“Wow!”
“Wow, it’s so squishy!”
The children were enveloped by the black slime I had summoned, rolling around on the ground.
My own kids also loved the enchanting softness. These kids were also squealing with joy.
Since it was dangerous, I quickly made them let go of the farming tools and gently restrained everyone with this cool, squishy sensation.
Indeed, small children can’t be attacked.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t be stopped.
Children with no power can easily be immobilized with slime casually created from ‘Black Water.’
They underestimated me as just a firepower idiot.
Before that, these delinquent adventurers were thinking everything was too easy.
“F***!!”
“Hey, Reki, let’s leave it at that.”
Giving weapons to such small children and inciting them is no longer a joke or prank. I thought a harsh punishment was needed, but Reki quickly jumped out and punched the main culprit, sending him flying.
The boy who took the first hit had no time to recover and was immediately mounted by Reki, who pummeled him. His face was already so swollen he probably couldn’t see.
“This is f***ed up.”
“Ursula, it’s about time to stop.”
In the back, a trio of boys who had surrounded us were being beaten by Anastasia’s materialized arms.
Even Ursula, a mage, finally preferred to directly punch…
“Everyone, be good and go back to the farm quietly. I’ll give everyone meat and sweets, so don’t come out until this battle is over.”
“Okay!”
Since the threat was already gone, I gave the children some food and sent them back to the farm’s lodging.
From the start, these kids didn’t have much connection with the boy adventurers who incited them, so even though they were thoroughly defeated, no one particularly cared. Thanks to that, they obediently listened to me and went back quietly.
“Using kids like that is unforgivable!”
“Yeah.”
Reki, who exploded with straightforward anger on my behalf.
We’ve also had a hard time taking care of kids that small. Those who do such things are truly unforgivable.
Reki, filled with such a sense of justice, efficiently stripped the main culprit, who was barely conscious with a battered face, of all his money, equipment, and anything valuable.
“P-please… stop, spare me…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll leave you your underwear.”
Meanwhile, Ursula was literally stripping the mage girl with glasses and the healer girl in white robes.
The two girls, tearful and frightened, quickly stripped off their clothes, leaving them in their underwear. They handed over all their weapons, clothes, and belongings to Ursula.
“Tch, they’re so stingy.”
Saying this, Ursula mercilessly beat the two girls in their underwear with Anastasia’s arms. She punched their faces with her fists. Being the same gender, she showed no mercy.
Ursula, like Reki, must have been angry at them for involving innocent children.
These guys should reflect after a bit of pain, but from an outsider’s perspective, Reki and Ursula’s methods were just plain robbery. Justice doesn’t always look cool.
Burning with righteous anger, the two happily stuffed their loot into my shadow space. Temporary income, Reki’s bright smile was dazzling.
“You guys, if you’ve learned your lesson, stay quiet until this battle is over. If you still plan to mess with other adventurers, you’ll die next time.”
Since all their equipment was taken, they probably can’t do anything anyway. With just pants and shirts, they’re practically naked and can’t even return to the surface.
They have no choice but to stay quiet here.
“——Sigh, what a bothersome encounter.”
We got through it easily, but one wrong move and it could have been a disaster where the kids wouldn’t have escaped with just injuries.
I don’t think there are people who would bring helpless children as hostages beyond this point… but anyway, you never know what methods they might use to interfere.
I guess I really can’t sleep even during breaks.
Fighting non-stop for a week without sleep isn’t something that happens often, even in boot-up tests. This time, it’s going to be an even fiercer battle. The final goal is to face Sariel.
“Thinking about fighting him, I can’t afford to get too exhausted.”
Vigilance and sustained combat ability. I need to carefully balance both as I proceed—— While pondering this, we finally reached the boss room of the second layer.
“There don’t seem to be any other adventurers around.”
“If we’re going to challenge it, now’s the time.”
After checking the surroundings, we stepped into the boss room.
Unlike the boss room of the grassland tower on the official route, this is usually just a passage to the third layer.
It’s a cave carved into a mountain with exposed rock, beyond the forest.
Inside the cave, there’s a large hall with a deep vertical shaft, possibly originally an elevator shaft. Passing through it allows you to descend.
Previously, when we captured the Platinum Snail and descended to the third layer, we used this.
Back then, we just jumped down the shaft relying on our physical abilities…
“Is this the boss?”
A large boss blocking the adventurers’ path was in the hall.
It had taken position right above the vertical shaft leading down, using its massive body to block the hole.
“Wow, a huge turtle!”
“It looks like a subspecies of a rock turtle.”
The boss was a giant turtle.
Rock turtles are monsters that appear in the second layer, with shells literally like rocks. They look like tortoises and move slowly on land, but they are gentle and won’t attack unless provoked.
But the boss rock turtle here is a completely different size from the usual ones.
Since it’s covering the hole, it’s easily over 10 meters long from head to tail.
