Day 521-530/Day 521

Day 521 / 51st day
Yesterday, I spent the night on the stairs of the safe zone connecting the 7th and 8th floors of the "Adram Verhuca, the Harmonious Tower of Balance". I was able to sleep for only about 2 hours because I continued to attack until late, but I am in perfect physical condition due to the【Rapid Sleep】that gives the same effect as a good night's sleep in a short period of time.
In addition, I used the【High-efficiency Sleep Study】to efficiently learn what I experienced that day while sleeping and connect it to the next, so my understanding and proficiency of the Heavenly Knight increased even more.
The more you go upstairs, the stronger the knights become, but as long as it doesn't deviate too much from the knights, you should be able to adapt well. Once I woke up comfortably, I did some simple exercises to loosen up and warm up my body. Once the preparations were complete, I nibbled on a surplus of the Heavenly Knight's jewel crystals for breakfast, and began to attack the 8th floor in order to proceed with the attack today. The attack was going well.
There are several reasons for this, one of which is the simple internal structure, which basically consists of passages and large rooms connected to them, like a grid of cells. If you follow the passage, a large room will eventually appear, and the large room will be connected to a passage that goes in 4 directions. At the end of the corridor, the number of connections decreases to 2 or 3 directions, making it easy to create a simple map and avoid getting lost. There are no gimmicks or traps to solve in the passages or rooms, and there is no danger as long as you pay attention to the Heavenly Knights patrolling the passages. The stairs are always in a large room, so you must destroy the celestial knights there, but there are places to hide in the passageways due to the luxurious interior, so you can proceed without actively fighting.
Next is the plan of attack for this time. Right now, I'm focusing on going up the stairs that lead to the upper floors as soon as I can. Personally, I'd like to explore every floor from corner to corner and investigate the internal structure completely before moving on. That way, I can avoid missing anything and I don't have to worry about finding an escape route in case of emergency. You might even be lucky enough to find a treasure chest with valuable and expensive magic items and treasures.
This time, however, I'm trying to avoid detours as much as possible, as I've set my sights on "Astrakium", the ancient detonation control emperor on the top floor. That's why there are many places on the previous floors that I haven't been able to get to yet, and I have some regrets. I'd like to complete them all at some point, but now is not the time. The biggest reason is that there is only one type of dungeon monster that appears at the moment, the Heavenly Knight.
The Heavenly Knight is strong. They are highly maneuverable due to their ability to fly using the wings on their backs, and in this place with high ceilings, they attack in 3 dimensions. The biological armor they are equipped with is robust, and they are agile, strong, and skilled in handling the biological weapons in their hands. Also, unless the gem crystals in their brains and hearts are removed, they have the ability to regenerate and return to the front line even if they are missing limbs or have a torn torso. In addition, the fact that they always work together in groups of several or more and share the roles of each of them to achieve a higher level of coordination is simply a threat.
As a conclusion, the Heavenly Knights have a high overall performance. However, the individual differences are not that great. On average, they are all strong and similar. There are some weaknesses due to the division of roles, but to a certain extent, they are all capable of doing the same thing. There are many of them, so if you look at them as soldiers, the Heavenly Knights are excellent, but they are not very diverse.
That's why, once you get used to them, the Heavenly Knights are not that scary anymore. The number of celestial knights I've defeated by the time I got here is probably over 400. After defeating that many, you get used to them.
If you assume that the best natural knight you've ever fought is the one with the best performance, you'll find that they're all less than that, so there's nothing to exceed your expectations. That's why my movements become more efficient as I defeat them, and the time required for combat becomes shorter.
Once I get used to it and have more time, I'll be able to see if poison is effective against the Heavenly Knight. What are the limits and speed of their regenerative abilities? Is there an average level of skill or mental fluctuation? You can afford to devote your energy to investigating such concerns, and the investigation is already over.
The determination of the existence of the Heavenly Knight is over, and the Heavenly Knight has become mere prey. He walked around, hunting his prey efficiently in a short time, and climbed the stairs he found during his search. In this way, he started his attack in the morning and made it to the ninth floor in less than an hour, reaching the 10th floor by noon. I could feel that the strength of the Heavenly Knight was gradually increasing as we climbed the floors.
His keen sense of sensing our stealth. Their movement speed and physical strength have increased. The thick armor and the pervasive magical power. The high level of coordination that comes naturally to us, and the increased power of the magic we use. However, the most noticeable change is that the taste of the gem crystals becomes richer and more delicious.
