Episode 118 ArmorBear's den

On the day Kamijou defeated the YellowOgre, I went to the 15th floor grasslands area and continued searching for a den.

In the vast grassland, there were 13 places where there was likely to be a den. I went around checking each one, but it was taking a long time.

Today, I started looking at the 8th place. There was a small hill with over two meters of grass growing thickly around it.

"I wonder if it's empty today, too."

When I said that, I found an animal trail. Thinking that it was possible, I proceeded towards the hill along the animal trail. I finally found a den. I endured the urge to scream out loud and observed. It was a large hole about two meters in diameter, and near the entrance there was something like a bear's footprint.

I activated 'Sensing Zone' and detected the inside of the den. I sharpened my mind and explored the movement of the D-Particles. As a result, I understood why I felt uneasy. There were three ArmorBears in the den.

"I was prepared for two, but three ... what should I do?"

I examined the structure of the burrow. From the entrance, it continued to the back while bending slightly to the left. There was only one ArmorBear that could be aimed at from the entrance of the den. It was the ArmorBear on the far right.

I would defeat that one first. I approached the den and took out a donut-like copper ring from my Magic Pouch. This was made by a metal factory.

Although it was just a copper ring, it was perfect for use in 'Heat Shell'.

When activated, air was sucked into the D-Particle Bowl and compressed. When a copper ring was put in there, the D-Particle transformed into a cannonball shape. I aimed at the ArmorBear in the burrow and shot it out.

The D-Particle Shell flew through the hole like a real cannonball and hit the ArmorBear. At that moment, an extremely high heat was generated inside, melting the copper ring at the front of the cannonball and turning it into a liquid.

The compressed air also started to thermally expand due to the extremely high heat, and the air that expanded rapidly and turned into plasma became a detonation wave that thrust the liquefied copper away from the tip of the cannonball, ejecting it forward as a metal jet.

An explosion that shook the ground echoed and a powerful blast erupted from the den. I desperately endured it, concentrating my senses on the den. I felt the presence of an ArmorBear running out of its den and retreated.

I threw a QuintOgrePush at the ArmorBear that jumped out of the burrow and attacked. The Ogre Plate collided while rotating, crushed the ArmorBear's nose, and knocked it down.

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At that time, I must have let my guard down. I was slow to react when another ArmorBear pounced on me. Sensing danger, I reflexively released a SeventhPush that I was most familiar with.

The SeventhPush hit the ArmorBear's face and stopped it from moving for a moment. I activated a QuadCatapult and flew my body straight up. Immediately after my body was thrown up, the claws of the ArmorBear attacked me, leaving a large scar on the ground I was just standing on.

Just before the magic lifted and I began to fall, I fired a SeventhHighBlade at the ArmorBear. The blow hit the ArmorBear's shoulder and inflicted a deep wound, but not a fatal one.

It was too close. With a TripleCatapult, I threw my body upward again.

At the moment when I started to fall from about 15 meters above the ground, I activated 'Airbag' and adjusted my posture, then plunged downwards while holding my Black Staff in a raised position. At the same time as I swung down my Black Staff, I fired a SeventhHighBlade at the ArmorBear looking up at me.

The tip of the SeventhHighBlade, which exceeded the speed of sound, cut through the ArmorBear and destroyed its heart.

Just before I hit the ground, I activated 'Airbag' and landed. I searched for the ArmorBear that was knocked down by the QuintOgrePush.

The ArmorBear was sitting on the ground and shaking its head. The QuintOgrePush seemed to make its head dizzy. I hit it with a SeventhHighBlade.

The large V-plate cut through the ArmorBear's neck and took its life.

"Whew, that was dangerous. I wonder if I need magic that can defeat ArmorBears even at close range."

Considering that the power of 'High Blade' would drop depending on the distance, I felt the need for new magic.

I collected the magic stones and entered the den. It was dark inside, so I used the Night Vision Goggles for the first time in a while. A magic stone had dropped. The first 'Heat Shell' I used seemed to have killed the ArmorBear. I picked it up and looked around. A box was placed inside the den.

"Is this a treasure chest? It looks just like a treasure chest."

It was a treasure chest in the form of a wooden box reinforced with iron. When I tried to open it, I was concerned it might be trapped. I had never heard of a trap in an intermediate dungeon's treasure chest.

Still being cautious, I went behind the treasure chest and opened it. It seemed that there was no trap after all. I moved to the front to see what was inside. Inside the treasure chest was a bag containing ten orc gold coins and a 'Magic Stone Reactor' that was about the size of a 2-liter plastic bottle.

A 'Magic Stone Reactor' was a magic tool that converted yellow magic stones into energy. Researching the 'Magic Stone Reactor' obtained in the dungeon, humans developed a magic stone power reactor that converted yellow magic stones into electrical energy.

However, even the small magic stone power reactors developed by humans became the size of a washing machine. Even with the scientific power of modern people, it was not possible to reduce the size.

Therefore, the small 'Magic Stone Reactor' was a precious thing. By the way, the 'Magic Stone Reactor' could convert yellow magic stones into electricity, but it was originally meant to convert them into magical power. It could be used as a power source for large magic devices.

"It's something I can't get easily. Let's keep it without exchanging it for money."

I wasn't short on money, so I put the 'Magic Stone Reactor' in my Magic Pouch.

I returned to the ground and headed for the Adventurer's Guild. The sun had set and the surroundings were dark. There were streetlights, but there were fewer than in the past. Because electricity bills were high.

I could walk, but I was tired, so I took the bus. When I got off in front of the Adventurer's Guild and entered the guild, I saw Maria, Karina's younger sister, at the counter.

"You're quite late today, aren't you?"

"Because I was looking for an ArmorBear's den."

I placed the bag containing the orc gold coins on the counter.

"So you found a den ... If there were only orc gold coins, did that mean there was only one ArmorBear in the den?"

"What do you mean?"

"It is said that the number of ArmorBears in the den determines the value of the treasure in the chest."

I didn't know that. Was it possible that having three was common? Was I lucky, or was I unlucky?

While thinking about that, I proceeded to transfer the money for the orc gold coins to my bank.

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A few days later, Life Magic became a hot topic at the Magic Agency. Hori Takurou, Deputy Director of the Magic Agency, was reading the materials submitted by the Magic Registry Division.

"Nn, that's strange. New Life Magic registrations are increasing this year. Why is that?"

Deputy Director Hori called Manager Fukuda of the Magic Registration Division to ask about the situation.

"In that case, it was registered by an adventurer living in Shibugami City. I'm guessing that they may have obtained a Magic Book."

"It's no use guessing. Check it out. If they're a Sage, they'll be the second Sage in Japan."

Even though it would be the second Sage, the first Sage died several years ago, so it would be the only Sage in Japan.

Fukuda, who was ordered by Deputy Director Hori, sent his subordinates to Shibugami City.

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