Chapter 87

The goblin-infested cave was easily breached.

I have stripped two pieces of limestone.

It seems the dismantling is working.

The S1W1 map is mainly a volcanic zone with a bit of forest.

First, I entered the forest and collected branches of an appropriate size.

There was a bit of thought behind it.

The branches I collected were as follows.

【Material Item】Dogwood Branch Raw Material Quality C Rarity 2 Weight 2

Dogwood branch. Relatively hard and elastic as wood.

I collected about five, a bit more than necessary.

Then I proceeded on a course through the volcanic zone.

The target, of course, is the Flame Spirit Rock in the area.

However, I have my own objective.

To level up the summoned monsters.

I returned Helix and Obsidian and summoned Jericho and Rig.

I left Volf as the lookout and paired Rig with the Oni.

The goal is to level up Jericho.

With Jericho, he should be able to handle Rock Worms well.

Of course, I told Lambda to use the Enchanted Weapon.

I also pre-enchanted myself and the summoned monsters with spells.

With that, there's only one thing to do.

Call the monsters.

I summoned the Rock Worms.

I called about five, but by the time they approached us, there were ten.

They increased nicely.

"I'll keep them from being wiped out. Is that okay?"

"Huh?"

"These will keep calling their companions. With an Enchanted Weapon, they should be easy to take down."

"Got it!"

Lambda is treated as a separate party.

It wouldn't be efficient for me to support them with spells.

But with those stats, they should manage.

I also took a fighting stance with the tonfa in my hand.

Let's start the hunt.

After about ten minutes, I wiped them out.

There's no need to push it.

Still, I must have taken down nearly 100 Rock Worms.

It was a good pace.

I also used Force Bullet, and I've gotten quite used to this fighting style.

With some spare time, I tried the lightning spell, Thunder Arrow.

It was overkill against the Rock Worms.

Rock Worms aren't the best targets for testing attack spells.

Lambda is not unscathed but is still alive.

Impressive.

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Time-Space Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Psycho Pod of [Time-Space Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Telekinesis of [Time-Space Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Gravity Bullet of [Time-Space Magic]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Physical Enhancement]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up the summoned monster 'Jericho'!】

【Please add 1 point to any status value】

It seems they leveled up as planned.

It's been a while since Jericho leveled up.

The dexterity value has already increased in the virtual window showing Jericho's status.

Where should I increase it?

I'll increase the intelligence value.

I'm just aligning them in order!

Looking at it, I realize it's a bit of a problem.

It's hard to make the numbers look neat.

There's nothing I can do about it.

Jericho Wood Golem Lv3 → Lv4 (↑1)

Dexterity 5 (↑1)

Agility 5

Intelligence 5 (↑1)

Strength 33

Vitality 33

Spirit 4

Skills

Strike, Kick, Magic Resistance [Minor], Self-Repair [Minor], Block

It seems [Time-Space Magic] leveled up first and added new spells.

I haven't used Dust Magic, Melt Magic, or Burn Magic much.

But it's safe to assume these skills will level up soon.

Should I do another round of Call Monster?

I need to strip items first.

I've stripped two pieces of heavy crystal.

They've increased a bit, haven't they?

Also, I haven't taken much damage, including myself.

It's a good result.

Oh, right.

I can't forget the objective.

It's meaningless if I don't reach the Flame Spirit Rock.

I'll use Physical Enchant Aqua and Physical Enchant Wind on Jericho.

Jericho's movement speed is a bottleneck in the volcanic zone.

I want to boost it as much as possible.

The Oni and Jericho are lifting and throwing the Rock Worms.

Without using the Enchanted Weapon, it's more effective.

But I'm using spells for movement.

Well, they're more useful in battle, so it's fine.

While moving towards the Flame Spirit Rock, I'll check the new spells.

The spells of [Time-Space Magic] are Psycho Pod, Telekinesis, and Gravity Bullet.

Telekinesis is a spell that literally generates telekinetic power.

Depending on the level of [Time-Space Magic], it can lift and move objects.

It's a convenient spell.

Gravity Bullet is an attack spell.

It has a relatively short range, but if it hits, it can knock the opponent back and potentially cancel their action.

