Chapter 184: Testing out weapons and Waiting for that moment (1/2)

TLN: Two chapters today! Make sure you didn't miss the previous one~.

Thanks for the support! Enjoy! :DDD

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The next day.

The Chosen are finally coming, so we got food, and went down the dungeon.

Today’s exploration is technically an extra, so we went to the 3rd Floor without hiring Grapefull.

“It really helps that they are going through the trouble of showing when they will be transferred. 3 more hours.” (Jeanne)

“I will get a notebook with a Crystal.” (Hikaru)

The note that can be bought with 1 Crystal comes with a bonus pencil.

This is my first time since coming here that I have shaved off a pencil with a knife.

“Let’s test out our new weapons until it is the time. It would be boring to just wait.” (Jeanne)

We were in the first plaza of the 3rd Floor, the Straying Big Mist Garden, called the Frog Plaza, and we were fighting monsters for a bit there. There’s the most explorers around here and, I won’t call it fighting over monsters, but it usually ends up in a similar situation to that.

Because of that, there’s no fear of getting pincered by monsters, and we can take our time in battles.

This is most likely the safest place to hunt in Meltia if we exclude the 1st Floor. It is possible to ask for help from other explorers if you are in trouble.

I unsheathe my new katana.

As expected from something that the veteran dwarf forged. It fits into my hands to a degree I find it hard to believe is my first time holding it, and there’s no problems at all.

The Hellfire Steel blade was heavy. The auburn blade pattern flickering like fire was beautiful.

This is a trait of the Hellfire Steel and it is said to show up when the Great Fire Spirit reacts at the time the blacksmith is forging.

(But it is a weight that I am a bit worried about whether I can use it in actual combat. Is this a weapon I have to grow into?) (Hikaru)

Just like the shortsword of before, there’s almost no curvature. Rather than a katana, it is more like a big nata. The body is thick and has width. It is not on the level of Jeanne’s sword and the greatsword of Rifreya, but it is better for it to be this rustic to use when in the dungeon.

This is not a sword for cutting people, it is a weapon to defeat monsters.

The length of the blade is 60cm. The length of the blade for the black meteoric iron shortsword was 35cm, so this is close to twice the size.

With the tip of the blade having extended, I can tell that the range of my attacks has also increased. Until now, it has been a battle style like that of sticking my body to monsters, so the added distance creates a sense of safety.

(…No, it would be dangerous to think of this as my range having increased. This is solely just so that my weapon can reach the Spirit Vein Center against giant monsters.) (Hikaru)

Even if my weapon has gotten bigger, I shouldn’t be changing my fighting style.

My fighting style is to get close and cut their Spirit Vein Center; that’s all there is.

With my weapon being bigger now, I can gouge it out with more force. That’s how I should think of it.

A Troll and a Gremlin showed up just in time closeby.

Rifreya is going to be standing as backup, while Jeanne will get the Troll and I get the Gremlin.

“[Darkness Fog].” (Hikaru)

With my speed, it is not safe to slip through the side of the Troll. I have to distract it with something or use Darkness Fog. Of course, if Jeanne is properly drawing its attention, it is 99% safe, but there’s no point in taking that 1% risk.

There’s no certainty that the enemy will always be taking the expected moves.

I close in on the Gremlin just like that, and just as I pass by its side, I sweep with my sword.

With my figure being hidden by the darkness, it of course can’t tell where it is getting attacked. Moreover, it is a Gremlin with no protection, so it has no means to block my attack to begin with. It can only surrender to having its arm fly off if it hits its arm, or its head fly off if it hits the head.

It has no means to come out unscathed aside from avoiding, but this monster doesn’t have the wits to do that.

I easily severed the head of the monster using my swung katana with barely any thought in it.

(It is a world of difference.) (Hikaru)

It would be the same impression as having changed from a utility knife to a shortsword.

That’s how different it is.

You can’t make use of a shortsword in this way. At least not with my physical strength.

This new katana is so heavy that just swinging it can break my posture, but the destructive power compensates for it, and the neck of the Gremlin was torn away and easily flew off.

Weight is power. Of course, it should be strong even if I were to use it for stabbing just as I have done until now.

I look at where Jeanne is, and after she took the giant club of the Troll with her shield, she stepped forward and cut off its arm.

Right after, she slashes its chest upwards.

The Troll had its Spirit Vein Center cut from the front, changing to a Spirit Stone, and falling onto the ground.

It was a battle with no wasteful moves.

We have earned money for around 10 days here defeating monsters to train, but the strength of Jeanne is on the level where Rifreya would praise her.

Rifreya has been an explorer in this dungeon for 1 year, and she should have seen many explorers until now. And yet, she is praising her, so she must be the real deal.

“How was it?” (Hikaru)

“That was nice. My strength carries well. How about you, Kuro?” (Jeanne)

“It went well over here too. But I have to increase my physical strength more or it might get dangerous to swing it around. It may be better to delineate the difference between this and the previous one.” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, I felt that a bit too. I am still losing a bit against the weight.” (Jeanne)

Did he make it a bit on the heavy side so it can be used for a longer time? Or was it difficult to adjust it? Looks like Jeanne also felt it slightly heavy.

That weight can be the cause of accidents in close battles, but there’s the merit of a high attack power. Whichever the case, it is better than being too light. If we are going to conquer this dungeon, we have to increase our Tier to the point that we can use something like the giant axe of Garnet-san from the Crimson Vials.

In that sense, the weapon we have here is not the last weapon we will be having.

We have to go with the mentality that we will be using it till it is completely worn out to head to the next stage.

We continued hunting with our new weapons for a while, and at the time when the 2nd group timer hit the 30 minute mark, we took a break in the Frog Plaza while preparing for that moment.

“Let’s fill up our stomachs a bit. I have brought food to snack with after all.” (Hikaru)

I bring out a carpet from the Shadow Storage, and take out the meal that I prepared.

I also have a canteen. Its content is an unknown tea that I bought at the marketplace.

“Ah, you made it? I’m sorry, it is always you who makes it, Hikaru…” (Rifreya)

“Kuro is good at cooking after all. He can become a good wife.” (Jeanne)

“That’s exaggerating. It is just sandwiches.” (Hikaru)