After clearing the eighth floor, we moved to the ninth floor.
The boss of the eighth floor of Vale's labyrinth is someone I've already fought, so it's not much of a problem.
I'll solidify my defense with Enchant and then slash with Durandal; it'll be a piece of cake.
The monsters on the ninth floor of Vale's labyrinth seem to be Slow Rabbits.
Seri investigated this at the Cooltar Explorer's Guild.
Since I've fought Slow Rabbits on the eighth floor of Cooltar, and they move slowly, there shouldn't be any problem.
This will be a piece of cake too.
"There was a time when I thought the same way."
After taking down a Level 9 Slow Rabbit with six Fireballs, I muttered.
Six shots.
It seems that from Level 9 onwards, it takes six magic shots to defeat a monster.
The enemies do indeed get stronger as the floors go up.
"The number of times I use magic has increased by one, but it's not a big difference. To be able to defeat them in a few shots, as you do, is truly impressive, Master."
"It just means the time spent fighting the monsters will be longer."
"There won't be any problem if you avoid their attacks."
If the number of magic shots needed to defeat a monster increases, the battle time will extend.
With the battle time extended, the time spent in close combat with the monsters will also increase.
Naturally, the number of attacks received will also increase.
Except for one person, of course.
Since I'm at the front when I have Durandal, there's no problem.
Even if I take damage, I can recover quickly with HP absorption.
The problem is with Seri.
"Isn't the ninth floor tough?"
After a while of fighting, I asked Seri.
Seri has taken several hits from the monsters.
The increase in hits is inevitable.
"No, it's fine. I don't feel it's any tougher than the eighth floor."
"Are you taking more hits from the monsters?"
"I get treated immediately, so there's no problem. Um, did I cause you trouble? I'll try to avoid attacks like Roxanne does."
"No, no. It's not a hassle to treat you. If it's not tough for you, it's fine."
I quickly denied it.
Seri seems to be trying hard.
If Seri says it's fine, then it should be fine.
The ninth floor should be manageable.
The next morning, we moved to the ninth floor of Cooltar's labyrinth.
The boss battle was, as usual, taken care of with Durandal.
"The monsters on the ninth floor of Cooltar's labyrinth are Neet Ants. Their main characteristic is that they use poison attacks. Water magic is their weakness."
When we moved from the eighth floor boss room to the ninth floor, Seri explained.
Poison.
The ninth floor of Cooltar's labyrinth doesn't seem to be a walk in the park.
"Thanks. So I should use water magic, right?"
"Yes."
"Got it. But this is the first time I've fought a monster that uses poison."
"Um, Spice Spiders can also poison you with a low probability. And the Green Caterpillar boss, White Caterpillar, uses a poison skill attack. It typically immobilizes you with silk before launching a poison attack. It's a powerful combo, and many people fall to it."
Oh, that's right.
I remember hearing that antidote pills are a must-have.
That means there are many monsters that use poison attacks.
I thought there were no poison-using monsters, but maybe I was just lucky.
Spice Spiders are usually dealt with by Roxanne.
So the attacks don't hit much.
All of White Caterpillar's skill attacks were canceled.
"I didn't realize that."
"The representative poison-using monster in the lower floors is the Neet Ant. What's scary about Neet Ants is that they can poison you with normal attacks and have a skill attack that definitely poisons you."
A two-pronged attack.
And the higher the floor, the more they use skill attacks.
"What happens if you get poisoned?"
"You gradually weaken, and if left untreated, you'll die."
"Can you cure it with an antidote pill?"
"Yes."
"Are there any aftereffects?"
"The poison itself can be cured with a pill, but the damage remains. If necessary, use a healing potion or get treated."
It seems the prognosis is good.
"Got it. There are antidote pills in the item box, so both of you should get them immediately if you get poisoned."
"Yes, Master."
"Understood."
It's faster to take them from the item box than to carry them in a backpack.
Seri also has an item box, but it requires a chant.
I can take them out without a chant.
We should consider what to do if I can't move.
But for now, there's no need to worry about it unless it's a boss battle.
"I'll give Seri a few antidote pills. Use them if something happens."
I had Seri open the item box and gave her the antidote pills.
The item box capacity for a Level 10 blacksmith explorer is ten types × ten items.
I had her put in ten antidote pills.
Following Roxanne's lead, we approached the Neet Ants.
They are big ants.
Their shape is that of a regular ant.
But they are huge.
Abnormally huge.
They look huge even from a distance.
Depending on how you look at them, they might be a bit creepy.
No, not creepy, but rather eerie.
Yeah.
If you think of them as big stag beetles, they're not that creepy.
They are a type of stag beetle, after all.
But don't think of G just because they shine black.
Oh.
I thought of it.
The jagged edges of the legs are somewhat similar.
No.
They are ants.
Just ants.
Not G.
I chanted "Waterball."
A ball of water formed above my head and moved forward in the cave.
The Neet Ants didn't scurry away or fly like G.
The Waterball hit and burst.
Good.
They are definitely not G.
If they were cockroaches, they would have definitely dodged the water ball.
I fired a second Waterball.
Their movements don't seem to differ from other monsters.
They are indeed ants.
Not worker ants, but Neet Ants.
Maybe working is a sign of defeat.
Up close, they are probably about a meter long.
That's huge, and it's a bit creepy.
Then the third Waterball.
Work, you should.
Well, if monsters worked, nothing good would come of it.
The Neet Ants were defeated by the Waterball.
Three shots.
Water magic is their weakness, so the damage is doubled.
