Chapter 158: Subspecies

Leave a Comment / Spirits' paradise and ideal life in another world / By IX

After exploring the 66th layer of the sea and tearing apart about two-thirds of the Sea Serpent’s body, causing a massive blood spill, monsters seemed to be drawn to the area, so we fled.

Three days have passed since then, and now we’re diving into the 69th layer of the sea. The ocean is even larger than imagined, making it difficult to pinpoint exploration points and taking more time for the search. As a result, we decided to split up and explore the underwater world more efficiently.

“Yuta, I found it! A treasure chest!”

While waiting on a small island with Sylphy and Dyne, Bell energetically emerged from the sea.

“Oh, this time Bell was the fastest.”

“Yay!”

I praised Bell’s achievement, though there’s no actual prize involved. They all seem to enjoy this game of treasure hunting, competing to see who finds the treasure first.

Rain has found the most treasures, which isn’t surprising considering her expertise as a water spirit. Bell and Tamamo have found roughly the same amount, while Turu has the fewest discoveries. I have a feeling that Turu’s low discovery count might be because they occasionally follow Tamamo around aimlessly.

“Alright, let’s summon everyone.”

“Sure thing.”

I called Rain and the others, and guided by Bell, we headed toward the treasure chest. After three days of constant battles, we’ve become adept at defeating the monsters efficiently. We abandoned the risky knight-like duels against Sea Serpents; it’s much easier to defeat them through regular combat.

“Here it is!”

Bell pointed to a spot with excitement… a hole? There’s a hole under the rocky seabed. Bell has a talent for finding treasure chests in such hard-to-spot places. Quite an intriguing skill she has. When I looked into the hole, I saw a golden treasure chest…

“It’s a gold treasure chest. Great job, Bell.”

“Ehehe, Bell’s amazing.”

Bell was delighted not only by my praise but also by the compliments from the other spirits. Gold treasure chests are rare. In the game, there are even rainbow-colored treasure chests, but I wonder how it works in this world’s labyrinth?

“Alright, Rain, please.”

“Kyuuuu!”

Rain’s water manipulation made the treasure chest float up to the surface. Some treasure chests may have traps, and more importantly, opening a chest underwater would ruin its contents with seawater. I made that mistake once before, where the gold and silver treasures were soaked. I had to clean them with a purification spell, but there’s still a risk of damaging the items. It’s better to take the treasure chest to the surface before opening it. Especially with a gold treasure chest, there’s a high possibility of valuable items inside, so we need to be cautious.

The treasure chest was lifted from the seabed and emerged on the water surface. Dyne used her magic to level the surface of the sea and create a platform. Her attentiveness made me wonder if she was the real Dyne. She’s incredible when it comes to bodies of water. I thanked her, and she was in very high spirits.

“Now, Sylphy, please.”

“Understood.”

I entrusted the task of opening the chest to Sylphy. The chests underwater are completely sealed, so we have no idea what’s inside. Based on our experiences so far, a locked or trapped chest has a one-in-four chance of being opened even without the skill to unlock it.

Once I stepped away from the chest, Sylphy wrapped it in wind and opened it. As she did, a transparent liquid spilled out of the chest. Poison, perhaps? It looks like this treasure chest was trapped, but it’s disappointing.

“Oh, Yuta, this is amazing!”

Dyne froze the gooey liquid into a spherical shape.

“What’s so amazing about it?”

“Well, this is Poison Dragon venom. If this amount were to dissolve in water, it would instantly wipe out all nearby life forms. Even if it evaporates, it can cause severe damage.”

Rather than amazing, it’s worrisome. I knew it was poisonous, but it seems to be incredibly potent, like dragon venom. It’s not disappointing at all. And now, I’m supposed to store this dangerous poison.

I ended up with something strange. It’s a powerful poison, and depending on how it’s used, it could be useful, but I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to use it.

“Yuta, can we eat this?”

While contemplating the poison, Bell asked me if we could eat it. Eat it? I looked at Bell and saw that she and the others were peering curiously into the treasure chest. I had forgotten about the treasure amidst all the talk about poison.

“Is there food inside the treasure chest?”

Food as a treasure? This is a new pattern, and it piqued my curiosity. I looked inside the chest and found a large muskmelon. It emits some magical light, but it’s unmistakably a muskmelon. A muskmelon in a gold treasure chest… Could it have the power to prevent swimming or grant special abilities if eaten?

“Oh, that’s a Spirit Tree Fruit.”

“Huh? This is one?”

“Yes, there’s no mistake.”

In this other world, muskmelons grow on Spirit Trees… Quite different from Earth. Well, it’s only natural for it to be different, especially when it’s glowing. Normally, muskmelons in a treasure chest would be spoiled. I wonder if this treasure chest has a time-stopping function? I’ll have to check later.

“But it’s a bit disappointing because we can ask Dolly to get it for us.”

“Well, that may be true. But it’s not something that would be useless to have, right?”

That’s true. If we make a contract with the Spirit of Life, we should be able to handle most things, but it doesn’t hurt to have a fruit that can heal anything unless you’re dead. I briefly thought about selling it to Marie, but with all the commotion over the magical grass and the universal grass, I can only imagine what would happen if I introduced Spirit Tree Fruits. Until there’s a use for it, I’ll keep it in my magic bag.

