Earth Dungeon 59.1

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Chapter 59.1. Azure Dragon

Upon the branches within the forest, Shizuku gazed at the departing procession of vehicles with a chilling, frozen stare, her arms crossed. Having witnessed the battle moments ago, she subtly transformed her expression into a faint smile.

"It seems you value straightforward skills. That skill certainly appears strong at first glance, so it's not surprising."

Mana and Aura. Shizuku observed how skillfully they wielded these attributes. Despite their stature, the young man with a cautious demeanor and the composed elf wore equipment that was clearly beyond their physical capabilities.

"That's the Five Star Sword and the Staff of Spirit Tree. Both are A-rank. The armor is of the same rank. It's strange to be able to equip equipment that grants such significant bonuses. Normally, that wouldn't be possible."

[Shizuku-san, isn't equipment something you just wear? If you can hold it, isn't that enough?]

Informed by Ooki-kun, Sakimori who had released the [Summon All Units] speaking as an astral presence, Shizuku replied. 

She had only seen magic weapons like Goblin King's sword before. Thus, she was taken aback by the cosplay group dressed in equipment seemingly transported from a fantasy world.

"That's Craft Skill or equipment found in dungeons. Most likely, they're dungeon-born. You can obtain them by conquering A-rank-level dungeons. They probably acquired them when they cleared dungeons in the past."

[In the past, the government conquered dangerous dungeons like dragons, etc. And then, they gathered loads of dungeon cores and had numerous treasure chests. Huh? Doesn't that sound strange? If that's the case, why did the government build walls and isolate themselves due to the pressure from monsters?]

They had high-level dungeon cores and high-level treasure chests. At that time, they relentlessly destroyed high-level dungeons with missiles. So, they should have obtained those, leading to the birth of warriors who exceeded human intellect by acquiring and utilizing them.

"Dungeon cores dissolve and disappear as soon as the dungeon gets conquered. You have to retrieve them before they dissolve."

[The world is harsh... So, you need to dive deep into the dungeon, and defeat monsters, or you won't get the main rewards. On the contrary, treasure chests and monster cores remain after clearing, so they're collected afterward.]

With a composed expression, Shizuku-san replied, causing Sakimori to sigh. So, becoming strong has its downsides. No, I didn't mean for that to be a dad joke. So, what's the issue?

"If your overall stats and specific stat values are insufficient, there will be penalties when equipping items. At worst, you might become immobilized or afflicted by status abnormalities. Furthermore, the performance of that equipment won't manifest unless you equip those items. Weapons and armor, as commonly known, have no meaning unless you wear them."

[It's all like a game. Dungeons, I mean.]

I've played games like that when I was a kid. I see. Continuously toying with humanity, huh?

"Without those penalties, you can equip the equipment. It certainly becomes powerful."

[Right, right. But there are significant drawbacks as well. Plus, you can't tell just by looking at them. Well, even if you can, you'd probably overlook it, right?]

Without hearing the whole explanation, one could easily imagine from the preceding conversation. The more powerful the skill is, the more critical its weakness. Being able to equip high-rank weapons without penalties... There must be some dire handicap.

"The stronger you become, the more you realize how that strength hinders you. That's why I won't take children who have gained unusable skills to the front lines, and there's no value in providing such extensive protection. That's why I understand. The skill levels of this country... Well, I believe it's fine. It doesn't concern us. They can wield powerful weapons and perform on the battlefield, right?"

With a faint smile, Shizuku-san uttered cruel words. Hearing that, I can't help but feel sorry for those children, right? It's kind of like a hero party. Even though it seemed like they didn't get along too well.

"That dwarf girl misunderstands how to use her skills. The fox-eyed young man didn't use his skill, so I don't know. If we make the dwarf girl our companion, things might get easier from now on. But honestly, I think you don't need to worry. If you're lucky, you can hire her as an employee."

[Understood. So, it looks like the military vehicles have moved far enough away, right?]

While chatting, they saw vehicles rushing through the forest and heading straight for the ruined city. They maintained their speed without stopping, putting a considerable distance between them and the pursuit. That unit was highly skilled. Stopping midway would risk them being attacked by the Kouryuu.

Quite the unit indeed. Shizuku nodded and shifted her gaze towards Azure Dragon by the riverbank. Azure Dragon was doing something gruesome—sinking its teeth into a Sahuagin's carcass, making a crunching sound as it devoured it.

"I see. I've hunted Sahuagins so much that I've attracted Azure Dragon."

The reason for Azure Dragon's appearance became evident. It was simply because she had relentlessly slain Sahagins.

[The smell of blood must have spread around here. And you've left Sahaugin corpses all over the place. It's like scattering a bunch of zebra carcasses in the savannah.]

I would have felt guilty if that unit suffered because of us, but it's a relief. Sakimori said, his hand resting on his chest. It's a shame about the cores.

For Shizuku, it didn't matter much. She had considered that if those well-equipped individuals became decent decoys, they could easily achieve victory. However, she quickly gave up on that thought. It's not worth doing something that would make Sakimori dislike her.

"Azure Dragon has a considerably large territory. If we defeat it, this whole area will become a safe place where only Sahaugins or lower-ranked monsters appear."

[Yeah, Shizuku-san. I don't think we could call a place safe if it has Sahuagins roaming around freely. So, are we taking it down? [Summon All Units] cooldown is still on.]