Hello readers! Here’s our next chapter of blessings of the goddess! 

We’re going to do the narration in past tense, see how it reads. Hopefully you can give any feedback if you find things that bothers you during your read, be it verb tenses, phrasing or anything else. They’ll help us all in improving the quality of our translations/edits.

Thanks 

 

Enjoy your read~

 

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Tl: SpecterZe

ED: Jun, Speedphoenix

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Chapter 51

Battle with the flame dragon & Assassins

 

The next day, we traveled around the 30th floor in the afternoon until we were in front of the boss door. A dragon spreading its wings was drawn on the door. Come to think of it, this was the first time we would fight with a dragon after coming to this world. About Dora, she is a dragonewt, not an ordinary dragon, so…

 

Flame Dragon

LV55

<Dragon Arts LV5> <Magic Resistance LV5> <Fire Resistance LV5> <Flight LV5> <Gatekeeping LV5> <Dungeon Adaptation LV5>

Note : Fire elemental dragon. Breathes fire. Flies in the air.

 

And so, when I confirmed the next boss, its surprising status was displayed. The level of the floor bosses had been floor number + 5 until now. The minotaur was level 15, being the 10th floor boss. The Elder Treant was the 20th floor boss and level 25 like I said. But the 30th floor boss was suddenly Level 55. This made it nearly 30 levels higher than the average level of the 21-30th floor monsters. This is… if adventurers came this far, they would normally have the tables turned on them and die.

 

A : “Don’t start a fight with the 30th floor boss” is a very famous conversation topic among the explorers. They are told that so only people who can capture the 30th floor with quite some strength to spare would challenge it.

 

To be honest, we didn’t gather that much intelligence in relation to the dungeon. It’s normal that there would be information we don’t know about right?

 

A: This is where we say “So what?” in the first place, so …

 

Well, we already settled for pushing through it by force. However, there’s something I’m worried about.

 

 [This is… will it be fine taking along the newcomer group?]

 [I-I can kill it -nodesu!]

 

Cynthia strongly announced, but her voice was shaking a little.

 

[It’s impossible! We can’t win, right Karen-chan.]

[It’s impossible! We will lose, right Sora-chan.]

<<It will be really difficult in our current state.>>

 

Both the twins and Kate seemed to have judged it was impossible as they were.

 

[Cynthia’s group should be able to win if I give them some status, but…]

[You seem to be reluctant too, is there a problem of some sort?]

 

Sera asked me when I didn’t make myself clear.

 

[Yeah, it’s basically about the status distribution by <Give & Take>, I’ve decided to distribute the defeated monster’s status equally among the party who participated at that moment.]

[After Master leaves out a percentage of it, right?]

[…Well, that’s true.]

 

The part that didn’t need to be said was said by Mio. She really is harmful to my reputation isn’t she…

 

Basically, when I give them a certain amount of status in the beginning, I make sure to gradually add statuses thereafter, depending on their battle experience and level and such. 　

My main reason for this was in order to prevent them from showing off their strength and becoming arrogant from having suddenly improved their abilities. 　

That said, the statuses of the members who became my companions around the beginning had grown ridiculously due to me having given them statuses without restraints. Now I’ve built a large gap between them and the other members though…

 

<<Giving us statuses in order to breakthrough a floor will contradict the rule master has set won’t it?>>

[Yeah, though it’s a rule I decided on my own with no compelling force, breaking it gives me a bad feeling for some reason or the other.]

 

Of course, I can ignore that rule if necessary but in this case, it isn’t necessary enough to do that.

 

<<Sir, I believe you should advance ahead without minding us.>>

[What do you mean by that?]

 

Let’s try and ask Kate’s opinion.

 

<<Sir, the reasons you have brought us with you are to search for the correct route by <Dungeon Adaptation> and to train subordinates to act as explorers, aren’t they?>>

[Yeah, those are the main reasons. As for the latter part, I’m fixing the four of you into key members and I plan to increase the members from now on.]

<<The subordinates who will be added hereafter ought to follow your rules, Sir. And yet I believe it is not good for us, who will be at the top, to receive any preferential treatment. Feeling unpleasant about it will leave us with a guilty conscience as well. There is nothing good about it.>>

 

Now that she said that, she is right. It’s absurd to feel uncomfortable from a mere boss capture.

