I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

New Quests, New Goals

THE DAY AFTER the Ulmutt dungeon…

“Frannie, wait up!”

“Hm?”

Fran was walking down the labyrinthine streets when a voice called out to her. I didn’t need to see to know who it belonged to.

“Good morning, Fran!”

Elza. She barreled toward Fran, bulging muscles tight against her armor, looking terrifying as always. Jet echoed my sentiments by tucking his tail between his legs. He knew who the alpha was here. Fran was the only one unfazed by Elza’s sudden appearance.

“What is it, Elza?”

“There’s someone who wants to see you. He asked me to come get you.”

“Meet me? Who?”

“That’s right! He’s heard about you from your adventures in town! He said he would love to meet the Swordceress in person!”

The way Elza put it made it sound like this man wasn’t an adventurer. He might be a politician or a noble, if he was able to send Elza on errands.

“What kind of person is he?”

“Don’t worry, he’s not bad. He used to be an adventurer himself, so he’s not one for formalities. He’s the head of the beastmen in this town. It would be good for you to know him.”

A politician then. Not an aristocrat by birth, but someone who held sway over the city. And he was a beastman? I couldn’t believe he would want to meet a Black Cat.

But Elza knows him, thought Fran.

A good point.

I guess she wouldn’t introduce you to anyone weird.

Hm.

Still, I’m amazed Elza’s already gained your trust.

Yeah?

Fran tilted her head. Elza took it as a gesture of concern.

“Now, I know you’re worried.”

We would be well within our rights.

“Which is why I’m coming with you! Don’t worry, if he tries anything funny, I’ll crush him real good!”

Crush what?

“Aarf…”

Oh, Elza, you scared Jet. It’s okay boy, you’re all right. Still, I supposed it would be safe to meet this person if Elza was coming with us. If things went south, we could always ask Dias to mediate.

“All right, I’ll see him.”

“Thanks, honey! I’ll lead the way.”

“Hm.”

“Hope you don’t mind taking a shortcut!” Elza said, preparing to jump.

Running from rooftop to rooftop was a good way of navigating this labyrinthine town. I hoped we wouldn’t piss anyone off in the process, but then again, I didn’t think anybody in town would want to pick a fight with Elza, making for a much quicker journey.

Elza dashing across the rooftops of Ulmutt was a sight to behold. Every time she hopped from one house to another, I was worried the roof wouldn’t hold. One house made some ominous creaking noises when she landed on it, scaring some children inside. I couldn’t take my eyes off her!

“Over here!”

“Hm.”

But Fran carried on, cool as a cucumber.

Ten minutes later, we reached the gates of a large estate. The manor was luxurious, clearly the dwelling place of nobility. Two beastmen soldiers stood guard at the front gate.

“This the place?”

“Yep. This is Old Aurel’s house. Hey there!”

“Lady Elza! It has been too long. Please come inside.”

Elza waved at the guards, who responded by standing at attention and saluting. The adventurers clearly weren’t the only ones who respected her—the guards seemed to share that same reverence. 

“Don’t mind if I do. The girl and her wolf are with me.”

“Ma’am!”

Elza led Fran along a stone path between the gate and the mansion.

“I did a lot of missions for Old Aurel, and he took a liking to me. I can come and go as I want.”

“This place is huge.”

“Woof.”

“He was a B-Rank adventurer in his prime. He used to personally serve the king.”

Old Aurel sounded like a hero from a folktale, not the kind of person Fran would get along with normally. If things got hairy, we might have to make up some kind of reason to leave. 

The garden was huge, and we still hadn’t reached the mansion. Flowers of many colors grew among fountains and statues. A garden showcased its owner’s tastes, and this one was artfully arranged. Elza identified the flowers by name as we passed, and told Fran of their special uses. This one was used in perfume, and the essential oil from that one was excellent as moisturizer. Fran was completely uninterested.

We reached the mansion, and Elza threw open the doors without so much as a knock. She wasn’t kidding when she said she could come and go as she pleased.

“Here I am, Old Man!”

“Welcome, Lady Elza.”

“Oh, hello, Shalla,” said Elza, making conversation with the maid who welcomed us. “It’s been a while. How is that moisturizer working out?”

“It is keeping my skin in excellent condition, ma’am.”

“Shalla, where is Old Aurel?”

“He is relaxing on the terrace.”

“Thank you, dear. Come on, Fran.”

“Hm.”

Elza refused Shalla’s offer to escort us, and led the way to the terrace.

The interior of the mansion was just as opulent, and spacious too. Expensive paintings decorated the walls, and beautiful pots housed lively flowers. The terrace was located on the second floor. The mansion’s great height allowed us to see the whole of Ulmutt from here. Even Fran and Jet were impressed.

“Whoa.”

“Woof.”

They ran to the balustrade and looked out with gleaming eyes, completely ignoring the graying old man who was definitely the lord of the mansion. Fortunately, the old man only smiled magnanimously at Fran’s childlike wonder.

