“I see, so you want to ignore the third floor for now and prepare on the fourth floor. That’s not bad. Many people go to the fourth floor, meaning there is information to match. Conquering it first is an option.”
“I’m sorry, the idea was…”
“Don’t worry. Bringing to light some of the dangers of the passage we call the third floor is enough. Orochi is one thing, but Lamia… I’m going to have the other branch managers watch it during a meeting, but I think only image data, stats, and abilities will be made public. Otherwise, it might end up hurting your image. If possible, film yourself really beating one.”
“Yes, I’ll get my revenge for what happened today.”
It’s easy to tell from its stats, but Lamia is a magic type rare monster. But unlike the Golden Swallowtail Butterfly, it’s dangerous in that it also executes physical attacks, and I saw on the video that it used magic to keep its enemies at bay while also attacking with its tail and claws, giving Aira and Enki a bad time.
But the most troublesome thing is its Evil Eye attack. This forces everyone except Enki to fight without looking at it directly. Once your eyes meet, you end up like I did and you’re out of the fight, so we can’t let our guard down for a second.
Up until now, I’ve been able to defeat enemies because I have a variety of attacks, or I pushed through with my stats, so I got to be reckless, but once I’m out of action, that role is pushed to everyone else. Thinking about it that way, it’s pretty terrible.
At least… I need to make sure I can recover if I’m taken out.
“I saw Aki and Maki fight for the first time when I watched the footage, but Aki was fully on the vanguard, even more forward than Aira. Maki has a spear, but she was in the back row. With that in mind, Ayane and Maki should be in charge of healing status conditions.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, that’s right. What about drops? Aira was the one who dealt the killing blow, right?”
“Yes. We received every drop from Orochi, but only Magic Energy Recovery Lv2 and an extra large magic stone from the Lamia.”
Aira lines everything up on the table, and I grab Orochi’s skill that caught my eye.
“This Earth Shaking is a mystery. Do you know about it, branch manager?”
“No, it’s an unknown skill.”
“Let’s have a look… True Appraisal.”
Name: Earth Shaking
Grade: Unique
Classification: Earth skill
Description: Spends one hundred fifty Magic Energy to cause an earthquake
“It just says it causes an earthquake, and it costs a lot.”
“It’s not… Magic, right?”
“A non-magic skill that works like magic? That would be a special ability.”
“But Orochi didn’t use it, did it? There might be some condition.”
“Maybe it’s because Shouta held it down facing upward.”
“So it can’t activate it without its feet on the ground? Hm, I think this skill would suit Enki the best. Both because of its name and what it feels like.”
‘Goh?’
Everyone nods, and Enki seems to be the only one that doesn’t understand.
“It’s basically an earth god, right?”
‘Gogo!’
“But what skill doesn’t it need…”
“Yes, it used every skill in today’s battle.”
‘Gogo…’
“Hm, maybe I could remove Iron Wall IV or Swift III… Enki, let’s swap out Swift III.”
‘Goh!’
Enki ejects Swift III, Aira stores it, and I have it learn Earth Shaking. Meanwhile, the branch manager has an expression I can’t even describe.
“What am I seeing…”
“Ah, mom, this is a secret, so…”
“Yes yes, I know.”
I use True Appraisal on Enki again, and the skill name really does suit it. But we still have to test the effect.
“Ah, branch manager. Anyone with Appraisal can see what skills Enki has, so maybe it’s better to make that information public.”
“…I see. Even if we refrain from disclosing it for now, people will talk. I will make sure our employees know.”
“Please do. And the Magic Energy Recovery Lv2 skill… Ayane.”
“I understand.”
That takes care of the skills.
Now let’s take it easy for today, and get ready for tomorrow.
“Master, I am wondering why it feels like you think you are done.”
“Eh?”
“There were points we all needed to reflect about today, but we gotta change that lack of awareness about status conditions.”
“We will use the regular ones, not the punishing ones, so rest easy. But don’t run away.”
“Oh my, that sounds fun. Can I join you?”
“Darling, which one do you want first? I recommend poison!”
So they forgive me, but they’re not willing to overlook my lack of awareness. Actually, I completely forgot about this.
Well, I did just experience the danger of going to the dungeon without this knowledge, so I have to take it…
“Okay, but why start with poison?”
“If you start out with the one you dislike the most, the rest will be easier.”
“Ah, that’s…”
“I’d say it’s better to leave it for last. Being poisoned for the first time is pretty intense, and you’re gonna have less energy to experience the rest.”
“I see. What do you think, master?”
“Ah, Shouta, leave the rings here.”
Poison sounds harsh… I feel like it’s going to be hellish regardless of whether it comes first or last.
Scary…
Then I experience a baptism of status conditions. Thankfully, I guess, the girls are good at tuning everything, so I don’t suffer from aftereffects, other than mental ones. I end up resting for the rest of the day, and the day after that.
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Thanks for the treat.