Chapter 77

Thanks to everyone, I won the [Net Novel Grand Prize]. It will be published as a book by Futabasha. I plan to update the details in my activity report from time to time.

By the way, Sugar was in Yomi's storage. It seems that at first, she was fighting alongside to capture the evil god cult, but after finding Luna, she put her away to avoid interference.

...That's just like Yomi. But still, everyone was injured, though no one died, so it's all good.

***

"So, we came to the sea... How are we going to conquer this sea?"

"..."

It seems that neither Luna, Yomi, nor Mirei had thought about it. Everyone looked surprised.

...Are they all tired from the battle with the evil god cult?

As for Tiara, she seems to have lost interest in the dungeon and is running around on the beach.

Heh... Her swimsuit is dazzling. Teaching her the concept of a swimsuit might have been a mistake. It was instantly recreated with magic. Well, after she tried to press her chest and was stopped by Yomi, she seems to have stopped doing it.

The reason Yomi gave for stopping her was that it was cheating and unfair, which is so typical of Yomi.

Still, why does a black string bikini have such a hold on men's hearts? ...It's a mystery.

"I've thought about it, but I think conquering this sea is still difficult."

"Hmm... Should we hunt all the sea serpents?"

"What should we do...?"

"I'm fine with leveling up here, though."

Indeed. Even though Mirei has become stronger, her level is still lower compared to Luna and Yomi.

"That's true. Let me and Retia think about it for a bit. Everyone, go hunt some sea serpents and level up."

***

So, we've bought ourselves about two days, but what should we do next?

Honestly, I don't think we need to focus on conquering this dungeon. I think we should look for lower-ranked dungeons.

It seems there are no wild dungeons in this world, so there should be 108 in total.

Yet, we are trying to conquer the fourth dungeon right away. ...Isn't that quite reckless?

So, I went home and consulted with Gra and Retia.

"Hmm, conquering a dungeon. If we participate, even the fourth dungeon could be conquered in less than five days."

"That's true... Even the inexperienced Tiara seems to be doing well."

No, I didn't mean that you guys would conquer it.

And Gra, stop fidgeting and looking at Retia. I can tell you're happy to talk, but your tail is showing! It's annoying.

"Um, that's not it. I wanted to ask how we can conquer the sea."

"Why didn't you say that first? ...Hmm, so there are a lot of sea serpents here?"

"If so, it might be more difficult than the open sea."

What do you mean?

"Have you heard that sea serpents are called sub-dragons? If they evolve, they can become water dragons. It's like how salamanders can become fire dragons."

"In other words, such strong monsters are not usually numerous. ...There are also many dangerous monsters in the sea. To conquer them..."

I see, it's difficult to do it head-on.

"I understand. Thank you both. I feel like I have a direction now."

The key is not to be detected by the sea monsters.

And to find the place to go to the next level, which is probably at the bottom of the sea.

If it's at the bottom of the sea, stairs are unrealistic. It's also unlikely there's a door.

"...So, it's a teleportation array?"

Right, I have a general idea now. The next step is to find the location, but I have a good lead on that.

Before going back to everyone, I called out:

"Quin, where are you?"

I came to the forest area Quin controls. I always release Quin in the shallow forest area when conquering dungeons.

This way, Quin uses her subordinates to gather honey and eliminate orcs, which helps with leveling up.

She also trains her subordinates, making the bees here elite.

"Hehe, Quin, you're quick."

Quin is really cute. She comes to me right away and rubs against me affectionately.

In my past life, "cat lovers" were popular, but my recent trend is "bee lovers."

Only for Quin, though.

"Quin, we're going deeper. We don't know what the next level will be like, but will you come with us?"

Shiver!!

"Okay, let's go!"

It seems Quin also wants to adventure with me, as she immediately climbed onto my shoulder.

Now, I'm used to her riding on my shoulder. At first, my mother was worried I was being attacked.

As soon as we arrived at the sea area, we heard a huge explosion.

Looking out to the open sea, I saw three people on small dragons attacking sea serpents from the air.

"...So, those dragons are Tiara?"

It seems the four of them had already put into practice what I was thinking.

If the sea is impossible, then go from the air. They must have realized it without me saying anything.