“Hahaha. Like what you see?”

“Hm! It’s amazing!”

“Woof.”

The old man seemed to be just as impressed with the view. The dungeon city looked much grander from up here.

“Good. The name’s Widget Aurel of the White Dogs. May I have your name, little miss?”

“Hm. Black Cat Fran. This is Jet.”

“Woof!”

“Thank you for accepting my invitation. Please, have a seat.”

Old Aurel was intimidating, though in a different way from Elza. He had the presence of a mafia don, emphasized by his baritone voice. Despite getting along in years, he still retained an imposing posture.

“Old Aurel’s actually over seventy years old!” said Elza. “Can you believe it? How does he always look so fresh?”

“Hah! That’s easy. I always have a goal I’m working toward and I work so hard I forget to age, that’s all.” Aurel grinned stoically. 

H-he was so cool. The kind of old man all men look up to. The model of graceful aging. 

“Here. Try this one, it’s real good. One of my favorites.”

“Hm.”

Aurel gave us recommendations for the tea and crumpets his maid brought. He knew what he was talking about too. Fran gobbled up the cookies and asked for another cup of tea.

“We brew this with the finest of Chromian leaves. I needed a hobby when I realized I was getting old. This is the only thing I enjoy.”

Tea was his only hobby? 

“What about the pictures and the flowers?”

“I let my gardener do what he wants with the garden. If I managed it myself, it’d turn into a jungle in a week. I buy whatever the art merchants recommend. Visuals are a huge part of being a politician unfortunately.” Aurel laughed. As a former adventurer, perhaps he would’ve preferred a much simpler house.

“Why did you call me here?”

“Hahaha! You get right to the point. No reason really. Just wanted to see this Swordceress with my own eyes.”

“Like I said earlier,” said Elza, “Aurel’s the representative for the beastmen in town. He was interested in you.”

“I didn’t do much to get the role of representative. Living in Ulmutt for the better part of fifty years will do that to anyone. I know a lot of people, that’s all.”

Was that really it? No shady dealings? Fran had warned me not to use it…but I needed to use Essence of Falsehood again. Just in case.

“I heard rumors about a strong beastgirl. I had to see her for myself.”

“So what do you think of Fran?” Elza asked. “Cute, isn’t she? And real strong too!”

“If you say she is, then she is. I don’t remember the last time I met a kid who wasn’t afraid of me. I like you.”

He was telling the truth.

“I guess the rumors were true,” Aurel said. “Not that I had much reason to doubt Elza’s endorsement.”

What rumors? Before we could ask, Aurel elaborated. The Swordceress was far stronger than her D-Rank suggested. She was merciless to her enemies, Elza had taken a liking to her, she wielded an enchanted sword like it was an extension of her own limbs, and her real strength was closer to a B-Rank. These rumors circulated through the usual network of talking merchants. Most of them were true. Still, Fran remained suspicious.

“I’m a Black Cat. Do you still buy it?”

Fran would not forgive anyone for belittling her race. But she was also aware of how low the Black Cats were in the beastman hierarchy, which was why she had to hold her ground.

Aurel only snorted in response. “And? You’re saying all Black Cats are weak? I had the pleasure of running into a terrifyingly strong Black Cat when I was younger. It happened right in these dungeons.”

“Really?” said Elza. “I never heard that story.”

“Because I never told you.”

“Where are they now?” Fran insisted. 

This was the first time she’d heard of a strong Black Cat, aside from herself. Inina was pretty strong by Black Cat standards, but she was nothing compared to Fran. But for a former B-Rank like Aurel to claim that they were “terrifyingly strong”…?

Fran had to know.

“Where are they?” said Aurel. “I’d like to know myself.”

“Okay, what were they like?”

“Can’t remember. This happened fifty-three years ago.”

Lie. But why dodge the subject? Did they die in the dungeons? Aurel looked gloomy and clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

“Oh…”

“Anyway, feel free to namedrop me if the beastmen in town give you any trouble. Should work most of the time. And feel free to come over if something’s on your mind.”

Aurel was willing to go out of his way to do us favors. Still, it was best not to bring up his old Black Cat comrade again. We might spoil whatever goodwill the man had for us.

“Which reminds me, we’ve taken care of Inina’s body. We buried her this morning.”

“Thank you.”

That was fast. Was there no funeral? Maybe being buried in an adventurers’ cemetery took the place of one. But even veteran adventurer Elza thought things were proceeding too fast.

“Already? But Fran wanted to say her last goodbyes.”

“Hm?” said Fran. “I already did, so I’m good.”

“Are you sure, honey?”

“You’re a Granzellian born and raised, Elza,” Aurel said. “Allow me to explain.”

When a beastman died, his soul immediately ascended to heaven. That was the moment when his friends grieved for him. Beastman custom didn’t place a high value on the body without a soul, which nullified the need for a funeral. They were still held, though mostly to console the friends and family.

