Day 521-530/Day 523

Day 523 / 53rd day
　　We started our attack early this morning. I've become accustomed to the dungeon monsters that appear, and I've learned to recognize some of their weak points.
　 However, the complex internal structure of the dungeon blocked our way.
　The more you go up, the wider and more complicated the passageway becomes, and the more difficult it is to find the stairs. The number of dungeon monsters you encounter at once also increases, so you have to be careful not to be taken by surprise. Knowing that it would take a lot of effort to map out the entire area, I used my magic rifle to hit a large Shadow Hell Dead Wolf in the forehead as it popped out of the darkness without a sound. The magic bullet, which has increased in power due to his familiarity with magic manipulation, pierces the sturdy hair and shatters the thick skull, stirring the brain. It came close to me, rolling on the ground with inertia for a while, but I was able to kill it almost instantly. However, I didn't lower my muzzle and continued firing. It wasn't just one animal that had attacked us. In fact, one after another, new dead wolves popped up. One after another, new dead wolves jumped out, jumping over the corpses of their brethren lying on the floor, trying to bite their heads off. If it was the first time to see them, the momentum and the number of them might upset you and you might be able to close the distance between them. But if you know that there are at least a few dozen of them, you can deal with them calmly.
　This time, the number of the herd exceeded forty and reached fifty. There were more of them than usual, and they were beyond the capacity of the magic rifle to handle, so we had to use the red spear. The sharpness of the spear was incredible, and the more we used it, the more it became familiar to our hands. The more I use it, the more it becomes familiar to my hand. No, it would be more appropriate to say that it reminds me of something rather than familiarizing me with it. The more you use it, the more familiar you become with it. I wonder what the Vermillion Spear really is, as I can't even see its name even with the 【Simple Appraisal Glasses of the Knowledgeable】.
　Anyway, after defeating them all, we collected the corpses that we could, and the ones we couldn't get to in time, such as fangs and pelts, which were now drop items. After a while, we finally arrived at the deepest part of the twentieth floor, biting the tusks for their crunchy texture.
　It was a large room with reddish-black walls surrounded on all sides by pulsating blood vessels, reminiscent of the internal organs of a giant creature. There were no obstructions of any kind, and the view was very clear.
　So I knew just by looking at the huge, oddly shaped werewolf standing quietly in the middle of such a large room that he was definitely the floor boss.
　The name that can be understood by 【Knowledgeable Person's Simple Appraisal Glasses】is "Cerberus Woolbhel", and one of his abilities is 【Three Life Lights】.
　 　If I were to briefly describe the deformed werewolf Cerberus, it would look like a human version of Cerberus, the mythical three-headed guard dog. The three wolf heads lined up next to each other are dignified and fearless, similar to a gray wolf, with six eyes observing you. He was probably five meters tall. It was so high that I had to look up at it, and the muscles supporting its huge frame must have been thick, supple, and sturdy. His body is covered in grayish-brown hair with a metallic sheen, his arms are unusually long, and his fingertips have claws that resemble sharp knives. Their large tails, which probably balanced their bodies, had sharp green thorns that could be seen through their body hair, so they must be magnificent weapons with slashing power in addition to striking power. Purple flames spewed from the mouths of the three animals as they exhaled, and their large, thick, white fangs flickered in the air.
　As they approached to a certain degree, the battle began with the triple roar of the cerberus, which clearly had a distinct presence. The roar alone caused cracks to appear in the floor, and a sonic wave of magical power that seemed to wipe out the air caressed my entire body. As I took it in, I pointed the muzzle of my magic rifle at the center of the wolf head in the middle and squeezed the trigger.
　About two hours have passed since the battle began, and Cerberus is stuck to the floor, pierced through the belly by a red spear. The Cerberus simply moved fast, attacked powerfully, was hard and repelled half-hearted attacks, spewed fire from its three mouths and roared to target our 【Hardness】, it was strong as usual.
　However, if that was all, it would have been a little easier.
　If it moves fast, you can spread 【Lubricant】 that slides well on the ground or 【Glue】 that sticks to the ground to make it difficult to move. If it's a forceful attack, you can determine its trajectory and counter it with a stronger counterattack. If it's hard, you can attack the same spot repeatedly, or use different methods such as dissolving it with 【King Water】 or destroying its internal organs with 【Super Vibration】. If it has a special ability, just attack it with the appropriate ability.
