Episode 137: The Path of the Warrior
Like the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty," the "Gambler" who had been sound asleep, suddenly awoke precisely after a full day had passed.
"……good morning"
"Good morning"
"……………"
"……………"
An awkward silence.
"Um, I don't really remember much..."
"Yes"
"…Could it be that I, the mighty me, was killed?"
"Typical job for a hired thug—well done, you've had quite the ordeal."
Then the "Gambler" ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it wildly,
"Damn it, I let my guard down! Using a 'Stanhack' was the wrong move—I'll crush that guy with my 'Coin Toss' now..."
"Wait a second."
And so it goes.
"...So, what you're saying is that I have to beat that goth girl head-on if I want any real meaning out of this, right?"
"Looks like it, yeah."
"Damn it."
The "Gambler" guy groans, clutching his head.
"So I actually need to train... just like in those jump manga."
"There's no other way."
At that moment, I decided to share with him a few pieces of information I'd verified while he was asleep.
"The main thing I've figured out is that our magical power—let's temporarily call it 'mana' for now—doesn't seem to grow much unless we actually use it in real combat."
"…Is that so?"
"Yes. I tried using Fire Magic on my own for a while, but I didn’t really feel any increase in my 'mana' strength."
"I see."
"So, I think I’ll keep hunting Slimes for a while longer. …And in the meantime,"
I pointed at one line from the notebook where I'd previously asked the "Gambler" to write down "information" ("Information #34"), and said,
"Let's buy this special item."
"Ah... the 'Ring of Shura,' huh."
The exclusive item "Ring of Shura" increases the encounter rate with monsters within the "Master Dungeon." However, equipping it curses the user, making it impossible to remove from the finger unless another exclusive item is used to lift the curse.
At first glance, I regarded this "information" as an outrageous minefield item (especially considering its steep price of 200,000 gold), but—perhaps this is exactly the kind of item meant to be used in situations like this.
"Well, honestly, I'd rather just move on quickly... but..."
"If you really want to, I won't stop you."
"Idiot, we're partners, aren't we?...Alright, I'll go along with you, then."
▼
We decided to briefly review the magic-based skills each of us could currently use.
The following is an excerpt from what I've written down in my notebook.
《Fire Magic I》
[Spell] Me: "Fire" Gambler: "Fire"
[Effect] A flame the size of a lighter appears from the tip of the index finger. This is typically used in combination with "Fire Magic II," and is rarely used alone. Might be used frequently by people who smoke cigarettes.
[Fire Magic II]
[Spell] Me: "Fireball" Gambler: "Fireball"
【Effect】 A spell that creates a fireball on the palm of your hand. Its perfectly round shape makes it the easiest to observe magical power improvement among all the spells you've acquired.
《Fire Magic III》
【Spell】 Me: "Enchant" Gambler: "Oil"
【Effect】 A spell that produces a transparent liquid from the tip of your finger. The transparent liquid burns intensely when ignited.
《Fire Magic IV》
【Spell】 Me:《Flame Swallower》 Gambler: Not Learned
【Effect】 A spell that emits intense heat flames from the palm of your hand. Powerful, but consumes a huge amount of magic power, quickly leaving you in a depleted state—use with caution.
《Fire Magic V》
【Spell】 Me:《Flame Tower》 Gambler: Not Learned
【Effect】 A spell that raises a pillar of fire, instantly incinerating the target. When the flame pillar appears, a magical rune-like pattern rises from the ground, so careful observation allows you to dodge it.
《Water Magic I》
【Spell】 Me:《Water》 Gambler:《Water》
【Effect】 A spell that shoots water from the fingertips. The water temperature can be adjusted to a certain extent. Very convenient for making instant noodles.
《Water Magic II》
[Spell] Me: "Water Ball" Gambler: "Water Sphere"
[Effect] A magic spell that creates a ball of water in the palm of the hand. When thrown, it flies with tremendous force, capable of punching holes through concrete walls.
[Water Magic III]
[Spell] Me: Not yet learned Gambler: "Beverage"
[Effect] A spell that emits water from the fingertips. For a long time, its exact effects were unclear, but it appears to generate water with higher nutritional value than usual.
[Lightning Magic I]
[Spell] Me: [Shock] Gambler: [Thunder]
[Effect] A spell that generates electricity in the palm, causing electric shocks to anything touched.
[Lightning Magic II]
[Spell] Me: [Thunderball] Gambler: [Thunderball]
[Effect] A spell that summons multiple lightning orbs around the caster and simultaneously launches them toward a targeted opponent.
[Lightning Magic III]
[Spell] Me: Unlearned Gambler: [Power Source]
[Effect] A spell that supplies electrical power to nearby electronic devices. The range and duration can be adjusted.
▼
As for the "training" we underwent afterward... Honestly, there's not much worth mentioning.
We spent day after day relentlessly hunting the three-colored slimes surging toward us like mountains—thanks to the effect of the "Ring of the Demons."
It wasn’t as grueling as I’d expected, though.
Each battle gave us a clear sense of growing stronger.
Of course, we also made numerous small discoveries along the way.
Magic skill output could be adjusted to a certain extent.
And some spells showed slight individual differences in performance.
It's better to gain magical experience using lower-ranked spells (for example, hunting slimes with Fireball is more efficient than using Flame Tower).
Magic skill output can vary significantly due to physical condition and, especially, mental state (for instance, "that day" that comes once a month seems to cause quite unstable magical output).
...Well, that's about it.
All things considered.
Our Fire Magic II expanded to a diameter exceeding thirty centimeters about a week later.
It occurred exactly three weeks after our visit to "Master Dungeon."
▼
Information 31... Once you defeat the Floor Boss and move forward, there's no way to return to the previous floor ever again.
Information 32... The main character of Doraemon, Nobita Nobi, lives in "Tsukimi-dai, Susukiga-hara, Suginami-ku, Tokyo." Incidentally, the hometown of "Dungeon Master" is also in Suginami-ku.
Information 33... The characters Krillin and Mr. Satan from Dragon Ball are actually the same age. Although unrelated, "Dungeon Master" was the same age as Krillin during the manga's original serialization.
Information #34... The exclusive item "Shura's Ring" increases the encounter rate with "Monsters" within "Master Dungeon." However, equipping it curses the user, making it impossible to remove the ring from the finger unless another exclusive item is used to lift the curse.
Information #35... Honey never spoils, so it can be eaten even if it's thousands of years old.