Chapter 93

"Thank you for the bookmark and the rating.

At the beginning, it was only one a week...

I'm surprised, but thank you!

...Break's over.

"This! It's not time up yet! What do you think I appeared for?!"

Shiro tapped my cheeks with her paws.

It feels good.

"Don't worry, I'll enhance it with the 'Ring of Darkness.'"

"You don't intend to call me in combat, do you?!"

"My healing time will decrease... Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Shiro bit me. It didn't break the skin, but it hurt.

"...I, the Great Mage Merlin, have been trembling in fear since predicting the revival of the 'White Beast Hasfaan,' wondering how powerful and terrifying it would be."

"A cunning and human-hating beast, right?"

"Or one that you don't see until you're already ensnared?"

The audience is saying something.

"Got it, I'll call you next time. I promise!"

"Make sure you do! It'll be bad if you break it!"

"Okay, okay."

Shiro returned when time was up.

"Alright! Let's clear our minds with a battle!"

"During breaks, you need to rest both your body and mind."

"Whose fault is this, anyway?"

Galahad pinched my cheek. I don't get it.

We are about to enter the Illusion Route, or the Fehr-Faer Route, named after the boss, starting from the 31st floor.

"In the Illusion Route, enemies are less susceptible to physical attacks but more vulnerable to magic. Be careful with the damage you deal to avoid shifting the target. Some enemies will target the backline even when the frontliners use skills, and some will attack randomly. Homura, just try not to die. ...Actually, with your outstanding magic defense, you might be tougher than us."

"Until the 35th floor, where the route splits, some enemies will be extremely weak to physical attacks, making it a bit easier. After the 35th floor, the characteristics of the Illusion Route become even stronger, so it's good to get used to it by then."

"Understood."

"For Illusion-type enemies, invisibility and blinding usually don't work, so consider [Presence Dilution] almost useless."

"Understood."

If [Presence Dilution] is useless, then 'Shadow' won't work either.

The 31st floor is a cave made of bluish-white stone. There are stalactites and stalagmites, but no water drips, and the ground is not slippery, making it comfortable to walk on. Green moss with red berries can be seen on the walls.

The first enemy is a pixie.

These are extremely weak to physical attacks, but only if you can hit them. Galahad's greatsword can often miss, and Eagle finishes off the ones that dodge.

Watching them, I realize they have a pattern, and it seems Galahad's misses are intentional to make it easier for Eagle to hit the pixies.

The red-haired, pale-faced pixies laugh and stab with needles. They might be spears for their size, but they don't hurt much. However, they can cause various status effects like [Poison], [Confusion], [Excitement], and [Charm].

Occasionally, pixies use magic to lower stats, which can deal significant damage if you're already affected by a status effect.

With the Master Ring, my MID has increased, and the 'Verna's White Night Robe' further boosts my MID by 50% and increases resistance to non-magic skills by 50%.

I sometimes get hit by the pixies' poison magic, but I avoid [Rage], [Excitement], [Confusion], and [Charm], which can prevent the use of magic or cause friendly fire.

So, my main job is to heal the status effects of the three.

"This is surprisingly easy."

Galahad can now easily defeat pixies with Quick.

Usually, it takes a lot of time to deal with confused allies, who need to be nudged back to their senses or given status recovery potions after each battle.

The [Confusion] from these pixies can be cured with a nudge, but after the 35th floor, some enemies use [Confusion] that can't be cured by physical damage.

Friendly fire is scary.

"Thanks to you, we can immediately cure status effects. Especially [Confusion] and [Charm] are really helpful."

"When Homura gets hit, it's a different story."

"If the boss has [Confusion Resistance] or [Charm Resistance], we'll give it to Homura."

"Yeah, we might encounter a high-level succubus specialized in [Charm]."

"Considering how we're paired up, it's only fair to give it to her."

Apparently, the rare drop from the 35th floor boss is a resistance skill stone. Currently, various resistance skills are available, like [Charm Resistance], [Confusion Resistance], [Excitement Resistance], [Rage Resistance], [Sleep Resistance], [Slow Resistance], and [Silence Resistance]. They drop like crazy.

However, I don't plan to use skill points on these resistances. It costs 3 skill points just to get resistance to mental status effects, which is too much.

Skill stones allow you to acquire skills without using skill points. They are rare drops from bosses, but with Homura, they should drop, right?

Galahad casually replied, "They will."

"By this point, it's certain that [Confusion Resistance] or [Charm Resistance] will drop, right?"

"Is it still considered rare if it's certain to drop?"

"No, it's usually rare. But most people don't take this troublesome route."

"Because Homura is weird, or rather, because of the titles she has, they'll drop."

Galahad nodded in agreement.

The rare drops from previous bosses include the 'Ogre's Horn of Blood Battle,' the 'Strong Poison' from Sydor Sea Dorn, and the 'Horn of the Poison-spewing Black Dragon.' It seems that each boss drops two types of rare items, with the horns being the rarer ones and 'Strong Poison' being the more common one. The more common ones can drop from different bosses as well.

