Hello!
First, there are a few details I got a little wrong due to the fact the source material of this event isn't properly translated, but I got my hands on the raws recently so I got to alter a few details of the story.
I won't be changing anything since we're already at the end, but some of the next chapters were altered with these details so we could get closer to the source.
I believe making twists in the story is the way to go, but I usually prefer to follow the source if it says something is the way it is and so on.
For most of my knowledge on these events, I follow the events of the game Memoria Freese, but since the event isn't always detailed, going to the mangas is the way to go.
Unfortunately, not all are translated and the app where they were released is Japanese and hence not available in my country, even so, with the power of the Wiki, I managed to find some images and essentially understand everything I did wrong before.
Here is an image for Belthane:
(Image)
Anyhow, enjoy.
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/Crack…/
"Urg… Alright, enough stretching."
'Next to the source of the Spring of Life, Silver sat before the corrupted lake, looking down at its murky waters as he cracked his wrists.'
'He checked his surroundings; a few items were scattered around, potions and weapons ready to be taken mid-fight, together with other objects that may come in handy.'
'At the same time, his thoughts ran wild as he opened and closed his hands.'
This is my first time doing something like this, so I took extra precautions.
Maybe I planted too many traps... I'll probably not even use half of them, but that's the usual.
Also, it's not like I'm fighting deep down in the Dungeon where my only worry is the presence of other adventurers. This time, I have an entire country behind me to care for.
And above all, I must ensure the Spring doesn't suffer significant damage... Because I don't know when it'll just snap and lose its functions completely.
By far, this isn't the most technical fight I've ever had, but it's an annoyance to deal with, regardless.
/Sha sha sha.../
"Now... I've had enough of this rain." He said as he wiped his forehead
/Step.../
'It was time to slay an Ancient Beast.'
...
'Let's roll back to around an hour ago, when Silver and the girls parted ways.'
/One hour ago…/
/Step.../
'As he arrived at the Source of the Spring of Life, Silver began to study his condition as he prepared for his fight.'
'There wasn't much else to do, but he thought it would be proper to go over everything at least one more time before moving on with his plans.'
'After all, what he was about to do went against several things he "promised" to his Goddess. So he wasn't going to fumble now of all times.'
'He promised to take some time to prepare and even told Bhera he wouldn't fight it yet... But that was before.'
'He knew what would happen if he were to wait, and instead of letting those people join him, facing it now was his only choice.'
'He was essentially ready to face it now regardless.'
"First, my physical condition..." He mumbled as he looked at his arms
I'm ready to face anything, but my body is still not in its utmost perfect condition...
Just a day ago, I pushed my body to try and deal damage to the Black Dragon scale, a dubious yet necessary experiment.
In the end, however, the only thing I damaged was myself… And my Halberd.
Well… Not exactly one of my best ideas to date, but… Innovation often comes from mistakes or risky endeavors… Trying once wasn't going to hurt much… At least not anybody else.
Can't say the same for some of the poor animals buried under the avalanches I caused…
"Still, it's not like I'm without options. If I can take the Swamp King off this place, even if for aa moment, it may be enough time for the Spring of Life to purify itself."
"And if it's healing effect is strong enough to make this monster nigh immortal, it should be enough to heal my injuries and any fatigue I accumulate throughout the fight."
Although relying on it isn't part of my plans, it's a resource to consider.
Anyhow…
Hephaestus fixed the Halberd within a night, improving it even after she admitted to having underestimated me.
Honestly, I underestimated her myself. I know she's a Goddess, but this is the mortal world; shaping a weapon of such complexity within a day is a bit... Ridiculous.
I want to see her work on the forge... But she's really stingy about showing it to anybody, even Tsubaki... That's something for another time, anyhow.
Meanwhile, my body is still healing.
The damage I caused to myself last time exceeds my ability to mend it instantly, so I'm still somewhat sluggish.
If I had a proficient healer, this wouldn't be much of a problem, but proficient healers are rare, and even then, there is a limit to what healing magic can do.
Even some of the most expensive Elixirs need to be accompanied by proper first aid before being used, like in the case of a broken arm. Using an Elixir may lead to bone malformation due to overgrowth.
Often, an adventurer must live on with a broken arm for a few days to heal correctly; potions and other items, when used in bulk, can lead to undesired aftereffects.
