Chapter 51

I moved my eyes and caught sight of the movements of the four rock-like monsters approaching.

"I'll draw them in. Luuce, get used to their movements and aim for the one with the crying face."

"Y-Yes! I'll do my best!"

If I can take down the leader, Kura, who's directing them, the rest of the Smiles' movements will fall apart.

With Luuce's speed, it shouldn't be difficult for her to target Kura while I draw the Smiles' attention.

"When their bodies start to glow, it's the prelude to <Acceleration>! It's a troublesome skill, but once it's activated, they can only move in a straight line! Focus on dodging first, and once you get the timing down, dodge and land a hit!"

Clowns are originally good at dodging large movements and striking back.

With <Acrobatic Step>, they can boost their speed instantly and walk on walls freely, so they won't be cornered and trapped.

As I lunged forward, the bodies of the rock-like monsters began to glow.

First, I moved away from the trajectories of two <Accelerations>.

I deflected one charge with a <Parry> using my sword, and I blocked the fourth one, Kura, the leader, with my shield.

"Luuce, go up!"

I then jumped back to avoid the impact while lifting Kura into the air.

"<Shield Bash>!"

Kura flew straight up and hit the ceiling with his rocky body.

It worked!

I managed to direct his <Acceleration> towards the ceiling by sliding along the surface of my shield like a slide.

These rock-like monsters have no limbs.

They have few skills and not much intelligence.

Once they're launched into the air, they can't do anything.

At the spot where Kura was launched into the ceiling, Luuce was waiting with a knife.

Using <Acrobatic Step>, she stuck her feet to the ceiling and, in an inverted position, thrust her <Black Steel Knife>.

"<Dice Thrust>!"

The number six was carved in the air.

The black blade pierced Kura's rocky skin.

Cracks spread across his body, and he shattered in the next instant.

[You have gained 772 experience points.]

[Your level has increased from 43 to 45.]

[You have gained 2 skill points.]

Good, I took down the leader, Kura, right away!

Luuce's speed, wide range of movement, and the weight of her critical hits are powerful.

Thanks to the Black Steel equipment, her attack power has increased significantly, and she beautifully finished off Kura with a single strike.

The remaining three Smiles are like a mob.

The battle has become much easier.

Two Smiles charged at me using <Acceleration>.

"Watch out, Elma! Those Smiles are cutting off your escape routes...!"

Luuce, who had been smirking on the ceiling, suddenly turned pale when she saw the Smiles' movements.

"Let me explain why you Smiles tend to cluster when your leader, Kura, is gone."

I said this while raising my shield.

I deflected the right-side Smile with a light sword strike, a <Parry>, and I slid the left-side Smile off the surface of my shield to alter its trajectory.

I then jumped and twisted my body to avoid the pincer attack with minimal movement.

When I landed, the two Smiles collided with a loud noise.

Cracks appeared in their bodies, and they rolled helplessly on the ground.

It seems both of them were stunned.

"If you run around the battlefield recklessly, a slight deviation in trajectory can turn you into a pinball."

"Haahaaaah!"

Luuce, who had kicked off from the ceiling, swung her <Black Steel Knife>.

One of the stunned Smiles shattered.

[You have gained 459 experience points.]

I quickly slashed at the other stunned Smile.

"<Striking Slash>!"

[You have gained 689 experience points.]

[Your level has increased from 45 to 46.]

[You have gained 1 skill point.]

Good... As the first skill you learn in <Basic Swordsmanship> and the main weapon of a heavy knight, it's reliable.

It compensates for the heavy knight's low attack power in a stable and effective manner.

"And now, the last one."

I slowly approached the last Smile, raising my sword.

The Smile, still smiling, shook its head in confusion, looking around.

Then, it turned around and faced away from us.

The body of the Smile was covered in the glow of <Acceleration>.

"There's no way I'm letting you escape!"

I quickly stepped on the shadow of the Smile, restricting its movement.

The Smile, which had tried to run in the opposite direction, was immediately pulled back and stopped moving.

Luuce, who had flown up high, slashed at the immobile Smile's back.

"Black Steel, here I come!"

Luuce flew around the Smile, quickly delivering strikes.

The Smile, trying to counterattack, couldn't move much due to the <Shadow Step> and couldn't reach Luuce, who had moved out of range.

It received Luuce's strikes one-sidedly and quickly stopped moving.

[You have gained 613 experience points.]

The last one was also taken down cleanly without much struggle.

"Haa, haa... I thought it might get worse, but I'm glad we made it through... I'm pretty tired. Let's take a break..."

Taking down the leader, Kura, quickly and the successful pinball effect were crucial.

Without those, we probably wouldn't have lost, but it would have been a much longer battle.

I took out a water bag from my <Magic Bag> and handed it to Luuce.

"You did well, Luuce. I thought we might have to use <Deathline Tyrant>, but we managed to conserve a lot of energy."

This exploration of the <Centipede Tunnel> is going well.

We might even surpass the results from the <Angel's Toy Box> when we hunted the gold-rush Lanas last time.

"Elma is too strong...! I, I have to try harder...!"

I looked back at the remains of the Smiles.

As the rocks turned back into mana and dissipated, I saw their large magic stones and the dull shine of Black Steel.

And in particular, in the rock with the crying face, Kura, there was a beautifully glowing, spherical item.

I felt my lips curl into a smile.

It seems the rare item dropped safely as well.