 

[Cynthia, Karen and Sora, what do you think?]

[I think Kate-chan is right. I personally feel that I want to go forward as quickly as possible and become strong, but I can’t say anything selfish if I think about the future -nodesu.]

[Same for my right.]

[Same for my left.]

 

It seems the other members agree with Kate’s view.

 

<<Searching for the correct route would be no problem Sir, if you summon us whenever you enter a new floor. I believe we can repeatedly battle around this floor. We should eventually be able to break through the boss room ourselves.>>

[Sure, it won’t be a problem if we do that. Alright. So, I’m sorry about this, but is it fine if I tell the four of you to act separately on this floor?]

[[[Yes (nanodesu)!]]]

<<Yes>>

 

Like this, we decided to act separately from the newcomer group of four and continued our capture. I gave the four some <Dungeon Adaption> and made it level 8 just in case, so they should be fine unless there’s some extreme situation. Also, once in a while is fine, so I decided to have them mine mithril. It looks like we’ll be able to somewhat accelerate the gathering of the planned mithril.

 

[Well, I already knew it before but it’s spacious…]

 

I muttered so as we entered the boss room.. 　

The 30th floor boss room was considerably more spacious compared to the boss rooms on the other floors. To be specific, it was a 300 m square room that was 30 m in height.

 

[It did say a flame dragon and it should fly in the air too, so it is natural for the room to have at least this much space.]

[It’s not like he’ll stay in one place like in an RPG right.]

[RPG, if I remember correctly, it’s one of those games that Mio-chan talked about isn’t it.]

 

Come to think of it, I recall Maria pestering Mio for an explanation about games.

 

[That’s right you know. A dragon enemy is also a cliché in fantasy.]

[You three people coming from another world often say fantasy world and such don’t you.]

[Because it is a fantasy world no matter how you look at it.]

[Right. It contains quite some clichés from both games and novels .]

[Oh, Sakura-sama, you’re a literature girl no matter how I look at you. So you’re well-informed on that part…]

[Well, I usually read famous fantasy novels in the library.]

 

We walked forward while chatting and approached the sleeping flame dragon. It lied down in order to protect the door to the next floor in the dungeon. But it seemed to have woken up when we got a certain distance in. It then got up and spread its wings. Its overall length was around five meters I think, but it was around ten meters when it fully spread its wings.

 

 [GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!]

 

Oh, the way it roars is similar to the Tyrannosaurus.

 

[So noisy~ Let’s defeat it quickly!]

[You are right. I am the vanguard, so I will observe the situation first.]

<<Dora will go too~!>>

 

Sera and Dora, the two tank roles, said and moved forward. The flame dragon revealed his hostility this way.

 

 [GYUOOOOO!]

 

While shouting like that, the flame dragon swung his arm and came attacking them with its claws.

 

<<Funya!>>

 

With a stale yell, Dora stopped that blow. She was hardly pushed back due to status correction. The difference in weight was unthinkable, so she would normally have been blown away though… I actually feel that the Status is a concept on a higher order than either common sense or the laws of physics.

 

[This time it is my turn!]

 

Sera unleashed an attack towards the flame dragon’s arm. Maybe the flame dragon felt the threat and tried to pull its arm away without a moment’s delay, but it was inevitable due to her sword being too fast: she succeeded in leaving a deep cut. 

 

[GYOOAAAAAAAAA!]

 

It cried as blood gushed out. Maybe the flame dragon realized it had taken light of our battle power, as it tried to fly in the air by flapping its wings.

 

[Not a chance~]

 

Mio’s arrows pierced through the flame dragon’s wings. Neatly three arrows per wing and, as a result of using ice attribute enchanted arrows, ice spread in the area they hit.

 

 [GYUUUUUUU…]

 

Dragons can’t fly with just their wings, they fly with the <Flight> skill. However, it doesn’t mean wings aren’t necessary. The existences of wings are essential to use the <Flight> skill effectively. Naturally, they would become unable to use the <Flight> skill well if their wings receive damage.

