"Are you okay? There's a strong boss at the summit, right? I'll make sure to support you with all my magic!"
"Yeah, please do! Apparently, once we get past this boss, we can head to town, so there's no need to conserve anything!"
With Phoebe's regeneration healing me, I gripped my shovel tightly and stepped into the boss area!
'Boss: Two Giant Poison Frogs have appeared!'
As the system announcement rang out, two toxic frogs, about my size, materialized before me... Wait, two?!
"Regenerate, Slip Guard, Power Up, Speed Boost, Element Boost!"
Phoebe's supportive magic envelops me, and realizing there's no escape from the boss battle, I brace myself for the fight ahead. The first attackers are the poison frogs, two of them extending their purple tongues to strike.
"Here we go!"
I aim for the tongue lunging toward me with my shovel, bringing it down with force. I succeed in knocking one tongue to the ground, but the other strikes my stomach, sending me sprawling.
"Are you okay, Lena?"
"Guh... I'm poisoned... but I'm still in this."
Quickly, I gulp down an antidote and a healing potion to recover.
As I defend against the tongue attacks with my shovel, another one lashes out at me. Even as I slam the first tongue down to the ground, the frog doesn't show any signs of pain. It seems attacking the tongue isn't an effective strategy after all.
"I need to get closer!"
I rise to my feet and sprint toward the frogs.
"Geko—!"
This time, instead of a tongue, a jet of toxic purple liquid sprays toward me. I leap sideways to dodge, but more of it follows in quick succession, a relentless barrage I can hardly escape.
"Darn it!"
The frogs fully exploit their two-on-one advantage, and I swing my shovel to deflect as much of the poisonous liquid as I can. I get splattered with some toxic goo, but I refuse to stop as I charge at the frogs.
It seems these two can't attack alternately for long, so I seize the moment. Channeling my momentum, I plunge my shovel into one of the poison frogs and quickly retract it to follow up with another thrust.
"Here comes the other one!"
Before I could launch my third attack, Poison Frog A leaped back to create some distance, while the unscathed Poison Frog B jumped at me, ready to pounce. Thanks to Phoebe's warning, I narrowly dodged its attack and countered with multiple thrusts into Poison Frog B's abdomen. My shovel ignited with the resonance from Phoebe, setting the poison frog ablaze!
"Watch out for the tongue from the left behind!"
At her warning, I sidestepped to the right, evading a tongue strike from Poison Frog A that instead hit Poison Frog B. "Take that!"
My dodge positioned me right in front of Poison Frog B's face; I thrust my shovel towards it! It sank deep, crackling with electricity, which then surged through the tongue and shocked Poison Frog A as well.
"This will finish you off... ugh!"
Just before landing a killing blow, I noticed my green HP bar blinking dangerously in the upper left corner of my vision, poisoned and low. I quickly withdrew and took a healing potion and an antidote. While Phoebe's regeneration helped offset the poison's effects, my overall HP was so low that I couldn't afford to ignore it.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm managing... I wanted to take one down first, but things aren't going as planned... Phoebe, you're not poisoned, are you?"
"Yes! The enemy is coming!"
Once again, two poisonous frogs launched their tongue attacks. I dodged one tongue while deflecting the other with my shovel. The shovel crackled with electricity, sending a shock through the deflected tongue and hitting Poisonous Frog B squarely in the face. In an instant, it was enveloped in red energy and vanished.
"Alright, just one left!"
This boss frog relied on its numerical advantage with two against one. Taking out this last frog would make things much easier! But I couldn't let my guard down…
I charged forward, intent on finishing it off quickly. However, the poisonous frog indiscriminately sprayed its toxic sludge everywhere.
"Oh no! What the—!?"
I got caught in the thick of it, taking damage and feeling the poison seep in again. I could handle it, but I had to assume Phoebe was poisoned too... I had to decide: fall back or finish this fast.
"Phoebe, use Regenerate on yourself to hold out!"
"Regenerate!"
The antidote was about the same size as Phoebe, and considering her weight, it was doubtful she could drink it alone. I needed to end this boss fight quickly, then give us both the antidote and recovery potion!
With that in mind, I charged at the poisonous frog. It leaped at me with a crushing attack, but I dodged out of the way.
"One foe alone is no match for me!!"
Channeling all my strength, I thrust my shovel forward, cloaked in a dark aura, driving it deep into the frog's abdomen.
"This ends now!"
With the shovel still embedded, I twisted it halfway to pull it out, and the poisonous frog burst into a spray of red effects.
As I recognized the sound signifying a level-up, I quickly retrieved an antidote and administered it to Phoebe.
"Ugh…ugh…phew, I'm okay now, Lena. The poison's gone, and the lingering pain will be manageable with regeneration."
"Good to hear."
I took an antidote for myself, eliminating my own toxin. After using four antidotes in the boss battle, I had three left, which I decided to save for any future mishaps. I also had five recovery potions remaining—those would serve me well soon enough.
Steadying my breath, I didn't bother checking my level-up; instead, I headed straight toward the next town.
"We've arrived at Two Town!"
"Oh, Lena, look over there! There's a map and a magic circle!"
