Chapter 35

It seems like there's a strange image being formed, but at this point, only Rad is treating Rex as the protagonist and calling him a hero.

In other words... Rad is the true heroine (♂)!

So, this is Rad's episode.

As he took a step into the cave, the air around him changed.

The heat that enveloped him and the magical tremors that stung his skin stirred his heart.

"Haha!"

He understood the meaning of the one-month training and the ban on adventuring, but that was a different matter.

The frustration of being unable to go on adventures as an adventurer had been building up.

(Finally, it's starting! From here, our adventure begins!)

This was only their second dungeon exploration, and they were about to dive into the overwhelmingly higher-level dungeon, the "Cavern of Seven-Colored Lava."

Normally, they should have been tense and terrified, but he felt strangely calm.

His limbs and thoughts were as usual.

Rather, the anticipation of adventure and battle sharpened his senses.

"......"

"......"

He and his partner Nuke exchanged a silent glance.

It felt like their hearts were connected.

Their condition was at its best.

In the air of the dungeon, they remained unshaken but with a proper sense of tension...

"Ah, um! When you and Rex were left alone earlier, what were you talking about?"

"That's what I want to know too."

"Nothing special. We were just confirming the strategy."

Tension...

"But, it seemed kind of intimate, you know?"

"Recilia is a big sister complex."

"Please don't give me such a dishonorable title. I just..."

"――Hey! Why are you guys chatting so casually in the dungeon?!"

Unable to bear it any longer, he turned around and shouted. The women, Mana, Prana, and Recilia, who had been chatting, looked at him as if he were a rare animal, and then Prana sighed deeply, as if she were thoroughly disappointed.

"...Ha. Shouting in a dungeon is rude."

"Ugh..."

He wanted to retort, "I don't want to hear it from you," but making a loud noise in a dungeon is indeed dangerous.

The monsters here don't have particularly good hearing, but it's not a commendable action.

"Well, everyone makes mistakes."

"Even as a leader, you should be more careful."

Strangely, he ended up being consoled by Mana, who was supposed to be scolding him.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

His shoulder was patted.

Nuke looked at him, shook his head as if to say, "Give up," and then with a serious expression, pointed ahead.

"It seems our training is about to be put to the test. Let's see how much we've improved."

Following his gaze, he saw a massive blue slime moving its bulky body toward them.

"――This is the 'Big Blue Slime.'"

As the enemy came into view, his companions' expressions tightened.

They moved with such agility that it was hard to believe they had been chatting just moments ago, quickly positioning themselves and readying their weapons.

Slimes, often considered the weakest of all monsters after goblins, should never be underestimated.

Unlike goblins, which are mostly weak and have few varieties, slimes vary greatly in strength depending on their habitat.

According to Rex, this one was level fifteen.

Aside from the Doom Demon, it was undoubtedly the strongest monster they had faced.

(But, it's not an unbeatable opponent. This one, I remember...)

Facing an unprecedented strong enemy, he recalled Rex's teachings.

---

"――The 'Cavern of Seven-Colored Lava' is an intermediate dungeon. Intermediate dungeons are completely different from beginner dungeons where newbies gather. ...Do you understand the difference?"

"Um, well... the strength of the enemies!"

As I anxiously answered, Rex smiled sarcastically.

"A perfect answer. ...As a negative example, though."

"What the hell! Are you saying the enemies are actually strong?"

I pouted, and Rex began to explain.

"Listen. The 'Cavern of Seven-Colored Lava' is called the 'second tutorial' and is a significant hurdle for adventurers. It's designed to lure in and frustrate beginners like you, who think that 'leveling up and hitting things physically will solve everything.' It's a dungeon that incorporates new elements to challenge you."

"New elements?"

When I asked, Rex nodded as if he had been waiting for it.

"Yes. Three challenges that can't be overcome with simple strength: 'status effects,' 'attributes,' and 'environmental damage.' If you don't have countermeasures for these three, you'll end up crying and going home no matter how strong you are."

Our faces naturally turned serious, but then Rex grinned.

"But don't worry. For the 'Cavern of Seven-Colored Lava,' two of these challenges, 'status effects' and 'environmental damage,' can be solved with just one piece of equipment."

He took a simple ring from his inventory and held it up in front of us.

"――This is the trump card for conquering the 'Cavern of Seven-Colored Lava,' the 'Barrier Ring.'"

---

I stepped forward, unconsciously checking the 'Barrier Ring' on my finger.

"Acid is coming! Don't get hit!"

I raised one hand in response to Mana's warning and narrowly avoided the blob of acid the giant slime had spat out.

