Inside the hotel, Leo stands before the three girls that have already bought their equipment.
Tanya opted for lighter armor, mostly fabric and leather with few metals that cover her vital parts. She chose them for practicality and because it suited her fighting style.
Mittelt and Ravel choose something along the line of reinforced robe. Robe with leather and chainmail that offer better protection than normal robes.
"Now let me ask you all something. What would be your preferred style of combat?" Leo asked while taking a chair to sit before the three.
"I would go as a marksman." Tanya replied first and her answer is what Leo expected.
"Mage." Mittelt and Ravel replied.
"Hmn." Leo hummed while looking at Ravel which made her feel somewhat uneasy. "I am not trying to force my idea on you. But I think Mage isn't suitable for you, Ravel. The same for you too, Mittelt."
"Your Magic is good, don't get me wrong. But rather than a pure magic user, why not make a hybrid? Like Ravel with her Immortality would make a very good frontliner instead of just pure magic user." He points out and realizes his blunder. He should talk about this first before sending them to buy their equipment.
"Indeed. With such potent regeneration. Ravel would be very durable and if she is good with melee weapons, she would be an absolute beast and her Magic can further elevate her firepower." Tanya commented with slight envy in her face which is well hidden that few noticed it.
"But I'm not good at using swords. I never trained in swordsmanship and had always focused on Magic only." Ravel said with regret because what Tanya said is true. She can maximize her Immortality trait in battle by mastering both Melee and Magic combat. Unlike others that didn't have enough time to master both, she is a Devil with a very long lifespan.
"Well, that's the point of why I'm bringing the three of you to Orario. To learn and train. So what if you didn't know about swordsmanship? You can train in the dungeon and I am here to offer any help you need." Leo crossed his arm and said. "The same goes to you Mittelt."
"So, for now you all can go and rest. Think about what skill you want to learn. I will ask again the next morning." Leo said to Mittelt and Ravel.
"As for Tanya. Using your rifle isn't an issue since you can make ammunition with mana. But Mana can run out."
"I know. I would choose a dagger because I had been trained how to use them." Tanya nods and understands the advice.
"Alright, if there's nothing else. Sleep well, all of you will be entering the dungeon tomorrow morning." Leo said before he left.
———
Inside his own single bed room, Leo looks at Grayfia.
"Look after them for a while. I will be scouting the dungeon." He ordered Grayfia.
"Yes, Master."
Satisfied, Leo left from his window and headed to the dungeon. His purpose other than scouting the monster and their difficulty is to see how the dungeon reacts to him. Even though he masked his presence and sealed his power, he still didn't know how react to him because his body is a demigod, his blood and mana contain traces of divine power that could trigger the hostility from the dungeon.
Besides that, he is also interested in verifying information that he remembers. Adamantite, a special metal that can be found in the dungeon. The second strongest material after Oricalchum. It can be found literally inside the wall of the dungeon. The lower one went into the dungeon, the higher the concentration of the Adamantite there in the wall and enemies. However, only in the deep floor can one find Adamantite ore in good purity.
Leo had reached a roadblock on making better weapons because of the limitations of material. The Saw Cleaver that he transmuted is decent but not the best. Against normal material, it's superior but once introduced to magic or magically enhanced weapons, it breaks easily again. That's why Leo didn't use much of his Hunter weapons at all and used either Ame no Murakumo or Futsu no Mitama all the time.
Leo wanted to try to collect not just Adamantite but also various metals and experiment on them. With Vulcan and Hephaestus authorities, he has plenty of ways to make his idea work.
Leo approached the entrance and saw an Adventurer guarding the entrance. Leo only needed to show his Adventurer ID before he made his way down.
The first floor is Goblins. He didn't even need his weapon as a light flick with his finger can burst the goblin's head like smashing open a watermelon with a sledgehammer. The same goes for the Kobold which run away the moment they feel his presence.
He didn't feel any reaction from the dungeon, which is great. So he just kept going deeper.
Floor 2 to 10 is smooth sailing except getting lost a few times.
The floor 11 to 17?
The same as previous, nothing worth mentioning either.
Leo hoped to fight against Goliath but the monster Rex isn't spawning. So, Leo proceeded to floor 18 where she stopped for a bit to sightsee and then continued to floor 19. He keep going deeper until he can get a piece of Adamantite and Oricalchum.
Well, he can simply buy the material but he favors exploration and adventure to acquire the material.
By the time he reached floor 37. More than 3 hours had passed and he used Quickening to traverse most of the terrain. For others, it might take probably four to five times longer even if they rush with all their speed.
"Damn. I broke it again." Leo sighed at his Saw Cleaver with a bent edge. He is tempted to bring out Futsu no Mitama and bore a hole directly down but he stops himself, reminding himself that the dungeon will not be happy with his fit of impatience.
Leo repaired the Saw Cleaver with Blood Echoes which is 3 times more than what he collected as he made his way down here. Granted, he didn't kill most of the monsters he encountered. But that's still a lot.
He didn't really have any other weapon he could use at the moment. The divine aren't usable because of the dungeon and other Hunter's weapons are weaker than his current Saw Cleaver.
