Today, all of the members that I told to stay in the dungeon for three days returned safely.
Though there was someone that was seriously injured in a battle with a dungeon monster, there were no major problems since they were healed with a Life Potion that I supplied them with in advance. These potions were made by Alchemist-san using item drops.
Because there was more time than expected, many groups reached the final level of the dungeon. Although they weren't all able to defeat the boss monster, since there was a group that was able to do so, I'd say that the results are satisfactory for the time being.
There were many people with refreshed expressions on their face, so I wondered whether they were able to realize the power up, that their training up to this point had cultivated. Auro and Argento were among the group that defeated the boss monster
While I thought, "As expected of my children", I gave the magic gun and Tabarzin that I took from the young male Otherworlder to them as a reward for their hard work.
I gave Auro the magic gun, while Argento was given the Tabarzin. I did this because Auro's nature causes her to prefer fighting from a distance, while Argento's make him prefer close combat.
Since they were both pleased with their rewards, there shouldn't be any fighting between them. In addition, I collected the magic items they acquired in the dungeon, and after redistributing them, I decided to let each person do what they wanted for the day. Basically, they have the day off.
As for those guarding the Tomboy Princess, for now, Kanami-chan was giving her ideas on how to mess with the Boy Knight, so I decided to enter the Vesper Cave dungeon again with Auro and Argento.
We talked about many things as we advanced, with me teaching both of them about the structural weaknesses, killing methods, and ways of dismantling the dungeon monsters that we encountered on our way to the lowest level of the dungeon.
Both of them are still children, but their minds and bodies are growing very quickly. This is because they inherited [Precocious], an ability I've had since my time as a Goblin that is a racial trait that the species starts out with. I've been instructing them daily on the actions they should take when meeting people that can make full use of both their surface and real intentions, but they can still be deceived even if they're careful since there's a part of them that's still pure and innocent.
Although assistance is possible, it might be better for them to deal with training their fighting strength and ability to think on their own. In the worst case scenario, because their ear cuffs have my clones in them, I'm able to give them advice, aside from telling me their whereabouts if it's necessary.
Thinking about this as we descended, it was a little past noon when we finally came to the final level. Since we advanced using the shortest route, it didn't take much time despite the fighting and lectures.
Auro muttered from behind, "Even though we're weaker than this place and we're being cautious, we still are descending so easily...father really is amazing." Argento inclined his head to the side in response, "I know, right? The red crab...Red King Crab, was it? When I touched its shell, it seemed extremely tough. I wonder, why was father able to break it with one blow?"
"Was I able to show them a bit of their splendid father's backbone?" While thinking that, I enjoyed the boss room's mysterious scene, as well as the complex look in the eyes of my children as they witnessed it.
I took this opportunity to defeat the[High Octorp]for the 2nd time. Since the only witnesses were Auro and Argento, I didn't waste any time and activated my abilities, overlapping them so that I could immediately kill it.
However, before that, I made a vacuum membrane to cut off the sound, so that my sound based abilities wouldn't reach them. In addition, I gave them one of the items from Velvet's inheritance as insurance. I passed them each an [Extra Life Ring], a magic item which will disintegrate in exchange for nullifying a single attack that would instantly kill the target.
With the preparations complete, I launched a pre-emptive attack using[Voice of Death], which has a fixed chance to kill my enemy, and[Black Demon's Roar], which increases the power of my voice and allows it to cause negative ailments.
The sound of my voice was loud enough to surprise even me, causing the nearby stalactites to crumble into small fragments similar to sand, while the surrounding water also heaved violently as foam formed at its edges. The sound's volume was amplified as it echoed off the surface of the rocks, causing the[High Octorp]to slowly collapse forward when it heard my voice.
After it rattled to the ground with a splash, it stopped moving entirely. Did I win? Surprised, I took my halberd out of my item box and observed as I stabbed the[High Octorp]'s body with the tip. I smelled the[High Octorp]'s flesh burning as lightning came out from where I stabbed it, but it didn't appear to move.
This didn't change even though I left it alone for a while. It looks like it probably died instantly.
["Frontier Psalms" Condition to Clear[Vesper Octorp]Achieved:[Solo Kill][Time Limit][One Hit Kill]]
[Achiever Yatendouji is Assigned Rare Skill:[Master Vesper Exterminator]]
[Achiever Yatendouji is Awarded:[Ancient]Class Magic Item:[Vesper's Mysterious Shield: Octorp]]
[Achiever Yatendouji is Awarded:[Ordeal Breakthrough Celebratory Item]]
Hmmm, it looks like[Vesper Slayer], which I obtained last time, must have increased the chances for my attack to hit.