“The beastmen tribes have been a warrior race since the age of the gods. As such, we tend to die on the battlefield. Holding a funeral in the middle of battle is a little tricky, so we say our goodbyes to our fallen comrades right then and there. Our comrades wouldn’t mind if we used their bodies as meat shields, and we wouldn’t mind if the same thing happened to us.”

The beastmen were a very practical race. I guess that was a given, considering how many wars they’d been in. That meant Fran had mourned Inina when she found her lying dead in the dungeon.

“I do have a request for you, though,” said Aurel. “If you don’t mind.”

A quest? That was sudden. Aurel had barely known Fran a day.

“What is it?”

Aurel took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table. A pendant?

“Delivery. The destination is very close. Elza should be able to finish it by the end of the day.”

“Then why not ask Elza?”

“Because I want you to do it. How about it?”

Aurel looked into Fran’s eyes.

“All right.” Fran nodded without consulting me. A rare occurrence. His request worried me, since I couldn’t get a read on him, but Fran clearly wanted to take it.

“Very well,” said Aurel. “Your quest is to deliver this to a certain individual.”

Aurel had prepared this beforehand, and fully intended for Fran to deliver it, should she meet his standards. Fran took the pendant. It was a plain-looking piece with a black stone set in the center. We weren’t going to tamper with the pendant, but it could open like a locket.

I didn’t feel any mana running through it, which meant that it was nothing more than a cheap trinket. Not exactly something that needed protection, but Aurel’s following statement almost made me jump out of my sheath.

“You will deliver the pendant to the master of the East Dungeon.”

Excuse me?!

“The Dungeon Master?”

I almost broadcast my surprise over Telepathy! He wanted us to give this to a Dungeon Master?

Aurel nodded in response, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “That’s right. You have to make sure that you give it to them yourself.”

“How?”

“That is part of your quest.”

How were we supposed to give stuff to a Dungeon Master? I remembered that Dias had struck a deal with them. We’d need to talk to him before we set out.

“They should be in the dungeon’s deepest level. You can get there, can’t you?”

Fran rose to Aurel’s challenge immediately. “Hm! Of course!”

I couldn’t imagine how this quest would end, let alone begin.

We left Aurel’s estate after that. As we made our way to the Adventurer’s Guild, Fran apologized—her ears pressed flat to her head.

I’m sorry.

Huh? About what?

About taking the quest without asking you.

So that’s what was bothering her.

I’m a little uneasy about it, but I don’t mind as long as you want to do this.

Thanks.

You sure have taken a liking to that old man.

Aurel was a good man with a generous spirit. Fran got along with people like him, but I didn’t think she’d immediately take a quest from him. I was glad to see Fran had cheered up since Inina’s death, but I was still curious. As it turned out, however, Fran hadn’t taken on the quest out of the goodness of her heart.

That old man has evolved.

What? Really?

He was an evolved White Dog. A White Wolf.

But he said he was a White Dog. Aurel had introduced himself as Widget Aurel of the White Dogs.

You’re still a White Dog even after you’ve evolved into a White Wolf.

I see. So you’ll still be Black Cat Fran even after you evolve?

Yeah.

But how did you know he was evolved?

Beastmen have a feel for these things.

Really?

Pretty much.

The instinct sounded like it was innate to beastmen.

I’ll ask him how to evolve. But we have to finish this quest first.

So that’s your plan.

“Hm.”

Fran had thought things through before accepting this quest.

“What’s wrong, honey?”

“Nothing.”

“You sure?”

We took Elza’s rooftop shortcut on our return trip, too, asking her about the Dungeon Master as we did. She told us a lot of things as we passed by people drying their laundry on the rooftops, giving some of them the scare of their lives. Meeting the Dungeon Master would be more difficult than we imagined. Even Elza had yet to meet the creature in person.

“I think you should tell the GM about your quest. It’ll count toward your rank up if it’s recognized by the guild.”

“Really?”

“Getting to the deepest level is easy enough, but that’s no guarantee that the reclusive Dungeon Master will see you. I think our GM is the only one who’s guaranteed an audience.”

Was this quest actually possible?

“Hrmph.”

We’ve already accepted. We just need to figure out a way to finish it.

Had Aurel tasked Fran with an impossible quest? But there were no penalties—all we’d have to do is log the quest as a failure. Not that we had any intention of doing that.

We reached the guild and immediately went to see Dias. Meeting the Guildmaster was difficult under regular conditions, but Elza enjoyed special perks. If she wanted to see the Guildmaster, she would see the Guildmaster.

We found Dias doing paperwork for once. Despite our short time in Ulmutt, we had already decided that he wasn’t the sort to do actually do office work. I’d have thought he’d be out for a walk at this hour. Elza gasped, obviously thinking the same thing.

“What’s this? I didn’t think you’d be in.”

“I don’t make the rounds every day, you know. Did you need something?”

“Yes, it’s about Fran.”

“Go on.”

Dias turned his attention to Fran, who told him about Aurel’s request. She was mostly excited about the tea and sweets, but finished with a brief mention of the quest.