It seemed to have succeeded in flying somehow, but it was unsteady, staggering here and there. While in such a state, it breathed in to use its <Dragon Art>’s breath.

 

[“Aqua Curtain”!]

 

Sakura invoked a spell without a moment’ s delay. It was the LV4 spell “Aqua Curtain”. Speaking of curtain series spells that you can learn at LV4, they are the higher rank of the wall series spells, and they can cover a wide scope. Many of the spells are improved versions of the spells you can learn at LV1. Like the bullet series’s higher ranks happen to be called the javelin series. 　

Ah, don’t talk to me about the fact that a curtain is wider in scope than a wall and that a bullet is lower level than a javelin. That’s how it works after all.

The breath, which was aimed at Dora, was completely blocked by the 『Aqua curtain』. The water curtain made a sizzling sound of evaporation.

 

[GYAAAAAAAAA!]

 

As soon as it didn’t see its breath go through, it started to attack by swooping down from the sky. It opened its mouth wide and tried to bite Dora. …Isn’t it aiming for Dora too much? Ah, maybe it wanted to harrass a kid it liked?

 

<<Dragon, I hate you~!>>

 

Dora shouts and swung her battle staff. Her battle staff scored a direct hit at the approaching flame dragon’s jaw.

 

 [GYUUUOOOOOOOOOO!]

 

It looked extremely painful. The flame dragon was still flying in the air, but it was awfully unsteady. So this is level 55, it’s honestly dull.

 

[Maria, do it.]

[Yes.]

[HYO!?]

 

The next instant, the flame dragon crashed into the ground. What was beside it was the safely landed figure of Maria.

Maria, who clung to its back at the time it swooped down back then, put an end to the flame dragon in mid-air, but the flame dragon didn’t notice her at all. It was quite a praiseworthy ability, like she was an assassin. …Where is Maria heading off to? She is a Hero right? Well, there was a Hero working as a robber, so there were no particular problems with it though.

 

> Give & Take become level 6.

> New ability unlocked.

 

<Give & Take LV6>

Skills similar in kind can be integrated. Unique, demerit and limited skills like race-specific ones cannot be integrated. Integration by absorbing one skill point. Skill points acquisition is only possible through conversion(10:1).

 

Oh, <Give & Take> is improved. …Huh? I didn’t do anything at all this time, though? 　

Oh whatever. Hmm, Skill integration. Alta, please give me a more specific explanation.

 

A: Yes sir. First about skill integration. You can integrate skills by putting the <Martial Art series> or <Magic series> and others together. For example, if you integrate skills of the martial art series, you can create the <Weapon Mastery> skill. If you gained <Weapon Mastery LV2> when you integrated <Sword mastery> and <Spear Mastery>, you would be able to use all of the same effects as when having <Sword Mastery LV2> and <Spear Mastery LV2>. 

 

It sounds pretty strong just by hearing it. Then, please tell me about the restrictions.

 

A: First, just like in the explanation, unique skills, demerit skills and limited skills cannot be integrated. Limited skills are skills limited to those who can learn them by race, gender etc.

 

I somehow understand that part what he wanted to say I guess. In other words, it means you can’t integrate skills except those who can be used universally.

 

A: Next, you can not obtain skill points for integrated skills like Weapon Mastery. It may be more appropriate to say it cannot be trained. Acquiring points can only be done by converting two unconverted points.

 

Unconverted points, as in the points we interchange to turn a skill point into another skill point. You can obtain one point by using five excess skill points. And you can convert the unconverted point into one skill point for another skill you have. So needing two unconverted points means converting ten skill points. I can say it’s extremely fair I guess, judging from its effectiveness.

 

A: Also, if you add new skills into an already existing integrated skill, it is necessary to expend a point. The consumed part of the points will disappear. Integrated skills cannot be separated, so please be careful not to integrate a skill which you only have one skill point of.

 

Oh, okay. I will be careful.

 

It was too bad you couldn’t grind skill points for them, but skill points weren’t things you could easily increase in the first place (except for Maria), so I didn’t need to worry about it.

More importantly, this integrated skill, increasing by one point with 10 points mean we would earn more if we integrated more than 10 skills. And once integrated, it would be an amazing ability that would increase the size of your earnings the more you integrate.

