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TL: ALT
Chapter 129 – Day 21 of the Strategy Life
When I returned to the dungeon ruins the next morning, a group of rock crocodiles had gathered at the bottom of the drained swamp. Not all the water had drained away, and perhaps they found the damp ground comfortable.
“Shall we open a crocodile ranch?”
“T-t-that’s a great idea!”
I said jokingly, but Sylvia grabbed my sleeve in agreement.
It might be nice to regularly obtain crocodile skin and monster bones, but this would impede excavation.
“If we can’t find the dungeon core, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to keep crocodiles in this swamp…”
Snap!
Ka-Ryu, who was following Sylvia, had her foot eaten by a rock crocodile. Rock crocodiles have a habit of eating rocks, so you could say it couldn’t be helped.
But I gave it a good smack, grabbed its tail, and threw it away.
Ka-Ryu’s leg will heal quickly, but it’s best not to stop near the monsters of the demonic land.
“If we don’t stay alert and show some hostility, they’ll just eat us.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
Since they sometimes act mischievously, I turned over some strong rock crocodiles to show the herd the strength of humans.
“If you bite too hard, I’ll cut you up.”
After threatening them, we began to excavate the dungeon.
It was the same job as yesterday.
I use magic cubes to pull blocks out of the ground, Chel uses water magic to remove dirt and mud, and Jennifer and the others sort through the artifacts that emerge.
On the second day, the work becomes more efficient and faster.
I release magic to search the ground but still find no sign of the dungeon core. Instead, we found pillars, monster bones, human bones, armor, shin guards, and other equipment, as well as fragments of swords, spears, and staffs. Everything was twisted or bent, and nothing seemed usable as it was.
Hel copied the magic circles on the weapons onto paper.
“These are basic magic circles, but their shapes are different from today’s. It could be a difference in religious beliefs.”
“In this era, do most people not believe in gods or spirits?”
Ka-Ryu asked Hel.
“Since miracles that could be considered the work of gods or the protection of spirits are no longer clearly visible, fewer people may believe in them than in the past. Among the older elves, there were those who remembered the past and spoke of the protection of spirits… but what about everyone else?”
“Well, I believe in them because I was cursed, or rather blessed, by my ancestors.”
Sylvia comes from a family of vampires, so she seems to value her ancestors.
“I believe in the God of the Sky when I fly.”
Lipa seems to believe, depending on the time and situation.
“I guess I believe in money.”
Jennifer, who used to go to church, said with a serious expression. She is perhaps the most realistic.
“I just believe in most things. Demons are polytheists, so we accept any god. We also pray to gods of other religions, and if any god gets angry about it, we’ll just give up on them.”
“I pray when I have an upset stomach. I’m pretty serious about it.”
Chel and I aren’t very religious.
“But Yggdrasil was also polytheistic. There were some non-religious people among our friends, but…”
I’ve never seen anyone praying to a god in the demonic land.
“I heard that there were many heroes in the past. Is that true?”
“Yes. Heroes who received the protection of the god of war appeared in the Colosseum, and heroes who received the protection of the goddess of fertility created wheat fields on the floating islands.”
“Then maybe we should repair the southern temple as well.”
If there’s divine protection, there’s no harm in taking it.
“Could that warrior statue be the god of war?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t see it. But if it has four arms, then it’s definitely the statue of the god of war.”
The relic Lipa was holding was a statue of a warrior with four arms.
“Can I have this?”
“Sure. I hope it has divine protection. What god does Ka-Ryu believe in?”
“I’m a half-breed, so I used to worship the God of Life and Genes, but since I became the Keeper of Time, I also pray to the God of Time.”
“Was there a religion where deer were considered messengers of the gods?”
“That’s the God of Life.”
I figured out one thing that was written in P.J.’s notebook.
“I’ve always wondered, but genes are like genetic modification in vegetables, right?”
“…In the broadest sense, that’s part of it, but to put it simply, it’s about making monsters bigger or deciding what traits will be passed on to their offspring.”
“It’s hard to understand now, but you worship a difficult god.”
“Maybe in this day and age.”
As we talked, it was already noon, so we gathered the relics and went home.
“I guess we won’t find the dungeon core after all.”