“I see. So you’ve met Aurel…”

“Friend of yours?”

“Kind of. It’s a small town, you run into the same people every day. But that quest…”

“I couldn’t tell what the old man wanted from her. Any guesses, GM?”

“Oh…Aurel…” Dias muttered, thinking to himself.

“Hm?”

“Nothing, never mind. I’ll authorize this quest in your log. But do be careful. You are not to harm the Dungeon Master in any way, shape, or form. If you do, we will not hesitate to execute you, understand?”

“Got it.”

We had learned a lot the past few days, so we knew the stakes. If we attacked the Dungeon Master, Ulmutt might be destroyed.

“She can be difficult to handle. If you do meet her, do not upset her.”

So the Dungeon Master was female?

“She?”

“Ah. I’ve said too much. You’ll see for yourself. It isn’t my place to say.”

“All right.”

After our meeting, we went to look up information on the Dungeon Master, but mostly came up dry. All we had to go on was that she liked to remain hidden, was female, and could talk. We looked up the West Dungeon’s Dungeon Master to see if we could draw parallels, but information there was just as sparse. The West seemed to be an auxiliary dungeon, which had a dungeon boss but no Dungeon Master. East and West might be governed by the same person. No one could really tell us more than that, since getting to the deepest level alone was an arduous task.

We’ll just have to go there and see.

“Hm.”

We’d already decided to go deeper into the East Dungeon anyway.

How does it look, Fran?

“Hm.”

Five days since we arrived in Ulmutt, on the fourteenth floor of the East Dungeon. 

We were hunting monsters and honing our trap skills. We had to complete Aurel’s quest, but there wasn’t much point in rushing through and injuring ourselves. 

Fran was doing battle with a trap. The deeper we went into the dungeon, the more of them there were, and the more complex their workings. For example, multiple wires which were actually red herrings—the trap wouldn’t trigger if you didn’t mess with its inner mechanism. We also had to be careful with arrows, which could activate other traps.

Deadly poison and teleportation traps were much more frequent now. Movement Seal and Presence Sense Seal traps also made their debut. Not that it affected us, since we had Seal Immunity.

The Guildmaster might have struck a deal with the Dungeon Master, but a dungeon was still a dungeon. This was not going to be a walk in the park.

“Hm… I got it.”

Yeah? Let’s see it.

Fran had perfectly dismantled the trap.

Not only were there more of them now, but the monsters had sense, detection, and trap skills now too. While not impressive from a raw stats perspective, these creatures were able to use the dungeon’s darkness and traps to their advantage. But, thanks to their crystals, my skill levels were steadily increasing. I now had Omni Radar 4, Being Sense 4, and Disarm Trap 4. We had an abundance of traps to practice on too. Fran’s skill in handling them had come along nicely. The new magicks we absorbed in Bulbola, Frost Magic and Steel Magic, were quite handy in disarming them too.

That said, we couldn’t make much use of Moonlight Magic. Moon Phase boosted stats, but only at night, while Night Vision gave us better vision in the dark for a while. Honestly, they were a little lackluster, but we still needed to level it up to get the magic reflection spells later on.

For now, Frost and Steel was where it was at.

Freezing the inside of a trap with Frost Magic slowed down the trigger mechanism. It also completely deactivated any explosives. Steel Magic was even more useful. It could manipulate the steel inside a trap to render it harmless. You could also use it to weld the steel parts together and stop the mechanism from firing. Still, while Fran had dramatically improved her disarming skills, she wasn’t perfect. Even now, she groaned as she noticed her mistake.

“Ah.”

Short Jump!

“Wooof!”

Water bullets shot out at dangerous speeds toward the place we were standing. A direct hit, especially to the head, would’ve been lethal, not to mention that water projectiles were difficult to see.

“Sorry.”

Guess you haven’t completely mastered it.

“Hm.”

There was no choice with these traps though. Either solve them or turn back.

Aside from completing Aurel’s task, we had four goals: One, we needed to level up; two, we needed to complete our rank-up quest; three, we had to train our neglected skills, and four, we needed to get our hands on a skill that would protect us against abilities that worked on the mind.

Coercive Influence and Mental Suggestion were our primary concern. We needed a skill that would protect us against that kind of subtle manipulation. Those sorts of skills weren’t classified as status ailments, since their effect to a target’s mind was so subtle. That made them difficult to detect—downright impossible if the user were any good with them.

We had fallen victim to mental manipulation twice since arriving in Ulmutt. Something needed to be done. I thought perhaps we could get the manatech equivalent of a tinfoil hat, but those weren’t readily available. We visited all the manatech shops Elza suggested but came up dry. Pieces that could block high-level mental manipulation were extremely costly, and we wouldn’t be able to afford one even if we found one.

This meant we needed a skill.