　However, Cerberus had a troublesome ability. That is the【Three Life Lights】. 　To put it simply, it was a stock of life, and it was necessary to kill the saberus three times in order to be sure of killing it. In addition, if you killed it, even if it was in a state like a rag full of holes, it would fully recover in one breath and gain a high level of resistance to the attacks it received. 　Each time you kill it, one of its heads stops moving, and the frequency and power of its flames and roars decrease, but in exchange, its physical abilities and resilience increase, and it loses its reason. 　After two kills, he went on a rampage like a berserker who kills his enemies without regard to his own life or death.
　 　Each kill made it harder to die, and the rampaging Cerberus was a difficult enemy that would inevitably take time to kill. The magic rifle's magic bullets were completely disabled once they were killed, and they were no longer a check. The magic rifle's magic bullets were completely disabled once you killed it, and it could no longer be used as a check. It also became more resistant to blows, and attacks using several abilities such as fire and lightning became less effective. However, I was able to slay the Vermillion Spear without even allowing it to resist until the end, so I was able to win with only a little damage despite my struggles.
　【You have successfully defeated the level boss, Cerberus Woolbhel. 】
　【Achievers will be allowed to move to the upper levels and may choose whether or not to fight the "Cerberus Woolbhel" boss. 】
　【As a bonus for their first kill, players will receive a treasure chest containing 【Three-Headed Wolf Fur】】.
　Then I checked the contents of the treasure chest that had appeared. 　It contained gold and silver treasures. Then there was a magic potion bottle with several contents, a beautiful and sturdy silver cord, a collar made of red leather reinforced with black metal, and a cloak of grayish-brown fur.
　The best of the three was a cloak made of grayish-brown fur. The cloak is called the 【Fur of the Wolf Madman】, and when you wear it, you can use the 【Mad Wolf Beastification】 ability. This means that anyone can turn into a wolf beast and gain its superior physical abilities. However, it is also a dangerous item, as it can cause one's reasoning to degrade over time, eventually turning one into a rampaging maniac who will rampage to the death regardless of friend or foe. It is said that if you take it off, it will return to its original state, but if you go that far, you probably won't want to take it off, and it will be hard to get it off.
　I thought it was just a useless piece of equipment, but apparently it uses the collar and cord that I got at the same time. You can change someone and connect the collar and cord. It seems that you can control their movements to some extent, just like an owner and his dog.
　Well, as a solo player, I don't have such a partner.
　I thought for a while whether to use it or not, and decided to try it for now.
　My equipment was not unscathed from the battle so far, and my armor was noticeably damaged. It was still usable, but it was in need of repair. The cloak was quite strong, and not bad for a simple piece of armor.
　It's also a cursed piece of equipment, but with a few abilities, you can avoid the lack of reason, which was a big factor in my decision.
　When I put it on, it was comfortable and softer than I expected. But it is also sturdy, and I can pull it lightly with my mechanical arm without any problem. 　I need to see what happens when I use my abilities, but that will come a little later.
　I ate the corpse of the cerberus while checking the other magic items I had obtained. The flesh of the cerberus was very firm and tasty, as if the flavor had been concentrated. 　The fur was crispy, hard, and chewy, and the claws, bones, and internal organs were all hard and delicious. The blood that contains the dense magic power feels good in the throat, and I felt that the amount of magic power in my body has somehow increased.
　【Ability【Trinity】learned】
　【Ability 【Black Gatekeeper】learned】
　【Ability 【Triple Roar】 learned】
　I was able to learn it even with Cerberus. It's a good thing that it's easier to learn than it used to be, but I think I'll have to start training again somewhere to get the most out of it.
　Anyway, after taking a break, we proceeded up the stairs. From the twenty-first floor, the interior was once again reminiscent of the corridors of the temple where the Heavenly Knights had been. However, unlike before, the passageways were a bit more complicated and traps had been set.
　If you're not careful, you might lose your footing, so let's get back into the swing of things and move on.
