Chapter 44

As the goblins I had cut down were being absorbed into the dungeon, I thought about the nature of the dungeon. The dungeon is like a large monster, and it seems that creatures that fall within it are absorbed and become its nourishment.

“Onn!”

“Hmm, what’s wrong, Shiro?”

Shiro picked up a small red stone that had fallen where the goblin was absorbed, holding it in his mouth.

“I see, this must be the monster’s core.”

Compared to the dungeon’s core, it is much smaller and contains a lot of impurities. It would be difficult to weave a sufficient magical formula into it. There was only one, and it didn’t fall when I explored the dungeon before, so it must be quite rare. Well, I’ll pick it up for now.

“Onn!”

Shiro wagged his tail, urging me to hurry. ...Just like before, it’s a problem that Shiro doesn’t move exactly as I want. Moreover, it’s troublesome to constantly send commands to Shiro. Alright, let’s try to create a magical formula.

A formula that automatically sends commands to Shiro based on the situation. This way, he can fight on his own without my orders.

“Let’s see... When there are no enemies, walk ahead of me. When an enemy is detected, immediately switch to combat mode. For close and mid-range combat, you can freely attack by biting and scratching. Follow my orders immediately. Don’t stray too far from me, and for long-range combat—”

“Mr. Lloyd, you seem to be having fun...”

Grimo, watching me fiddle with the formula, sighed in exasperation.

“Yeah, it’s fun. Especially since Shiro moves exactly as I want, it’s satisfying to create the formula.”

“H-hmm...”

Shiro, being able to move freely and having a physical form, can be used in various ways, and he’s cute too. Beastmen are great.

“...Alright, let’s try this for now. We can adjust the commands as needed.”

“Onn!”

“Sigh, you’re like a puppet... I feel sorry for you, puppy.”

Grimo sighed deeply. I wonder what’s wrong with him. Anyway, we continued to progress smoothly through the dungeon.

The final commands I set were: in standby mode, Shiro should walk about three meters ahead of me and scout. If he detects a monster, he should bark to alert me. If the enemy tries to escape, he should try to stop them, but if it’s difficult, he should stay in position. If the enemy stays or approaches, he should start attacking. For multiple enemies, he should surround them to prevent them from escaping and drive them towards me.

“Onn!”

As we were walking, Shiro barked, and a goblin appeared. Shiro immediately bit it and quickly defeated it.

With the commands controlled by the formula, I had free hands and was experimenting with Shiro. I realized that changing the nature of the magic wrapped around Shiro’s claws and fangs to make them sharper was quite effective against monsters. This increased the speed of elimination, and about half of the monsters were being defeated by Shiro.

“Lloyd! If you keep letting the dog do all the work, I won’t be able to improve my skills!”

“I know, I know!”

While responding, I still intended to have Shiro work hard. Changing the nature of magic is easy when done to oneself, but it’s quite difficult to do it to others. It’s hard to visualize the changes on something that isn’t oneself. The power and precision are much lower when done to someone else. I need to practice. Eventually, I want to automate this as well.

“Oh, we’re almost there.”

A large hole was in front of us. The last time I explored, there was a big hole in the boss room too.

“Onn!”

As Shiro approached the enemy as usual, the sound of battle began. Let’s see how long he can fight the boss. Just as I was about to enter the room, a barrier appeared in front of me, and I bumped my head.

“Ouch... What is this...?”

I tried to hit it, but it didn’t budge. It seems that no one can enter from the outside.

“When the boss starts fighting, no one else can enter until it’s over!”

“Ah, I remember there was something like that.”

The entrance to the boss room is protected by a powerful barrier powered by the dungeon’s magic. It must have activated when the boss was found. Shiro was trapped inside.

“I’m retreating.”

A voice sounded next to me. It was Tao. After a moment, he released a palm strike infused with ‘Qi’. At the same time—

“Langris Style Dual Sword Technique—Wolf Fang”

Silfa also charged and delivered a slash. Despite their simultaneous attack, the barrier didn’t budge.

“This barrier is extremely strong because it has specific conditions.”

By setting conditions, the formula can generate a stronger force. In this case, it’s strengthened by limiting the location and timing. It’s not impossible to break it, but it would take a lot of time.

“Kyain!”

Shiro, who had been blown away, hit the wall and cried out. A large goblin, a hobgoblin, looked down at him with a smirk. His fists were covered in blood. It seems there’s a significant difference in combat power.

“Damn, even I can’t pass through this barrier! If this continues, the puppy...”

Grimo gritted his teeth. However, there is a way. This type of fixed barrier is vulnerable to changes in the formula. By altering the formula, we can weaken the barrier.

First, I’ll remove the conditions. The barrier is strong because of the strict conditions, but if I make them more flexible, the strength should decrease. Let’s rewrite the formula... Alright, it should be much weaker now.

“Both of you! Attack again! This time, with full power!”

“...! Understood.”

“Got it.”

Silfa and Tao nodded and prepared. They took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“Hundred Flower Fist—Thunder Fire Collapse Punch”

“Langris Style Dual Sword Technique—Lion’s Roar”

With a tremendous impact, the barrier shook.

“Ugh...!” “Ow...!?”

Silfa’s sword shattered, and Tao crouched, holding his fist. However, a small crack appeared in the center of the barrier, which gradually spread. Then—crash!—it shattered into pieces.

“Shiro!”

I broke through the barrier and ran. The hobgoblin, who was about to crush Shiro, noticed me and turned.

“Gruuuu!”

Before his roar ended, my right hand—Grimo—released a black wave of magic, piercing the hobgoblin’s mouth and blowing off his face. The hobgoblin collapsed, and I called out to Shiro.

“Shiro, are you okay?”

“Kuun...”

Shiro let out a weak bark. He had taken quite a bit of damage. If he had just run away, it wouldn’t have been this bad, but he followed my orders to the letter. Automatically issuing commands can be inflexible, so it needs to be reconsidered.

“Mr. Lloyd, please heal him quickly.”

“Oh, right.”

I’ll deal with the analysis later. I placed my hand on Shiro’s wounds and cast the highest-level healing magic, ‘Healing Spirit Light’. A gentle light enveloped Shiro, healing his wounds. When the light faded, Shiro opened his eyes and jumped out of my arms.

“Onn!”

He barked happily and wagged his tail. It seems he has fully recovered.

“Heh, you’re alright, puppy.”

“Onn, onn!”

When Grimo teased him, Shiro licked my right hand.

“You weakened that barrier...? I think it’s a type of magic, but being able to do that is not something just anyone can do. Moreover, you can use healing magic, which is rarely used... Lloyd’s talent as a mage might surpass even Mr. Albert...”

“That black sword flash, could it be a combination of magic and swordsmanship...? The secret technique of the Langris style, which only a few can use, even my father can’t handle it properly! If you have talent in both, Mr. Lloyd, you might be able to do it. Although you didn’t remember it in the heat of the moment... Huh, Mr. Lloyd, how deep are you...!”

The two of them were muttering, but I was busy dealing with Shiro, who was playfully nuzzling me. Hey, hey, that tickles.