Anyway, there was no change in what we had to do. Taking a break, I continued on, and arrived at the end of the 10th floor. It was a large room with an interior that reminded me of the solemn chapel of some temple.
The ceiling was so high that I had to look up. The stained glass shone beautifully, reflecting the light. The walls were covered with murals that looked as if they had been painted in a mythological moment, and the air was filled with cleanliness. The altar in the center of the chapel attracted the most attention.
The altar was made of white stone, and its details were decorated with gold and silver wing-like ornaments. On top of the altar, glittering blue and red gem crystals floated, and I knew at a glance that something was different. I approached slowly and cautiously, and when I got as close as I could, a change occurred. A dazzling light was emitted from the jewel crystals on the altar.
If the light had not been blocked to some extent by the【Cloaking】device, the amount of light would have been so intense that it would not have been surprising if it had blinded me for a while. The light slowly faded as I remained vigilant, not looking away from the light. When the light subsided, there was a Heavenly Knight on the altar. Of course, it was no ordinary Heavenly Knight.
The height of the celestial knight floating on the altar must have been about 4 meters. It was more than twice the size of a normal Heavenly Knight, and the armor it wore was also thick and huge. In his right hand, he holds a large sword with a faint glow, and in his left hand, he holds a large shield that looks like a castle wall. The wings on his back are blue on the right and red on the left, with ice and fire swirling around them as he moves. His whole body is covered with armor, so you can't see him in the flesh at all, but the golden eyes peeking through the gaps in his helmet are staring coldly at you.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it. This is a very useful item, as there is still a lot we don't know about the goods in this world. This item has also helped me with the contents of the treasure chests I've found along the way. As a precaution, since you can only see one ability, you need to consider if there is a detrimental【Curse】or something similar, so it's better to leave the full-scale【Appraisal】to a specialist.
Anyway, through the【Simple Appraisal Glasses of Knowledge】, I found out that this guy has the name "Archangel of White Steel" and has the ability of【Inquisition of Balance】. Speaking of the "White Steel Archangel Grakiel", he was one of the 2 precious hierarchical bosses that were known in advance. A tier boss is a powerful and special monster that acts as a gatekeeper.
Its strength is said to be distinctly different from the others, but judging from its appearance, the "Archangel of White Steel, Grakiel" is probably an even stronger version of the Heavenly Knight. While roughly calculating the enemy's strength, I took off the【Simple Appraisal Glasses of Knowledge】and kept them in a safe place and held up the Vermillion Spear with a voracious appetite. There was no way I was going to be intimidated by an existence that would be far more delicious than the Heavenly Knight. You can't help but smile naturally, can you?
When Graciel confronted me with his wariness, he spread his wings with ease and released a high density of magic power that could be recognized by the people around him. It was like a gust of wind, and while catching it with my whole body, I powerfully kicked the floor in front of me. And so the first battle with the hierarchical boss began. About an hour later, the Great Heavenly Knight Grakiel was lying on the floor of the chapel in a cruel state.
His limbs were missing, his wings were gone, and his abdomen was spread out on the floor with his guts protruding. It was dying, but not dead yet, and I stomped on it and held it down as it tried to move. The Great Heavenly Knight was indeed strong. The regenerative power was incredible, the biological armor he wore was hard, and he was agile enough to soar through the air and unleash a storm of ice and fire that swept across a wide area.
While it was a bit of a struggle, it was manageable because it enhanced the abilities of the Heavenly Knight and had some unique means of attack. The regeneration power that had slowed down due to the many times the body had been cut down was already visibly slowing down, and it would be troublesome if there were any counterattacks, so I took out the gem crystals of the head and heart and put a stop to it.
【You have successfully defeated the boss, "White Steel Archangel Zilvatro Arcangel Grakiel.】
【Yatendouji will be allowed to move to the upper levels, and can choose whether or not to fight the hierarchical boss "White Steel Archangel Grakiel.】
【Yatendouji received a treasure chest【Archangel's Holy Sword】as a bonus for their first kill.】
As soon as I killed it, I was surprised by the voice that echoed in my brain. As soon as I killed it, I was startled by the voice that echoed in my brain. I convinced myself that there are mysterious things, but there are still many things I don't understand about this world. Anyway, I opened the treasure chest that had appeared oozing out of the floor. Inside were several jars of contents and metal ingots of some kind. Then there was a white full-body armor with wings reminiscent of a heavenly knight, and a large sword with a sacred atmosphere, as if it were a holy sword. The length of the sword was probably 2 meters. I'm not sure if it's a magic item or not, but the scabbard itself opened automatically when I tried to pull it out. The sword was beautiful, with a red-hot core covered with blue ice-like crystals. The sword was light, despite its heavy appearance, and I did a quick kata to check its feel. It seemed to be a good sword, and I wanted to move on and try it out.
