Chapter 241
"Well, whether she's truly unscathed or not is beside the point—Nel has successfully obtained Shōfuku Shōrai and is now officially a Unique Skill holder!! Everyone, applause!!"
Somehow, even though the story touched on the reason why a girl like Nel doesn't exist in the original work, just when you'd expect things to turn serious from here...
"Congratulations, Nel!!""Congratulations, Lady Nel!""I always believed I would live to see the day a legendary skill is acquired, but to think it would actually happen...""That's Libertà for you."
There wasn't a hint of that kind of atmosphere. Instead, everyone was enjoying a cheerful, relaxed get-together. Except for Claudia, they all had fruit water in hand and were nibbling on dinner.
Well, I mean, it's better than descending into a gloomy, serious mood, but aren't you all being a bit too carefree?
"That's right, it's because it's Libertà."
Hey, Miss Nel. Aren't you getting a little too close today? I'm confident I can handle your issues, so it's not a problem, but you've been wagging your tail to show how happy you are since a while ago.
"Well, this time was pretty easy, and tomorrow we're going to get Ingrid's unique skill.""Perfect Clean, was it?""Yeah, that's the one. It's a skill you get by wiping out all the monsters in a dungeon and clearing it.""I heard you need to conquer about five dungeons, but dungeons are designed to have monsters respawn over time. To wipe them all out, does that mean targeting dungeons like the Stardust Caterpillar dungeon we cleared earlier, where monsters don't respawn?""Exactly. There are a few dungeons like that where monsters don't respawn. The requirement is to clear five such dungeons in a row within a time limit while having someone with the Perfect Maid job in the party. After the final boss battle, a special treasure chest appears with the skill."
Without dwelling on that, we moved on to planning tomorrow's schedule to get Ingrid's unique skill. Ingrid, the one who would be acquiring the skill, stood at the front and answered questions to confirm the arrangements for tomorrow.
"What exactly is this time limit?""It's the total time limit for clearing all five dungeons. The limit is 72 hours. You have to clear them within that time."
Ingrid's quest gives off a vibe that prioritizes efficiency. It's not enough to just clear them—you have to do it accurately and efficiently! You can feel that relentless pressure.
"72 hours... If they're lower-class dungeons, that might be possible, right?""The nasty part of this quest is that it doesn't work that way. There's a minimum requirement for the dungeons: they must be Class 4 or higher. That's an absolute condition."
I wish they'd cut us some slack, but the gods of this world don't seem to know the meaning of compromise and impose pretty ruthless conditions.
"Moreover, this time limit includes not just time inside the dungeons but also living time—meaning, eating, drinking, and sleeping are all included.""So we have to clear Class 4 or higher dungeons while also managing our basic needs?"
Who exactly am I complaining to? This is turning into a real speedrun!!
"Under normal circumstances, it would be an impossible demand. Clearing five Class 4 or higher dungeons in three days, and not just clearing them but having to defeat every single monster—that's a major hurdle.""Um, should I sing to lure all the dungeon monsters together?""That would be ideal, but there's a chance some might be missed. If we do it, we need a method that guarantees no mistakes."
Class 4 and higher dungeons are notoriously vast. Doing it the normal way would make it undoubtedly difficult to clear.
"Don't worry about that. There are dungeons with fixed monsters only, and conveniently, Class 4 or higher dungeons where it's absolutely impossible to miss any."
Yes, if you do it the normal way. This method was found relatively easily—players tried it and thought, "Hey, wouldn't this work?" and it did.
"What kind of dungeon is that?""It's what you call a boss rush-type dungeon.""...?""Ah, yes. Allow me to explain."
Even in the game era, there were dungeons that were essentially "boss assortments"—boss rush-type dungeons.
"Boss rush, as the name implies, refers to dungeons where you fight bosses in succession. There are many varieties, and since you fight in arena-like areas, there are no obstructions, and it's absolutely impossible to miss any enemies."
Hearing that, you might think it's a free-for-all for boss materials! But the biggest drawback of these dungeons is the difficulty of obtaining the keys.
There are three ways to get them. The first is as an exchange item during events.
You can exchange them using event-specific currency when it's available in the exchange list.
This method is available periodically, but the quantities are limited, so it's not something you can use frequently. Boss rush dungeon keys are designed to be hard to enchant with Weakling's Proof or Indestructible. Theoretically, it's possible, but the probability is about the same as for Golden Keys.
What about the other two methods?
The second is through paid items—yes, you can buy them with real money.
The price varies by class, but the cheaper ones cost around 500 yen, and the most expensive keys go for about 1,500 yen. FBO's heavy spenders used these to farm materials.
Me? I blew my bonus on them, so what?
And the third method is...
"Although there's a class restriction, you can create such dungeons in the Ephemeral Dungeons."
By coming to this spirit world, you can create boss rush dungeons up to a certain class.