And although I don't frequently make use of Elixirs to heal myself, that doesn't mean things would change much if I drank one now. Especially when I already did, not long after that "incident".
In the first place, my Plasmids aren't and never will be healing magic; they're more about piecing my body back together and transforming it, stimulating key areas to speed the natural healing process and diminishing its side effects, such as scars and sequelae.
Healing Magic is... Magic. Another way to see things is that while my Plasmids heal by using what's within, Magic heals by pulling in outside things... If it makes any sense.
Slash wounds are easy for me to heal, a few layers of broken cells are nothing to mend back.
But a tearing wound that messes everything up… The mutilation of the flesh, fragmentation of the bones, if not vanishing of particular body parts… Or wounds affected by Magical effects... That takes time.
Above all, what makes it take even longer is that my blessing often needs time to "Readjust."
Hestia's Divinity strengthens my body. No matter what I do, I cannot replicate it, nor will I never try. It's a useless endeavor.
At least for now… I see no possibility of even understanding it.
If I lose my arm and heal it, my blessing will not return. At most, that's akin to reattaching an ordinary body to a supernatural one.
It takes time for my body to readjust and equalize, a process similar to Leveling Up. As a consequence, this applies to most wounds healed by my Plasmids.
The problem is that most adventurers can't really regenerate body parts, so this isn't an issue for most... In fact, I don't even think it's written anywhere.
That is why I feel somewhat sluggish.
Not too much of a problem either way.
/Clank!/
'Silver took his Halberd out, placing it against the ground.'
'It looked the same as before but had a certain luster and sheen on its edge, with a few extra runes here and there and some smaller details around the intersections on the top.'
'But overall, it was hard to spot a difference.'
'Without a doubt, it was considerably stronger than before, but in the end, given its nature, the strength of the Halberd came from his own Status, nothing else.'
'Of course, given that it was made by First Class materials, even if he were weaker, it wouldn't break unless a greater force was applied. The reason why it rarely broke even as he abused it daily during his previous Leveling feats.'
'It was a 'one of a kind' weapon that grew together with its user, and even if the materials it was composed of were of high class, the weapon was still highly dependent on himself.'
'Just as most weapons were… With some exceptions like Magic Weapons.'
"I can feel it's sturdier than before, but the timing is what's important here." He said as he passed his hand through the glowing runes on the Halberd's edge
/Shine.../
'The blue runes flashed momentarily as if responding to his touch.'
"Originally, I expected Hephaestus to take longer to fix it, but her speed has made me change my plans."
There's nothing else to inspect. The only thing left is to challenge and take the Swamp King down.
I could wait to recover to an optimal state, maybe even question the others about their previous failed attempt at defeating it, but I'm wary of what Bhera and her children may do if I give them time to think and plan.
It's not that I feel they're an issue but… I would prefer if I were given space to act as I wished. And I'm confident that if I wait until tomorrow, she'll force me to cooperate with those two and likely even more.
This would turn this situation from a one-on-one situation to a siege of sorts. Despite being the right thing to do, that's not what I want.
I'm not sharing the Excelia with anyone, it's all mine!
Unless... Things really hit the gutter... Then I won't mind sharing it.
'If Hestia was here, she would bonk his head really hard!... Only to cry in pain afterward.'
Then… There's the rest of my plans.
Haruhime, she's the wild card of this operation.
Her magic should be more than enough to cover whatever gaps there are in my plans; after all, if brute force doesn't work, it just means you weren't using enough of it.
And even if that doesn't work, Hestia can give me a little boost.
A Status Update coupled with a Level Boost should even the odds… Not that I expect things to go down that route...
'Following this, Silver checked his pocket space, pulling a few items from within and spreading them around.'
'The first thing he took out was the special pair of gloves Hephaestus made for him.'
'He put them on with a smile before moving on to the next few items, putting them all on one after the other.'
"Hm... Alright, I look good."
'For the first time in a while, as he wore the leathery armor, Silver looked like a proper adventurer.'
'Aside from his unmatched pair of metallic gloves, the rest of his set was mostly leathery armor fitting a thief or lightweight warrior.'
'There was little to no metal aside from pins and locks keeping everything in place.'