(Phew!)

Seeing the acid blob hit the ground and sizzle, I felt a chill.

I managed to avoid it because of the warning, but if it had been in the middle of a chaotic battle, I wouldn't have been able to dodge.

Stumbling, I managed to get close to the slime when it happened.

The slime shrank its body, and smoke began to spew from all over it.

Not just any smoke, but green, toxic smoke.

"Ugh!"

I instinctively covered my mouth and took a step back.

However...

(Nothing's happening. Ha! This ring is really amazing!)

Despite being in the poisonous mist, I felt no abnormalities or pain.

This was the effect of the 'Barrier Ring.'

The ring creates a barrier using the wearer's magic power.

According to Rex, it's like a "stand-in" with its own armor and HP.

Rex said that because it's an equipment effect, it's not affected by magic sealing and is convenient, but the defense is minimal.

Moreover, its strength depends on the wearer's magic power, so for a warrior like me, it might break after a few hits from a goblin.

However, the true value of this equipment isn't just in increasing defense.

The barrier takes all attacks while it exists.

This includes "status effect attacks," but since the barrier is an inanimate object, it's not affected by physical status effects like poison, paralysis, or silence.

In other words, this barrier can prevent all physical status effects until it takes damage, making it the best status effect countermeasure equipment!

However, it can't protect against mental effects like confusion or charm, and if an attack deals both damage and a status effect, the barrier will break before it can prevent the status effect.

But against attacks that only spread status effects, like the slime's smoke, it provides invincible defense.

(I was skeptical, but using it, it's really amazing.)

The slime's smoke can cause four status effects: "poison," "paralysis," "weakness," and "silence."

Any of these can be fatal and make it impossible to continue the battle without countermeasures.

But it's impossible to equip enough resistance gear to cover all four.

(How did he come up with this? )

A fleeting thought crossed my mind, but I quickly shook it off.

I glanced at my right index finger and then focused back on the front.

The smoke is no longer scary, but just defending won't win the battle.

I observed the slime again.

(This slime is blue, so I need to use an earth attribute attack.)

The name of this dungeon, the "Cavern of Seven-Colored Lava," comes from the seven types of attribute slimes.

I only vaguely remembered the attributes, but they were thoroughly drilled into me before we came here.

--- Fire is weak against water, water is weak against earth, earth is weak against wind, and wind is weak against fire.

There are also light and dark, which are mutually weak against each other, but the basic four attributes are enough to remember.

There's also a colorless slime that is immune to all attribute attacks and weak to physical attacks, but the other six types of slimes are completely immune to physical attacks.

To deal significant damage, you need to use an attack of a different attribute, especially one that is advantageous.

(I'm still inexperienced. Even after nearly a month of training, I haven't mastered 'manual activation of arts.' I can't even come close to Rex's level, let alone 'Over Arts.')

Lack of experience in every sense.

That's our weakness.

"......"

I took a deep breath in front of the enemy, firmly gripping the Brave Sword I inherited from Rex.

(I'm still just an ordinary person.)

Even after nearly a month of training, I couldn't master "manual activation of arts."

I couldn't even come close to Rex's level of freely controlling the angle and speed of arts.

But...

I moved my arm at a certain speed and in a certain form, as I had practiced.

The moving blade created an imaginary mountain, and with one stroke, I cut it down.

"――Earth, Fierce, Cut!!"

The "earth" magic power that burst from my sword caught the slime's body!

The massive slime writhed as if in pain.

"How's that!"

I shouted, feeling the satisfying impact.

I couldn't combine techniques or adjust the speed and position of arts.

So, I decided to focus on a few.

I didn't try to combine or modify techniques.

I only trained to activate techniques at a fixed angle and speed.

Not only that.

I narrowed down the techniques I practiced to just four: "fire," "water," "wind," and "earth."

I stubbornly repeated these four techniques.

There were times when I felt hopeless about my slow progress.

There were times when I resented my lack of talent.

But...

"――This is my power!"

The moment my technique struck the slime, I felt like everything was worth it.

(Why was I so worried, anyway?)

Looking at the slime in front of me, I finally realized it.

Even if I can't control arts freely, just being able to use arts I haven't mastered yet is an invaluable weapon for a warrior, something that can't be replaced by any other asset.

I've come this far with just a month of training.

It's too early to give up on myself.

More importantly, I should be more grateful for the opportunity to learn such techniques and for the person who taught them to me.

I will become even stronger.

For that...

"――I will defeat you!"

Rex, your cruddy first-person perspective, hurry up and get here!

If my affection level adjustment doesn't catch up, I won't be responsible!