The rare skills that I have obtained through this world's laws,[Three Steps of Destruction],[One Who Eats the Living],[Vesper Slayer],[One Who Captures and Devours] and so on, are fundamentally different from many of the abilities I got with [Absorption]. Most of them are usually active.
While I'm certain that there are times when these abilities are inconvenient since I can't control their activation myself, once I've learned them. I'm sure I'll be surprised because of the unexpected results that will sometimes occur.
While thinking about whether that's a good thing or not, I collected the High Octorp's body, which is the third one I've obtained. Although there were fewer materials than last time, I also gathered the materials in the room that had been reproduced. Wondering whether we should return, I noticed that the look in Auro and Argento's eyes had stiffened when I turned around.
There was suddenly an awkward silence between us and the strange look in both of their eyes was painful. Their eyes said that they were looking at something beyond their understanding. It wasn't the sort of look you'd show to your own father.
I wanted to get rid of this very uncomfortable feeling, so I let Auro and Argento] attempt to defeat the High Octorp this time. I said, "You don't have to, but how about it?" Upon hearing me say they could give it a try they both began to get strangely excited.
However, while it wouldn't be training if I joined them, the[High Octorp] isn't weak enough that it can be killed by two inexperienced opponents like they are.
Auro's magic gun had a lot of firepower since it could fire a great variety of magic bullets. The Tabarzin that I passed to Argento causes the wounds it inflicts to explode, but it's still greatly inferior in terms of overall ability.
They'd probably both be stung by the tentacles and be unable to act within a few minutes. Either that or they'd be caught by its octopus legs, killed and then eaten. For that reason, I used[Lesser Summoning: Undead]to create 2 Black Undead Knights and had them both act as support.
The attack combination was, Auro who fighting at long range, even though she wasn't used to firing the great variety of magic bullets from the magic gun. Argento attacking with his Tabarzin while shooting his silver partisans from mid-range. The two Black Undead Knights stayed close to the[High Octorp]the entire time, in order to distract its attention from the two.
I sat at the entrance to the boss room, drinking elven wine while I observed the fight. Since I already taught them the[High Octorp] 's weak points, as well as things they should watch out for, I think it'll be alright. However, I'll step in if it becomes necessary.
I had a few concerns, but they ended up being uncalled for. Among the two Black Undead Knights that took most of the attacks, one had been completely destroyed. Half of the remaining skeleton's body had also taken heavy damage and it was almost completely destroyed, as well. However, because they were protected by the skeletons, both of my children finished killing the boss without suffering any major injuries that could leave them impaired.
Although they weren't able to satisfy the conditions in the Frontier Psalm since it took them more than an hour, they were able to defeat a higher ranking boss monster. This was because they were protected by a vanguard that was considerably stronger than they were.
This has great significance, as it seems they gained a huge amount of experience. Lying down face up on the last level's wet floor, they were both fatigued and gasping for breath. However, their levels have risen considerably and Auro appears to have gained the[Magic Gun User]job, while Argento gained the[Exploding Axe Wielder]job.
Both of them have already acquired the[Spearman]and[Archer]jobs through their training, and they also inherited the [Berserker]and[Grappler]jobs from me.
Though each of their levels are still low, the large number of jobs they possess increases their strength to compensate. In the first place, because both of their bodies easily surpass a normal human's, the reinforcement rate from their job corrections can't be compared to those a human would receive.
Mixbloods, who have the characteristics of both a demihuman and a human, appear to have an obviously different rate at which their strength grows. Perhaps these two will surpass me in the future. That's a nice possibility, since I believe that a child should surpass their parents. However, I don't intend to lose for the time being since my dignity as a parent is at stake.
Thinking that, I praised their growth as I collected the[High Octorp]'s corpse. We returned to the surface by the shortest route, while I ate the black bones of the skeletons whose role was now finished.
Although it took some time because I had Auro and Argento fight the dungeon monsters that we encountered on our way out, we managed to make it out in time for dinner anyway. While using what happened in the dungeon as material for a story, I thoroughly enjoyed today's fish dishes.
Since some alcohol that was inscribed with the name "Slime Sake: Kūforea" dropped from an Aqua Slime at some point on our way back, I took the opportunity to drink it during dinner, as well.
The reason why I drank it was that when I examined the Kūforea liquor we'd obtained with [Detect Analysis], the description said it went well with fish. My throat felt refreshed as I drank the sake, which was quite sweet and also had a sharp spiciness. It seems that it really is an alcohol that's suitable to drink with fish.