We spent thirty minutes in the guild archives looking for a monster with just such a skill, and got a lot more information than I initially thought. A lot of data about monster appearances had been gathered in the long years since the pact with the Dungeon Master. Everything from spawn locations to weak points and dropped materials. Adventurers who possessed Identify went one further and listed all the skills each monster had as well. I figured out there was a particular monster lurking in the depths which had the skill that we wanted, and there was.

The skill was called Mental Disruption. 

The ability to disrupt skills such as Mental Suggestion. The monster that possessed it was completely unaffected by mental manipulation. In order to gain it, we would have to traverse the depths of this dungeon—all the way to the eighteenth floor. We could finish Aurel’s quest while we were at it. Two birds with one stone.

It had only been two days since we set our sights on clearing this dungeon and already the stairs to the fourteenth floor stood before us.

We were making pretty good progress, thanks to that all-too-useful skill, Pocket Dimension. It meant we could store a large amount of food without being encumbered by its weight. The same applied to the various monster materials we’d picked up along the way. Pocket Dimension made dungeon crawling a lot easier. 

Other adventurers had to carve monsters for materials on the spot. As such, they only brought back the most valuable pieces. Carving took time, and the more items you had, the heavier your inventory became.

The deeper you got into the dungeon, the tougher the monsters and the more complex the traps. As a result, the lower levels took a long time to clear. Not to mention monster parts had a habit of decomposing over time. You wouldn’t usually spend too much time in a dungeon, and very few adventurers tried to clear it. Even fewer traversed its treacherous depths daily.

Physical limits weren’t the only things that barred an adventurer’s progress. Monsters lurked around every dark corner, and people needed to be careful even as they ate, so as not to attract undue attention. Dungeon crawling was nerve-racking business, and many quit early. Motivation was not an infinite resource, so that became the primary obstacle.

Fran and Jet did not have these disadvantages. They traveled on delicious food, and had access to a fluffy bed in the event they got tired. Their standard of living was on a whole other level. Fran and Jet were also battle junkies, so the tougher the monsters got, the more motivated they became. All it took to raise their spirits was a good fight. Fran’s eyes gleamed with desire.

“I’ll kill them in one hit.”

“Woof!”

As we walked down the stairs to the fourteenth floor, we were greeted by large shadows.

High Ogres.

The elite race of ogre. They were close to four meters tall, with skin like iron wrapped around their bulging muscles. The weapons they wielded only added to their menacing presence. A giant steel club. A great mace whose business end was as big as a barrel. The High Ogres handled these terrible weapons like they were swinging a stick. I didn’t expect to run into these musclebound monsters here.

These guys would make a tough fight, since we’d just gotten through the thirteenth floor. Thanks to their regenerative capacity, they could even survive a wound that left their guts exposed. Fran was vexed that they had startled her, and was set on killing them all.

I guess there aren’t any traps in this room.

The High Ogre was the only monster in this dungeon that couldn’t navigate around traps. Therefore, a room with High Ogres couldn’t have them. The musclebrains would trigger them and get themselves killed.

Still, they were powerful enough to make a D-Rank sweat.

Under normal circumstances, we could easily take them head on, and things would be much easier now that we didn’t have to worry about traps. So long as Fran didn’t insist on killing them all with her sword, a few spells would make short work of them.

Let’s go!

“Hm.”

“Grrrrr!”

We used the element of surprise to our advantage. If we took too long, the fighting would attract other monsters. Jet bared his fangs at the High Ogre to his right and leapt at it.

“Raaargh!”

Then, arrows started falling.

Whoa! Air Shield!

“Urrrf?”

I popped a spell by reflex as Jet retreated to the shadows. So there were traps in this room. The arrows bounced harmlessly off of the ogres’ iron hides.

That was how they dealt with them. The traps might be harmless to them, but they were quite dangerous for us. This dungeon kept getting worse!

Let’s take care of these bastards quick!

“Hm!”

I thought a spell would make quick work of them, but decided against it. Fran would definitely sulk if I blew them all up and robbed her of a chance to swing her sword.

Jet and I will take half of them. You take the other two!

“Hm.”

Inferno Burst!

“Groaaar!”

I fired my flame spell at a High Ogre and watched it burn to ashes. Jet jumped out of the shadows and skewered another with a shadow spear.

“Oooorgh!”

“Too slow! Haaa!”

Fran dodged the ogre’s club and used Air Hop to get some height. She prepared her Pressurized Quickdraw to chop the ogre’s barrel-thick neck. She decapitated it, and blood gushed out of the stump. Its head fell to the dungeon floor with a loud thud. Even a High Ogre couldn’t recover from that.

Fran turned her attention to the last one. This time, she was less theatrical in her disposal. She dodged its attacks as she drew closer, and jammed me right into the creature’s crystal, near its heart. So long as you weren’t picky, this was the fastest way to kill something.

I guess High Ogres aren’t an indication that there are no traps here…

“Just the way I like it.”

Fran puffed her chest confidently. The harder the dungeon got, the more motivated she was.

The traps will only get more dangerous from here. Stay on your toes.