I said to no one in particular while eating my wild herb roll bread for lunch. The wild herb roll bread looked like a green snail shell but was salty and delicious.
“Magic depletion…”
“Magic can erupt or accumulate, so it’s not surprising that it can also be depleted.”
Chel also seems to be concerned about the magic depletion theory.
“We should probably look at other places. There are still plenty of places to dig.”
Hel is right.
“We’re going to sleep now, though…”
In the afternoon, Hel and Sylvia sleep. With fewer people around, it might be better to show Ka-Ryu the demonic land again instead of continuing the excavations.
“I think it’s better to get used to the demonic land a little more. Just enough to not cause trouble for everyone else.”
It seems that Ka-Ryu wants to be able to deal with the monsters and plants of the demonic land.
“Why don’t you put some poisonous herbs in your hands?”
“The monsters will be surprised when wooden swords come out of your hands.”
Chel and Lipa suggested. Actually, it might be better to use the golem’s ability to regenerate. Since it can regenerate, we can take more risks.
“Let’s leave the afternoon to Chel and the others.”
I assigned Chel and Lipa as Ka-Ryu’s instructors in the demonic land.
“What are you going to do, Makyo-san?”
Jennifer, who had nothing to do, asked.
“We need to make a path from the entrance to this cave to transport food. Will you come with me, Jennifer?”
“Sure, I’ll come with you.”
Jennifer and I went to survey the area to make the path.
The path from the entrance to the cave is a maze of hills, and explosive magic circles are set up, so it’s dangerous for those who don’t know it well. Hopefully, one day, we can turn it into a survival training ground.
Holding the bone axe Sylvia made, I cut down trees in a straight line to the small stream at the entrance. The cam fruits and vines attack me, but I basically ignore them. They feel like a kitten’s soft bite or a spider’s web.
“When I first came to this demonic land, I was beaten to a pulp by these,”
Jennifer said with some nostalgia. I no longer think that way. Rather, if I respond to them, the aftermath might cause me to lose materials that I might need someday. In the demon land, you never know what you’ll need.
I carefully cut the branches from the wood and carry them to the cave. I’ve been drying wood for a boat, and it should be ready soon.
“I thought you were just going to pull them out, but that’s not the case.”
“It’s better to keep everything that can be used, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Jennifer also grabbed a sword and started cutting branches.
As we continued to work, we soon reached the hill.
“What should we do? There’s a magic circle, but should we destroy the mound?”
“Let’s try to dig a tunnel. I can use the magic cube now.”
“That might prevent the monsters from stepping on the magic circle.”
I used the magic cube to dig a tunnel.
I made the hole on the side of the hill as large as possible, considering that a carriage would have to go through it.
“I thought it would collapse, but it’s surprisingly strong.”
Since I wasn’t digging into solid ground, I thought it would collapse and bury us in the dirt, but surprisingly, it’s holding its shape. However, if the monsters claw at it, the ceiling and walls will collapse.
“How about having someone draw a magic circle on some wood and make beams and pillars?”
“Let’s ask Hel later. For now, let’s dig all the way to the other side.”
After pulling out the dirt a few times with the magic cube, I dug a tunnel all the way to the other side of the hill.
At the end of the tunnel was a field of sleeping flowers.
“Since we’re here, let’s make some sleeping potions. There were palm trees nearby, right? Let’s make jars of the sap and put it in them.”
“Got it.”
We gathered palm trees, dug holes in the ground, and poured the sap into them. Then, we put water bags in the holes and waited for the sap to harden, forming jars in the shape of water bags.
“The trick is to fill the water bag with as much air as possible. When you take it out, just let the air out.”
“I see, that’s easy.”
When the sap jars were ready, we stuck sticks up our noses as masks, put on work gloves, and plucked the sleeping flowers from the roots. We stuffed them into the jars and covered them with rocks. After all, they would make a good sleeping potion.
By the time we had made three jars of sleeping potion, it was getting dark.
It was only a little further to the small stream at the entrance, but I decided to call it a day and go home.
Thanks to Chel and Lipa’s training, Ka-Ryu had transformed into a colorful golem made from the pollen of various flowers.
“Maybe it’s a good thing that she can’t see.”
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