For now, I decided to rest a bit before moving on, and while I was fresh, I decided to eat the "Archangel of White Steel," Grakiel.
【Ability learned: Heavenly Wings of White Steel】
【Ability learned: White Gatekeeper】
【Ability learned: Wings of Ice and Fire】
"The Archangel of White Steel, Grakiel" was extremely delicious.
I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea. Re-translate this sentence using BOTH DeepL Translate and Google Translate, raws at the bottom. ~Miraclegrass
The gem crystals were ecstatically delicious.
After resting, I climbed the stairs at the back of the large room and stepped onto the eleventh floor. Apparently, the style of the room changed from here, and the interior changed from some palace or temple to a series of intricate passageways that looked like hell.
A series of columns that looked like countless human beings with agonized expressions were folded on top of each other. The flesh-like walls beat as if they were alive, and the intricate passageways like blood vessels made it difficult to see what was ahead. The only light is a blue, bewitching skull in an iron birdcage, and the light is poor, always dim, with darkness spreading everywhere.
The smell of blood and guts was thick in the air, and my sense of smell did not work well. From a distance, vindictive screams and cries can be heard quite often, so there is a high possibility of missing the smallest noise. The only thing that remained the same was the fact that the air contained dense magical power, but the nature of everything was the complete opposite of what it had been. It would be another late night as I wondered what was waiting for me ahead.
----
RAWS
“五十一日目　／　五■二■一■目”
昨日は≪≫の七階と八階を繋ぐ安全地帯の階段で一夜を過ごした。
遅くまで攻略を続けたので寝れたのは二時間程度だが、短時間の睡眠で熟睡したのと同じ効果を得られる【急速睡眠】により体調は万全だ。
ついでにその日体験した事を就寝中に効率良く学習し次に繫げる【高効率睡眠学習】も使ったので、天騎士に対する理解度と熟練度はより上昇した。
上の階に行くほど天騎士達はより強くなっていくが、それが天騎士から大きく逸脱しない限りは十分に順応していけるだろう。
そんなこんなで快適に目が覚めると簡単な運動で身体をほぐし、身体を温める。
準備が終われば余るほどある天騎士の宝石結晶を朝食として囓り、今日も攻略を進めるべく八階の攻略を開始した。
攻略は順調に進んでいる。
その理由は幾つかあり、一つは通路とそれに接続した大部屋で基本的に構成されたマス目のようなシンプルな内部構造にある。
通路を進めばやがて大部屋が現れ、大部屋は四方に進む通路と繋がる。端は三方向や二方向と繋がる数が減るので簡易的な地図も作りやすく、迷いにくい。
また通路も部屋も謎解きギミックや罠などといった要素は見当たらず、通路を巡回する天騎士に注意しておけば危険も無い。
階段は必ず大部屋の中にあるのでそこに居る天騎士は必ず殲滅する必要があるものの、通路では豪奢な内装によって隠れる場所もあるので、積極的に戦闘を繰り返さなくても進む事が可能だ。
次に今回の攻略方針だ。
