arc3 · 042-ch42
Episode 42: Summer Vacation Exploration Recap
Day 30 of summer vacation exploration. Today is the last day of summer vacation exploration.
I've been exploring dungeons on a 10 days of exploration followed by 1 day of rest cycle, so tomorrow is a rest day. Since the school-designated summer vacation lasts until tomorrow, I want to take it easy tomorrow and let my fatigue heal.
"I was planning to go see Summer ○◯ds with you, but that jerk Yasu already went with a girl from cram school or something, seriously what is this. You're an exam student, go study."
Suzuka had invited Yasu to a movie thinking summer cram school would be off on the final day of summer vacation, but he had already seen it. Apparently cram school was closed during Obon week, so he went at that time. I had been planning to take a break together, but that plan fell through.
Suzuka had built a narrow but deep friendship, so he had no inclination to invite middle school friends other than Yasu. Especially knowing from the previous world that after graduating middle school, they barely keep in touch and drift apart, he didn't see the point in deliberately deepening their friendship.
Wondering if going alone would be lonely, he arrived at the Explorer Association where Hachioji Dungeon is located. The time was 8:30 AM. Despite it being summer vacation, Suzuka had been visiting the dungeon at this regular time every time.
This is because leaving home early in the morning isn't a problem, but coming home late is difficult due to curfew. Dungeon exploration must be finished by 6 PM, and if I'm not home by 6:30 PM, my mother will get angry.
But District 3 is far from the entrance, so there's little time available for exploration. That's why I come properly from the morning and conduct exploration.
Passing through the automatic doors, unlike the harsh lingering heat outside, cool air-conditioned air welcomes me. Suzuka is used to this by now, and headed straight for the terminal to declare his exploration plans without looking around.
"Let's see, exploration area is Floor 1 District 3. Return time is 22:00."
I'll be back around 6 PM, but if I exceed this return time, a contact will be sent to the registered number. In other words, my home will be contacted that something might have happened to me.
If something actually happened, I'd want them to be contacted, but my true feeling is that I don't want to worry them just because I got too absorbed and came home late. That's why I set it at 22:00, a time when I would definitely return even if absorbed.
After completing registration and passing through the security door, there spreads the familiar grassy plains of Floor 1 District 1. It takes 2 hours just walking straight from here to District 3, so to save time and warm up my body, Suzuka decided to run to his destination.
With today, District 3 exploration will be finished. I've been hunting in District 3 for a total of 20 days, and the results were satisfying.
In District 3 exploration, I leveled up by fighting regular monsters without fighting area bosses until reaching level 30. Excluding area bosses, there are 7 types of monsters in District 3: Sphere Moon Snake, Madness Serpent Mimic, Beginning Frog, Curtain Frog, Nut Bombarrel Chipmunk, Rock Earth Dragon, and Pseudoviscous.
Monsters aren't biased in their distribution—sometimes multiple types appear, sometimes they're alone. However, overall, the deeper you go, the more monsters appear and the higher their levels.
Suzuka was able to reach level 30 by hunting District 3 monsters for 9 days. Initially, he thought it would take 10 days to reach level 30, but his exploration pace was good and he was able to level up smoothly.
By conducting 9 days of leveling up, he was able to explore District 3 thoroughly. Thanks to that, he's already discovered where the District 3 area bosses are and the staircase leading to Floor 2.
"Still, the Map skill is really convenient."
While running, Suzuka was able to run straight to where the area boss he was targeting was located. This was due to the effect of the newly acquired skill, Map.
Map is a skill that, if not acquired on Floor 1, will basically never be acquired afterward. As the name implies, it's a skill that allows you to accurately determine in your mind where you are in any dungeon area you've explored. This Map skill manifested when he discovered the staircase to Floor 2.
This is an incredibly capable skill. Districts 1 and 2 are just vast grassy plains with nothing that really serves as a landmark, so until now it was necessary to vaguely think "maybe the entrance is over there" or look at the direction others were aiming for to determine orientation.