“Hm.”

You, too, Jet. Don’t let that happen again.

“Arf…”

We carried on with a newfound alertness, and found a trap we had never seen before.

“There’s a weird line here.”

Good eye… I can barely see it.

“Is this a trap too?”

It was an infrared beam, like the ones you see in the movies. Although it wasn’t technically infrared, since we could see it with our bare eyes… I wondered what kind of trap this would trigger.

“Should I try tripping it?”

Yeah…it’d be nice to know what it does.

We got as much distance as we could. Then, I generated a clone of myself and sent it to activate the trap.

That’s it?

No arrows, no pitfalls. No jutting spears or bursts of gas either.

“I hear something.”

What?

Rumble…

A heavy grinding noise came from deeper in the dungeon. It sounded like the gears of an old elevator. Still, we didn’t know what’d happened. I examined the room before Fran pointed to the path leading out.

“The walls are moving.”

What?

She was right. The wall at the end of the path was sliding aside. What used to be a straight path out was now a right turn. This particular trap made the dungeon more mazelike, and its chief aim was to lead adventurers down the wrong path. I didn’t know such a thing even existed.

We could see the trap with our naked eye though, so it was easy to avoid, as long as we were careful. We just needed to figure out a way to disarm it. Or so I thought.

Rumble…

The noise returned.

“Teacher?”

But I got rid of my clone! Jet?

“Bark bark bark!”

Jet shook his head in frantic denial, but the walls continued moving. The one on the left disappeared to reveal another path, and another High Ogre.

The High Ogre triggered it!

The High Ogres and the traps on this floor were made for each other. No matter how careful we were, the careless ogres would eventually run into the traps. Alternatively, they could be activated by other adventurers.

“Raaaargh!”

The creature roared.

We need to get rid of him!

“Hm!”

This dungeon is a pain in the ass!

But it was only the sign of what the dungeon had in store for us. Once we got to the fifteenth floor, the number of trap-triggering monsters increased dramatically.

Particularly frustrating was the creature called Mist. It was a gaseous monster which was difficult to detect, and couldn’t be harmed by physical means in its dissipated state. However, it could also become solid enough to activate traps. As a result, Mists became the primary headache.

By the time we got to the eighteenth floor, these creatures had tripped over thirty traps. Even Fran couldn’t hide her exhaustion. We had an awful time, before we figured out a simple way to get rid of them.

The method was easy enough. Before entering a new room, we’d clear it with a well-placed area of effect spell. Even if the creatures concealed themselves, our spells covered enough ground to snuff them out in their hiding spots. Mists weren’t known for their durability—two to three spells were all it took. Sometimes we would even get the added benefit of tripping whatever traps were waiting for us inside. A two-for-one deal.

The only downside to this strategy was that we got zero practice time. But now was the time to prioritize our own safety, especially since these floors spawned the monster we were looking for: a small black ball of light called the Dirty Wisp. The creature that possessed the skills to resist mental manipulation.

We’ll have to hold off on clearing entire rooms with spells for now. We’ll figure something out.

“All right.”

We were moving much slower now in an effort to be more careful. The monster we’re looking for would be a much bigger hassle than Mists.

“Grr!”

What is it, Jet?

“Arf!”

Jet growled and barked at a bit of wall before firing a shadow spear at it. Now that I got a closer look, there was definitely something odd about it.

“Skreeeee!”

Ew, gross!

A purple and orange maggot, definitely venomous.

The maggot was impaled to the wall, spasming, with black fluid frothing from its mouth. A pungent stink wafted out of the hole Jet’s shadow spear had left in its guts.

That was close. You didn’t sense this thing, Fran?

“Nope.”

“Grrr!”

Mimic Venomcrawler.

Possessing Camouflage, Conceal Presence, and Hush, the beast relied on stealth and patience to hunt its prey. With Venomfang, Poison Magic, and Venom Spray, the maggot was practically made of poison. Jet only noticed it thanks to his sharp nose.

According to the archives, the Venomcrawler was the number one monster you needed to keep an eye out for, beating even the High Ogre in terms of casualties. I immediately saw why. It was impossibly stealthy and dangerously venomous. If the maggot got the drop on you, you’d be pretty dead. Even mid-rank adventurers would have a hard time spotting them.

However, the Venomcrawler’s parts were highly valued. It turned out that we had four requests for Mimic Venomcrawler parts: Skin, Venom Sac, Venom Fang, and Meat.

I couldn’t imagine eating this thing myself, but apparently it was a delicacy. Failure to remove the creature’s venom from the flesh would result in gastronomic catastrophe, so I guess it was the fugu of this world.

We’re counting on you, Jet!

“You can do it.”

“Arf?”

Jet’s nose knows where to go!

Two hours later, with Maggot Killer Jet leading the way, our exploration of the eighteenth floor was going smoothly.

He had already killed around ten venomous maggots, so we were in high spirits. But then I spotted something that was cause for even more excitement.

Treasure chest!

