Chapter 99

"Let's Become an Adventurer! ~Dungeon Strategy with the Skill Board~"

Only 4 days until release!!

Seiki pressed his temples with his fingers as if to endure a headache, his eyes falling to the pocket of Kuren's robe.

"Oh, oh, oh! Lady Rera is shining even more beautifully than before!"

Chep, who had poked her head out of the pocket, looked up at Rera with shining eyes.

How could such a beautiful voice come from her? Chep's soprano echoed beautifully through the dungeon.

Upon hearing Chep's voice, Rera dropped a leaf.

It was a reaction as if she had heard a song off-key.

Sighing, Seiki swiped the screen of the board.

Then,

"Sure enough, it's there..."

Chep (0) Gender: Female

Normally, the conditions for a creature to appear on the Skill Board are that they are of the same race as Seiki or are Seiki's ally.

The abilities of monsters cannot be seen on the Skill Board.

The fact that Chep's abilities were appearing on the board meant that she had become Seiki's ally.

Indeed, it was troublesome...

Seiki felt like holding his head.

From Seiki's experience, when taming is successful, the monster's tree appears on the board.

Could he have unconsciously tamed Chep?

Seiki had thought about wanting cutlets and ikura from Chep.

But that alone wouldn't make taming successful.

Just like Seiki, the other party must also desire it for taming to be successful.

Did Chep seek Seiki?

That possibility felt completely off to Seiki.

While she showed signs of worshiping Rera, Chep wasn't seeking Seiki.

On the contrary, Chep kept looking at Seiki with eyes like a wild animal.

If he tried to touch her, she would scream "No!"

If she disliked it so much, she should just disappear somewhere...

Then, did Chep connect through Rera like Esta?

That also felt off to Seiki.

The other day, when returning from the Kamui Rock to the starting point, Seiki felt that he couldn't leave Chep as she was.

That feeling was similar to when he connected with Rera and Esta.

In other words, there was a possibility that he had already tamed Chep at Kamui Rock.

What a mess...

The more he thought about it, the more a sense of despair spread in Seiki's chest.

Regaining his composure, Seiki scanned Chep's tree.

Chep (0) Gender: Female

Skill Points: 1

Evaluation: Cursed Fish

Guardian: Heroic God <Samaykur>

- Vitality < >

├ Stamina 0

└ Natural Recovery 1

- Strength < >

└ Strength 0

- Shamanic Power < >

├ Shamanic Power 1

├ Shamanic Aptitude 1

└ Shamanic Control 1

- Agility < >

├ Burst 0

└ Dexterity 0

- Technique < >

└ Weapon Proficiency

├ Fin 1

└ Fish Scale 1

- Intuition < >

└ Detection 0

- Special

├ Princess 1

├ Guardian MAX

└ Spirit NON

"..."

Indeed, there were many oddities.

Seiki had gone to the middle layer and obtained "Blessing."

But Chep had "Guardian," a skill he had never seen before.

From the appearance of a god's name at the top of the tree, like with "Blessing," it was clear that "Blessing" and "Guardian" were similar skills.

Then, what was the difference?

The description of "Blessing" was "the ability to use a part of the gods' power."

In contrast, the description of "Guardian" was "the ability to receive the protection of the gods."

(Blessing is offensive, and Guardian is defensive?)

From the descriptions, it seemed that "Blessing" was the higher-level skill of "Guardian."

(Then, when I went to the middle layer, could I have drawn "Guardian" instead of "Blessing"?)

It was fortunate that Seiki had drawn the higher-level skill "Blessing."

Until now, Seiki had narrowly escaped many battles.

If he had obtained "Guardian" instead of "Blessing," he might have died at some point.

In any case, it was questionable that Chep, who appeared in the land of Asahikawa, had obtained the protection of the gods, and that her Guardian skill was maxed out.

The (unfortunate) god who gave Chep her Guardian was Samaykur, the Ainu god who defeated the evil god at Kamui Pond.

He was so confident that he proclaimed, "I can see the whole country, and there is no one as talented as me."

He was a rough and cruel god, called a fool, but his achievements were on par with Okikurumi.

The Kamui Rock, which was created by the attack that defeated the evil god at Kamui Pond, was a true manifestation of a rough god.

(From this, Samaykur is a hero with the qualities of a hero, but his power is so excessive that he tends to overdo it. He is a narcissistic and clumsy god... is what Seiki thinks)

The first salmon of the season, caught at Kamui Pond, was offered to Samaykur as a token of gratitude for defeating the evil god.

—In other words, it was Chep.

Chep obtained Samaykur's Guardian because she followed the actions of this myth.

Perhaps the level of Blessing or Guardian naturally rises as one gets closer to the god.

What actions constitute "getting closer to the god" would vary greatly depending on the god or the myth.

In a certain myth, "getting closer to the god" is a metaphor for "death," so one must be extremely careful when approaching the god.

"..."

Seiki had been lost in thought about his beloved god.

He switched his focus and traced the tree with his eyes.

The next thing that caught Seiki's attention was the shamanic power.

From the skill composition, it was clear that it was similar to Kuren's ability.