Thanks to being conscious of his current location since District 1 exploration, he never got lost, but as he explored locations farther from the entrance, even slight directional deviations would create large errors, so being able to accurately know his position is huge.
Having acquired Map, he can reach the area boss in the shortest possible time. Thanks to this, he's now able to fight all District 3 area bosses in one day.
But at first, it didn't go that well. His level had also exceeded 30, so he thought he could handle it when he fought area bosses for the first time, but it ended up being a long battle that reminded him of Rabbit Demon Iron Skin.
Even so, he managed to defeat it and reach the next boss, but that boss also awaited a fierce battle. Stats are indeed great, and for Suzuka whose level is more than 10 lower than the bosses, his attacks don't connect well whether it's due to insufficient stats, and it takes considerable time to defeat just one.
In the end, fighting 2 area bosses per day was the limit. There are 3 area bosses in District 3, but they're not in close proximity to each other. They're each about 10km apart, so just getting to where the area bosses are is a struggle.
The Area Boss Rush, where you have to quickly defeat area bosses and move without much rest, had higher difficulty than expected, and it wasn't until the 16th day of District 3 exploration that he was able to defeat all area bosses in one day.
But even so, today is the 5th day of Area Boss Rush. Including when he fought 2 per day, if he defeats area bosses today, it will be a total of 9 times.
With that, the question becomes: how many times can you defeat the same area boss? Area bosses seem to respawn after one day, and since there are no explorers other than Suzuka fighting area bosses in Floor 1 District 3, he's been able to fight them almost every day.
Since over 50 years have passed since the dungeon appeared, there have been explorers who, like Suzuka, fought area bosses many times. In a close example, an experiment was conducted at Explorer High to see if simple area bosses like Boss Fox could be defeated repeatedly. But they couldn't find clear laws.
Most of those who participated in that experiment were basically only able to fight area bosses once. At most, they ended up only being able to defeat them 2 or 3 times. The number of times they could fight varied widely depending on the participants' levels and stats, showing no regularity, and the result settled on "only the dungeon knows."
There's no law like if there's this much level difference they won't appear, or if stats exceed a certain line they won't appear, but one thing can be said. That is: area bosses won't appear if they can't become formidable enemies. Just as Boss Fox doesn't appear before someone who has raised their level to 100, area bosses stop appearing when they're no longer recognized as formidable enemies.
Area bosses are threats to explorers, and if they can't be threats, then that area boss isn't appropriate for that explorer. Only this uncertain law is recognized as certain among explorers.
Regarding such area bosses, today will be Suzuka's 9th battle. He already finished the 8th defeat yesterday, but area bosses have yet to stop appearing or stop dropping items. That means the dungeon still recognizes area bosses as formidable enemies for Suzuka.
But he had a half-certain premonition that if he defeats them today, area bosses will probably stop appearing.
Suzuka's current level is 45. Meanwhile, all three area bosses are level 48. If things go smoothly, Suzuka's level will rise to 46 today.
Even as Suzuka raises his level, he's still level 46, lower than the area bosses. However, stat growth continues to maintain an average above 9. Since he's taking the risk of fighting alone, objectively he probably still satisfies the condition of challenging formidable enemies for area bosses to appear.
But Suzuka has been feeling at ease in recent area boss battles. You could even say it's becoming routine work. Once it becomes work, it's different from fighting a formidable enemy. Once that happens, area bosses will probably stop appearing. Area bosses must be threats.
But since I originally planned to finish District 3 exploration by summer vacation, if they come out today, that's perfect. With such a relaxed mindset, I welcomed the final day of summer vacation exploration.
District 1 and District 3 are nearly 10km apart, but Suzuka continues running without running out of breath. Thanks to the benefits of stats and daily running, Suzuka's stamina has grown many times over in these few months. The dungeon, where effort shows results immediately, makes it easy to feel a sense of accomplishment, and Suzuka became more and more absorbed.
As Suzuka runs through Districts 1 and 2, other monsters don't detect and chase after him. His level difference with monsters probably influences this, but the reason is due to a newly manifested skill and equipment effects.