Let’s try out various things with skill integration later.

 

[Jin-sama, another item drop. Hum… Is there something wrong?]

 

Maria approached me. Well, yeah, it was a boss so it should’ve at least had item drops.

 

[No, my special power just leveled up.]

[Congratulations.]

[The details will come later, so what came out this time?]

[Yes, it is this one.]

 

What she showed me after saying that was a bright red shining metal ingot.

 

Scarletite *(TL/ED: Hihiirokane)

Note: An extremely light and hard metal of legends.

 

Scarletite, it was a legendary metal that was famous even in our former world. It looked like it was furnished with its general characteristics, so it didn’t look like a problem to consider them the same thing. I guess it’s around the same frame as “Soma” as far as drop quality goes. “Legend” is normally written in its description too so…

 

[Just like I guessed, it’s a legendary item.]

[Isn’t it~]

[Oh~, an item you can’t overlook as a gamer, right. Ah Master, are you going to publicize it this time?]

 

Mio asked as she couldn’t hide her excitement to the fact that an item that’s familiar in games appeared.

 

[No, I don’t plan on publicizing it this time. Only the number of casualties will increase even if I do publicize it…]

[Well, stupid people would flood in I guess.]

 

It was incomparable to searching for the “Soma” on the 20th floor. The level difference between the bosses were incomparably high to say the least. If the group of people who could manage to fight on the 20th floor challenged it, they would only pile up a mountain of corpses. I had no reason to publicize this personally, and it was good to hold it secretly.

 

[I guess a souvenir for Knot.]

[No really, it looks like he can just barely make mithril equipment, he has a long way to go.] 

[I guess so]

 

Knot, the slave who I’d let to do the smithing, was making mithril equipment. However, scarletite requires a far higher skill level than mithril. I’m afraid we won’t be able to handle that for a while. 　

There was (Alta’s) talk that if you created equipment with scarletite, it would be at worst an artifact grade and it would easily get various unique abilities, so I wanted him to do his best by all means.

 

[By the way, what special ability increased in level?]

[Ah, I’m curious too. Your special power has always been ridiculous after all.]

[That’s right isn’t it. As you said level up, I believe it is either be about <Give and Take> or <Avatar>…]

 

Right now, the special powers that have levels are, as Sera said, <Give & Take> and <Avatar> after all.

 

[Yeah, <Give & Take> has turned level 6. The new stuff is skill integration.]

 

I conveyed the details I heard from Alta to everyone as is.

 

[Hum hum, it means it will be profitable if we integrate 10 or more skills. And incidentally the levels are united and it becomes easier to look at in the status screen…]

 

Perhaps I ought to say as expected of a gamer, Mio seemed to have realized the parts that I didn’t talk of in detail.

 

[But the unique skill types, perhaps my <Proof of Hero> and Maria-san’s <Hero> skill, cannot be integrated. All skills in the “Others” category should be impossible.]

 << <Dragon Magic> is impossible-ish too>>

 

Oh, of course, <Dragon Magic> can’t be integrated. But that isn’t a problem since only Dora needs it. 　

Come to think of it, the flame dragon’s skill was <Dragon Art>. How is it different from Dora’s <Dragon Magic>?

 

A: The skills are divided to for dragonewts and ordinary dragons. Their effects are almost identical.

 

It’s troublesome, so if possible, I want to combine them though…

 

A: It is impossible.

 

Oh, really…

 

[Also, if I become unable to acquire skill points, then it may become a minus for me. It may be better to not integrate my part.]

[Jin-kun, what would happen if I were to possess the integrated skill and its pre-integrated skills?]

[Ah, I didn’t think about that before. Alta, what would happen?]

 

A: points would be increased for pre-integrated skills. The one with the higher level will become effective.

 

[Which means it would be better to hold at the very least one point for each pre-integrated skill right?]

[Quite the profitable remedy. Well, it’s convenient though…]

 

Looked like Alta has told the other members too.

 

Since we briefly finished our business in the boss room, we decided to go to the next floor. We continued down the stairs from the boss room and the next area came to our view.

 

 [Hii!]

 

Mio came clinging at me. 　

