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Volume 9 Chapter 2 Part 1

Chapter 42: Equipment

『Roxanne』
Current Levels & Equipment:
Knight Lv.26

Equipment:
Estoc
Steel Shield
Dragon Skin Jacket
Damascus Headband of Wind Resistance
Hardened Leather Gloves
Hardened Leather Boots of Willow
Sacrificial Misanga

「Anyways, let us move to 10th floor.」

「We are going to try collecting Poison Needles now?」

「Yeah, that’s right.」

Now that Vesta manage to successfully become a Dragon Knight, we can move on to the tenth floor. Apparently, Sherry knows well as to why we are going there.

「We need to find NT Ants, then. This way.」

Under Roxanne’s guidance, we hunt NT Ants, and collect Poison Stingers from them. In the meantime, since Vesta just became a Dragon Knight, I got her to devote herself to learning from us by observation.

After collecting ten Poison Stingers, we return to the first floor, where I hand Vesta the Poison Stingers.

「Your next task is going to be a simple Job of hitting the monsters that you’re going to be challenging with these.」

I think that right now, Vesta should be able to handle that task without any issues.
「Hit the monsters that are going to appear with Poison Stingers? Okay.」

Vesta accepts the Poison Stingers from me.

「Use it on the monster that survives my magic attack. Roxanne, can you find us a suitable opponent for Vesta, please?」

「Yes, of course.」

We proceed to go through the first floor under Roxanne’s guidance. When we found a Cheap Sheep, I used a magic attack that should be able to barely kill it. Since the monster managed to endure the magic attack, I wait. Roxanne keeps it distracted from the front, and in the meantime, Vesta throws a Poison Stinger at it from the side.

「Poison, desu.」

Miria tries to inform me about the status change in the enemy. But this time, I already know about it since the change was so plain to see.

The color of the monster changes when it gets poisoned. However, with the NT Ant being black and the Labyrinth being so dark, it is difficult to confirm whether the poison has been inflicted onto the enemy or not. But since the enemy that we are currently fighting is a white sheep, I can see it clearly.

Its color seems to have turned a little bit paler. Is that how it looks when the target gets poisoned? To me, it looks more like it has gotten sick rather than poisoned. Is it different from the creatures that naturally have poison inside of their bodies in order to ward off the predators?

Yeah, it has to be. After all, such creatures can inflict poison upon others, but it does not render them poisoned themselves. When you inflict poison you’re fine, but when you get inflicted with poison you get weakened and sick, like this Cheap Sheep. Such is the providence of nature.

In any case, after being inflicted with poison, the Cheep Sheep immediately drops down to the ground and dies. With that, the trials to obtain new Jobs have come to an end.

Thereafter, while keeping a close eye on our status, we move up the floors one by one.

「From now on, I want Vesta to fight normally with us, but you should still try to observe the surroundings and be mindful of your situation. There’s no need for you to be forcing yourself though. If you’re going to feel like things are getting too harsh for you, don’t hesitate to say so.」

「I understand.」

「It might be scary at first, but I want you to try and take some of the monster’s attacks on purpose while confirming the damage that you’ve received from the monsters.」
Since the Labyrinths are such a dangerous place, it is pretty much impossible to not get hit by any monsters that you’re fighting against, so it should be good to make Vesta familiarize herself with the sensation.

「Of course. I think I’m going to be fine though.」

You think? Vesta, we’re going to be in serious trouble if I suddenly let you participate in battle only for you to get attacked by monsters and get injured or killed by them, so don’t even joke around like that.

Leaving the matter of whether it was fine to allow Vesta to participate in battle or not aside, we proceeded forward through the floor while having Vesta tank the attacks from the weaker monsters. However, thanks to the Dragon Knight’s Skill 「Damage Reduction」, none of the attacks actually did any damage to her.

「Do you think it should be fine for us to go to the tenth floor now?」

「Yes, we shouldn’t have any problems at all.」

That is what Roxanne is saying, but I have to remember that her opinion in such matters is not the most reliable one to listen to.

「I think so too as well.」
Vesta also says that it should be fine for us to go to the higher floor, but I don’t think I can rely on her opinion either because so far she’s only been agreeing with my suggestions, probably because she thinks that I must know better since I am her master.

That’s why I look towards the only rational person whose opinion I can trust: Sherry.

「Well, Dragon Knight is a Job that excels at defense, and Vesta, like any other Dragonkin tribe member, is big and strong, so I think she should be able to pull her own weight even if we do go to the higher floors.」

I see. Well, this matter can certainly be viewed in such a way. Now that Sherry has confirmed it, I felt like it could really be fine. I mean, it’s true that Vesta is quite big, and that size of hers is what gives me the sense of security even though we are in the middle of a dangerous Labyrinth, and while it might be easy to stomp an ant, then stomping down on an elephant is an entirely different matter. So, if Vesta thinks that she’s going to be fine on the higher floors, then she’s probably going to be okay.

「Let’s do this, desu!」

Miria also agreed with Vesta, Roxanne and Sherry. I am still a little bit afraid of going to the tenth floor because NT Ants are there and they can inflict poison upon me, but on the other hand, if I end up inflicted with poison, the girls will have no choice but to administer the Anti-Poison Pill to me through mouth-to-mouth, so who knows, it might not be that bad.

「Alright then, it is time for us to get moving to the tenth floor.」
「Right!」

「Uhm, is it alright for me to keep using this weapon?」

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Now that Vesta managed to become a Dragon Knight, she can start dual wielding weapons. So if I were to give her an Iron Sword in addition to the Steel sword, then she could really start utilizing a two-handed swords dual wielding sword style, even if it would arguably be safer to keep having her go with a sword in one hand and shield in the other.

Now, if she were to hold two Durandals, she would be a force beyond logic, but it is impossible since I can’t produce two of them at once, but maybe that’s for the better. If Vesta started using two Durandals in the vanguard, then my own EXP gathering would take a tremendous blow from that.

Sherry may have some suggestion regarding this matter, but when I look at her, she says nothing. There doesn’t seem to be any case where a master lets their slave equip stronger weapon than theirs, after all.

If I give her Durandal, there is no alluring buff to my EXP, but…

「We will continue like this for a while. I will reconsider it depending on the circumstances.」

「I understand.」

I wonder if it is really thanks to 「Dual Wielding」 Skill that a Dragon Knight can equip two two-handed swords at once or a two-handed sword and a tower shield at the same time?

I was of the idea that the large shield would not be required for us any time soon, but it may unexpectedly be needed sooner than I have anticipated, but I will wait and see. If it turns out that there’s going to be no need for the shield, then she can go with two swords instead.

I will search for a large shield if I feel there is a need for one. On that note, let’s see if an idea that just came up to my mind could be pulled off.

「Is it possible to equip two tower shields at once?」