In District 3, the skills Status Abnormality Resistance and Presence Concealment manifested. Status Abnormality Resistance manifested while he was being poisoned by one of District 3's area bosses that frequently uses poison.
Presence Concealment could be learned by taking actions to avoid enemies. When performing Area Boss Rush, he ran through District 3, but monsters that found Suzuka kept chasing him from behind, creating a small monster train.
Thinking they'd give up eventually, he kept running, but that backfired and he had considerable trouble defeating the monsters he was leading. Numbers are indeed power, and when approached by over 10, even defeating them was a struggle.
Monster trains seem to have the property of attracting surrounding monsters, and the longer the fight with monster train monsters drags on, the more other monsters gather, creating a loop where you can never escape like whack-a-mole. If you can't escape quickly, you eventually attract even the area boss and the party is wiped out. This apparently happens frequently in dungeons.
Suzuka thought that attracting area bosses with monster trains might be efficient, but monster trains also attract nearby explorers unconsciously, and when he researched it, he found that explorers are often killed in groups, so he abandoned that plan.
After that, when moving, he avoided unnecessary combat and acted so as not to be found by monsters as much as possible, and he learned this Presence Concealment skill.
And what synergizes with that effect is the 'Mimicry Mantle' Suzuka is currently wearing.
This is an item that rarely drops from Madness Serpent Mimic, and when worn, it gives the same effect as the Presence Concealment skill. He thought wearing a mantle might be flashy, but since explorer equipment is basically flashy, it doesn't stand out.
And it has the opposite effect of standing out—for dungeon-limited situations where Suzuka doesn't want to stand out, it's the perfect item.
Through the combination of skill and item, he can block his presence to the extent that he can pass right by monsters up to District 3 without being noticed. Without this item and skill, it would have been impossible to defeat 3 area bosses that exist in distant locations in one day.
From consecutive battles with area bosses in District 3, he was able to obtain many valuable items. Those are the two accessories he's currently wearing. 'Ring of Twin Poisons' and 'Protection of Water Blade Weasel'.
The 'Ring of Twin Poisons' has a design like a snake with both tail and head wrapped around the finger, with eyes and patterns turned into gems, making it a ring with artistic flair. The accent is that the gems embedded in the two heads' eyes are different colors.
While not particularly gaudy, for Suzuka who had never worn accessories before, it was something that felt like a hurdle to wear, but after equipping it for a few days, he got used to it. He still feels out of place, but not embarrassed.
He wanted to avoid area boss equipment because it stands out, but compared to the 'Rabbit Demon Mask', a drop from Rabbit Demon Iron Skin, the District 2 area boss, it's less conspicuous, so he decided to wear it. Also, the design is cool, and the effect is amazing.
Name: Ring of Twin Poisons
Grade: Rare
Details: Gems generated inside a twin-headed giant serpent are embedded. Grants the wearer Status Abnormality Resistance skill level 1, Poison Magic skill level 1.
Suzuka's Status Abnormality Resistance is skill level 2, so just equipping this ring makes it equivalent to skill level 3. Not only that, but it's a great item that allows him to use poison magic as well.
Suzuka hasn't manifested poison magic himself, but by equipping this ring, he can use magic equivalent to level 1.
For Suzuka who still hasn't awakened any magic system, seeing this effect meant there was no choice but to equip it.
Such items that raise skill levels are extremely rare, but they're not nonexistent. The Mimicry Mantle Suzuka is wearing is an item that drops from Madness Serpent Mimic at a 1% rate, and it can also drop from monsters other than area bosses.
When he researched it, he found that major explorer guilds grant such items to explorers belonging to the guild, and train them so they can manifest that skill.
The most prominent example is magic skills. The method of manifesting magic skills is still at a level called luck or talent, and not everyone can use them. However, by using such items to enable magic use and continuing to use that magic to raise skill level, you become able to use magic even without the item.
From the fact that 'Ring of Twin Poisons' is a drop from area bosses, items that grant magic skills are quite rare, so only limited top guilds have them, and it's not an item widespread among explorers.
Suzuka, who obtained such an item, keeps using poison magic, so in the near future he'll probably be able to use poison magic even without the ring.