“Hm.”

The first treasure chest of the day.

Ulmutt’s dungeons were famous for spawning chests. The Dungeon Master didn’t mind cutting adventurers a break, since they had already forged a deal with the Guildmaster. The chests in the upper levels contained mostly potions, while the lower levels contained magic equipment. We had already picked up some potions on our way here.

A treasure chest on the eighteenth floor. I wonder what’s in it!

We weren’t going to open it immediately of course. The thing was obviously rigged. My guess was some sort of acid trap. Once activated, acid would spray all over the party, and would sometimes dissolve whatever was inside the treasure chest too.

An awful trap indeed.

“I’ll disarm it.”

Sure. Be careful.

“Got it!”

Fran couldn’t wait to get her hands on it. She examined the box and its surroundings—knocking the adjacent floor and walls to listen for anything strange. Then she took out her disarming tool, cast the appropriate spells, and calmly dismantled the trap. Her focus was always a pleasure to see—she usually had such a short attention span. I only wished she could focus during her studies.

“Done!”

That was fast.

“I’m getting better at this!”

Fran excitedly opened the chest. Inside, we found an interesting piece of equipment: a fist weapon for martial artists. The gauntlet was made of black metal plates and ran from the back of your hand to your upper arm, and it came with a belt to adjust the size. Three beastly claws curved out of the arm guard, each twenty centimeters long.

Name: Captive Claws

Attack: 230; MP: 100; Durability: 700

Mana Conductivity: D+

Skill: Paralyze

You could retract its claws by feeding mana through it, making it convenient for everyday use. Its ability to inflict Paralyze also made it highly useful in battle. We couldn’t use it, but it should sell for a decent price.

Still, Fran had something else on her mind.

“Teacher, do you think Jet can use this?”

What? Hmm, now that you mention it…

The claws could change size, depending on the user. Even its braces got larger or smaller depending on the user’s hands. They should fit perfectly on Jet’s front paws.

Fran, try equipping it on him.

“Hm. Jet, show me your paws.”

“Woof!”

“The right one first.”

“Arf.”

Fran tugged on Jet’s right paw and equipped him with the claw. There was no problem with the fit. The Captive Claw’s size-adjustment feature kicked in, confirming Jet as its new user. He posed triumphantly, proud of his new gear. His enthusiasm was only betrayed by his tail wagging so hard it made a breeze.

Looking good, Jet.

“So cool.”

“Arf, arf!”

How does it feel? Are they awkward to walk around in?

“Arf? Bark, bark!”

No problems there, either.

Jet activated the retractable claws with his mana, pulling them in and out of the bracers. While the claws’ attack value wasn’t too high, it was still better than Jet’s bare paws. Paralysis worked perfectly with his hit and run style of fighting too. He could slow them down, and then move in for the kill.

Jet was ecstatic with his newfound toy. He couldn’t wait to get his paws on some monsters. Promoted from Maggot Killer to Monster Exterminator, Jet led the charge, practically skipping with joy. The only action Fran and I saw was when we ran into High Ogres.

Soon, we reached the stairs leading down to the nineteenth floor. This dungeon might have been designed for our direwolf.

“What now, Teacher?”

We’re already here so let’s keep going. Dirty Wisps spawn on the nineteenth floor, too, and we’ve already collected everything we needed from the maggots. No point in going through here again.

“Hm. All right.”

But just as we were about to descend the stairs…

“Arf?”

What is it, Jet?

“Woof, woof!”

It looked like he was barking at a stone step, but his maxed out detection skills told me there was something there.

“Bark!”

Jet launched a pitch-black spear at the step. Didn’t I just see this happen a while ago?

“Aaaaaaaa!”

His attack hit something, and that something wailed as it ejected itself from the step. The thing looked like a glowing, black bowling ball. Its contours were vague and hazy, and it looked like it might disappear if you took your eyes off it. This was the creature we had been looking for.

That’s a Dirty Wisp!

They’d finally made their appearance.

Upon Identification, its health and strength turned out to be lower than your garden-variety goblin. However, its magic and agility were more than enough to get it boosted to a D-Threat. It had a multitude of skills too: Wind Magic, Conceal Presence, Thought Disruption, Mental Status Resistance, Mana Drain, Dark Magic, and Dark Resistance.

It must’ve used magic to hide in the darkness of the stairwell. Jet knew something was there because he used the spell in the same way. The Dirty Wisp could’ve gotten the jump on us if not for Jet, and I doubt we would be in good condition to fight it.

Good job, Jet! I’ll give you a treat later.

“Arf? Bark bark!”

I’ll bring out the ultrahot curry for you, sure!

“Arooooo!”

“Hrmph. I can’t slack off either.”

Upon hearing Jet’s reward, Fran readied me.

Time to get that crystal!

“Hm!”

We were after the Dirty Wisp’s Thought Disruption skill. We’d come this far, we wouldn’t let it go to waste.

Jet, cover it so it can’t run off.

