Chapter 30

The relentless growth of the Lads and the constant delays in posting times!

What will become of this in the end!?

The Mimic, which is in the form of an item, is apparently not a "monster in the form of an item" but an "item that can transform into a monster" in the data.

When the item is touched, attacked, or otherwise interacted with, an event is triggered.

This event causes the dummy item to disappear and a monster in the shape of a treasure chest, the Mimic, to be generated.

On the other hand, the prize for 10,000 tokens in the casino is "randomly selected from items obtainable in the dungeon that have a zero sell value."

Therefore, very rarely, a Mimic in the form of an item can slip into the casino as a prize.

“Of course, you can’t normally put a Mimic that has transformed into an item into your inventory. However, since the casino prize goes directly into the inventory, it can be carried around as an exception.”

“Is that so. That’s good to know.”

While saying this in a lackluster voice, Leesia looked at me with cold eyes.

She had been on the verge of death, but she quickly recovered once we left the <True Darkness Labyrinth>. Since then, she has been standing just outside the entrance to the dungeon, watching me as I continuously defeat Mimics.

“I understand the principle of how the Mimic comes out of the inventory. But...”

Leesia glanced at the pile of equipment in front of me,

“Unfortunately, it seems to be a miss. Most of the equipment here is something you can buy in the store, isn’t it?”

She said this with a snobbish attitude. Clearly more prickly than usual, but if I consider it as her embarrassment over her earlier fluster, it’s rather endearing.

“...What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

I averted my gaze from Leesia’s glare and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right. The equipment isn’t that great. Just because it was dropped in a strong dungeon doesn’t mean the Mimic becomes stronger or that the items it drops change. After all, it was just a Mimic in the form of a <Steel Sword>, so the rewards are accordingly low.”

If high-level equipment dropped in a high-level dungeon, it would be immediately recognized as fake, and vice versa.

Therefore, the items dropped by Mimic-type monsters are basically “items of the same level as the item the Mimic was in the form of.” In other words, in this case, the equipment dropped is of the same strength as store-bought equipment.

“But, that’s fine. What I’m looking for isn’t the strongest equipment. I’m looking for ‘strong equipment’ that even a novice adventurer can wear.”

Equipment that drops in a <True Darkness Labyrinth>-class dungeon often requires strength of 500 or magic of 600, which is far beyond the capabilities of the Lads, who are still novices.

“Besides, this equipment, while the types are the same as store-bought items, has one difference. That is, the ‘Enchantment’ that was likely attached by the <Black Cat’s Blessing Coin>.”

“Enchantment, huh. I haven’t really felt its effects much...”

Leesia’s reaction was dull. The best way to understand this is to experience it firsthand.

“Leesia, can you use attack magic?”

“...That’s sudden.”

When I asked, Leesia, though reluctantly, chanted “Wind Cutter.” The wind blade that shot from her palm hit a broadleaf tree about ten meters away, cutting a third of its trunk before disappearing.

“Like this. It’s just a low-level wind spell, but I have learned it.”

“Not bad for a low-level spell.”

She says it’s just a low-level spell, but her base stats are different. Even though magic is her lowest ability, it still easily surpasses that of a novice mage.

“So, um... here.”

I identified the equipment on the ground and selected three suitable rings, handing them to Leesia. Leesia took the rings but looked at them suspiciously for a while.

“...These won’t curse me if I wear them, right?”

“How much do you distrust me? They’re just store-bought rings with enchantments.”

Reluctantly, Leesia put the rings on her fingers. The moment the first ring fit her slender finger, she frowned in confusion.

“It feels... strange. A bit tingling...”

I pointed to a tree in the distance.

“Try the Wind Cutter again.”

“You’re so demanding.”

Leesia grumbled but obediently cast Wind Cutter. The wind magic swelled in her outstretched palm,

“...What?”

The massive wind blade cleaved the targeted tree and felled several others before disappearing into the distance. The felled tree hit the ground with a deep thud, and Leesia stood frozen in place.

“...What... is this?”

When she finally turned back, her face was as pale as when she was affected by the dungeon’s magic. Her reaction was even better than I expected, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“I told you. It’s an enchanted ring.”

“That’s impossible! I’m a melee class! This feels like a mage’s...”

But it’s not impossible.

The theoretical upper limit of enchantments that can be added to monster drops is determined by the “level of the dungeon where the monster was generated,” which is usually about “half the dungeon’s level.”

For store-bought equipment like Steel equipment, the highest enchantment value is usually around ten, and often in the single digits. Even if strength or magic increased by a few points, the effect would be hard to notice.

However, the store-bought equipment from the Mimic is different.

Systematically, the Mimic is generated at the location where its transformation is undone, so the enchantments attached to this item are based on the <True Darkness Labyrinth>.

The dungeon level of the <True Darkness Labyrinth>, which boasts a crazy difficulty, is “99.”

Therefore, the items dropped by Mimics generated there have enchantments of about 50.

“The three rings I gave you have enchantments of +48, +62, and +71, respectively. Combined, that’s +181. This is equivalent to the magic value that veteran mages in this world spend their lives achieving.”

And, of course, this easily surpasses Leesia’s highest ability. Her current stats are no longer those of a speed-type melee class. She is a melee-capable mage.

“Brother... Are you saying that these three small rings surpass a lifetime of training?”

Leesia asked, gasping for breath. I smiled back at her.

“It doesn’t end there. There are nine equipment slots. What do you think would happen if you equipped all of them with enchanted equipment?”

Of course, with the current stat distribution of Leesia and myself, everything would be blown away. We might have to change our classes to match the equipment or completely reconstruct our combat styles from scratch.

—People can become slaves to their equipment, and that’s what makes it interesting.

Adventurers shine when they can master equipment that can manipulate people. Whether you equip your character to match the equipment or train your character to match the equipment, both are important for gamers.

“Besides, as I said before, the value of this equipment isn’t just in being ‘strong.’ Its true worth lies in its ‘versatility.’”

There are plenty of weak but easily usable equipment and strong but selective equipment.

But this enchanted equipment is different.

“This isn’t something that only the most trained and selected can wear. As long as you have the skill to explore novice dungeons, anyone can equip it.”

“U, ah...”

I smiled and told her, as if the rings she had casually put on had suddenly turned into terrifying monsters.

“—This is the power I sought. The ‘strongest equipment for training’!”