今は上階に繋がる階段があればさっさと上っていく、攻略速度重視の進み方をしている。
個人的にはどの階も隅から隅まで探索し、内部構造を完璧に調べて次に進みたい。
そうすれば見落としを防げるし、いざという時に逃げ道を迷わなくてもいい。
それに貴重で高価なマジックアイテムや財宝を得られる宝箱を見つけるなんて幸運もあるかもしれない。
ただ今回は最上階に居る古代爆雷制調天帝“アストラキウム”を最重要目標に据えているので、寄り道は極力せずに攻略している。
だからこれまでの階では未踏破な場所も多く、心残りな部分はある。
何れは完璧に仕上げたいが、今はその時では無い。
そして最も大きな理由は、今のところ出現するダンジョンモンスターは天騎士一種しかいない事にあるだろう。
天騎士は強い。
背中の翼を使った飛行能力により機動性は高く、天井が高いここでは三次元的に攻めてくる。
装備している生体防具は堅牢で、俊敏に動き膂力も強く、手にする生体武器を扱う技量も非常に高い。
また脳と心臓にある宝石結晶を摘出しない限り、四肢欠損や胴体断裂があったとしても戦線に復帰する高い再生能力も忘れてはならない。
それに常に数体以上で行動を共にし、それぞれの役割を分担する事でより高度な連携を行ってくるのは単純に脅威だ。
結論として天騎士は全体的に高い性能で纏まっている。
だが、それだけに個体差もそこまで大きくない。
平均的にどれも強く、どれも似通っている。役割の分担で多少の得手不得手はあるが、ある程度は同じ事が出来る性能を持つ。
数は多いので兵隊としてみれば天騎士は優秀だが、多様性はあまりないと言えるだろう。
だからこそ、慣れてしまえば天騎士はそこまで恐ろしい存在ではなくなった。
そしてここに来るまでに俺が倒した天騎士の数は四百を超えるだろうか。
　
それだけ倒せば嫌でも慣れる。
戦った中で最も優れた性能の天騎士を想定して戦えば、全てそれ以下なのだから予想を上回る事もない。
そういう訳で討伐を重ねるにつれて俺の動きは効率化され、戦闘に必要な時間は短くなる。
慣れて余裕が出来れば、天騎士には毒が有効かどうか。
再生能力の限界と速度はどの程度なのか。平均的な技量や精神的な揺らぎの有無はあるのか。
そういった気になる部分の調査に力をさく余裕も生まれ、そして調査は既に終わっている。
天騎士という存在の見極めは終わり、天騎士はただの獲物になった。
短時間で効率的に獲物を狩りつつ歩きまわり、探索中に見つけた階段を上っていく。
そうして朝から攻略を開始して一時間とせずに九階に進み、昼には十階に到着した。
階を重ねるにつれて、天騎士の強さは徐々に上がっているのは実感できる。
こちらの隠密を感じとる鋭敏な感覚。移動速度や膂力の上昇。分厚い防具と漲る魔力。自然にやり取りされる高度な連携に、使用する魔法の威力の向上など、変化を感じさせる部分は増える。
ただ宝石結晶の味が濃く美味くなる事が最も実感できる部分ではあるのだが。
ともあれ、それでもやる事は何も変わりない。
休憩しつつも先に進み、そして俺は十階の最奥まで到着した。
最奥はまるで何処かの神殿の荘厳な礼拝堂を彷彿とさせる内装の大部屋だった。
見上げねばならないほど高い天井。光を反射して美しく輝くステンドグラス。壁面にはまるで神話に出て来る一瞬を描いたような壁画があり、清浄な空気が満ちている。
中でも注目を集めるのは礼拝堂の中心にある祭壇だった。
祭壇は白い石材で作られ、その細部には金と銀で翼のような装飾が施されている。
その祭壇の上には青と赤に輝く宝石結晶が浮かび、これまでとは何かが違う事は一目で分かった。
ゆっくりと警戒しながら近づいていくと、ある程度まで近づいた時に変化が起きた。
祭壇の上にある宝石結晶から、目も眩むような光が放たれたのだ。
【遮光】によってある程度光を遮断していなければ、少しの間目が見えなくなっていても可笑しくはない強烈な光量はあっただろうか。
薄目で目を逸らさず警戒していると、光はゆっくりと弱まっていった。
そして光や収まった時、祭壇の上には一体の天騎士が居た。
もちろん、普通の天騎士ではない。
祭壇の上に浮かぶ天騎士の身の丈は四メートル程はあるだろう。
通常の天騎士の二倍以上の大きさで、身に纏う鎧もまた分厚く巨大である。
右手には薄らと光を宿した大剣が握られ、左手には城壁のような大盾を持つ。
背中に生えた翼は右が青く、左は赤の光を宿し、動きに合わせて氷と炎が渦を巻いている。
全身は鎧で覆われているので生身は全く見えないが、ヘルムの隙間から覗く金色の双眸は冷徹にこちらを見つめていた。
その姿を見て、俺は懐から【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】というマジックアイテムを取り出してつけた。
【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】は装着すると、見た対象の名前と能力の一つが分かるという鑑定系マジックアイテムの一つである。
この世界の物品に関してはまだまだ分からない事が多い現状、得られる情報が段違いに跳ね上がるコイツはとても有用なのは間違いない。
道中で見つけた宝箱の中身についても、これのお陰で助かっている。
一応の注意として能力は一つしか見えない為、不利益な【呪詛】などがある場合も考える必要があり、本格的な【鑑定】は専門業者に任せた方がいい。