The most exciting one is Psycho Pod.

It's a spell that defends against status abnormalities affecting the spirit.

It doesn't completely block them, but it's undoubtedly very useful.

It's even more effective when combined with the silver necklace.

I definitely want to get revenge on that butterfly.

We're almost at the Flame Spirit Rock.

Another wave of Rock Worms is coming.

This time, I haven't pre-enchanted them with spells.

I'll use the Enchanted Weapon on Jericho and the Oni, and then on Rig on the Oni's back.

Then I'll enchant myself.

By the time I'm done, the Rock Worms are right in front of us.

It's a good thing the spell enhancement was in time, but it's going to be a busy fight.

This time, the group is larger.

"I'll go first!"

Lambda rushed into the group.

What a reckless move.

I followed Lambda.

The Flame Spirit Rock was in sight.

I can't die here.

There are plenty of targets.

Let's go all out.

This time, I fought for ten minutes with almost no mental margin.

The number of monsters is finally decreasing.

The map is still filled with red markers indicating the presence of monsters.

Jericho's HP bar is down by about 20%.

Considering how many attacks he took, the monsters would have a complaint.

Jericho has been taking hits without falling.

I almost fully healed him with Fire Heal, but the monsters might have a complaint.

It's back to the beginning.

The Rock Worm's charge is very powerful.

The others are avoiding the Rock Worm's attacks while continuing the fight.

Of course, they can't avoid everything.

They're grazing multiple times, but not taking direct hits.

However, the Rock Worm's assault seems to be weakening.

The number of monsters is finally decreasing to a countable level.

Just a bit more.

I saw a large mass.

Rock Beast Lv.???

Monster Target Active

It's a higher-level monster.

It's also accompanied by a few Rock Worms.

Is it the boss?

Its head is small compared to its body, visible at the edge of its shell.

It looks very hard.

I'll use the Enchanted Weapon on the Oni and Jericho.

I'll use Force Bullet to reduce the number of Rock Worms while approaching the Rock Beast.

It's big.

The monster is about 3 meters tall.

Its size is a threat.

On the other hand, its movement is slow.

I kicked it and quickly moved away.

The Rock Beast's leg swept the spot where my foot was.

This thing.

I thought it was a big Rock Worm, but its attack pattern is completely different.

The damage was negligible.

It's completely ineffective.

The Oni punched the monster in place of me.

A powerful blow.

It reduced the monster's HP bar, but not by 10%.

This is bad.

It's a formidable enemy.

"Rock Worms!"

"Got it!"

I'll leave the remaining few Rock Worms to Lambda and Volf.

I'll focus on the Rock Beast.

This thing has high defense and is tough.

The Oni and Jericho's attacks will work, but I need to be prepared for the damage.

"Physical Enchant Earth!"

I'll enhance Jericho's vitality and defense.

Jericho slowly moved to face the Rock Beast.

The monster's sharp leg swept at Jericho.

It hit Jericho's torso directly.

But Jericho is not normal.

He held it firmly.

There was damage, but the HP bar didn't decrease by 10%.

Jericho tried to lift and swing the monster's leg, but it didn't move.

It's too heavy.

It's a giant far surpassing Jericho.

But the monster's leg groaned first.

It broke at the base.

A sound like an earthquake enveloped the surroundings.

The Oni jumped onto the monster and continued to punch its shell.

It seems to be effective.

The monster clearly dislikes it.

The monster stopped attacking Jericho and started to shake its body to throw off the Oni.

This is it.

A good opportunity.

I selected a spell and cast it while instructing Jericho to attack.

Three Rock Worms flew into my view.

They're still here.

I smashed one with the tonfa and kicked another.

I kicked it again while it was flipped over and stopped its breathing.

I finished the last one with an elbow strike.

As soon as the spell casting was done, I cast the spell.

"Gravity Bullet!"

It's a new spell of [Time-Space Magic].

When it hit, the monster's body axis shifted.

The HP bar also decreased significantly.

But there was a bigger result.

The body was partially floating.

"Flip it over!"

I instructed Jericho and the Oni.

Jericho supported the floating body.

The Oni lifted the edge of the monster's shell.