"Back in the day, I needed the 'Claw' from the Ogre of Blood Battle. It took 21 attempts to get it, even though the claw is much more common."

"Is the horn that rare?"

"According to the literature, the horn is much rarer than the claw."

"Is the horn that amazing?"

"It's amazing, no doubt."

"Are you not surprised by the rarity because you're used to it?"

"No, I got [Verna's Favor] just before this and [Overcomer of the Labyrinth] recently. I didn't know which were rare or what they were for, so I just ignored them."

"Homura, maybe you should start with the basics?"

Eagle is really digging into me!

"We've only seen a skill stone once before, but it's recorded in the Adventurer's Guild. Various resistance skill stones drop here, but the rarer ones are [Charm], [Confusion], and [Sleep] resistances, which can't be cured by yourself. If we get a [Charm Resistance] skill stone, we'll give it to Homura."

"Compared to other skill stones, there are more types of resistance and status recovery skills, but they're still rarer than others."

"Given the rarity, the higher the rarity, the more likely it is to drop, and if we get duplicates, you can take them. They should sell for a good price."

"Actually, I'm already happy with the attribute stones on the way here."

Occasionally, light and dark pixies appear, though they are rare.

Even without light and dark, it's rare to get attribute stones so consistently, so I'm really happy. If my range of activities expands, it might become common to get attribute stones, but for now, they are the most useful items I use in production.

As we approach the 35th floor, Will-o'-the-Wisps start to appear, enhancing the pixies and casting powerful single-target magic. The floating, ethereal lights are beautiful, but they become troublesome when enhanced, so they're not cute. Physical attacks barely damage them, probably because they are made of light. I'm more curious about how Ruba's sword can damage them.

Occasionally, we encounter Reis.

In this floor, encountering them doesn't lead to combat. However, if they touch or pass through you, your body temperature drops, causing a temporary bad status. This is dangerous if other enemies are around. Reis can appear suddenly from walls, making them hard to predict.

Then there are the fairy dogs, about the size of calves, with white fur and red ears and eyes. They look cute before combat, but they transform into something incredibly fierce-looking once the battle starts.

Well, it's actually better that they transform, as it would be hard to fight them if they stayed cute.

Overall, they have low HP.

Still, a party focused on physical attacks should choose a different route, as it will take a long time to defeat the Wisps.

The 35th floor boss is 'The March of Fairies,' featuring enhanced versions of fairies and Koo-Shi, the fairy dog.

While most bosses in the labyrinth have been up to three, this one has eight fairies of different attributes and three dogs. The light and dark fairies are nearly twice as large as the others.

"Is this a rare boss...?"

"Is it?"

"Last time, there were only six fairies."

Eagle says the light and dark fairies were not there before.

"Is this the effect of one person with [Favor] and three with [Blessing]?"

"Wait, will the next Fehr-Faer be different too?"

"Even if it changes, it will still be a similar boss, and the drops will be higher-tier, so it should be fine. But maybe we'll end up fighting stronger bosses from now on?"

Galahad looks confused.

"That annoying god likes trials."

"......Vers."

Eagle looks really complicated.

"Let's talk about that later?"

"Right, the dogs don't do much. You need to deal a certain amount of damage before they bark three times to reset their barking. If they bark three times, it will deal significant damage to us, and if you don't kill them, the fairies will revive them. If you kill the fairies and leave the dogs, the remaining HP of the dogs will deal damage. Usually, we start with the blue fairy that uses healing, but how about this time?"

Galahad explains, regaining his composure.

"Will the light fairy use healing too?"

"If it does, we'll prioritize it."

"Shall we go?"

"Right!"

The boss battle begins.

"Kyaa!"

"Reflected!"

"Heal!"

At the start, Camilla tried to use a group magic attack, but the light fairy spun and reflected it. The fairies are cute, but they use annoying attacks and defenses.

"Good thing I cast buffs at the start."

"I don't want to take Homura's magic."

*You have obtained the solo first defeat title [Unbewitched].*

*You have obtained the solo first defeat reward [Fairy Gloves].*

*Announcement: The rare boss 'The March of Fairies' in the Illusion Route of the 35th floor of the labyrinth has been solo defeated.*

*You have obtained 5 Dark Fairy Feathers.*

*You have obtained 5 Light Fairy Scales.*

*You have obtained a Light Fairy Shawl.*

*You have obtained 8 Fairy Magic Stones.*

*You have obtained 10 Fairy Fabrics.*

*You have obtained 5 Fairy Peppers.*

*You have obtained a [Good Target Pendant].*

With the right stats, Galahad and the others can quickly adapt and give instructions. I handle the annoying status effects promptly.

I leveled up!

"It was so much easier than last time."

"Being able to cure all status effects at once is really convenient."

"What? You can't cure them all at once?"

I got that look again, like "Here we go again."

