Chapter 127 Better Than Expected
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
My hammer hit the spirit king head on, and it burst into light. The ‘Wind king gem’ dropped, and I let out a small breath. That made six now.
After the first spirit king we met, we kept up our exploration and hunted more of them on the way. The ougyoku were meant to be rare, but we still picked them up. Sometimes they did not drop, yet Ethelena used Steal, and we got a good number. When I asked the party if we could keep some for later study and to make better forge work, they agreed. I was really thankful.
I was one fight away from leveling up, while Ethelena had already leveled up twice. She reached level 40 and took Trap Disarm in her new Skill Slot. Now we did not need to walk past a mimic by fear anymore.
Yohira and Tatia also joined in the attacks. Yohira still felt a bit shocked by the lower power from ‘Cross Guard Return’, but she hit more times and cut the enemy into small pieces. To be honest, her usual three Combo Attacks somehow became six. Well, being stronger is a good thing.
Tatia did not raise her attack right away, but she moved to the front to tank the enemy. Even when a spirit king’s magic hit her, she closed the distance without a single mark. Even the spirit king stepped back. Our knight was really hard to hurt.
”Ethelena, do you think the stairs to the next floor are near?” I asked after making sure we were still fine.
Ethelena closed her eyes to check around. She seemed to use a scouting skill to sense the dungeon. I was pretty sure that skill was not made for that.
”…The stairs are quite close. There are still some places we have not seen, though,” she said.
”Okay. Let’s walk around the whole floor first.”
I trusted her words, and we kept exploring. The stairs showed up soon, and another path waited ahead, so we checked that too. We found a mimic, and Ethelena opened it. A shield sat inside. It was round, with a shining base that changed color and silver lines. In the center was a mark of an old fairy.
”Tatara, what is this?” Ethelena asked.
I used Appraisal on the equipment.
Shield: Spirit Shield
Physical Defense +13
Magic Defense +18
Special Ability: Element Defense: Four Elements
It was a strong shield from the game days. Funny how the mark was a fairy, but the name was “Spirit Shield”. The defense was fine, but the element guard was very strong. I should let Tatia use it.
”Tatia, do you want this shield?”
”Lord Tatara, is that an order?” she asked in a very low voice. I felt like I stepped on a landmine.
”No, I only asked because it has good stats. If you do not need it, we can sell it.”
”I am glad to hear that. I thought Lord Tatara told me to throw away the shield you gave me.”
”That is too big of a jump,” I said.
I would never go that far. I gave out equipment, but the person could choose in the end. I put the shield into my Inventory. It was worth 300,000 in the game, but I had no idea about here. I would ask the merchant guild master later.
We went back and walked down the stairs. The next floor was covered in red. It was clear the fire spirit king, the Ifrit, lived here.
”This time it is the fire spirit king, noja. We can only leave this to Tatara and Ethelena,” Yohira said.
”Yes. We will not be of help,” Tatia added.
”No. Tatia, you can tank for Ethelena if needed. You take no damage from this floor’s magic anyway,” I said.
Right now, Tatia’s Magic Defense was high enough to stop most elemental magic, even from a boss. Only some very bad luck, like meeting something like an ‘immortal king’, would bring danger. I did not want to think about such a thing walking into this dungeon.
”For now, Ethelena and I will go fight on our own,” I said.
”That seems the best way, mon ne,” Yohira replied.
Ethelena and I agreed. She took the lead, and we moved. In a wide room, we met the fire spirit king.
It looked like the wind spirit king, the Jinn, and had a body about two meters tall with a soft shape. Fire burned at its hands and feet. Its head was like a bright torch, so hot it looked gold. It almost looked like a calm hero who found anger.
The problem was simple: there were eight of them at the start. That was a lot.
”Why are there Rare-shu? Why rare-shu here?” I whispered.
”We are used to it now, but to think kings stand with warawa and friends…” Yohira sighed.
The sight was so strange that Yohira spoke with a tired breath. My head hurt. With any other party, we would have already run away.
”For now, Ethelena, go behind them and cut a few. I will go from the front and draw them,” I said.
”Isn’t that dangerous?” she asked.
Hearing her worry, I used Appraisal on one Ifrit.
Race: Fire spirit king Ifrit
HP 300/300
Mana 250/250
Skill Power 100/100
Physical Attack 43
Physical Defense 20
Magic Attack 60
Magic Defense 20
Speed 25
Movement 3
No status
Special Ability: spirit king Trait: Fire
No Equipment
It hit harder than the wind one but moved slower, so it should be easier. It was the boss of the fire lizards, so maybe that was why its Speed was lower. Still fast, though.
