help. I can’t perfectly time it just because I don’t fully understand your thoughts or read them in real-time.”
“Hmmm. Thinking about it, you have a point.”
Lately, I’ve been asking too much, but fundamentally, I need to grow myself.
This world may have a gender-reversed society, but before that, it’s medieval land. The social safety net is basically just the temple.
Plus, having been a man on Earth, I know that excessive asking can backfire as poison.
“Phew. Alright. Then I’ll give Benny a chance to teach me.”
“…I don’t know why you’re so assertive, but it’s a good choice. I’ll teach you something simple until we encounter the next monster, so give it a try.”
“Now?”
“I saw you had nearly mastered magic close to the 5th circle last time. Based on how well you use flame magic, you seem to have some talent there… but even so, you should give it a shot.”
“Umm, you think so…?”
Only then did Benny let out a deep sigh, showing signs of relief.
Meanwhile, my confidence was plunging in real-time.
My magic was basically all drawn from gacha, so I wasn’t magically talented. It would probably take me a long time to cast anything myself, or maybe it would be downright impossible.
But still, I should at least try. I need to show at least that I’m making an effort.
Above all, recalling how much easier the battle process had been this time compared to last time filled me with motivation.
Digging out the magic stone from the meat chunk that used to be a brain, I slung the Minotaur Greatsword over my shoulder.
“Well, it’s a good start. Next time, let’s see how I do fighting with just the greatsword without Benny’s magic. Then I’ll try using my dagger coated with Benny’s magic.”
*
To cut to the chase, this labyrinth exploration was a success.
As expected, I failed to learn Benny’s acid magic, but Lydia’s swordsmanship came in handy.
What can I say? It completely changed my combat style.
Until now, I’d been fighting by focusing on evasion and stealth to cover for my small build and lack of physical ability.
I still believe this is the combat style that suits me best, but at least when holding a greatsword, I shouldn’t fight that way.
In fact, if I didn’t make full use of the weapon, it would be worse than not using it at all.
Once I realized this, combat became significantly easier.
Just using the greatsword cut the fight time by almost half, and when using the unicorn dagger coated with acid, it took a bit longer, but still manageable.
If I used both effectively, just like at the beginning, I could send a monster to its grave in just a few exchanges.
And seeing results always boosts morale. Monsters that crossed my path were brutally slaughtered in my excitement.
After a little rampage, I found myself at the bottom of the moat again.
“Phew. It still stinks here!”
“It can’t be helped. Ever since the water in the moat dried up, it became a dumping ground.”
Benny cynically muttered, kicking at a gear stuck in the ground.
But maybe the gear was too big. Even as an upper adventurer, Benny’s relatively weak strength could barely kick it away, and her toe only ended up hurting.
“Oww…!”
Balancing on one leg and hopping in pain, Benny’s unfortunate appearance seemed familiar to us all as someone casually pulled out a Goddess Statue from their belongings.
Once again, the pose indicated the direction straight ahead. However, it had a strangely powerful aura that exuded an odd atmosphere. Why on earth did she tilt her head at such a painful angle?
“Hmm. So, we’re supposed to keep going?”
“I don’t interpret the Goddess’s will. I just follow.”
“…I guess I need to be cautious with jokes around Karen. Anyway, it seems like going this way is correct, so let’s move on.”
After walking a bit, I noticed the traces of battle in the distance. It seemed some adventurers had been here before.
However, even though there were signs of battle, they didn’t seem to indicate anything extraordinary.
It appeared the Gear Doppelganger didn’t pop up again while we were walking.
Having vividly remembered how I struggled last time I was here, I remained vigilant and collected information from my surroundings as I walked.
After some time, I began to see one of the wrecked, immobile debris stirring.
The Gear Soldier. A mechanical apparatus that moved based on the last words of the person it should have supported, even when they were dead.
As soon as I recognized that, I raised my greatsword. Just as I activated my aura and prepared to charge in, a black goo began to ooze out from behind the Gear Soldier.
It was similar to the amorphous body of a Shadow, but its texture was closer to being sticky rather than elastic.
Between the goo, large and small gears were gleaming as they twisted and turned.
“Damn it!”
Nothing had happened just moments ago! The adventurer who passed me was perfectly fine!
I swallowed my grumbled protest and stepped back. The Gear Doppelganger was still not something I could handle yet.
“Lydia! Benny! I’m counting on you!”
“Got it. Leave it to us.”
“What bad luck. It’s usually rare to even meet one of these guys, treated almost like a floor guardian, and here we are stumbling into its regeneration moment.”
With her arms swinging dramatically as if feeling pent up, Lydia stepped forward. Meanwhile, Benny shook her head with a sigh.
I cheered them on from behind as I stood beside Karen.
She was close to me, as if to protect me, but her eyes were glued to the Gear Doppelganger with no intention of looking away.
Now that I noticed, Karen’s eyes were shimmering in a faint pink hue.
She must have activated her ability to see through others’ true intentions.
“Karen, do you sense anything?”
“Yes. I can’t say for sure, but there’s an overwhelming desire… And I can feel that it’s directed toward Jonah.”
“Me? Why me again….”
As I frowned in disbelief, Lydia and Benny swiftly shattered the Gear Doppelganger.
It had managed to summon a gigantic golem from the corpses of nearby monsters after donning the dead adventurer, but now it was just devouring the debris of the Gear Soldier. Naturally, given we were facing two upper adventurers, it was only expected.
However, after hearing Karen’s words, the rapidly melting Gear Doppelganger began to look a bit different to me.
…It felt as if it was trying to cling to me, regardless of the damage it might incur.
With a strange chill creeping in, I took a half step back and reached for my waist.
Feeling the familiar touch of the dagger rather than the still strange greatsword soothed my racing heart.
But that didn’t last long.
A tiny movement was felt at my belly. Just to check, I opened my pouch to see the Goddess Statue…
“Are you kidding me?”
The Goddess Statue’s finger was pointing directly at the Gear Doppelganger.