Since they are Level 9, it would normally take six shots.
With three shots, they were defeated before they could get close.
Poison Stinger
When the green smoke cleared, something with a terrifying name remained.
It's ominous.
Seri picked it up casually and brought it over.
Is it okay?
"Yes."
"Um, is it okay to hold it in your hand?"
"It seems that it only becomes poisonous if ingested by humans or animals."
It seems it's okay to touch it.
I took a deep breath and took it.
It's a black, cone-shaped item about five centimeters long.
I thought the tip might be the poison stinger, but it doesn't seem to be.
"Do you have to ingest it to make it work? It's the opposite of a snake."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
I heard that snake venom is made of proteins, so it gets digested if eaten.
Snakes use venom to hunt.
After poisoning their prey, they end up eating the poisoned prey.
If they were to be killed by their own venom, it would be a disaster.
"That's right. To know such things is impressive."
"Indeed, Master."
I gained respect for my modern knowledge.
I lowered my evaluation by not knowing about the poison stinger.
I should balance it out.
Seri probably thought I was a country bumpkin for not knowing about the poison stinger, even if she didn't say it out loud.
But the snakes in this world might be different from those on Earth.
If the snakes in this world use venom to hunt, they should be safe to eat for the same reason as on Earth.
It's unlikely that snakes would have venom to protect themselves.
"Poison stingers are effective against monsters. By throwing them, you can poison the target if you hit. In boss battles, using poison stingers at the start is a basic strategy."
"Do bosses get poisoned too?"
"Throwing two or three by a six-person party can poison them."
"Low probability."
If six people throw two or three, that's twelve to eighteen in total.
It seems a considerable number is needed to ensure poisoning.
One or two might not be enough to cause much poisoning.
"There are other special uses. Many monsters outside the labyrinth don't actively attack unless provoked. Since the poison stinger is an item with no other effect, throwing it at a monster won't be recognized as an attack. Once the monster is poisoned, it will be considered an attack, but you can defeat it quickly by poisoning it first."
There's such a trick.
It's quite resourceful.
"Oh, I used to play with them when I was a child."
Roxanne spoke up.
Roxanne seems to have done it before.
"Roxanne did?"
"Um, it's quite expensive. I heard it's something done by the children of nobles."
I see.
Poison stingers aren't free.
Since Kobold Salt is bought, poison stingers must also have a price.
Throwing several at a monster would be wasteful.
"I collected poison stingers from Neet Ants because there was a place nearby where they spawned. If I brought them back, I would just get scolded for doing something dangerous, so I went deep into the forest and used them on stronger monsters."
It's a logical approach.
Indeed, it is.
"Neet Ants are hunted normally, right?"
"Yes."
"But if you get caught, you'll get scolded for being dangerous."
"It takes a few hours to defeat them since I'm weak."
I thought I heard something unreasonable, but it must have been a mishearing.
Or maybe a few hours in this world is a few seconds in Earth time.
"Um, Neet Ants use poison skill attacks, so they are very dangerous."
"If you avoid the attacks, there's no problem."
"For a few hours?"
"Yes."
Seri, you shouldn't point that out.
"So, you use the poison stingers obtained from Neet Ants on other monsters."
"Yes."
"Can't you just hunt the other monsters normally?"
"Of course, I aim for monsters that are far too strong for me. My attacks don't even faze them. Near where I lived, the Nonrem Golem was a relatively safe and strong monster to approach."
So, you use the poison stingers obtained from Neet Ants to target Nonrem Golems, which can't be hunted normally.
It makes sense.
"Nonrem Golems are supposed to attack humans even outside the labyrinth."
"Yes, that's true."
"Isn't it dangerous if you're noticed?"
"Once the monster is poisoned, it will recognize it as an attack. So, it's the same."
No, it's completely different.
Poisoning a non-active monster and poisoning an extremely strong active monster are worlds apart in difficulty.
"Wouldn't you be noticed by other monsters in a place with Nonrem Golems?"
"The positions of other monsters can be detected by smell, so I can sneak in carefully."
"Approaching is one thing, but wouldn't it be hard to poison them?"
"Throwing twenty poison stingers will almost certainly poison them."
Seri pressed, but Roxanne answered calmly.
"Wouldn't you be noticed and attacked during the twenty throws?"
"Of course, I'll be noticed from the first throw. After that, I avoid attacks while throwing."
"Okay, poisoning is fine, but what do you do after that?"
"I keep dodging until they fall."
"Only dodging?"
"My attacks don't affect them at all. It's that kind of opponent. One hit and I'm dead. Probably just a graze will kill me. If I'm unlucky, the wind pressure from their attacks will kill me. So, I dodge desperately. Thanks to the poison, the fight ends faster than with Neet Ants, so it's reassuring."
Not reassuring at all.
Roxanne, what kind of game are you playing?
This is Roxanne's secret.
You've been training like this since childhood.
No, maybe you had the evasion skills to begin with, which allowed you to play such games.
Or did playing such games improve your evasion skills?
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That's the question.
Still, Roxanne's level isn't that high.
Maybe the monsters on the surface are Level 1, so the experience points are low.
Or maybe you don't get experience points for poisoning them.
There are other things I need to ask.
"Do other children play this game?"
"Before I could invite others, I was scolded and forbidden from doing it."
Of course, no one would do it.
Good.
It seems there aren't many children like Roxanne.
Seri's shoulders were shaking.
Her eyes were teary.
Yeah.
I understand how she feels.
I put my hand on Seri's shoulder, which was trembling, and spoke.