That’s right. If I were to explain this area in single phrase, it would be that it is the “Graveyard Area”. It must have been a hellish area for the cowardly Mio. Because it was a graveyard…

 

[For now, we will set up a “Portal” and go back for once.]

[The setup is done.]

 

The quick to work Maria took care of setting up the “Portal”. That’s Maria for you. 　

Mio looked hopeless no matter how I looked at her, so I decided to quickly return to our residence. Her body was trembling, so…

 

[Phew~ Ah, “Clean”]

 

Mio lost her strength and immediately cast “Clean”. In other words, she had a leak. She has been clinging to me, but am I fine? …I look fine.

 

When I conveyed to Cynthia and the others that we returned immediately afterwards through telepathy, they replied that they wanted to continue fighting for a while longer.

 

<<Don’t overwork yourselves alright?>>

<<We will be alright -nodesu!>>

<<We are with her, so…>>

<<Then, it’ll be fine I guess.>>

<<That is cruel -nodesu!>>

 

If Kate was there she wouldn’t let her do the impossible. There’s a problem with saying that the one I was most anxious about was the Hero…

 

[Well then, we have to decide our plans for the future.]

[Ah, it’s impossible for me -su]

 

Mio easily raised a white flag. It looks like she has been doing training to cure her fears once, but that one must have been too heavy a burden for her as I expected. 　

The “Graveyard Area” was a European-style graveyard-like area. The ground near the wall was soil but the center of the passages were paved in stone. This was as far as we examined, but undead-type monsters seemed to be appearing from around there. Tombstones and such were placed here and there and were at a level where I would question the taste of the person who created this dungeon.

 

[If you tell me to come with you at any cost Master, then I will be held in your arms the whole time with blindfolds, earplugs and diapers.]

[Are you going that far!?]

[Oui!] 

 

Mio’s tension turned into something ridiculous.

 

[Alright. Then, with this-]

[Oh non!]

 

Mio held her head when I gave approval to that. I’m going to have her keep her words properly alright?

 

[-Mio’s participation has been decided, how about we act independently for today? I don’t feel like going there again after returning to our mansion once…]

[M-Master~]

 

I ignore Mio pulling my hem with teary eyes. Oh, I actually had a blindfold, earplugs and diapers prepared you know. I had even prepared a wooden rack to put on my back in order to carry her on my back easily, so we were perfectly prepared. [Spec: pic https://item-shopping.c.yimg.jp/i/l/forest-world_110830-25 ]

 

That night, we had intruders around the time we fell asleep. I became aware of it by the alert from the Map, but 10 people seemed to have crept into our mansion. As a matter of course, they were captured by the maids to whom I entrusted the task of guarding the mansion. It seemed all of them had been apprehended in the short time it took for me to get up from the alert and confirm the map. 　

I woke up once, but the maids had gone as far as interrogating them (is what Alta said), so I decided to fall asleep again. They’re excellent maids you know, honestly.

 

[The girls seem to be assassins who Duke Garfield had let loose.]

 

The next morning, the head maid (Lusia) reported to me after coming to Estia from Kastal. 　

Is that so, so duke Garfield has chosen that side huh. Huhuhu…

 

[Saying “the girls” mean… they’re all women?]

[Yes, they are young women who you can safely call young girls. I hear that it is to lower the enemy’s guard.]

 

Well, it was something you heard about relatively every day. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a honey trap, but it was because it was difficult to hold wariness towards what’s called young girls. Me? It has nothing to do with me since I judge them by the color I see on Map. It was rare to suddenly hold malice after getting close enough to be able to kill. Even I happened to know only one person… I had to be vigilant even if that guy was marked blue (ally) on the Map…

 

[You have many maids, so you will be on guard even if the enemy is a woman, right?]

[Naturally.]

[So, what happened to those assassins? I can’t find them even by looking at the map…]

 

There were none like them on the map. The maids were all yellow (believers) and there were no red (enemy) marks anywhere. A wholesale slaughter?

 

[Aah, if it is those girls you are looking for, they are there. They have had a change of heart and said they would serve their lord, as a maid and as a slave.]