It feels like déjà vu! But their faces are so different from human and beast, they look like Shiro's expression.

Apparently, normal holy magic has separate spells to cure each type of status effect, and you can only cure all at once after learning six or more status recovery spells. They integrate like [Appraisal]. There are few users of the integrated [Status Recovery].

So, even with a healer, if multiple people are affected by different status effects, especially [Confusion] and [Charm], everyone has to use potions to recover, which can be quite troublesome.

Huh? Didn't Ochazuke say something about status recovery and abnormal recovery?

Was it just a catchphrase? Or am I imagining things?

If skill stones drop, more players will learn [Status Recovery].

[Holy Magic] is also quite powerful.

No wonder Eagle chose it, even though she already has [Healing Magic].

---

*Increase*

Level +1

Title

[Unbewitched]

---

Homura Lv.36

Rank C

Clan: Zodiac

Job: Magic Swordsman, Alchemist (Assassin)

HP: 1278

MP: 1666

STR: 75

VIT: 40

INT: 146 (+1)

MID: 50

DEX: 47 (+1)

AGI: 82

LUK: 74

NPCP: [Galahad] [—]

Pet: [Bahamut]

Titles:

General:

[Communicator], [Circulating Power], [Mystery Solver]

[Economic Leader], [Solitary Adventurer], [Nine Lives]

[Sage], [Elegant One], [World Soarer]

[Pain Liberation], [Overcomer of the Labyrinth]

[Defense Preparedness], [Feeder], [Environment Changer]

[Fire Suppression], [Bond Holder], [Black Explorer]

[Unbewitched]

Gods' Blessing:

[Asha's Favor], [Val's Favor]

[Dul's Favor], [Rusha's Favor]

[Far's Favor], [Tasha's Favor]

[Verna's Favor], [Vers' Favor]

Titles from Gods:

[Asha's Guide]

[Dul's Fruit], [Dul's Land], [Dul's Fingertip]

[Rusha's Gem], [Rusha's Eye], [Rusha's Preparation]

[Far's Water Lily]

[Tasha's Host Tree], [Tasha's Disciple], [Tasha's Magic]

[Val's Feather]

[Vers' Eye]

[Mark of the Gods]

[Time of the Gods]

Slayer Series:

[Lizard Slayer], [Bug Slayer]

[Beast Slayer], [Gel Slayer]

[Bird Slayer], [Oni Slayer]

[Dragon Slayer]

Master Ring:

[Sword King], [Wise King]

Skills (5SP)

Magic:

[Wood Magic Lv.32], [Fire Magic Lv.30], [Earth Magic Lv.30]

[Gold Magic Lv.29], [Water Magic Lv.30], [☆Wind Magic Lv.30]

[☆Light Magic Lv.30], [☆Dark Magic Lv.30]

[☆Thunder Magic Lv.30], [Scorching Magic Lv.20], [☆Ice Magic Lv.28]

[☆Heavy Magic Lv.29], [☆Air Magic Lv.28], [☆Time Magic Lv.31]

[Druid Magic Lv.30], [☆Alchemy Magic Lv.20]

Healing and Holy Magic:

[Holy Magic Lv.31]

[Illusion Lv.1]

Other Magic:

[Magic Shield], [Stacking]

[☆Area Magic Lv.33]

[☆Magic Effect Lv.29]

[☆Action Chant], [☆No Chant]

[☆Magic Charge Lv.23]

Swordsmanship:

[Swordsmanship Lv.32], [Slash]

[Sword Lv.32], [☆Flash Lv.25]

[☆Phantom Blade Lv.19]

[☆Punishment Greatsword]

Dagger:

[Thread Lv.38]

Other Physical:

[Throwing Lv.11]

[☆Insight Lv.28]

[Physical Effect Lv.17]

Defense:

[☆Sturdy Shield of Earth]

Other Combat:

[☆Magic Nullification], [☆Weapon Hold Lv.30]

[☆Attack Steal - Life Lv.20], [☆Attack Recovery - Magic Lv.30]

[☆Skill Return Lv.1]

Summoning:

[Shiro Lv.14]

[☆Summon] 'Vers'

Spirit Magic:

Water Spirit [Rufa Lv.23]

Dark Spirit [Kurokagayaki Lv.33]

Talent:

[Body Techniques], [Evasion], [Way of the Sword]

[Code Deciphering], [☆Mind Eye]

Movement and Actions:

[☆Carry], [Jump], [☆Hover], [☆Sky Soar]

[☆Aerial Movement], [☆Aerial Action]

[☆Water Movement], [☆Water Action]

Production:

[Alchemy Lv.28], [Advanced Alchemy Lv.35]

[Cooking Lv.33], [Jewelry Lv.22]

Other Production:

[☆Rusha's Fingertip], [☆Manifestation]

[☆Plant Growth], [☆Green Land]

Collection:

[Gathering], [Mining]

Appraisal and Concealment:

[Appraisal Lv.41], [Insight]

[Presence Detection Lv.42], [