Shamanism generally refers to a "profession" that communicates with supernatural beings, but it can also refer to a "philosophy" based on supernatural phenomena.

Was it an offensive type, a buff, or a debuff?

It couldn't be determined from the words alone.

He would have to test it when putting Chep into actual combat.

But would Chep obediently follow Seiki's orders?

It was easy for Seiki to imagine her screaming "No!" and trembling in Kuren's pocket when he tried to put her into action.

The weapon proficiency of fins and fish scales could be attributed to her racial characteristics.

(How she would attack with fins was a question he had thrown aside)

The biggest issue was "Princess."

It almost seemed like the word "Princess" was being defamed on the Skill Board.

He wanted to apologize to all the people and things named "Princess" in the world.

Irritated, Seiki tapped "Princess."

Princess 1: "The ability to attract a fate that avoids death."

"..."

From the skill description, Seiki (didn't want to, but) understood.

When the black fish person descended from the sky, Chep was definitely crushed under its foot.

She was crushed and buried in the rock.

Yet she was still alive, probably because of this Princess skill.

A troublesome creature had obtained a troublesome skill.

Was the culprit Samaykur?

He wanted to lodge a strong protest with whoever gave her this skill.

"What makes this thing a princess!?"

"Princess" is the ability to avoid death once in a single battle, or the ability to avoid all deaths.

If it was the latter, Chep would become a "fish that can never die or be killed," so Seiki earnestly wished it was the former.

Finally, at the bottom of the special tree, "Spirit."

Tapping it didn't bring up any explanation.

The skill level being "NON" was also a mystery.

Despite being a sub-human from the middle layer, her overall skill levels were low.

(Does that mean "Spirit" is advantageous because of her low overall skill levels?)

It was concerning, but since it wasn't a skill that could be unlocked by allocating points, Seiki couldn't verify it any further.

It seemed he would have to observe for a while.

The Asahikawa Dungeon "Kamui Pond" has 10 floors as its deepest level.

The threat of monsters is at a normal level, and for well-trained adventurers, it is not a particularly difficult dungeon to conquer.

However, for adventurers who have not operated in this dungeon, it would feel more difficult than a normal dungeon.

The cause is the map.

"It's no good at all."

"..."

Seiki and his party had reached the 4th floor but couldn't progress to the 5th floor despite continuing their exploration for a while.

The interior up to the 3rd floor is no different from a normal dungeon, but from the 4th floor, tree roots begin to obstruct the adventurers' path.

The ceiling is covered with a large number of tree roots that extend and cover the walls.

There are many paths that are blocked by tree roots, even though they are straight.

Avoiding those paths, they encounter more tree roots blocking the way.

It is possible to cut through the obstructive roots and proceed.

However, as soon as the roots are cut, other roots move as if they have a will of their own and block the path all at once.

Therefore, it is better not to cut the roots, which is the strategy for conquering this dungeon.

The tree roots change from moment to moment.

Roots that were blocking the path may move on their own, creating new paths, or they may block the path right in front of the adventurers.

The movement of the tree roots is completely random.

It is said that with good luck, one can reach the 10th floor in a day, but so far, Kuren's luck hasn't been working.

Perhaps her luck with tree roots is particularly high.

Or... Seiki put his hand to his chin.

Kuren's luck is the power to draw unseen elements.

Such a power, if it constantly affects everything, could reach even the gods.

It is reasonable to assume that there are some limitations.

The results vary depending on the distance or time it takes to draw something.

Or, "while the luck skill is affecting one event, it cannot affect another event"...

It wouldn't be surprising if there were such a restriction.

If so, what is Kuren's luck skill currently affecting?

How can she use her luck to avoid the tree roots?

... Thinking about it, but Seiki couldn't figure it out. It was just a waste of time.

Facing the tree roots, Seiki felt like grasping at straws.

He wanted to rely on uncertain power.

—Well, is there any other way to deal with the tree roots?

Thinking about it, one keyword popped into Seiki's mind.

"Shamanic Power"

If it is the power to communicate with supernatural beings, it might be able to drive away the tree roots.

"Hey, Chep. Can you do something about these tree roots with your abilities?"

"Abilities?"

"Yes. Can you use shamanism, Chep?"

"Shamanism... What is that?"

Chep tilted her head.

There was no sense of hiding in her expression.

Did she really not understand shamanism?

Or was she calling it by a different name?

"Chep, you've seen Kuren's attacks many times, right?"

"Yes, they are strange, but they are a great power."

"Can you do something similar? For example, can you remove the tree roots?"

Seiki asked hopefully.

To which Chep replied,

"I can't."

She flatly denied it.

"I am weak. I can only pray, at best."

In other words, just for show.

I see, I see.

... Stupid fish.

Seiki inwardly clicked his tongue.

"Hey!? I just felt a very rude atmosphere!"

"It's your imagination. Come on, let's hurry."

She had the talent but couldn't use it, or she recognized shamanism by a different name.

Or she had the acting skills to deceive Seiki...

In the end, he got no information about shamanism.

It would have been best if Chep's abilities could have avoided the tree roots, but if she couldn't, there was nothing to be done.

Seiki regained his composure and resumed exploring the dungeon.