”My Magic Defense can take its magic from the front,” I said.
Ethelena looked unsure, but Yohira checked with Appraisal and nodded.
”True. Even with magic power added, Tatara will not take damage,” Yohira said.
She looked sure, but she did not know about the Fire Attribute spell ‘Explosion’. If they used it at the start, it could deal about 560 magic damage. One would not kill me, but two might. I needed Fire resistance soon.
”Let’s go, Ethelena.”
”Yeah. Let’s go, Tatara.”
We called to each other and rushed forward.
I ran to the nearest Ifrit from the front. Thanks to my Movement boost, I covered 150 meters in one breath. The target could not react. I set the hammer to water. The mithril head turned blue, so the change worked. I struck down.
The Ifrit vanished from the damage. I worried the water would explode into steam, but nothing happened. Good, we could keep going.
I chose the next target at once. We were faster now, but that would end soon. They would use magic, so I needed to cut their number. I ran the other way from Ethelena, even if that left her with two. I trusted her to handle it.
I stepped in close and swung my hammer.
The next Ifrit tried to guard, but it was useless. My hammer hit its back and smashed it. I still did not know why it used its back to block. Was that some kind of tough-guy pose?
While I let that thought slip in, I felt strong heat from the last one. I turned and saw the Ifrit raise its right arm to the sky, a huge fireball growing in its open hand. It was the mid-level Fire magic [Fireball], the one most people imagined when they heard the words “fire magic”.
I crossed my arms to guard my face. As if it had waited for that moment, the Ifrit hurled the [Fireball].
The spell hit, but I did not take any damage. Maybe I did not even need to guard. I rushed at the Ifrit, which looked shocked that I stood without a mark. I reached it in less than a second and swung my hammer. I made a mistake here.
The Ifrit fired [Explosion] at the same time. It was like a counter. I had once taken that spell from a Goblin Wizard, and now this Ifrit used it to kill me for sure. The hit was much stronger than I thought.
But I was still alive.
The Ifrit froze after using all its Mana at once. I slammed my hammer into it and wiped it out. My Genbu model armor smoked from the heat. That had been close.
I looked to Ethelena. Only one Ifrit remained. She seemed to hide her form in three-dimensional movement, came from above behind it, and erased it with a strike while upside down. She moved like a white knight from a rebel story.
”Tatara, are you all right noja!?” Yohira cried.
”Lord Tatara, are you safe!?” Tatia rushed over too. Dahlia walked up behind them with a heavy air around her.
”I lost about two-thirds of my HP, but I’m alive,” I said.
”That is a grave wound!!” Yohira shouted.
They scolded me at once. I equipped the “egg” to heal. It was crazy that I would be full again in two minutes.
”Tatara, this happened before too, right!?” Ethelena said.
”Yeah. When we fought the Goblin Commander, the Wizard hit me. It did not hurt much back then, but this was a fire spirit king after all,” I said.
”Tatara, at least care that you made us worry, noja!” Yohira snapped.
I answered Ethelena, and Yohira scolded me. Even if I was careful, the spell would come sooner or later. We needed the ougyoku to get Fire resistance soon.
”Right, we did not check the drops,” I said.
”Master, all are fire ougyoku, so do not worry,” Dahlia said.
”I also stole some, so we have twelve in total,” Ethelena added.
The number shocked me. These ougyoku were rare items from Rare monsters, yet we had twelve. Ethelena’s skill was really scary.
”We will meet more ahead, but I fear that [Explosion] will come again,” I said.
”Only ‘a bit’ scary? Fool,” Yohira said with a sharp tone.
She was right. If I saw someone else take that spell, my heart would freeze too.
While we talked, my HP returned. I changed my equipment back, called to everyone, and we moved on. The rest of the floor went well, but about one in ten Ifrit used [Explosion]. I began to regret not taking Magic Defense Boost instead of Physical Defense Boost. I took hits, healed with the egg, and kept going. I leveled up on the way, but the damage still hurt. We also mined Orichalcum, then reached the 48th floor.
”…You’re kidding,” I said when I saw the wall. Red, blue, brown, and green swirled together. A mix of elements meant many kinds of enemies.
”Tatara, what do you think?” Yohira asked.
”If we stay positive, it’s a floor with many weak mobs,” I said.
”And if we think the worst?” Dahlia asked.