The other accessory, 'Protection of Water Blade Weasel', is an anklet-type accessory. It has a simple, beautiful design in turquoise blue that reminds one of a clear lake. Since it's an anklet, it's hidden under clothes and doesn't stand out, so he had no resistance to wearing this one.
Name: Protection of Water Blade Weasel
Grade: Rare
Details: An anklet depicting the lake where Water Blade Weasel inhabits. By wearing it, you gain the protection of Water Blade Weasel. Raises the wearer's Stamina by 5%, Agility by 20%.
The effect is wonderful with a total of 25% stat increase, given that it's an area boss drop and the grade is rare. It's also a happy point that it's an item suited for Suzuka, who prioritizes agility over defense.
This 'Protection of Water Blade Weasel' has a high drop rate, and he possesses a total of 4. Therefore, he can equip one on each leg, and for agility, stats are raised by a total of 40%. He tried attaching two to one leg as a test, but it seems you can only equip one per leg, so the effect didn't increase.
While happy to obtain this item, a new source of worry emerged for Suzuka. That is, his stat superiority is wavering.
Suzuka's current stats with equipment included have grown to this point.
Name: Suzuka Jozenji
Level: 45
Stamina: 424 + 42
Mana: 420
Attack: 427
Defense: 423
Agility: 423 + 169
Dexterity: 425
Intelligence: 415
Storage: 177
Abilities: Swordsmanship (4), Body Control (4), Body Reinforcement (4), Mana Control (4), Evasion (1), Poison Magic (0+1), Snatch, Thought Acceleration (1), Mana Perception (2), Presence Detection (3), Presence Concealment (2+1), Status Abnormality Resistance (2+1), Map
Equipment: Meichuu Tracksuit (top and bottom), Gale Rabbit Armor (boots), Ring of Twin Poisons, Protection of Water Blade Weasel x2, Mimicry Mantle
Compared to explorers with an average of 5 per level up, he boasts nearly double the stats. Thanks to this, he's been able to act solo, and he thought if he could reach level 100, he'd probably become stronger than most explorers.
But coming here, he was made to realize how big the benefits of stat boosting are. Just equipping two anklets raised Agility by 162. If there were a level 100 explorer fully equipped with stat-boosting equipment, even if Suzuka reaches level 100, he might not be able to surpass them.
Stat-boosting accessories also drop from regular monsters. In District 3, the 'Proof of Devotion' that rarely drops from Curtain Frogs is one such item. The effect raises Stamina and Defense stats by 25 each, and Suzuka also has two.
Since it's a bracelet-type item, he can equip it, but the design was one that a flashy delinquent would wear, so Suzuka decided against equipping it. Accessories change size and design to match the owner when put in storage, but the design only changes in minor details, so it can't change the concept entirely.
Since the grade is normal, the increase rate is only to this extent, but items that are drops from regular monsters obtained in Floors 2 and 3 can have grades of Rare or Secret Treasure. Accessories include necklaces and earrings, and you can wear many of them. It's possible for stat differences to be filled in by accessories.
Of course if Suzuka equips accessories, that would solve the problem, but equipment has stingy drop rates. Since he's doing Area Boss Rush, he's getting good equipment drops this time, but it's common in the world that even if you equip well in the early stages, it becomes useless in the mid or late stages. Items from Floor 1 area bosses only go up to Rare grade. It's only the grade after Normal.
If you've had the experience of defeating the same enemy hundreds of times in a game and finally getting a drop, you'd understand, but stingy drop items really don't come out. And in the dungeon, if you keep fighting the same enemy repeatedly, your level rises and you deviate from the appropriate level, making the drop rate even stingier, and ultimately nothing drops anymore.
But other adventurers belong to guilds. If obtained items are managed by the guild, they can get items even if they don't drop. Guild history can directly connect to strength.
I have no plans to clash with explorer guilds, but if you're going to place yourself in a world where power speaks, it's not a loss to prepare what you can.
I had also been somewhat carried away by my high stats, so I decided it was good that I tightened my mindset at an early stage.