The monster's leg swept the Oni's torso, but the attack wasn't very effective.

The Oni's torso was covered by Rig.

"Gravity Bullet!"

I cast another spell, and the monster was completely flipped over.

It's in the same position as a flipped turtle.

It's trying to stretch its remaining legs to return to its original position.

Jericho and the Oni are cutting off the legs one by one.

Nice.

But it's also pitiful to watch.

The monster has no way to escape or counterattack.

It was toyed with and slaughtered by Jericho and the Oni.

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Block]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Fire Magic]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Burn Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Resist Steam of [Burn Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Boil of [Burn Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Steam Shot of [Burn Magic]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Melt Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Resist Melt of [Melt Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Refine of [Melt Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Volcanic Shoot of [Melt Magic]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Dust Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Resist Degrade of [Dust Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Evaporator of [Dust Magic]!】

【You have obtained the spell Thermal Expansion of [Dust Magic]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Coordination]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Dual Wield]!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up [Fast Chanting]!】

There are so many notifications!

Especially spells!

I can't remember them all!

Some of them I haven't even used.

What am I supposed to do?

Let's calm down first.

I want to strip items and rest at the area portal.

"Oh, my race level has increased!"

"Indeed."

As expected, Rock Worms are very troublesome and risky opponents, but they're good for earning experience.

However, the number of corpses is overwhelming.

I immediately stripped the Rock Beast with a stripping knife.

【Material Item】Magic Crystal Raw Material Quality B- Rarity 3 Weight 0+

A substance that is the core of the magic power concentrated in a monster.

It contains more magic power than a magic stone.

What?

Isn't this the prize for the tournament?

Ignoring the rarity, the quality is high.

What a relief.

There are definitely over 100 Rock Worm corpses.

I had Jericho and the Oni gather and strip them.

Most of them are misses.

Still, I got five heavy crystals.

It took about ten minutes for me and Lambda.

Surprisingly, I got a lot.

"I'll give you two heavy crystals."

"No, one is enough."

"Is that so?"

I handed one heavy crystal to Lambda.

Lambda's HP bar, which was about 70%, was restored to over 90% with a healing spell.

I also gave potions to Volf and the Oni to restore them.

Then another attack came.

Is it because we took too long to strip items from the corpses?

There are fewer than before, but it's another group of Rock Worms.

"What should we do?"

"We can't run with Jericho."

So, we have to fight.

"Should I go to the area portal first?"

"No, let me help."

His MP bar is about half full.

Mine is more than half full.

Lambda smiled slightly.

With a smirk.

And started casting a spell.

I also selected a spell and cast it while looking at the group of Rock Worms.

With a deliberate air of arrogance.

And a smirk.

I'm probably smiling like Lambda.

Probably, that's the case.

This time, the group didn't reach 100.

About 50.

I guess the Rock Worms in this area are almost hunted out?

Maybe I'll hunt all the Rock Worms in this map.

But that's probably not the case.

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up the summoned monster 'Rig'!】

【Please add 1 point to any status value】

Rig leveled up.

It doesn't seem like he did much, but he stuck to the Oni and continued to defend.

He was quietly useful.

The dexterity value has already increased in the status.

I'll increase the spirit value for the optional status boost.

Rig Slime Lv3 → Lv4 (↑1)

Dexterity 13 (↑1)

Agility 6

Intelligence 6

Strength 6

Vitality 8

Spirit 6 (↑1)

Skills

Dissolve, Shape Change, Viscosity Change, Surface Tension Shift, Physical Attack Nullification

The numbers are starting to align a bit.

But it's a long way to go.

The notifications are still coming.

What's next?

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up your job level!】

【Your victory in this battle has leveled up the summoned monster 'Volf'!】

【Please add 1 point to any status value】

Oh, Volf too.

He was very active, overwhelming the Rock Worms with speed.

It makes sense.

The agility value has already increased in the status.

I'll increase the spirit value for the optional status boost.

Volf Wolf Lv7 → Lv8 (↑1)

Dexterity 12

Agility 27 (↑1)

Intelligence 12

Strength 12

Vitality 18

Spirit 12 (↑1)

Skills

Bite, Sprint, Intimidate, Eavesdrop, Danger Sense