”All four spirit king together,” I said.
I had feared this day would come, but I still hoped it would not. Still, there was something I could do before asking Dahlia for help.
”Tatia, may I borrow Andrealphus?” I asked.
”Yes, here,” she said at once, handing me her beloved sword.
I removed the core stone, took out a Wind king gem, and compressed and shaped it with Crafting and Alchemy. I set it into Andrea. The blade turned a bright jade color. Even this simple work went well.
”Now Andrea has wind element attack,” I said, giving it back.
”You are doing shocking things inside a dungeon so quickly, Lord,” Tatia said, sounding tired.
Time to share the plan for this floor.
”Yohira and Tatia, I want you two to face the spirit king of set elements,” I said.
”Then I will take wind, noja,” Yohira replied.
”I will take earth,” Tatia said.
I nodded, glad they remembered the element rules. I also needed something to let Yohira change the element on Temari-bana quickly, like we did with Andrea.
”Ethelena and I will stay the same. Right, Ethelena?”
”Of course… but Tatara, please be the water one and handle [Explosion], okay?” she said.
Maybe the earlier scene left a mark on her. I wanted to answer her wish, but that would put her in danger too, so I could not agree.
We set our plan and began exploring again. Ethelena still led us fast. At a corner, she checked a room and sent a mind-voice.
’They’re here already. Fire and wind, and brown and blue too. One fire, three wind, and two of each brown and blue.’
Eight mixed types at once. The dungeon clearly wanted to kill us.
’We follow the same roles as before?’ I asked.
’That is the best choice, noja,’ Yohira said.
’Then Tatara will take water. I will take fire,’ Ethelena said.
I looked at her. She glared at me with anger she held inside.
’When you took that [Explosion], I was really worried, you know?’ she said.
’Then you see why I don’t want anyone else to take it,’ I answered.
’I know. But do not forget that we care about you too, Tatara,’ she said.
Her words hit hard. I felt the strong pressure and stepped back. When I looked around, Yohira, Tatia, and even Dahlia stared at me with sharp eyes.
’But I’m a man, so…’ I began.
’Yes, and?’ Ethelena said.
’Please remember, all of us are stronger than Tatara-dono,’ Dahlia said.
’Tatara, accept it noja,’ Yohira added.
Their heavy pressure crushed what pride I had left. I could not speak for a moment.
’…Fine. I will take the water spirit king,’ I said at last.
’Good. If you did not agree, I would have used Charm to control you,’ Ethelena said.
”That idea is scary,” I muttered.
I felt real fear. If she snapped, I had no idea what she would do.
We all rushed toward the spirit king of our chosen elements. I struck before the water one could react. I switched my hammer to earth and swung hard. The head turned brown and hit clean.
The water spirit king burst like a splash, leaving only a puddle and a drop item. Wind scattered, fire faded, and water burst. Each had a different way of falling, which was strange and a bit amazing.
I aimed at the next water spirit king and used Appraisal.
Race: Water spirit king Apsaras
HP 300/300
Mana 250/250
Skill Power 100/100
Physical Attack 22
Physical Defense 40
Magic Attack 60
Magic Defense 46
Speed 30
Movement 3
No status
Special Ability: spirit king Trait: Water
No Equipment
This one looked more like a woman. A round chest, a thin waist, and soft legs. If I spoke only of the body shape, she was between Dahlia and Yohira. The head flowed like water, like long hair. Even so, I struck without holding back.
It burst the same way, leaving water and a drop item behind.
I looked around and saw Tatia still fighting the earth spirit king. Her stab attacks were single hits, so she lacked the firepower of Yohira and Ethelena. I ran over, changed my element, and checked with Appraisal.
Race: Earth spirit king Titan
HP 182/300
Mana 250/250
Skill Power 100/100
Physical Attack 40
Physical Defense 60
Magic Attack 20
Magic Defense 28
Speed 20
Movement 3
No status
Special Ability: spirit king Trait: Earth
No Equipment
It seemed Tatia did not use Burst Edge at the start. With it, she would have won in one hit. But since she had not finished it, I had to help. I saw Titan throw a punch, and Tatia dodged. I used the opening and hit its back. My hammer glowed green and landed deep.
The earth spirit king broke apart into soil and left a drop. I let out a breath and looked at Tatia.
”Sorry for jumping in.”
”Please don’t mind it. Your level-up comes first, Tatara-dono,” she said with a warm smile.