 

Where she pointed towards were 10 girls dressed in brand new maid clothes. Looking at their skills, they certainly did come with among other things. Well, if I was asked whether or not I had an owner of among my subordinate maids, I don’t think I would be able to name one… 　

The 10 believers (maids) sat down and took a prostrating posture en masse.

 

[We are truly sorry. Sir!] x 10

 […]

 

What in the world did they do for assassins to have a change of heart and turn into yellow (believer) maids, I wonder?

 

A: They were in a state of being administered various drugs and being brainwashed. After the effects of the drugs were removed by the “secret medicine”, they entered subordination as well as the faith in the blink of an eye. Their memories remained, so they handed over all the intelligence to us.

 

Isn’t our side doing the brainwashing too in the end… Are they more sound in body and mind than being brainwashed because of the drugs?

Basically, I don’t forgive people who antagonized me. That said, it’s not like there were no exceptions. I would sometimes forgive them in the case that they satisfied three conditions, which are that they were “not by their own will”, “not causing real harm” and “already rendered powerless” . Since the assassins this time fulfilled these conditions, I didn’t plan on going out of my way to do something like killing them. 　

Of course, I didn’t plan on forgiving them in the case that they didn’t meet either of these conditions. Oh, don’t take me wrong, but I treat “being taken hostage” or “being threatened” as “own will”.

 

[Their training as maids is insufficient, so they will be educated in Kastal hereafter. If you were to wish to, you could punish them before that, what will you do sir?]

 

When she said so, all 10 maids (assassins) excitedly began to take off their maid uniform. What in the world are you trying to make me do? When I looked to the veteran maid, she was preparing knives and whips and the like.

 

[…No, no need.]

 

I didn’t have a hobby of punishing those who expressly became my subordinate. Besides, the believers (maids) didn’t seem to have any sense of shame towards me, so it was difficult to let them be bashful.

 

[Understood. All of you, you can return.]

 

The 10 people left the room as she said. Still half-naked. Sure, she didn’t say it was fine to change their clothes here.

 

A: We let the effects of the drugs remain and a part of their emotions like shyness are only partially functioning. They should remember after a complete recovery and writhe in agony.

 

I rather wanted to see that.

 

Now then. I gathered all the main members in my room.

 

[And so, we will make Duke Garfield regret this.]

[Jin-sama. If it’s necessary, I will go assassinate him.]

 

Maria readily declared. Judging from my stance, returning assassination with assassination is not bad either.

 

[Master, if I remember correctly, you did give him a chance right?]

[Yes, Jin-sama has certainly given Duke Garfield a chance to cure her daughter’s deficit. Duke Garfield did not do anything that time however.]

[Instead of paying money and buy “Soma,” he chose to assassinate and steal. He is foolish]

[That’s right. The good will I took trouble showing even for myself was ignored after all. And then there’s assassination on top of that. I’m quite unhappy about this, so killing him will be too uninteresting. I will firmly make him regret this.]

[Master, you’re quite seriously irritated. The duke… is dead I guess.]

 

I just said I wouldn’t kill him. …Directly that is.

 

Since there are various things to prepare, we took independent action this morning. I plan to dive into the dungeon in the afternoon, for the time being.

 

[…That is all. I will leave it to you.]

[Yes. Please leave it to me. *nom nom*]

 

I asked Cattleya, who has come to eat breakfast, for a little favor. 　

It’s a trivial story, but since Cattleya often comes to eat meals in this mansion, she doesn’t really have meals at the castle. That took part in raising her popularity in being “delicate by eating little”. She secretly comes here by “Portal” so it won’t be exposed or so I’m told. Said delicate princess is eating Ochazuke (2nd bowl) while lifting up her bowl. [Spec: Ochazuke ]

 

[Next is about the audience…]

[I believe it will be settled by today, so would you be fine with tomorrow? *nomnom* *gulp*]

[Sure I guess. Then please.]

[Alright. *nom*…]

[Please don’t speak while eating.]

[*nomnomnom*…]

 

This girl, she actually went and abandoned talking.

 

After that, it turned to afternoon around the time we finished preparing several things. 　

Now then, I’ve done what I have to do with this. We’re diving into the dungeon. I’m looking forward to the new area. 　

Ah, I have to integrate my skills…