To signal that I've returned, I launched a beautiful firework into the sky. Thanks to Gra's blessing, handling fire has become much easier.

They returned in less than five minutes. The flying ability of dragons is no joke.

"Welcome back, Master."

Luna seems a bit more relaxed with me lately. She still calls me "Master," but I feel like we're getting closer, which makes me happy.

"Did you find anything out?"

Yomi quickly closed the distance. Lately, her physical contact is more intense. She also calls me "Owl-sama" now.

"No, you guys were already doing what I was thinking."

"So, you're going from the air?"

It seems Mirei suggested it. It might be due to the efficiency she brings.

"That's right. And this is just a hunch, but I think the way to the next level is not stairs but a teleportation magic array."

After explaining the reasoning, everyone seemed to agree and decided to search for the magic array. However, it's unlikely to be out in the open.

It's probably inside something like a temple. ...But the difficulty seems to have suddenly increased, so there might be a reason.

"Tiara, sorry, but I need your help."

"Leave it to me!"

Tiara, who was in human form, quickly transformed into a dragon. I've seen the transformation process before, but it's still mysterious.

I rode on Tiara and flew in the air. ...Wait, is this my first time flying?

...Oh no, I just realized.

"...Ri-da."

"Huh? Did you say something, Master?"

"I, I can't fly!!!"

Oh no, oh no, oh no! I just realized, but flying is so scary?! I don't think I can get used to it?! However, Tiara flies without being affected by my screams.

"Put me down, please!!!"

***

Before I knew it, we arrived at an isolated island deep in the sea. There was a temple, but instead of a teleportation array, there were ordinary stairs. I thought the array would be at the bottom of the sea, but I didn't expect an island to be here.

But I had a rough time... I underestimated flying... I never want to fly again. I want to live my life with my feet on the ground. Flying is not something humans are made for.

"Hehe, even Master Owl has a weakness, huh?"

"Master, you're so cute..."

"Auwl, you look so pitiful..."

Shut up! Say whatever you want! I can't understand the mindset of someone doing skydiving.

"Okay, let's go to the next level!"

"Hehe, let's pretend it didn't happen."

"Master, you're so cute..."

"Well, I don't hate such a Auwl."

Despite everything, we arrived at the next level. The sea there was incredibly beautiful. If the 37th level was a clear blue sea, this one is like a resort sea, with an emerald green color.

"Another sea... I knew, but I don't want to believe it..."

We have to fly again... This dungeon is really stubborn. I might cry.

Looking at the sea, I saw many giant squids. They were even bigger than giant squids.

"That's a kraken, Auwl!"

Tiara is surprisingly knowledgeable, even though she's a dragon.

"...I'll take care of it."

'Willing lightning, become a living dragon and annihilate them, Lightning Dragon.'

If the summoning magic that mimics attribute magic with a will-less dragon is one thing, this is something entirely different. The dragon has a will, albeit a small one.

It's different from the dimension of the dragon Retia summons, but this is the limit of the magic I can use. Humans do have limits, after all.

The lightning dragon I summoned started slaughtering the krakens, but it disappeared after taking down four. It's difficult to maintain, and I might need more magic control training.

"Master, you can use such magic... When did you learn it?"

"Hehe, Master looks so excited."

"I want to be able to use such magic too~"

They're saying something behind me, but I can't be stopped now. There are still about eight krakens in sight. I can still summon a lightning dragon, but I can't do it multiple times...

"‘We're here too!’"

"Everyone... Let's hunt!"

After an hour of attacking from land, we cleared the visible krakens. By then, Tiara was... making sandcastles.

"Tiara, you're good at making sandcastles."

"Really! This is the first time I've made such a beautiful castle!"

Castle...? What castle? No, it's better not to ask.

"Auwl, let's go to the next level!"

Mirei is full of energy. She must really want to get stronger, but why are the people around me so reliable?

"Y, yeah!"

Wait, that means...

"I don't want to fly again..."

***

Before I knew it, we were in front of the boss room of the 40th level. I must have passed out. When I woke up, someone was giving me a pillow, but I don't know who it was.

"Since the 40th level is a sea area, I think the boss will be water-based..."

