Chapter 102.1
Chapter 102.1
The 10th Floor
"I finally descended to the 10th floor.
[Chill Sssssss]
In front of the room with the stairs, a long straight corridor stretched out. Perhaps due to tension, the air felt colder than on the upper floors.
No room for carelessness. After all, this is the 10th floor, ten times more than 5.
In the 5th floor, I got chased by the boss monster King Cockroach, and felt like I was about to die. So, if another boss monster-level existence were to appear, the likelihood is high on this 10th underground floor. Therefore, I must proceed with caution.
But I had anticipated that and made thorough preparations in advance. Well, that's the kind of person I am, thinking, [Something like this might happen].
"Ready, let's go! Probe Arrow, take off!"
The camera-equipped drone placed on the dungeon floor rotated its 4 propellers and floated into the air through manipulation. Yes, I utilize the tools of civilization here. Without risking reconnaissance danger personally, I sent a camera-equipped drone ahead to investigate the situation on the 10th underground floor.
[Fiiiiiiiiii]
The Probe Arrow moved along the dungeon corridor, making a small driving sound. I confirmed its operation and video reception status on the visual display on my laptop.
"Yeah, just as tested, the aircraft's operation and video reception are both good. And is this ahead a hall? Let me rotate the aircraft once to check the surroundings, what!?"
The video displayed on the laptop suddenly became distorted. In the next moment, it became completely unclear what it was showing, and finally, the screen blacked out.
"Hey, why did it crash!? I didn't make any mistakes in operation!?"
It was still floating, and I hadn't made any maneuvers other than straight ahead. Moreover, there was no sign of monsters in the video.
"Darn it, if I don't confirm the situation, I can't proceed. Alright, go, Probe Hawk! Check the status of the lost Probe Arrow."
It was a good thing I had prepared two camera-equipped drones just in case. The Probe Hawk moved along the dungeon corridor, making a small driving sound.
"[Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Crash!]"
"Ah!?"
However, the Probe Hawk that flew down the dungeon corridor got shot down in no time.
[Bwan! Ububububu!]
The entity that shot down the Probe Hawk initially looked like a cannonball used for shot put. But it was different. It was a monster, a giant fly the size of two connected softballs.
"Finally, a fly's appearance. Well, I expected it! And how dare you, Arrow and Hawk! Damn, they were expensive I'll roast you alive!!"
I raised the Fire Wand that I couldn't sell on the flea market and poured magic into it.
[Bo-wa, buparyu~!]
A fireball was created at the tip of the raised Fire Wand and flew toward the giant fly, leaving a tail behind.
I couldn't sell the Fire Wand on the flea market. The listing I put up for 3 billion got canceled immediately, and my account was even banned.
[Dangerous this and that] warnings arrived by email, but it depends on the person handling it. It's not my concern. Depending on how you use it, you can strangle someone with ribbons or a fishing line. I want to say, don't mess around.
[Bon! Bwaa! Meramera (Splash!) Ubububu Zzzzzt!!]
See, the Fire Wand is so useful.
But the difficulty lies in the significant time lag for converting magic into flames on the Fire Wand side. However, the fired fireball has homing functionality, and as long as the caster keeps the wand in hand and doesn't lose sight of the target, it will track it.
[Sizzle Szzzzzzt!!]
The giant fly, now wingless from the flames, continues to move its muscles to fly, spinning around on the floor.
"Yes, fire does work well against insects. However, the grudge of Arrow and Hawk! (Splash! Thud.)"
The giant fly, with its head crushed, disappears into smoke. A fly that can't fly is just a fly. Wait, what am I saying? Wasn't that a pig?
In any case, fire is the most suitable method for attacking living creatures. That applies to monsters as well. Sustained damage from combustion ruthlessly destroys the body's tissues. When muscle cells are burned and contracted, the monster can no longer move properly.
Of course, there may be monsters that aren't affected by fire attacks, but that's likely a very special case.
So, why was I trying to sell such a handy Fire Wand? It's because I didn't like the time lag until activation. It takes about three seconds to pour in magic and shoot it out.
That wouldn't be a problem for a magician who has a sturdy frontline party to protect them. However, for me, who fights solo, those 3 seconds are fatal. In that case, there are several excellent skills that I could activate the magic instantly if I concentrate. Therefore, if I'm fighting solo, I concluded that it's better to use [Strong Acid], [Slime], or [Salt], which have immediate effects, rather than the Fire Wand.
Bringing the Fire Wand into the dungeon is more of a toy than a weapon. There might be monsters that are only vulnerable to fire, so it's just a precaution.
"Hmm the drop from the giant fly is its wings, even though they were burning just now"
For some reason, after the giant fly turned into smoke and disappeared, its wings remained in good condition. Well, I didn't mind much since when I dismembered stink bugs and cockroaches, the shells and limbs were still in good condition.
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