CH 219

Then I borrowed the back of the Adventurer’s Guild to get a feel for the Mithril alloy cudgel.

I tried poking it like a spear, cleaving, and striking.

I still feel that Spear Arts is fundamentally different from Staff Arts and should not be treated like a spear. But I don’t know that much about staff combat, so I think I have to treat it as if it were a blunt weapon in addition to spear combat.

Holding the center of the mithril alloy cudgel with both hands and swinging it down compactly as if I was swinging a sword. Then, I slide my hand over to the end of the cudgel and strike a large blow as if I were swinging a long club. From there, without killing the momentum, I rotate and strike with the image of a spear.

“I don’t care if it’s against a human being, but against a monster, a club might not be the best way to strike.” (Rook)

Well, I won’t know until I actually try it.

Next, I held the mithril alloy cudgel in my hand and used it like a wand.

“Light, illuminate my way, [Light Source].” (Rook)

The magic power flowed smoothly into the Mithril alloy cudgel and formed a ball of light at its tip without any discomfort.

“This is very good.” (Rook)

The flow of magic power was poor with the iron spear, so this was not possible.  If so, it might be possible to use a new fighting style different from the one with the iron spear.

So that day I trained until evening and stayed overnight at a nearby inn.

The next day, I left the inn early to enter the dungeon in the morning.

Today, I intend to investigate every inch of the dungeon’s first floor. The adventurers recommended that I buy holy water at the church, but I would probably need it from the second floor, where the zombies would appear, so tomorrow would be fine.

As I walked from the inn to the plaza where the dungeon is located, I saw many adventurers entering the rift dungeon in droves. The sight was very strange and a little frightening. People were disappearing into a mysterious place.

The closer I got to the rift, the more clearly I could see the strangeness, which made me feel even more uncomfortable. There seemed to be depth in the rift, and there appeared to be a black sphere-like object at the back, with something black and purple swirling around it and flowing toward it. However, adventurers who enter the rift do not go there. It is as if the black sphere in the back is just a background.

“Hey, if you won’t enter, please move back.” (Adventurer)

“My bad!” (Rook)

While I was hesitating at the entrance, a voice called out to me from behind, and I hurriedly entered the rift.

I started with my left hand, and as I entered the rift, my fingertips disappeared. When I crossed the rift, I felt a slippery sensation as if I was covered with slippery oil, which made me feel uncomfortable.

I’m bracing myself as my back is supporting me, and I push my whole body into the crack with a gulp—

“Oh!” (Rook)

The blue sky, the shining sun, and the flowing stream.

There was green land.

I had done my research beforehand, but I couldn’t help but be surprised.

A completely different world existed here. It was not a dungeon or anything like that, but rather a warp device, which still makes more sense.

I activated a short-range [Magi Location] while avoiding the adventurers who kept coming in from behind.

“Hmm?” (Rook)

I turned around, feeling a sense of discomfort at the reaction.

Ahead of me was the crevice I had just entered, and behind it was a grassy plain that stretched far into the distance.

That is definitely what my eyes see.

However…

“There’s nothing…?” (Rook)

There was nothing there.

To be more precise, the meadow behind the rift did not exist.

There was a straight wall about 10 meters behind the rift, and beyond that, there was no reaction.

However, to my eyes, I could see the meadow stretching far into the distance.

“What is this…?” (Rook)

Fearfully, I approach the wall and reach out my hand.

When I touched the empty space with my hand, I felt a hard, slippery, glassy sensation.

I touched it and tapped it with the back of my hand. To the untrained eye, I might look like a mime.

The appearance of this wall is like plate glass with unusually high transparency, but it is not such a thin thing from [Magi Location]… No, it’s not of that dimension…

I held up my Mithril alloy cudgel and tapped it lightly.

However, there is no sign at all that it will be broken by this much. I thought I would give it a try with all my might and swung the mithril alloy cudgel at it.

“Hey, don’t do that. It’s not going to break just like that. It will only damage your weapon.” (Adventurer)

A passing adventurer said so and passed by.

I exhaled lightly and put the mithril alloy cudgel on the ground.

This is probably some kind of hologram or VR or something like that.

At first glance, it feels as if I am in a completely different place, but this place is indeed inside a box surrounded by walls. It is a boxed garden called a dungeon.

This was created by…

“Something not human.” (Rook)

Labyrinth-type dungeons have been places beyond human technology, but I feel something more paranormal about this place. The place has a part of existence that I can’t even imagine right now. That’s what I feel.

“Well, now.” (Rook)

I unfold the map I copied from the Adventurers’ Guild.

According to the map, there is a creek on the left side of the rift we entered, which continues to the other side of the map, and a rocky area on the right side. Straight ahead of the crevice is a forest, and through it is a crevice that leads to the second floor. This is the terrain of the zigzag first floor.

Adventurers who hunt on this floor are said to hunt in the center of the goblin habitat or by the river where the Mud Toads emerge, so we decided to go around the perimeter so as not to disturb them.

From what I have heard, the ground floor is relatively small, so it should be no problem.

I proceeded clockwise through the meadow, relying on [Magi Location] that had been deployed and searching for enemies.

A fresh breeze caressed my cheeks, and the meadow made a rustling sound.

And if you think about it, there is a wind. …Isn’t that strange? …No, this is a meadow, and it’s normal for the wind to at least blow. Maybe it’s me who is crazy. …No, is it really?

I was walking along, my senses feeling kind of strange when I saw a creek.

I thought about it and realized that the creek was there… Oh well. Let’s just let it be the way this place wants to be.

Then, [Magi Location] shows a reaction from a creature. The location was ahead, near the creek. It must be a Mud Toad, judging from its shape.

When the distance was about five meters, the Mud Toad seemed to notice me and turned its body toward me.

It seems that it is not good at detecting enemies. This would be a good source of food for low-rank adventurers.

As the Mud Toad came bouncing toward me, I spun my Mithril Alloy Cudgel around and slammed it down on top of it. The Mud Toad seemed to have been hit directly on the head, and with a single blow, it stopped moving.

“Well, that’s about right.” (Rook)

As expected, the opponent in this rank range is done easily.

My body was able to move properly, and I was able to move my Mithril alloy cudgel without any discomfort. It is quite good for my first fight using a different weapon.

Then I observe the Mud Toad for a while. Staring. Watching.

“Huh, it really didn’t disappear.” (Rook)

No matter how much time passed, Mud Toad remained in the same spot.

In fact, monsters defeated in the Rift Dungeon do not disappear. When I first heard that, I was surprised, too. If this were a labyrinth-type dungeon like the dungeon in Elem, the monster’s body would be immediately swallowed by the labyrinth and disappear, leaving only the dropped items. However, the monsters in this dungeon, like those living outside, do not disappear even if you defeat them. Their bodies remain as they are. Then…

“Isn’t it a little troublesome?” (Rook)

All defeated monsters must be dismantled, and at least the magic stone must be removed. If the magic stone is left behind, there is a possibility that it will turn into undead.

Selling the legs of the Mud Toad wouldn’t bring in much money, and I don’t know how to dismantle the frogs in the first place.

As I was thinking about this, a group of people approached me from the side and called out.

“Brother, do you not want that Mud Toad?” (Voice)