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RAW
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“五十三日目　／　五■二■三■目”
　早朝から今日も元気に攻略を開始した。
　出現するダンジョンモンスターにも慣れてきて、幾つかの弱点もそれぞれ分かるようになった。
　 　しかし複雑な内部構造が行く手を阻む。
　そもそも血管のように複雑な通路は上がるほどより広く複雑になり、階段を見つけるのが困難になっているのだ。
　一度に遭遇するダンジョンモンスターの数も増えるので、不意打ちされないように気をつける必要もある。
　全部を地図化しようと思うと多大な手前になるだろうと確信しつつ、マジックライフルで暗闇から音も無く飛び出してきた大型の狼“シャドーヘル・デッドウルフ”の額を打ち抜く。
　魔力操作の慣れもあって威力の向上した魔弾は頑丈な毛を貫き、分厚い頭蓋を砕いて脳をかき混ぜる。
　暫く慣性で地面を転がりながら近付いてくるが、ほぼ即死で仕留める事が出来た。
　しかしそこで銃口を下げず、更に銃撃を重ねる。襲撃してきたのは一頭だけではないからだ。
　実際、次から次へと新しいデッドウルフが飛び出してきた。床に転がる同胞の死体を飛び越えながら、首を噛み砕こうと迫ってくる。
　その勢いと数に初見なら動揺し、その隙に距離を詰められる事もあるかもしれない。
　だが少なくとも数十頭で行動すると知っていれば、冷静に対処できる。
　今回の群れの数は四十を超え、五十に届いた。
　通常よりも数が多く、マジックライフルでの処理能力を超えたので朱槍を使う事になった。
　朱槍の切れ味は凄まじく、使うほど手に馴染む。いや、馴染むというよりも思い出すと表現した方が適切かもしれない。
　最近は断片的で僅かではあるが記憶も戻ってきているが、朱槍について知る事が出来ればもっと重要な事が分かるのではないだろうか。
　【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】でも名前すら見れない朱槍は、本当に何なのだろうか。
　ともあれ、一通り討伐した後は回収できる死体は回収し、間に合わず死体が消えて牙や毛皮などのドロップアイテム状態になった品々を回収する。
　コリコリとした食感が楽しめる牙を囓りながら先に進む事しばし、ようやく二十階の最深部に到着した。
　そこは巨大生物の内臓を連想させる、拍動して血液のような液体が流れる血管が張り巡らされた赤黒い壁が四方を囲う大部屋だった。
　遮蔽物の類は一切なく、とても見通しがいい。
　だから、そんな大部屋の中央に静かに佇んでいる巨躯の異形な狼人は間違いなく階層ボスなのだろうとみただけで分かった。
　【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】によって分かる名称は“サーベラス・ウールブヘル”、保有する能力の一つは【三頭の命灯】。
　 　異形の狼人サーベラスを簡潔に表現するなら、神話に出てくる三頭の番犬ケルベロスをヒト型にしたような姿だった。
　横に並ぶ三つの狼頭はハイイロオオカミに似た凛々しく精悍な造形で、六つの瞳がコチラを観察している。
　身の丈は五メートルはあるだろうか。見上げねばならないほど高く、その巨躯を支える筋骨は太くしなやかで頑強に違いない。
　全身は灰褐色で金属のような光沢もある体毛に包まれ、ダラリと下げられた腕は異様に長く、その指先には鋭利なナイフに似た鉤爪がある。
　身体のバランスをとっているのだろう大きな尻尾には体毛に紛れて鋭利な緑色の棘が視認でき、打撃力に加えて斬撃力まで持つ立派な武器に違いない。
　三頭の口からは吐息と共に紫色の炎が吹きこぼれ、白く太く大きな牙がその中で揺らめいている。
　そしてある程度まで近づいた時、明らかにこれまでとは一線を画す存在感を放つサーベラスの三重の咆哮によって戦闘は開始した。
　咆哮だけで床には亀裂が走り、空気を消し飛ばすような魔力の籠った音速の波が全身を撫でていく。
　それを受け止めながら、俺はマジックライフルの銃口を真ん中の狼頭の中心に向け、引き金を絞った。
　そうして戦闘開始から二時間ほど時は過ぎ、サーベラスは朱槍に腹を貫かれて床に貼り付けにされている。
　サーベラスは単純に速く動き、力強く攻撃を繰り出し、硬いので半端な攻撃は弾き、三頭の口から火を噴いたり咆哮でこちらの【硬直】を狙ったりと、普通に強かった。
　ただしそれだけならもう少し簡単に終わっただろう。
　速く動くなら地面に良く滑る【潤滑油】や張り付く【接着剤】などを散布し、動き難くする。