Her words eased me, but I still needed to fix her low attack. I had to make Arcane Armor, a better form of armor, soon.
Yohira and Ethelena had already finished their fights. Yohira had three, yet still looked calm.
”For now, we seem fine. Can we keep this plan?” I asked.
”I have no problem, noja,” Yohira said.
”My power is a bit low, but if I use Charge, it will be fine. I can continue,” Tatia said.
”I’m good too,” Ethelena added.
Since all were fine, we decided to clear to floor 49.
We went deeper. The ougyoku dropped so often that we had double digits of every element now. They were meant to be rare, yet we had piles.
We leveled up on the way and reached the boss room of the 50th floor.
”Well, let’s go home,” I said.
”Isn’t that a waste?” Ethelena asked.
”With this flow, we could do it, noja,” Yohira said.
We probably could beat it fast. We might not even struggle. Still, I chose not to enter.
”No, let’s leave. If we get greedy now, something bad will happen,” I said.
”…Yes. You’re right,” Ethelena said.
Even if the boss room should be safe from surprises, I did not want the ‘immortal king’ to suddenly say hello. I had not finished remaking the magic spear Valachia yet.
Maybe she read my thoughts, because Ethelena’s face turned a bit mixed. She had been the one to warn me not to push myself, so she agreed. Yohira and Tatia did too, and we chose to retreat.
”Master, I am sorry, but I have something to test, so please go ahead first,” Dahlia said.
”Huh?”
As the others came close to me to use the Teleportation Crystal, Dahlia stopped. Test? Did she plan to fight the boss alone?
If so, I had to tell her the gimmick.
”If you plan to fight the boss—”
”Oh no. The City Mayor asked me to test something, so I will not attack the boss,” she said.
I froze mid-sentence. The City Mayor asked her?
”It is a new magic device. It is not yours, Master, but I wanted to try it, so I accepted,” Dahlia said.
”I see… I won’t ask what it is, but will you be okay?” I asked.
”Please relax. It is from someone who is like a mother to you, isn’t she?” she said.
I could only accept that. I shook off my worry and activated the Teleportation Crystal.
”We’ll go first,” I said.
”Dahlia, be careful, okay?” Ethelena told her.
”Yes. Thank you for your care.”
We left Dahlia and returned to the surface. I used deodorizing items for a quick fix, and this time the staff did not need to wash us.
I went home, and we split to take a bath. After using herbal shampoo and body soap, the water ran black with dirt. I was glad Ichika, who had a strong sense of smell, did not comment this time.
”Don’t narrate your monologue out loud,” someone said—Ethelena, from outside the door.
Later, when I entered the bath again with my wife, Ichika came in after finishing dinner prep. She washed my hair and back with a happy smile, and I felt clean. Her thin robe got wet and a bit see-through, and I had to fight my reaction.
”Tatara-sama, I am sorry, but we cannot do that tonight,” she said. She spoke in her real tone, without hiding her hair or tail.
I knew, but seeing her fine body made it hard to stay calm.
”I know. I’ll ask Ethelena later,” I said.
”That also feels complicated,” she said with a small troubled smile.
Her soft laugh relaxed my heart. She hugged me gently from behind, and I felt her warmth on my back. My body reacted again.
She whispered in my ear—soft words I answered with thanks and a small sorry.
After the bath, I watched the “idiot’s” training. His sword strikes had grown so sharp I could not follow them anymore. It was easy to forget he was a student.
”Come on, come on, come on. It’s fine if your form breaks, but don’t lose focus,” the “jerk” teacher said.
”Ugh… yes!” the “idiot” answered.
They faced each other, and their form practice looked nothing like simple drills now. The speed was unreal. The flow of moves looked like one long attack with no waste. The jerk was pushing the idiot as if he had already mastered every form.
He focused more on attention than form, maybe because every move now aimed at vital spots. The idiot was scolded because his strikes were not aimed to kill. Even if they stopped the blades at the last moment, it was still crazy.
”…Right, we stop here for today. Your draw-katana form got better, so keep training at home. Do each form ten times in the morning and at night. Okay?”
”Haa… haa… yes!”
”Good. We’re done. Rest well.”
The “jerk” gave the training plan and left. Unless it was my imagination, he was sweating too. Had the idiot grown enough to make that jerk sweat through pure training?
The idiot sat on the porch and gulped down a whole cup of water. He finished it in one go and let out a loud breath.
”Ahhh, I’m beat!”
”Good work,” Hinagiku-san said.
”Yeah, good job. That speed was crazy,” I added.