The recipe for the Flower Crown is difficult, and on top of that, the image for the bubble is complex.
But it is possible to make them. Since there are materials that can only be obtained from regular monsters, boss rush dungeons aren't the only way, but if you're aiming for scrolls, boss rush dungeons are more efficient.
However, even though they're just bosses, they're still dangerous. Because of the high risk, I hadn't taught the spirits how to create them.
"How strong are these bosses?" "For a Class 4 boss rush dungeon, at the very least, you'll face five bosses in a row, each about as strong as a Big Mushroom, and the final one is a Class 5 boss."
Honestly, with my previous equipment, I would never have wanted to tackle a dungeon with back-to-back boss battles. But the Marsh Dragon equipment is excellent, and it's enhanced with EXBP.
"A word of caution: the bosses in these boss rush dungeons are strengthened compared to regular dungeon bosses." "Strengthened? By how much?" "About 20% more than usual. The final boss is 50% stronger, effectively putting its stats on par with a Class 6 boss."
But since this dungeon is also designed as a challenge for dedicated players, the bosses that appear are strengthened compared to those in regular dungeons.
In FBO, it was a common sight to see players eagerly charging in only to get thoroughly beaten.
Unless you had equipment made from Sunlight Silk, even the lowest-class boss rush dungeons were something I never intended to attempt.
"Can we even win against a Class 6 opponent?" "We'll go full meta, taking them down safely and efficiently. And we'll use Nel's Shōfuku Shōrai to snag the drop items too."
Our equipment is in order, and we've done the minimum leveling. If we carefully select the dungeons, we can manage it without too much trouble.
"In an arena, it's not terrain that favors the enemy, but we'll avoid bosses that fly or burrow underground and stick to those we can fight head-on without them scattering debuffs. Minions will appear, but we'll wipe them out first before engaging the boss."
One by one, we narrowed down the conditions for the bosses.
Actually, the boss rush dungeons suitable for obtaining Ingrid's skill are limited. Given our current level and equipment, the selection naturally narrows itself down.
"The timer starts once you step into the dungeon, and it resets if even one monster remains in a dungeon you're tackling or if you start tackling the same dungeon again." "So that means the Golden Cat Hall we did today doesn't count. Then we'll start tomorrow by stepping into the dungeon and going all out, right?" "On the first day, we'll tackle three relatively easy boss rush dungeons, and over the next two days, we'll handle two slightly more troublesome ones. Boss rushes require concentration, so it's most important to rest properly and take them on in peak condition. In fact, it might be better to take about a week to familiarize ourselves with all the dungeons before attempting them."
When tackling dungeons, we don't go in blind. Boss rush dungeons have their own difficulties, so rather than rushing and panicking under time pressure, it's safer to attempt the same dungeon multiple times to get used to it before the real challenge.
We have time—in fact, it would be more reliable to get scrolls from boss rush dungeons first, strengthen our skills, and then attempt the quest.
There are still unique skill quests for four more people waiting.
"It's a relief that Nel's unique skill quest was shortened considerably. Here, it's best to proceed cautiously."
The strategy isn't "charge ahead recklessly" but "prioritize survival."
"Libertà." "What is it, Nel?" "Is it really okay to use Shōfuku Shōrai so much? You said yourself, if too many good things happen, there'll be a backlash of bad luck, right?" "Oh, that."
For tackling boss rush dungeons, using Nel's Shōfuku Shōrai is absolutely beneficial. But Nel is worried that using it might cause a backlash of bad luck. I understand that feeling, and I also think the possibility is high.
"I don't think you need to worry about it that much."
Even if you lump it all together as "bad things," there are various kinds.
If using Shōfuku Shōrai continuously accumulated and caused bad things to happen, I don't think that Jackpot Cat would have said it that way.
But that guy told us to keep fighting fate.
In that case, even if we use Shōfuku Shōrai, I think it wouldn't make much difference.
"Really?" "Yeah. And if something does happen, we'll deal with it then."
To be honest, if you hesitate to use skills over every little thing like that, you won't be able to use any skills at all.
In that case, it's better to throw caution to the wind, gain various things, and become stronger.
Besides, Shōfuku Shōrai itself isn't a skill you can use that many times anyway. Hoarding it is a mistake in itself.
I understand Nel's anxiety, so since her head is at just the right height, I give it a slightly firmer pat.
While thinking that doing this in her adult form would be trouble, I suddenly remember that women generally dislike having their hair touched, and I quickly pull my hand away.
"Huh? Already done?" "Well, it's not really good to touch a girl's hair, right?" "It's fine if it's Libertà." "Oh, really?" "Really!" "Then, after Lady Nel, it's my turn!" "Okay! I'm next!!" "Why are you lining up?" "In that case, I shall go next." "Even Esmeralda!?"
And so, amidst a bit of noise, time passed by.