And the shell it carries is like a small mountain. The rough, jagged rock surface is dotted with crystals that seem to harbor magical power.
“Booooooaaaaaaah!”
Seeing us appear in the hall, the boss rock turtle let out a loud roar—— and retreated.
I thought it would launch a breath attack as a preemptive strike, but it retracted its head and limbs and retreated into its mountain-like shell.
It was in a fully defensive stance.
“The boss isn’t attacking?”
“Rock turtles are originally monsters that don’t actively attack.”
“But if it’s here as a boss, I’d think it would try to eliminate intruders.”
There was no sign of the boss rock turtle attacking.
Even when I approached and tapped its shell, there was no reaction.
It really was just a huge rock blocking the way.
“…Maybe its job is just to block the hole.”
Even if it has no intention of attacking, as long as the boss rock turtle doesn’t move, no one can pass through the hole.
The vertical shaft, about 4 meters in diameter, is under its belly, with no gap to enter.
“Oh, then we just need to move the turtle and it’s an easy win!”
“Move it? This huge thing?”
Even if Reki and I combined our full power, I don’t think we could move it.
“Chrono-sama!”
“Got it, let’s give it a try.”
Reki, with shining eyes, urged me, so I decided to try it, even if it was a long shot.
“Guh, woooooooh!!”
“Yaaaaaaah!!”
Yeah, it didn’t budge.
“Moving it seems impossible.”
Ursula said with a cool expression.
Indeed, the boss rock turtle’s body didn’t move, as if rooted.
It felt like it was maintaining its immobility with some kind of magical power.
Moving it from here won’t be easy.
“Hmm, then all that’s left is a full-on attack!”
“Wait, Reki, that’s just going to be a waste of effort.”
Ursula stopped Reki, who was about to draw his weapon and slash at the boulder.
As Reki said, attacking seems straightforward, but it’s a valid option.
Even if we don’t kill it, if we can deal enough damage to make the rock turtle feel threatened and flee, that would be fine.
However, there’s also the problem that even dealing a little damage is difficult.
Half-hearted attacks, as Ursula said, would just be a waste of effort.
Just as I was thinking of conserving strength for the final battle with Sariel, this happens. I can’t afford to mess around.
“Anyway, I’ll try one shot—— ‘Armor-Piercing Shell.'”
I chose this for the test shot because it’s the most powerful black magic that can be activated instantly. One shot like this won’t cost much magical power.
It has enough power to blow away a Gigas in one shot, but——
“Damn, not even a scratch on the shell. What a letdown.”
From beyond the clearing smoke, the unharmed boss rock turtle appeared.
Despite the magic’s name being ‘Armor-Piercing Shell,’ the result was very disappointing.
“From the looks of it, even if I tried, it wouldn’t work.”
“Yeah, even if I drained its shell, it wouldn’t be very effective.”
Its defense isn’t something that can be easily broken with a little poke.
To produce enough power to break through its defense… only ‘Void Cannon’ would do.
I’d rather not use it to conserve magical power, but if there’s no other way, I have no choice.
“Uru, any good ideas?”
“If it’s not moving, we could set traps or poison… but we’re not skilled in those methods.”
When the enemy shows itself so boldly and remains completely unresponsive, the attacking side is overwhelmingly advantageous, but this boss rock turtle boasts an overwhelming defensive capability to repel that.
Even if my class were a thief, I doubt that half-baked traps or poison would do much to it…
“No, poison might be worth a try.”
Come to think of it, I do have one.
I hadn’t planned to use it, so I completely forgot about it.
“Chrono-sama, do you have some poison?”
“Yeah, I have an extremely dangerous one—— come out, ‘Basilisk Marrow Spear.'”
From the shadow space on the ground emerged a twisted black bone spear.
Originally, it was a cursed weapon used by the assassin woman, ‘Child Killer’ Hilda. I retrieved it right after the battle.
This spear poisons anyone who touches it carelessly, so the user needs considerable poison resistance or countermeasures.
I’ve applied blackening to prevent the poison’s effects. If I couldn’t do that, I’d have to dispose of it illegally, knowing the risks.
I thought I could safely carry it and sell it, but the weapon shop outright refused to buy it, so I had no choice but to leave it in the shadow space.
Who would have thought this poison weapon would see the light of day?
“It’s dangerous, so you two stay back.”
The Basilisk, a dragon with a fearsome poison, and its intense toxin extracted from its marrow, crafted into a spear—an extremely dangerous poison weapon.
The tip is equipped with a function to spray poison comparable to the Basilisk’s deadly breath. She used this to implant deadly poison in a child’s stomach and make it explode, mimicking a suicide bombing.
But the true power of this weapon lies in directly stabbing the enemy and delivering the deadly poison.
“Can you withstand the Basilisk’s deadly poison?”
Without moving a muscle, completely turned into a boulder, I stabbed the ‘Basilisk Marrow Spear’ into the boss rock turtle’s shell.