'It was brown in color, being completely unordinary. Even so, it had a certain charm to it.'
'It was important to say that Silver would often venture to the Dungeon in casual clothing. Rare were the moments he went in armor; even in those moments, it didn't last very long.'
'He mostly did so for his image. Suppose he entered the Dungeon through the main entrance, which he did occasionally to hide his ability to enter and leave the Dungeon whenever he wished, he would wear armor as it was better than making everyone think he was insane for venturing into the Dungeon in slippers...'
'More than he already was.'
'As for his reasons for not wearing armor... That was a problem as old as his career as an adventurer.'
'Given the way Silver fought and moved around, having armor would often do little to nothing to protect him.'
'It usually got in his way due to how his Plasmids worked and also because fighting without armor was dangerous, and that equated to a harder challenge, which often correlated to greater Excelia gains.'
'And with his Skill, Silver's topmost priority was maximizing his gains. His efforts all lead to his fast advancement.'
'If that wasn't enough, two of his development abilities worked around him getting injured during a fight, a process greatly inhibited by wearing expensive armor.'
'While most tried to avoid as many injuries as possible, treating such Development Abilities as temporary bonuses... Silver saw them as his bread and butter...'
'Of course, that lead to his title as a masochist... Of course, thankfully, few knew of such personal details.'
'But at the heart of it all, Silver wasn't against wearing armor. He even preferred to have something to protect his body during fights against tough opponents, at least for a while as he grew used to his enemy.'
'Armor served as a way for him to learn and analyze his opponent until he was confident enough to take it off. Either because it grew too damaged or was getting in his way.'
'It always ended up as one of the two.'
'But even if he wished to settle with an armor set, the problem was that his growth rate was such that ever since he became Level 3, finding an appropriate armor set for an affordable price became difficult.'
'With his contract with Hephaestus, after he requested her to make his armor, and several months after he became Level 3, she only made him a pair of gloves.'
'Her busy schedule and eye for perfection were among the many reasons Silver had yet to possess a full armor set befitting his abilities and Status.'
'That was also one of the reasons he chose not to update his Status after he became Level 4. It was a way for him to accumulate Excelia and make some time for Hephaestus to make him something.'
'Once he had something to wear, even if he outgrew it, she would know if it would be wise to upgrade it or to scratch it for something new altogether.'
'Why question a God of the forge? Just leave her to her work, and things will end up fine...'
'That was how he often thought.'
'Her prices were also horrendous... Even with his hard work in the Dungeon and abilities, Silver was living paycheck to paycheck...'
'But that was also due to his greed in acquiring the entirety of the main street leading to his Manor...'
"Huff…"
Given the monster's nature, wearing armor that protects against poison and acid is the right call.
But... I don't have anything specific for that... Still, I do have a set resistant to corrosion.
I planned to give it to someone else as a gift for their Level Up… Now it has an equally great purpose.
The problem is that the set isn't powerful enough, so it won't last long, if at all.
Well… As long as it does something, even if little, it should be enough.
At worst, I'll just buy another; a hundred thousand Valis is nothing.
'Silver touched his temples, trying to think ahead and plan like a proper Familia Captain.'
I have to think like Finn… How would he plan for this?
Well… First… Assuming he was satisfied with the recon of the area and information gathering of his agents... He would commission every member of his Familia to get a complete set of the best poison-resistant equipment to prepare for the Swamp King's Accidic Poison.
Then… He would prepare potions and the like… Formations… A trap zone… Retreat routs… Magic Items...
Plan B… C… And D… It's the usual Finn thing.
He would also formulate an attack route to initiate a clash against the beast… Yeah.
Research and try to create possible scenarios in his head for what the creature could and will do… How it would fight given its appearance and so on…
But it's not like I have to account for others. I have only myself here to rely upon.
The only person here I can account for is Haruhime... And possibly the Princess.
Her Magic is said to be the only thing that can damage the Swamp King, a power created through bloodline merging, magic breed for one sole purpose...
With Haruhime's magic, could it be boosted onto an entire new stage? Maybe it could grow strong enough to wipe the beast down with a singular cast...
Those are the only people I have to care about; the others aren't going to add much to this operation, I'm afraid.
But if the worst-case scenario does happen, those two should be enough to take care of things.
