Chapter 230
The day after the sports festival is a day off!
That might be a common occurrence, but for me, completing an event also means reaching a temporary stopping point.
"Today is item collection day!"
And after a good day's rest, my body feels refreshed.
With a bright smile, I declare our dungeon strategy.
"Yes!"
"Hm? What is it, Amina?"
"Liberta, why are there so many spirits here?"
Amina raises her hand to ask, so I gesture for her to speak. The rest of the party seems just as curious, judging by their nods in agreement. Outside our party, in the flower field of the ephemeral dungeon, a massive gathering of spirits has assembled.
From low-ranking spirits like the ones Amina contracts with, to high-ranking wind spirits who attend her performances—every element is represented.
"Well, when I mentioned I was coming to gather materials, the high-ranking dark spirit asked if helping would mean more events in the future. I carelessly nodded, and… well, here we are."
What’s terrifying is that after the last event, they realized that if I had even a little free time, they could make things more fun.
Even I struggle to come up with new ideas every time, but I still have plenty stored away.
If they were used up like water, it’d be tough, but as long as we’re in the spirit realm, I have enough entertainment reserves.
I’m really glad I prepared some advice for Nel, who’s planning the next event.
"We were told we couldn’t help with leveling, but gathering materials is something we can do! If it makes things even a little easier for you, we’ll have more fun too! Don’t worry—only idle spirits are here anyway!"
"Make sure to follow my instructions carefully and leave a safety margin. If anyone gets hurt, Amina will cry."
"Of course!"
The high-ranking wind and dark spirits step forward, organizing the hundreds of spirits present.
"Alright, I’ve prepared a list of the materials I need. Please follow this. I’ve assigned attributes based on monster compatibility, so any spirits not in a gathering party should stay on standby as replacements."
Honestly, this is a huge help for me.
In reality, being able to choose automated material-gathering commands—something usually only possible after extensive clan development—is incredibly useful.
For safety, low-ranking spirits gathering materials will be in parties of six: four low-ranking and two mid-ranking spirits.
Mid-ranking spirits will be in parties of five, with one high-ranking spirit.
Parties of only high-ranking spirits are assigned to weaker monsters with favorable matchups, so there’s no risk of accidents.
"Understood."
"Leave it to us! We’ll bring back mountains of materials!"
Unless it’s a special material, this should cover the basics.
I’d love to leave even the troublesome Stardust Caterpillar materials to them, but the method is a bit uncertain, so we’ll verify the steps ourselves first.
The materials we’re delegating are either gathered from the dungeon or dropped by monsters at a fixed rate.
"Alright, now that we’ve sent off the spirits, let’s get going too."
After explaining how to craft flower crowns and conveying the image of bubbles to create the ephemeral dungeon, we finally enter the dungeon ourselves once all the spirits have set off.
First, we need to make flower crowns, but—
"Liberta-sama, I’ve prepared the flower crowns as instructed."
"I made a few—are these alright?"
Nel and Ingrid had already made them using the specified flowers: white, yellow, and green, with leaf-like butterfly wings attached.
With these, we can summon the Stardust Caterpillar’s dungeon.
"Yeah, it’s not a very large dungeon. Like the Golden Mochi Dungeon, it doesn’t respawn, so one full run won’t take too long."
Taking the flower crown from Ingrid, I grab a nearby bubble and imagine the monster—a boar-sized caterpillar with a dark, starry body.
Once the bubble takes shape, I place the flower crown on it, and the ephemeral dungeon appears.
"A forest-type dungeon?"
"The trees are quite tall."
If we make it through, we’ll reach a clearing.
Surrounded by towering trees as Esmeralda noted, visibility is poor.
This dungeon only has three floors.
The first floor is this forested area.
A narrow animal trail stretches in four directions.
"Which way should we go?"
"Hmm… this pattern suggests it’s this one."
At first glance, it’s unclear which path is correct, but I spot sky-blue flowers along one trail—the "Twilight Flowers," which change color with the sunset.
They only bloom with the Stardust Caterpillar’s secretions.
"That flower over there—see it? That’s a Twilight Flower. It changes color based on the sky’s hue at dusk, but it won’t bloom without the Stardust Caterpillar’s fluids."
Plucking one, its color shifts from sky-blue to white, then to a dull gray within seconds.
Amina’s eyes widen in amazement.
"Since the flower absorbs the caterpillar’s fluids from the ground, this path must lead to one. Based on the number of flowers, there should be three to five of them."
This dungeon has four paths, none with visible stairs to the next floor.
"The enemy’s attacks are simple: body slams, silk spit, bites, and crushing. They’re not very fast, so as long as you’re careful, you won’t lose."
At first, it seems like a single-floor dungeon, but fulfilling certain conditions reveals the next floor’s entrance.
Conversely, defeating all monsters without triggering the next floor spawns an escape gate.
"For now, watch how I fight."
After five minutes of walking, we reach a small clearing where four Stardust Caterpillars are munching on grass.
Unaware of us, I snap a branch and lightly tap one.
This counts as an attack.
The Stardust Caterpillars are linked monsters—attacking one alerts the others.
They shriek and charge, but I dodge easily.
Their speed is nothing compared to boar-type monsters.
The real threat is when one puffs its cheeks—a ranged attack.
"KSHAAAA!!"
A sticky silk shot.
Highly elastic and adhesive, it’s an annoying restraint skill.
It’s also flammable, meaning restrained allies take damage if burned.
Dodging is easy, but the silk can also function as a trap.
I leap into the air to avoid the spread, and a second shot follows me upward.
I sidestep midair, causing the silk to entangle another caterpillar instead.
Seizing the opportunity, I strike with my scythe-spear, careful not to kill it.
Two hits later, it’s near death.
I pull back, baiting another into the silk trap.
"Now there are two cocoons."
"By the way, at this point, they’re considered separate monsters."
"So these are Rise Cocoons?"
"Exactly. They sacrifice attack and speed for insane defense and resistance."
Tapping one produces a metallic clink despite its soft appearance.
"Now, if we defeat the Rise Cocoons—"
I thrust my spear, piercing its heart with an armor-ignoring strike.
"Ah, the gate appeared."
The special condition is met, and the gate to the next floor materializes.
Yep, the conditions haven’t changed.