After descending Mount Jiten, we reached the town, and I first checked the magic circle and the map Phoebe pointed out.
The map displayed the town's name, but as our leader said, it was over thirty characters long, so I decided to call it Two Town.
"The registration for the magic circle is complete. You can now travel between this town and the ones you've visited before."
As I approached the magic circle, a system window popped up. Now I would be able to travel easily back to the starting town… Oh, I could also reach Lily's team's workshop and her personal home from here—very convenient!
As I check the map, I notice facilities that weren't in the previous town, like an arena, a job change temple, and a casino. There are many intriguing places, but first... I want to sell the unwanted items I collected from Jiten Mountain.
"Thank you very much!"
After taking my time at the shop, I manage to sell my poisonous snake fangs and toxic frog meat, ending up with more money than I had initially.
"Phoebe, do you want something?"
"I'm hungry... I really want to have some meat buns!"
"Got it."
I buy two meat buns, and we head to Lily's home to eat together. In this game, food acts as a buff item, slightly enhancing stats for a considerable time, although the taste is bland and doesn't feel satisfying. My sister says that if the flavor is too strong, it can trick you into thinking you're full, which isn't good. But well, it's just a game, so I accept it.
"It's so delicious, Lena!"
"Yeah, it's an easy taste to get used to."
As I enjoy the minor agility boost, we continue sightseeing in the two towns. Our first stop is the arena. From the descriptions, it seems we can participate in player battles or tournaments. Winning a tournament promises a hefty reward, but I decide to pay a small fee to watch a match first…
"Tempest Blade!" "In Phoebe no!" "Lightning Blade!" "Ice Lance!" "Grand Blade!" "Parry! Then Dark End!!"
"Wow, that's incredible... Will you become that strong, Lena?"
"No way."
The clash of sword techniques infused with magic and various spells unfolded at dizzying speed. In the end, a black mass erupted, and the magic swordsman was obliterated. The pace of the battle was too swift to comprehend. It was clear at a glance that this was a facility where only seasoned fighters could compete—being a hundred years too early for me. Without the ability to use magic, I realized that I had no place here, armed only with a shovel to jab or strike. So, I decided to head to the casino next door.
Inside the casino, there were diverse gambling options like slots, poker, blackjack, and roulette. The prize list showcased impressive weapons, armor, and even bunny suits, while stunning women in bunny suits attended to the guests.
"Wow, those people are incredibly sexy!"
"Yeah, that's a traditional dress for the casino. It's supposed to bring good luck or something."
"Oh my gosh!"
As I talked with Phoebe, a customer at the roulette table suddenly shouted. The person who yelled was on their knees, while their companion laughed uproariously.
"What happened!? Lena!?"
"Ah, they probably just lost everything... In a casino, it's customary to let anyone who screams be, no matter what they say, Phoebe."
"I-I understand, Lena."
In fact, I have a strong feeling that getting involved with someone who has just died is unlikely to lead to anything good, so I made sure to tell Phoebe that. For now, since I don't have much money to spare, I casually left the casino.
The only other place I'm curious about is the Job Shrine, but I've heard from Lily that it requires money, so it's not worth visiting right now. Instead, I decided our next destination would be the Spirit Ruins.
"Phoebe, is there anywhere else you want to go in town?"
"No, not really… Let's go to the Spirit Ruins instead!"
Having quickly wrapped up our sightseeing, we left the town and headed for the Spirit Ruins. The journey felt like a picnic; we spotted a few enemies like wolves and sheep, but they didn't seem to have any interest in us. It was as if they sensed our lack of intent to fight and simply ignored us.
Of course, we'd likely have to battle if we got too close, so we kept our distance.
"Are we not going to fight, Lena?"
"Well, our goal is to grow stronger through battle, so we could engage here, but if we exhaust ourselves now, we might not have the energy for exploring the Spirit Ruins later, which could put us in danger."
Even with Phoebe's regeneration and healing items, their supply is finite. It's best to avoid fights if we want to reach the Spirit Ruins.
With that reasoning in mind, we bypassed the other players engaged in combat and made our way quickly to the Spirit Ruins, arriving in no time.
A massive stone doorway loomed ahead, with a staircase leading underground, warmly welcoming us. Peering inside, I noticed the darkened interior was made of stone, a clear sign of human craftsmanship.
"Sorry, Phoebe, could you cast your light spell?"
"Got it! Light!"
A radiant sphere of light appeared above us, illuminating the ruins and revealing their intricate details.
"Phoebe, I should have mentioned earlier—if your magic starts to wane, please let me know right away. We've used a lot of support spells today for goblins, frogs, and snakes. If you're feeling strained, tell me."
"I'm fine! My magic will recover quickly with a little rest!"
"Alright, but don't hesitate to speak up if anything feels off. Pushing through won't help us."
With that, we continued exploring the ruins. The area beyond the staircase was spacious, and I couldn't help but think that recreating this in reality would cost millions.
"Lena, we have stone creatures approaching!"
"Already? A golem!"
I readied my shovel as the golem emerged—about the size of a large dog. Its eyes, seemingly embedded with glowing red stones, fired a ball of flame toward us!