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CHAPTER 242: THE UNFINISHED

CHAPTER 242: THE UNFINISHED

After defeating the Advanced-Level Dungeon’s Boss on his own, Drake slowly descended from the sky to the ground, waving his hands as he approached us.

The sheer contrast with how Drake looked when he was fighting and how he was right now made me smile, and I thought that this unassumingness was what made Drake so cute and friendly, and why everyone liked him so much.

「Drake, you were amazing! I didn’t think you’d even master the technique of Skill Arts!」

「That’s a passing mark as a servant of Aun-sama.」

「Haha, you’re still as strict as ever, Cinque-nee-san!」

Though Cinque said harsh things with her mouth, her face was smiling and she looked somehow proud.

Though her words and the atmosphere around her did not match at all, this short exchange would give me a small glimpse into what exactly was the kind of friendship that those two had going on for each other.

「Hm. You really controlled that big move well. Drake, you really are amazing.」

「Even so, when it’s a big move like that, there should be some kind of debuff that will backfire on you right afterwards……」

「Ah, that’s right, but this Skill Art doesn’t have any clear debuffs other than the MP that it consumes. In fact… “Freeze Destruction: Diamond Break” is still an incomplete Skill.」

「Wait, wait, what do you mean?」

「It consumes a lot of MP because it activates various magic Spells at the same time. I actually have a plan for what to do next with it, but I don’t have enough MP to get there quite yet…… I feel like this is my limit right now.」

「Then if Drake’s maximum MP increases even further……」

「Then I will be able to unleash the true form of this skill, precisely the way I have always imagined it to look!」

Seriously…… It’s already more than enough practical and destructive, but to think that there was still more to come from it……

「So I have a request for you, Aun-sama. If there is a magic item that can reduce the MP consumed by magic or increase the maximum amount of MP, could you please equip it to Drake?」

Is that why Cinque wanted to show us this technique this time around?

Although it was still incomplete, it was a technique that was strong enough to destroy even an S Rank monster like it was nothing…… If Drake’s MP problem could be solved, he could move up to the next level, so I could understand why Cinque wanted to ask for it.

The magic item Cinque was talking about was quite rare. Normally it would be better for the Party’s overall benefits to give it to Kinu, who fight mainly with magic, but as it stood, Kinu would never run out of MP.

However, without a clear reason, she probably could not make this suggestion to me.

「That’s true! Kinu may need it eventually, but for now Drake has a higher priority for it. If any such Magic Items drop in the future, let’s give it to Drake! Is that okay with you, Kinu?」

「Mhm. Of course. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product of Drake’s craft!」

「Oh, thank you!!」

As they were talking, a pale blue magic circle and a treasure chest appeared from the ground, and the topic of the conversation changed instantly.

「Oh my! A treasure chest!」

「That’s right! I think it’s best for the guy with the highest Luck stat to open this one!」

「No, Drake defeated the boss solo this time around. He should be to the one to open it. Even if I was to open it, it would not mean that we would be guaranteed to get something good from it.」

「I have never gotten anything good out of a treasure chest I opened myself before…… But I might as well open it!」

「Yeah! Go for it! You can just open this kind of thing on impulse!」

「Yees! Well, let’s get pumped up and do it!”

「Hey…… Looks like we actually managed to get something really good」

≪Demon-Proof Necklace: A necklace that reduces the magic damage you receive by 10%≫

「Big Bro, this is……」

「The Demon-Proof Necklace is an accessory! It’s blue in rarity, and it reduces magic damage by 10%, so it looks like it’ll be pretty useful!」

「Oh? Did I get it? I would prefer an accessory that increases my maximum MP, but…… It didn’t work out that way, huh?」

As we were having this conversation, Nelfie approached me with a slightly surprised look on her face.

「Wait a second, did you say the Anti-Demon Necklace?」

「Yeah, is this really that rare?」

「That’s the type of equipment that sells for so much that it’s instantly bought by almost anyone. The demand is driven up by the fact that you have to stay in the Highest Level Dungeon for a long time each time you explore it just to obtain it, and that unlike the Advanced Level, the frequency of monsters that use magic attacks increases.」

Before she entered the Advanced Level Dungeon, Nelfie would often visit flea markets and auctions run by the commercial guild to research the types and prices of items and equipment that come out of any particular dungeon. It was really helpful that she did such a mundane job so easily.

And this “Anti-Demon Necklace” was also selling for a lot of money at the local markets, and it seemed like it was hard to find at auctions. The reason for this was that the Highest-Level dungeons have different specifications from those up to the Advanced Levels, and in order to open the Boss room you need to collect a set number of specific items, so you have to stay in the dungeon for a long time and hunt for things, and naturally, even if you have a magic bag, there is a limit to the amount of potions you can carry due to capacity issues.

Also, Healers and Magicians who can use Recovery Magic often work in the city, and there are few who can attack the Highest Level Dungeons together with an entire party. This meant that there was inevitably a high demand for equipment that can reduce damage taken and high-quality potions from the perspective of risk hedging.

In our case, “Black Bolt”, we have an absolute pillar in Kinu who can use Recovery Magic at an extremely high level, and my magic bag has an ultra-large capacity so I can bring in a lot of potions, but there are probably only a handful of parties as fortunate as our own.

「Well, I could use this accessory as funds to buy other gear I want!」

「True! But we might need equipment to reduce damage in the future, and I would like to avoid not being able to buy it when we want it. I think it would be better for either Cinque, who is the Tank on the front line, or Drake, who is the front line attacker and Sub-Tank, to wear this piece of equipment.」

「Hmm. I think that’s a better option, too.」

「In that case, I think Drake would be better off wearing it than me. If we can tolerate a certain amount of damage to Drake, I think it will make the party more stable.」

「Well, we have decided that Drake will wear it! After all, the best part of conquering a dungeon is the sense of accomplishment when you conquer it, the thrill of opening the treasure chests, and the excitement of having more equipment! Well, then, let’s use the magic circle to go back to town for the time being!」

As we walked towards the glowing pale blue magic circle, we were having a lively conversation.

Next was the Highest-Level 「Tower of the Dragon」. In order to cope with the sudden increase in difficulty, we needed to make sure to gather information and prepare accordingly!