"No, wait. The Holy Moonlight Greatsword…" Leo just remembered the Arcane sword. It's material isn't common metal. In fact no one, not even its previous wielder have an idea what it was made of.
Leo never made any attempts to learn the secrets of the Arcane sword since he ended the Hunt because of its lackluster performance. Definitely not because he is disappointed he cannot shoot Excalibur beam like Ludwig did. He had let it hang on the display in his workshop to collect dust. But maybe this time he can do something more.
Leo requested the Messenger to bring the sword to him. The sword partially wrapped in strips of dirty clothes appeared in his hands.
"System, can you identify this sword?" Leo turns to his ol' reliable System when he can't figure out anything.
[Really? You barely tried anything on that sword. You call that appraising?]
"Come on, it's urgent."
[Fine. Just try to flow the Moon Presence power inside you.]
Leo injects the Moon power into the sword. The dungeon didn't react because Moon Presence power he usurped isn't really counted as authority because there's no divine power in it at all.
'Mine new master. I acknowledge thee as mineth new wielder and master.'
An unknown voice speaks inside his mind which leaves him a little bit stunned.
"Is that the sword?"
[Yeah. Your progenitor is the one that first noticed it was a living sword and promptly turned the sword into a girl.]
"Wait what?"
[Well, do you need my help?]
"Sure…" Driven by his curiosity, Leo agreed.
The sword suddenly glowed with blinding green light and died down to reveal a girl lazily rubbing her emerald green eyes as she yawned before looking around and looking at herself.
"Oh, mine master. What doest thee require from me?" The girl asks with droopy eyes that would fall asleep in a blink of an eye.
The girl has fair to borderline pale skin. She wears a Victorian style frilly dress coloured in a different tone of green normally worn by the upper class or aristocrats. Her hair and eyes are the most conspicuous, glowing green like the sword itself when transformed.
"Can't you talk in normal English?" Leo worried the author stressed with his own bad decision to make her talk like this.
"Of course, mine master." The girl nodded his head lazily as her eyes were shut as if asleep.
"Also call me Leo." He added but the girl suddenly fell asleep and turned back into a sword. So, she wasn't acting sleepy. She is sleepy.
'I apologize, master. I just woke up from my long slumber and barely have any energy left. Please let me rest for a while.' The same voice speaks to him again before fading away.
"Okay… That's unexpected." Leo mutters as he puts this matter aside and remembers his original purpose for entering the dungeon. "Adamantite and Oricalchum…" He mutters and resumes his journey.
"Right. Is there anything special about living swords?" Leo was curious and asked his System.
[Their strength reflects their owner. The stronger you are, the sharper and powerful it becomes. It's a special trait that made them very sought after. Also, you don't need to worry much about durability because they are unbreakable as long as the soul of the weapon is unharmed. But their glaring weakness is they are weak against attacks that can injure the soul.]
"Hmn…" Leo hummed until a thought suddenly enters his mind. "Hey, you said my progenitor turn his living weapon into a sword right?"
[Yes.]
"Did he bang his sword?"
[What else do you think he would do?]
"Damn" Leo hissed but suddenly interrupted.
'Do Leo wishes to breed me too?'
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Leo immediately denied in a panic.
'I can read your thoughts Master and you definitely have such thoughts when you laid your eyes on my body.'
"Fml!" Leo panics as Futsu no Mitama is forcefully summoning herself out.
"Wait, Mitama! Not now! Later! We can talk about this later. Please!" Leo panicked because the divine sword summoned herself out. The dungeon will definitely go into a frenzy.
Thankfully Mitama is still obedient and calmed down but she conveyed her thoughts. 'I AWAIT A PROPER EXPLANATION, DARLING!'
(Mitama is a little obsessive but not full blown yandere like Taihou from AL.)
"Crisis averted… for now." Leo wiped his cold sweat and sighed.
Leo continued going deeper until he arrived at the entrance of floor 39. He saw a large camp with a lot of Adventurers. He instantly knew it's the Loki Familia expedition. Because only they do regular expeditions down this deep.
Leo try to sneak past them but he was discovered before he could.
"Stop" A feminine voice called to him and then a gust of wind blew past him.
A golden pair of eyes stared at him not with hostility. But wariness and confusion.
"Where did you come from?" The expressionless girl that reminded him of Ophis, asked.
"I was taking care of my business."
"Taking care of your business?" The girl tilted her head in confusion. "What business?"
Leo realized this girl didn't really understand what he meant unless he said it directly.
"I was taking a shit." He said with a straight face.
"Oh… Sorry." The girl's cheek reddened a little before she apologized and let Leo pass. She didn't even suspect Leo is someone else because no one can survive coming to floor 39 alone except maybe Ottar. Besides, there are plenty of Supporters and other outsiders like the blacksmiths to exactly remember everyone's face.
"No worry, no one is harmed." Leo said with a smile hidden under his mask as he walked down the stair leading to floor 39.
He slipped past the Sword Princess of Loki Familia without any issue. But Leo wonders what she is doing up there. It wouldn't be possible for her to be tasked to watch over the entrance since she is a frontliner. Maybe it's all just a coincidence. Leo just shrugs and continues his journey but a little more stealthier this time.
—————
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