ともあれ、【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】によってコイツが“・グラキエル”という名を持ち、【天秤審問】という能力がある事が分かった。
そして“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”と言えば、事前に判明している貴重な二体の階層ボスの片割れだった。
階層ボスとは門番の役割を持つ強力で特別なモンスターの事である。
その強さは他とは一線を画するらしいが、外見からして“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”は天騎士の上位種を更に強化した存在なのだろう。
大雑把に敵戦力を計算しつつ、俺は【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】を外して大切に保管し、そして食欲を滾らせながら朱槍を構えた。
天騎士よりも遥かに美味いだろう存在を前に、臆する事などありえない。自然と笑みを浮かべても仕方ないのでは無かろうか。
そして戦意を漲らせる俺と対峙したグラキエルは悠然と翼を広げ、周囲にそれと分かる高密度の魔力を放出した。
まるで突風のようなそれを全身で受け止めながらも、力強く床を蹴って前に出る。
そうして、階層ボスとの初めての戦闘は開始した。
それから一時間ほど経過して、大天騎士・グラキエルは無残な有様で礼拝堂の床に転がっている。
四肢はなく、翼も失い、腹部からは臓物がはみ出して床に広がっている。瀕死の状態だが未だ死んではおらず、何とか動こうとするので踏み付けて押さえつけている。
大天騎士は確かに強かった。
再生力も凄まじく、身に纏う生体防具も硬く、俊敏に空を舞い、広範囲を薙ぎ払う氷炎の嵐を繰り出してきた。
多少の苦戦はありつつも、天騎士の能力をより強化し、幾つか独特な攻撃手段を持つ程度だったので何とかなった。
幾度も身体を削ったので鈍った再生力は既に目に見えて遅くなり、何か反撃があっても面倒なので頭部と心臓の宝石結晶を取り出して止めを刺した。
［階層ボス“・グラキエル”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“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”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【大天使の聖剣】が贈られました］
仕留めた途端、脳内に響いた声に驚いた。
まあ、不可思議な事もあるもんだと勝手に納得したが、やはりこの世界についてまだまだ分からない事は多い。
ともあれ、床からにじみ出るように出現した宝箱を開けてみる。
中には幾つかの中身が入った瓶や何かの金属のインゴット。それから天騎士を彷彿とさせる翼の生えた白い全身鎧に、まるで聖剣とでもいうような神聖な雰囲気を持つ大剣【破邪の翼晶剣】だった。
大剣の長さは二メートルはあるだろうか。鞘から抜くのも一苦労しそうな長さだが、そういうマジックアイテムなのか抜こうと思うだけで鞘自体が自動的に開いた。
そして抜き身になった大剣は、赤く燃えるような芯を青い氷のような結晶が覆った美しいものだった。
大剣は重そうな見た目に反して軽く、適当に型を行って感触を確かめる。
中々に良い剣らしく、早速次に進んで試し切りがしてみたくなった。
とりあえず次に進む前に少し休む事にして、新鮮な間に“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”を喰う事にした。
【【白鋼の天翼】のラーニング完了】
【能力名【白の門番】のラーニング完了】
【能力名【氷炎の翼理】のラーニング完了】
“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”は非常に美味だった。
肉は鍛え抜かれていて食べ応えがあり、血液は魔力を豊富に含み、氷と炎を纏っていた翼は刺激的かつ濃厚で、宝石結晶は恍惚とするくらい美味かった。
それに加えてラーニング出来たのは運がよかったと言えるだろう。
休息を終えた後は、大部屋の奥にある階段を上って十一階に足を踏み入れた。　
どうやらここから様式が変わるらしく、これまでのように何処かの宮殿や神殿のようだった内装とは一変し、まるで地獄のような入り組んだ通路が続いていた。
苦悶に満ちた表情の無数のヒトが折り重なったような柱の連なり。肉のような壁はまるで生きているかのように拍動し、血管のように複雑に入り組んだ通路は先がよく見通せない。
明かりは鉄の鳥籠に入れられた青く妖しく燃える頭蓋骨で、光量は乏しく常に薄暗く、あちらこちらで闇が広がっている。
血や臓物の臭いが濃く漂い、嗅覚は上手く働かない。遠くからは怨嗟の籠もる断末魔や悲鳴がかなりの頻度で聞こえてくるので、小さな物音を聞き逃す可能性は高いだろう。
空気が濃密な魔力を含んでいる事だけは変わりないが、全ての性質がこれまでとは真逆だった。
先に何が待ち受けているのか気にしながら、今日もまた夜遅くまで進む事になるだろう。
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Category:Novel
Category:Re:Monster ~ The Dark Continent ~ Vol. 3