Even I could see his growth now. I would lose if I didn’t rely on status. Yet I doubted raw status alone would be enough against him soon.
”I’m doing my best to keep up. He told me to aim to hit for real since the swords don’t hurt me now. It’s so much stress! If I don’t swing on reflex, it doesn’t match his speed, and if my form is bad it hurts! It’s so hard!” he yelled.
”How can you even do that in such a short time…” I said.
The jerk wasn’t going full power, but he was serious. And this idiot had already adapted in about a week. What was he made of?
I gave him a lemon-honey drink with water to help him recover. Unlike plain water, he sipped this one slowly, so he might still have enough strength left.
”But still, I did not expect this,” Hinagiku-san said.
We both looked at her.
”That ‘beast instructor’ is famous in the country for having high standards and dropping students fast. It’s strange that he is teaching him properly, even if he was paid and ordered by the lord. I can’t ignore how rare this is.”
Her words made me think. That jerk was a teaser and had a child-like mood, but he always did the job he was given. It wasn’t that he was kind — he simply refused to be seen as someone who couldn’t handle what he took on.
So why didn’t he hold back with the idiot?
Mother-in-law said the idiot’s talent was close to Yohira’s — the strongest fighter of the Torakuma family.
To carve his own sword style into such talent, to enjoy shaping a fighter who could one day kill him — that was natural for him. He lived for the joy of a battle to the death. If he died at the end of such a fight, he would die smiling.
I understood him that way.
”Well, it just means this guy has real talent. You can be proud,” I said.
”Proud? Really…?” the idiot muttered.
I had no plan to learn more about that jerk’s mind. No thanks.
After we saw the idiot off, I called Tatia to the workshop after her bath. Ethelena and Yohira thought they were invited too and followed, but that was fine.
”I was going to work on Tatia’s new Arcane Armor, but since you’re all here, let’s update everyone’s equipment,” I said.
”Ugh, I even got ready in the bath and it was useless…!” Tatia said.
Why say that with such regret? And getting dirty right after a bath would defeat the point.
”Leave Tatia aside, noja. So you will change our equipment?” Yohira asked.
”Yes. I plan to add element resistance to the armor using the ougyoku we got,” I said.
Getting all elements except lightning and ice was more than I hoped for. Being able to cover the four main elements was huge.
”Do you need us here?” Ethelena asked.
”If you stay, I can hear your requests. Let’s start with Yohira’s Hydrangea since it’s easy to work with,” I said.
The mithril Hydrangea worked well with magic. It boosted Magic Defense if the user willed it, and mithril was easy to handle with Crafting. I took it, cleaned it, and it was fine, so I quickly set it on the table and pulled out the ougyoku.
”Do you want certain elements in certain places?” I asked.
”Hm? Sounds like you have an idea, noja,” Yohira said.
”Yes. Each element works a bit differently,” I said.
Fire raised attack. Wind raised speed. Earth on the arms could raise defense and act like a shield. Water on the body raised life strength.
”What do you think, Tatara?” Yohira asked.
”For you: fire and earth on the arms, water on the body, and wind on the legs. That would be very strong,”
By the way, if both arms had matching elements, the effect grew. And with Mana, you could copy a mixed magic like [Lava]. With Yohira’s Magic Attack, it might be weak, but still useful.
”Why not put all elements everywhere?” Ethelena asked.
”I could, but…”
”You won’t?” Yohira asked.
”My gut says if I do that, the world will kick us out,”
”Then no!” Tatia declared at once.
Right. I figured she’d say that.
So I began adding the ougyoku to Hydrangea. The colors did not change much — the flower patterns on each part simply gained soft colors. It looked almost magical when done.
”…It is beautiful, noja,” Yohira said.
”I didn’t expect this either,” I admitted.
Set Equipment: Hydrangea – Four Seasons
Physical Attack +10
Physical Defense +80
Magic Defense +120
Speed +30
Movement +2
Special Ability: Element Absorb: Four Elements
Not only did it look beautiful — the stats
Notes:
• Yohira – Torakuma’s first name. Oni warrior.
• Dahlia – The automaton.
• Ichika – The fox girl. Kunoichi. Virgincest⚠️, becomes pregnant immediately.
• Hinagiku – A tengu woman as Ranka’s potential companion. She stays with Tatara’s group after travels. Joins household scenes only. Linked to Ranka by shared gluttony jokes. No direct tie to Tatara beyond cohabitation. Cheerful eater.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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