“Woof!”

“Haaa!”

Fran slashed at the Dirty Wisp, despite the awkward footing.

“Aaaaa!”

“Hrm.”

But my blade passed harmlessly through its body. Was it Dark Magic? It was able to momentarily lose its physical form to evade damage.

“Fire Arrow!”

“Aaa!”

Damn it! This thing’s fast.

That applied to both its movement and cast speed. The moment Fran launched her Fire Arrow, the wisp threw up a Dark Shield.

Fire Arrow.

“Fire Arrow.”

Fire Arrow.

Time to overwhelm the wisp’s protection with a barrage of spells! The Dark Wisp’s defense was soon broken by thirty flaming bolts. It wasn’t getting away now! Or so I thought…

“Aa—”

It disappeared… No, it teleported!

The wisp faded and reappeared some three meters away. Fortunately, it wasn’t able to teleport over long distances, but this was still a pain. If killing it were our main objective, we could unload our area of effect spells …

But we had the crystal to think about, and powerful spells tended to destroy crystal along with the monster. Bigger, higher leveled creatures would have larger and more durable crystal. The Dirty Wisp was not such a monster. I wasn’t expecting much out of its crystal, aside from that skill.

In that case—

We have to kill it before it gets away!

“Hm.”

First, we needed to restrict its movement.

“Groar!”

Fire Arrow.

“Aaaa—”

The wisp moved through the shadows to dodge our attacks. What it lacked in skills, it more than made up for in cast time. But it shouldn’t be able to teleport multiple times in a row. We just needed to predict where it was going and kill it.

Thanks to Fran’s levelled-up detection skills, she could do exactly that. The dungeon’s training finally paid off, and she anticipated the exact location. Fran leaped to the wisp’s destination.

“Haaa!”

Her right hand flashed and, now that I was imbued with fire, I cut easily cut through the Dirty Wisp. I felt its crystal surge through me.

“Aaaaaaaaaa!”

The black sphere let out an ear-splitting shriek and faded away. The fact that the creature left nothing but its crystal behind might be part of the reason why there were so few sightings.

Nice, I have Thought Disruption now!

“Hm!”

Let’s keep hunting wisps so we can level it up more!

“Woof!”

Three hours after our first encounter with a Dirty Wisp…

Time for dinner, you two.

“Hm!”

“Woof!”

We were camping out in a safe corner of the nineteenth floor.

Once we’d checked that the room was clear of traps, Jet and I cast five layers of barriers. Only then did I take out Fran’s bed. Since I didn’t need any sleep, I could keep watch all night and both of my party members had proven that their senses were far more sensitive than mine. We should have no trouble spotting a stealthy monster or the odd rogue adventurer.

“Munch munch munch!”

“Gobble gobble gobble!”

Fran sat on the bed and ate her curry. Tonight she was having fried chicken chunks, cheese-filled salisbury, and fried pork cutlet. Jet laid at her feet, chowing down on his ultrahot curry. His mouth was slathered with it. We would need to clean him up later. Fran hummed and dangled her legs. At times, she’d use her feet to fluff Jet’s fur.

We had accomplished our goal of defeating a Dirty Wisp and acquiring Thought Disruption. With Fran at Level 44, you could say our expedition was a success. Tomorrow, we would make our way to the twentieth floor, and Fran should hit Level 45, her level cap.

I didn’t want to be a wet rag, but it needed to be said…

Fran, can I talk to you for a bit?

“Hm?”

You’re almost Level 45.

“Hm.”

And according to Identify, Level 45 is the highest you can go.

The insurmountable wall that no Black Cat had ever surpassed. This was her level cap.

“I know.”

So, uh…

I wanted to tell Fran my predictions about her level. It was a difficult subject to approach, but I thought it best to be honest, so I steeled my heart and told her.

Even if you hit Level 45, I don’t think that’s going to be enough for you to evolve.

The Black Cats might be weak, but some of them could still fight. I doubted none of them had ever hit Level 45 before, which meant that maxing-out your level was not the sole requirement for evolution. At least, that was my conclusion. I was expecting Fran to take the news poorly, but it turned out she had already come to a similar conclusion.

“Hm.”

She nodded, keeping her composure.

“Some of the other tribes have special requirements to evolve too. The fox beastmen are the best example,” she explained.

For a Silver Fox to evolve, they needed to be at a high enough level and learn a special skill called Fox Fire. The Black Cats might have similar special requirements.

“I’m fuzzy on the details, but I hear that White Wolves undergo a special kind of evolution too.”

Really?

“That’s what I wanted to ask Aurel. He might give me a clue.”

And that’s why you took his offer.

“Hm.”

Fran had been thinking about evolution all her life. She knew a lot more about this stuff than I ever could.

Let’s look for that skill then.

“Hm!”

Fran hadn’t lost a single ounce of motivation. If anything, she might be more driven now that she was so close to hitting the cap.

“I’ll evolve and show everyone.”

Yeah! That’s the spirit!