“Alright, I’ll keep it.”

“Not eating it?” “Kyuuu?” “Is it delicious?” “Kuuu?”

…Bell and the others seem very interested in the Spirit Tree Fruit. Should I let them eat it? But, it’s a bit concerning to give Bell and the others a fruit that has been sleeping in the treasure chest for years. While it shouldn’t upset their stomachs, I’m a bit worried.

“How about we wait until we find the same fruit growing on the Spirit Tree at home before eating it? Can you wait?”

“We can wait.” “Kyuuu.” “Freshly picked.” “Kuuu.”

Good, it seems they’re okay with waiting as long as they can eat it eventually. I stroke Bell and the others while praising them. I’ll give them plenty of praise. As I’m doing so, Sylphy speaks up.

“So, what do we do now? Keep searching for more treasure chests?”

Hmm, I wonder. We’ve explored quite a bit of the 69th layer, and I don’t think there’s much left to find. We’ve obtained a large quantity of Divine Power Grass, but if it runs out, we can always come back. There’s no need to find everything this time.

The adventurers Labyrinth’s Wings and the people from Muscle Star aren’t going to discover sea treasure chests one after another either. It’s been a while since we dived into the labyrinth, and I’m starting to worry about Sarah and the others. It’s about time to head back.

“We’ve already found the staircase to the 70th layer, so let’s defeat the boss and return. We have various things to do in the Dungeon City too.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Should we head there right away?”

Everyone else seems to be doing well, and I was just leisurely waiting while they explored, so I have plenty of confidence to go and defeat the boss right away.

“Yeah, let’s go immediately.”

“Since we’re going to fight the boss, why not put on the Nature’s Armor?”

…Hmm, based on what I read in the book, even the heroes struggled with this boss, so it might be a good idea to wear the Nature’s Armor. Actually, there’s no other choice since Bell and the others are already prepared.

“Alright, please put on the Nature’s Armor.”

“Yes.” “Kyuuu.” “Safe.” “Kuuu.”

Clad in Nature’s Armor, I fly towards the staircase leading to the 70th layer, guided by Sylphy.

———-

“That’s the Subspecies of the Sea Serpent. It looks yellow, doesn’t it?”

The boss room isn’t as large as the sea from the 66th to 69th layers, but it still provides enough space for the Subspecies Sea Serpent to rampage. It feels like a large lake.

The Subspecies Sea Serpent raises its head from there and looks at us. When I read the book, I was surprised to learn that the boss isn’t a dragon. Even though the situation seems like a Water Dragon or a Sea Dragon might appear.

The 50th layer had a special case with the Fire Dragon, so maybe the next one will be on the 100th layer? Come to think of it, I wonder how many layers this labyrinth has. Will it continue after the 100th layer?

“Yuta, it’s coming!”

Oops, I can’t be lost in my thoughts.

“Rain, Turu, do as I taught you.”

“Kyuu.” “Got it.”

Yeah, they seem motivated and reliable. As soon as they respond, a wall of water appears in front of me, and on the other side, several pointed mineral spears grow. Alright, it’s a perfect plan.

While satisfied with Rain and Turu’s work, the Subspecies Sea Serpent lets out a sharp “Shigya!” and fires several lightning bolts at us.

The lightning bolts head straight for the mineral spears that Turu has created, absorbing them and flowing deep into the ground. It seems to be alright. Maybe the net-like formation of minerals in the ground also helped?

Rain’s Pure Water Wall doesn’t even allow the lightning to reach us. It took quite a bit of effort to explain the concept of pure water to Rain… I proudly showed off to Sylphy and Dyne, but it’s a bit sad that they saw no results before it came into play.

“Oh, Yuta, it worked just as you said. I never thought we could avoid lightning with such a method.”

Sylphy nodded with an impressed expression. It’s like scientific experimentation, so I’m glad she appreciates it. The real issue is the attack, though. I considered wrapping myself in pure water to protect from getting electrocuted, but it’s not a complete blockage of electricity, so I rejected the idea.

Not pleased with its thwarted lightning, the Subspecies Sea Serpent fires multiple consecutive bolts. It’s getting impatient waiting for us to approach, and this time, the cheat tools won’t be of much help.

“Bell, Tamamo, go for it!”

“Here we go!” “Kukuku.”

Saluting, Bell and Tamamo fly off. They split to the left and right of the Subspecies Sea Serpent and attack its neck simultaneously. Their wind blades and seaweed blades deeply cut into the Subspecies Sea Serpent’s neck.

Well, it’s an A-rank Subspecies of a monster, so it seems impossible to sever its neck with just one strike. It’s quite sturdy. Even so, it receives a complete surprise attack on its neck, spraying blood like a fountain. Confused and disoriented, the Subspecies Sea Serpent receives another strike from Bell and Tamamo, completely severing its neck.

If I don’t stick to the cheat tools, we can easily defeat monsters of this caliber. It’s a bit of a dilemma. I quickly store the Subspecies Sea Serpent and head back? Before that, I need to properly praise Bell and the others for their hard work.