Episode 514 Guardian of the Divine Realm

Since I had been going to the Suigetsu dungeon while Moira was there, I dove into the Narukami dungeon for the first time in a while. We moved from the transfer room on the first level to the fifteenth level and proceeded the shortest distance to the ice maze on the sixteenth level, since the map was available at the Adventurers' Guild.

It's cold."

　I whine in the maze surrounded by white ice, and Metis,

I should have bought new winter clothes. We have money, and if we don't spend it, there's no point.

'Yes, but I had some old winter clothes, so I thought I'd see if they would do the trick.

　I was stingy in a weird way.

'Why don't you use a thermal cloak at this point?'

But if it comes to a battle, I might hurt you."

It's better than being stuck in the cold.

　I cowered my shoulders and put on my thermal cloak as advised. The cold is completely blocked out, and I am relieved to be warm.

　Elmore, who was leading the way, spotted the demon and signaled it.

Iceworms.

　The ice worm is an eight-meter-long giant worm. What makes this demon unique is that it contains a large amount of white bright steel in its outer shell.

　If a demon like this one appeared in an intermediate dungeon, there would be many adventurers who would have a hard time defeating it. However, in the 16th layer of advanced dungeons, they are treated as small fry.

　Elmore stabbed him in the head with his Zekkai spear and finished him off with a single blow. He picked up the red magic stone and resumed advancing as if nothing had happened.

　We passed through the sixteenth layer without finding anything. The other adventurers had probably discovered most of it. As we descended to the 17th layer, we were greeted by the sight of a large lake spreading out before us.

　The lead group of the Narukami dungeon has reached the eighteenth layer. The stairway from the seventeenth to the eighteenth layer is said to be in the lake. The entrance is a little below the surface of the water, and one has to jump into the lake and enter through the entrance.

I might build something like a submarine."

'I think I'll dive this lake a few times.'

I don't know. I might have to dive into the lake several times because I can't find the stairs to the nineteenth or twentieth layer."

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

How about creating magic?

'Magic in the water, huh? I'd still like that."

　However, since there is no submarine and no magic to dive into the water, I flew to the entrance in a hover vehicle, landed on a rock that was a landmark, put away the hover vehicle, took off my clothes, changed into my underwear, and jumped into the lake. There seem to be no demons around, so we enter through the entrance and swim toward the end of the passage.

　Then the water in the passage begins to decrease and you can walk normally. I brought Elmore and Tamegoro out of the shadows.

I need you to watch the perimeter.

I understand.

　Hearing his words, I began to change my clothes. I took off my wet underwear and wiped myself with a towel, then changed into new underwear and put on my proper equipment.

　After changing my clothes, I proceeded down the passageway and arrived at the 18th layer. The 18th layer is a mountainous area, with five mountains in a row.

　The area here has not yet been surveyed. Goto's team is surveying the first mountain and encountering overload bears.

　The Overlord Bear is a formidable opponent, five meters long, with bristles like steel and vicious long claws in its hands.

　And the most troublesome thing about them is their habit of forming packs. Bears in the wild do not hunt in packs, but the bears in this dungeon attack in groups.

I hate to even think of five-meter-long demons attacking us in groups,...... but I guess we'll have to break through them to find the stairway to the nineteenth layer."

　There is a narrow path in the mountain range here, and it seems that the 18th layer cannot be conquered without going that way.

Can't you just fly forward?"

The mountain is covered with tall trees. From the air, it would be difficult to find the stairs."

'But that narrow path shouldn't necessarily lead to a staircase.

Yes, but for some reason the other adventurers seem to think there is a path."

　We decided to proceed anyway. In addition to the overload bears, there are also giant ants living here, which we frequently encounter. These ants are about one meter long, and the Japanese call them "giant ants," although the official name is different.

　If this thing bites you, you will be seriously injured, so the basic rule is to kill it before it gets too close. As we were walking along a narrow mountain path about one meter wide, we spotted a giant coming out from among the trees.

　The giant approached me, moving its vicious-looking jaws. I activated my "Crash Sword" and with a well-aimed spatial vibration blade strike, I cut it in half.

Even if a giant can be killed with a single blow, I'd be concerned about the consumption of magic power if I encountered it frequently."

　This is based on the average adventurer. I have an all-purpose recovery potion in an unchanging bottle, so I don't have to consider much about magic consumption.

　However, the shadow puppets are magic batteries, so they seem to be using magic weapons and metal claws to finish them off as much as possible.

　It was then that we encountered a herd of overload bears. It was a herd of six. The overlord bears spotted us and came at us with great speed.

　I activated the "Cold Shot" seven times in succession and released D-particle cooling piles at the six overload bears. Three D-particle cooling piles hit the bodies of the overload bears, opening their terminal stoppers and knocking the kinetic energy out of them, breaking their skulls and ribs and causing them to cave in.

　Three of the overload bears died, as did the cooling that was an additional effect afterwards. The other three attacked, ignoring the deaths of their companions. Me, Elmore, and Tamegoro decide to fight them one by one.

　As that overloaded bear swung its vicious claws down on me, I raised my sacred sword, Gram, and slashed away at his bristly arm.

　The Overlord Bear howled and rushed forward. The attack was caught by the D-particle robust shield, activating the quintuple activation "Protect Shield".

　The moment the giant bear stops rushing, he activates his "Crash Sword" and splits its head in half with a spatial vibration blade.

　Looking at Elmore, he seemed to have finished him off by throwing a Geyborg and punching a hole in the Overlord Bear's chest. Tamegoro, on the other hand, chopped it up and finished it off with a jerkin and an outstretched metal claw.

　After repeating such battles over and over again, we proceeded through the five mountain ranges and reached the last mountain when we had drunk twice the all-purpose recovery medicine from the unchanging bottle. There, a large torii gate had been erected. Then, he sees a large demon with a naginata sword in front of the torii gate.

　It is a large ogre with blue skin like a Japanese Niou statue, not like an ogre.

What is this guy?"

I don't know. Let's use the multi-appraisal goggles to find out.'

　Hearing Métis' words, I got out my multi-appraisal goggles and examined them. In the meantime, Elmore and Tamegoro took care of the big ogre.

　According to the appraisal, it was labeled "Guardian of the Divine Realm.