The boss of the 35th level was a salamander, a fire-attribute sub-dragon. Considering that, the boss of the 40th level...

"A water dragon?"

"A water dragon?"

"Hehe, I wonder if my water dragon is stronger."

"I want to be able to use such strong magic..."

We opened the large door and entered. Inside was a monster that looked more like a giant axolotl than a water dragon. It was really huge. The only downside is its slightly creepy appearance...

"Can I take care of this enemy alone?"

I want to test how strong I've become and try out some new techniques. Everyone seems to accept my request, so I'll do it my way.

Thanks to passing out, my magic power has recovered. I'm in perfect condition, and I can see how far my staff skills have come.

"Glitter Lance x 10"

Ten shining spears appeared from the void and flew towards the water dragon, but they were blocked by a super-pure water barrier, just like Retia's defense.

"The 40th level is a bit too strong, isn't it?"

The water dragon also counterattacked with large water bullets from its huge mouth. ...If I hadn't seen Retia's attacks, I might have been surprised, but now they're just a lower version of hers.

Instead of blocking the attack head-on with a barrier, I realized it's easier to deflect it by placing the barrier diagonally.

The enemy's attacks don't work, but my previous attacks are also blocked.

However, Thunder Ray evolved into Glitter Lance, and this technique can evolve further. I'm not the same as before.

"Thunder Arrow x 5"

The water dragon was using the same super-pure water defense, but it was useless.

Gyuaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!?!

"Surprised? This lightning has the same voltage as real lightning, about 100 million volts. Super-pure water is meaningless against real lightning."

It uses a lot of magic power and is difficult to control, but I think it's one of the strongest single-use attacks I can use.

The water dragon, pierced by the Thunder Arrow, was in pain but not dead. As a boss, it's tough, but this is the end.

"Thunder"

The water dragon completely fell silent and disappeared, leaving behind a huge magic stone and a treasure chest.

Looking at everyone, Luna looked happy, Yomi looked a bit annoyed, and Mirei looked excited. Tiara was as usual, looking carefree.

...It's probably because I used only lightning magic. What can I do? The enemy was water-based.

Ignoring everyone, I approached the treasure chest, and everyone ran after me. Of course, they're curious about what's inside. Let's open it.

This is...

"A scroll?"

"‘A scroll?’"

But what kind of scroll? I want to use it, but I'm still scared. If I use it with Gra and Retia around, they can handle any situation.

"I'll use this later. Let's go to the next level for now."

We cautiously descended, and it felt chilly. It might be a frozen area...

"Master, let's go back for today?"

"Hehe, Luna doesn't like scary things, does she?"

"...Bones are walking..."

The next area was a graveyard. ...And skeletons and zombies were wandering around as if it were normal.

"Okay! Let's call it a day for this dungeon. You've all leveled up a bit, right?"

Everyone agreed to end the dungeon. Yomi seemed fine, but everyone else was in a daze. I didn't expect real zombies to be so creepy...

***

When we got home, Luna's family and Gra's group were there, making dinner. It seems Mariaana is making a dish from her hometown.

There's still time before dinner, so I want to use the scroll right away.

"Retia, do you know what this scroll is?"

"Probably a summoning scroll. It's the type that changes what it summons based on the caster's magic power."

I see. So, if my magic power is at its best, I can summon something decent.

Fortunately, my magic power has recovered, and I'm ready to go.

"Everyone, can I use this?"

"Of course."

"Hehe, I'm excited to see what Master Owl will summon."

"...I don't want a girl."

Jealous Mirei is so cute... She's already a beautiful girl.

"Um, I need to pour all my magic power into this magic array, right?"

"That's right."

Okay, let's see what happens. ...I started pouring my magic power into the array, and when I was almost out of magic power, the scroll started to glow. The light faded, and there was...

"Nice to meet you, are you the one who summoned me? Hmm... Receiving the dragon's blessing twice... I seem to have been summoned by a remarkable master. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I am 'Alfred.'"

The one who emerged from the magic array was an elderly man in a black tuxedo with a white Kaiser mustache.

I'll update this gradually.

I'd be happy if you could rate and bookmark it.

I've also updated the side story!