'Silver looked at his pocket space before closing it with a decisive expression.'
"Let's see… Gear… Checked."
Items… Checked. Though I could definitely prepare more…
Well, you can always prepare more, but even Finn stops planning at some point.
You can always overwork yourself, but there's a point at which things start becoming excessive.
That aside… Plan B… And C… Checked.
'Silver looked around and crossed his arms.'
"The sun has just set… I don't know how well the Swamp King can see, but it should be an advantage for me."
The rain will also help dilute its corrosion… Or worsen it.
"I still have plenty of time, the night's only started…" He said as he took a step to the right, walking straight onto the woods surrounding the Spring
I'll prepare some traps. Having some spread around won't hurt.
'His expression tensed.'
Even if I must atomize it, I'll take down the Swamp King today.
/Swoosh…/
'Silver vanished onto the woods with those thoughts, executing his plans to take down the ancient beast.'
'And around an hour later… He went back to the Spring, weapon in hand.'
'It started now…'
…
/Back to the present.../
/Splash…/
/Splash…/
/Sizzle…/
"Urg… Even the splashing droplets of water from the Spring are corrosive enough to melt stone… This darned place." Silver said as he floated above the Spring of Life
'He looked down through the purple smog, visualizing the shape of the Swamp King.'
"Regardless of its 'immortality', a monster usually has its Magic Stone in one of two places:"
"The center of their body… Or their heads. That's how the Dungeon makes its monsters, and no matter how much the Swamp King mutated, it should still exist within the rules set by its creator."
If it's not directly at the center, it's usually centered around an axis… Like inside the heart at the center of their chest.
There aren't many monsters in the Dungeon that aren't uniform and symmetrical. And despite its current appearance, even the Swamp King cannot escape this category.
Underneath its corroded flesh and skin lies the deformed skeleton of something. I can't quite penetrate it much further due to its Magic Resistance, but it's there.
The shape of what this monster once was.
Even in Zeus' book, there is no mention of a monster without a magic stone; there must be one somewhere inside its body or connected to it.
I just have to find it, and victory will be in my grasp.
"Hm… Taking it down at once would be the right way to go… But for as boring as that would be, I have greater priorities to respond to."
/Shum…/
'Silver opened his pocket space, taking a spear from within.'
'It was a rather ugly and menacing spear with a tip that looked like a spiked tail with a bloody red end.'
'There was a dark aura surrounding the blade, casting a gloomy feeling on any who laid their eyes upon it…'
'Of course, it could only be one weapon, the spear Silver stole from Evilus. Dix' prized, cursed spear.'
'A weapon capable of inflicting unhealable wounds even by the most advanced of magic. Resistant even to weaker forms of curse dispelling.'
'One of the vilest weapons Silver ever laid his eyes upon… And wounded by.'
'A cursed weapon. Highly illegal and thus… Very cool.'
'Unfortunately, even after all this time, the spear still stank lightly of iron.'
'The blood of its victims was endless; this darned smell would never truly be washed.'
'It was a reminder, that there would never be... There couldn't be a redemption for this weapon.'
'The Souls of those murdered by it, did they frown at him as they watched him from Haven?'
'Silver felt cold just from holding it.'
"Phew… Will this work?" He asked himself as a smirk formed on his face
Fingers crossed.
/Sizzle…/
'He lowered the spear and had its tip touch the corrosive water. And upon contact, the water bubbled violently, as if it was about to burst!'
'Because some droplets threatened to fall onto his legs, Silver stopped playing and focused on his prize instead.'
"Well… This is the first time we're meeting, but…"
/Grasp…/
"Nice to meet you!" Silver said with a smirk as he threw the spear downward with immense power!
/THROW!/
/PIERCE!/
'The Cursed Spear breached through the water like a torpedo, empowered by Silver's Plasmids as it made its way to the Hibernating Swamp King.'
'Even as the spear approached, it did not react.'
'If it had any reaction to it, Silver did not notice, but even if it had… It would've been too late already.'
'Before he could even blink. The spear left a gaping hole in its body!'
'And even after a few seconds, it had yet to heal!'
/TREMBLE!/
/ROAAAAARRRR!/
'A mighty cry echoed soon after. It was the awakening of the ancient disaster!'
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Notes