With a clink, the tip didn’t penetrate, but as the poison slowly seeped from the tip——
“Whoa, it’s starting to melt.”
With a sizzling sound, purple smoke rose as the shell began to melt, albeit slightly.
Once it started melting, the tip dug into the hole, spitting out more poison.
Slowly, bit by bit, the strong shell melted as the Basilisk spear advanced. It felt like I was a cavity-causing bacteria, dissolving enamel.
As I continued to melt the shell at a frustratingly slow pace, the ground beneath me shook.
“Looks like it’s penetrated.”
“Booooooaaaaaaah!”
With a piercing scream, the boss rock turtle’s head popped out.
The shell was breached, and the poison reached its body.
Even with just a little poison, such a massive body must be in considerable pain.
The turtle’s head roared, drooling and shaking wildly.
“Sorry about this. If you just move aside, that’ll be enough.”
With that meaningless apology, I finally jumped off the shaking shell and retreated.
The boss rock turtle, writhing in pain from the poison, extended its four legs and finally moved from its immovable position.
“There’s a gap, let’s jump in!”
“Alright!”
With a particularly loud groan, the boss rock turtle’s body tilted, creating a gap large enough for a person to enter.
Careful not to get crushed by its feet, we slipped in.
With a floating sensation, our bodies were thrown into the air. We successfully jumped into the vertical shaft.
“Alright, we’ve broken through the second layer.”
“Wow, a big turtle!”
Completely unguarded, the young girl Lily pointed at the boss monster, the giant rock turtle blocking the vertical shaft leading to the third layer, squealing with delight.
“Lily, it’s dangerous, could you step back a bit?”
“Lily’s fine!”
Lily, in high spirits, spun around playfully, making Fiona sigh.
Chrono isn’t here, but if we proceed through this great maze, we’ll definitely meet him—— that conviction seems to remain even in her child form, as Lily has been in a good mood the whole time.
“At this rate, it seems we’ll have to break through the third layer on our own.”
“No problem. It’s appropriate to conserve Lily-sama’s strength.”
The first layer had the best compatibility, so we relied on Lily to break through at top speed.
But Lily still has a time limit on her transformation, so she can’t use her power indefinitely.
To conquer the vast ‘Great Maze’ with its five large layers, we need to manage stamina accordingly.
Therefore, from this second layer, Lily has returned to her child form to conserve energy, leaving the攻略 to Fiona and Sariel, and we’ve come to this boss room.
“Then, let’s quickly move the turtle.”
“Fiona-sama, it’s impossible to move this giant rock turtle, which has absorbed these magic stones, even with advanced attack magic.”
“Well, I thought so. It’s big, heavy, and hard, and it’s also cast defensive magic on itself.”
The magic stone crystals dotting the mountain-like shell aren’t just a coincidence; they serve as external devices providing magical power to the giant rock turtle.
Thus, with more than usual output, the already sturdy body is further fortified with defensive magic.
“Fiona-sama’s power could even annihilate the giant rock turtle, but doing so might cause this elevator hall, aka the boss room, to collapse.”
“Did you really think I’d fire ‘Golden Sun’ in this narrow space without any thought?”
She did. Sariel thought that first.
But Sariel answered with silence.
Sariel can’t lie, but she can remain silent.
“Even I, as an ‘Element Master,’ have the most experience as an adventurer. If I always just fired off attacks recklessly, I’d just get buried in dungeons. I know how to handle situations like this.”
Instead of saying that was very rude, Sariel bowed deeply.
“Then, I leave it to Fiona-sama.”
“Yes, leave it to me. It’s not uncommon in dungeon攻略 to have a large monster blocking the entrance.”
Seemingly happy to show her senior adventurer side, Fiona took a slightly boastful expression and readied her beloved staff, ‘Walpurgis.’
The petals of the sealed armor were about a quarter bloomed.
The immobile monster blocking the entrance doesn’t attack, so there’s no need to defeat it. Just moving it aside is enough.
“——’Stone Shield.'”
“Booooooom!!”
With a loud roar, the earth attribute’s low-level defensive magic ‘Stone Shield’ activated.
Normally, it creates a stone wall large enough to cover one person, but when Fiona uses it, the size more than doubles.
The stone wall Fiona created was about twice the usual height of 2 meters, but its thickness was several times more. It was more like a block of stone than a wall.
Such a massive block of stone emerged from the ground. Earth magic usually grows from the ground.
Even if it’s from under the giant rock turtle’s feet.
“Grooooooaaah!”
The giant rock turtle roared, probably surprised as its right front leg area suddenly rose, tilting its body greatly.
With its already super-heavy body, it’s rare for the giant rock turtle to move.
Making a confused sound, the giant rock turtle didn’t move further.
“It won’t last long, so let’s go quickly.”
“Yes, Fiona-sama.”
“Chrono’s waiting, let’s go quickly!”
The three quickly passed through the gap created by the ‘Stone Shield’ lifting the giant rock turtle and descended to the third layer without any trouble.