　力で攻めてくるならその軌道を見極め、カウンターでより強く跳ね返す事も可能だろう。
　硬いなら同じ箇所に攻撃を重ねたり、【王水】で溶かしたり【超振動】で内臓破壊など変わった手法で攻めれば良い。
　特殊な能力の場合はそれにあったアビリティで攻めるだけだ。
　しかしサーベラスは面倒な能力を持っていた。
　それが【三頭の命灯】だ。
　簡単に言えば命のストックであり、サーベラスを確実に仕留めるには三回殺す必要があった。
　しかも殺した場合は穴だらけのボロ雑巾のような状態になっていても一呼吸の間に完全回復し、更に受けた攻撃に対して高い耐性の獲得する。
　殺す度に頭の一つが動かなくなり、炎や咆哮の頻度も威力も下がるのだが、それと引き換えに身体能力や回復力は向上し、理性を失っていく。
　二回も殺せば、まるで自身の生死に頓着せず敵を殺すバーサーカーのように暴れ回った。
　 　殺す度に死に難くなり、理性なく暴れ回るサーベラスはどうしても時間はかかる難敵だった。
　マジックライフルの魔弾は一度殺した段階で完全に無効化され、牽制にもならなくなった。打撃にも強くなり、炎や雷など幾つかのアビリティを使った攻撃も効きが悪くなっていく。
　だけど朱槍に関しては最後まで抵抗すら許さず斬る事が出来たので、苦戦はしつつも多少の損害だけで勝利できたのだ。
　［階層ボス“サーベラス・ウールブヘル”の討伐に成功しました］
　［達成者は上層への移動が認められ、以後階層ボス“サーベラス・ウールブヘル”と戦闘するか否かは選択できるようになりました］
　［達成者には初回討伐ボーナスとして宝箱【三頭狼の毛皮】が贈られました］
　そして出現した宝箱の中身を確認した。
　入っていたのは金銀財宝。それから幾つかの中身が入った魔法薬瓶、美しく頑丈な銀の紐、赤い革を黒い金属で補強した首輪、そして灰褐色の毛皮の外套である。
　この中で最も良いのは灰褐色の毛皮で出来た外套だ。
　外套は【狼狂兵の毛皮】という名称で、羽織ると【狂狼獣化】という能力が使える。
　これは誰でも狼系獣人に変化し、その優れた身体能力を得るというものだ。ただし使うと時間経過で理性が低下し、最終的には敵味方関係なく死ぬまで暴れ回る狂戦士に成れ果てるという危険物でもある。
　脱げば元に戻るそうだが、そこまで行くと脱ごうと思わないだろうし、脱がすのも大変だ。
　メリットはあるがデメリットも大きく、ただの使えない装備かとも思ったが、どうやら同時に得た首輪と紐を使うらしい。
　誰かを変化させて、首輪と紐を繋げる。すると飼い主と飼い犬のようにある程度動きをコントロールできるようだ。
　まあ、ソロ攻略中の俺はそんな相手は居ない訳で。
　使うか使わないか暫く考え、とりあえず使ってみる事にした。
　これまでの戦闘で流石に装備も無傷ではなく、防具も破損が目立っていた。
　まだ使えるが、補修は必要な段階にある。外套の丈夫さはかなりのもので、単純な防具としてみても悪くは無い。
　それにある意味呪われた装備みたいなものだが、幾つかのアビリティを使えば理性の欠落は回避できそうな事もそう考えた大きな要因だ。
　羽織ってみると着心地も良く、思ったより柔らかい。それでいて頑丈なのか機械腕で軽く引っ張ってみても問題は無い。
　能力を使った時はどうなるかも確かめる必要はあるが、それはまだ少し後だ。
　その他にも得た他のマジックアイテムの確認をしつつ、サーベラスの死体を喰った。
　サーベラスの肉は非常に引き締まり、旨味が濃縮されたように味が濃い。
　毛皮もパリパリと硬く歯応えがあり、爪も骨も内臓もどれも硬くて美味い。濃密な魔力を宿す血液は喉越しも良く、何となく体内の魔力量が増えた気がした。
　【能力名【三位一体】のラーニング完了】
　【能力名【黒の門番】のラーニング完了】
　【能力名【三重咆哮】のラーニング完了】
　サーベラスでもラーニング出来た。
　以前と比べてラーニングし易くなっているので増えるのは良いが、使い熟す為にまた何処かで鍛錬のやり直しをした方がよさそうだ。
　ともあれ、休憩した後は階段を上って先に進む。
　すると二十一階からは、再び天騎士達が居た神殿の通路を思わせる内装に一変していた。
　ただ前と違って通路は少し複雑になり、トラップなども仕掛けられているらしい。
　油断していると足元をすくわれるかもしれないので、気合を入れ直して先に進む事にしよう。
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Category:Novel
Category:Re:Monster ~ The Dark Continent ~ Vol. 3