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Ideal Form – Part 03

“Sophie, what’s this? An elemental magic stone? I’ve never seen anything so dark, though.”

“It’s probably a mana crystal. It’s similar to an elemental magic stone, but this one is steeped in evil energy, which makes it practically useless. Though it could be potent if employed for nefarious purposes. Selyse, be careful not to touch it,” Sophie cautioned, her brow furrowing as she observed Selyse prodding the rock with her sword.

“Hey, Silver Face! Let’s push forward!” Gerhardt urged, and Hikaru nodded.

I still have a long way to go.

Facing monsters of this size made Hikaru painfully aware of his own limitations.

So, what’s the plan? Just leave things to Gerhardt and Selyse? Absolutely not.

He still hated Ranna for what she did to Lavia. If relying constantly on others wasn’t an option, then he had only one recourse.

I must become stronger.

The temple had its doors open, leaking thick miasma from its wide, gaping mouth. It was evident that the Morax was not the sole monstrosity lurking within.

Kill monsters to raise his Soul Rank, then use the Soul Board to become stronger.

To do that…

As he set foot into the temple, Hikaru deliberated on which part of his Soul Board he should enhance.

---

The temple served merely as an entrance, leading them into a long corridor carved through the bedrock. Although it showed no signs of human touch, the passage had grown wide and walkable over the years, owing to the numerous monsters that had traversed it.

“Twelve more Specters! Deal with the Lamp Demons up front, quick!”

“There’s too many of them!”

“Quit whining, you dolt! Lord Gerhardt’s already taking care of the big one.”

“Only because he enjoys it.”

“Haaaaah!”

Gerhardt’s sweeping greatsword clashed with another Morax, drowning out the clamor of the Beastmen and temple guards.

A swarm of monsters had appeared within the corridor, obstructing their path. No wonder it vexed the ingenious Funai over a millennium ago.

An assortment of monsters kept emerging one after another. Lamp Demons, with their red skin as hard as iron despite their goblin-like stature. They held small lamps at the tips of their hands, casting feeble light. The Dead Hand, pale limbs that darted through the air in all directions. Massive vampire bats with wings spanning up to two meters.

“Lamp Demon behind you!” a temple guard warned.

“Shi—”

By the time the Beastman noticed the red ogre, it was already right behind him.

“Gigi, Gi…”

The Lamp Demon froze, as if time itself had stilled, before keeling over, turning into dust, and vanishing.

“…What?”

“Wh-What was that just now?”

“Beats me! I thought that was you.”

“Me?! Why would I help a Beastman like you?”

“You guys lost because you were talking shit about us!”

“We haven’t lost yet! We just called for a ceasefire.”

“And you agreed to all our terms.”

Beastmen and temple guard, who had a history of animosity, started arguing, oblivious to the shadow that had silently dispatched the Lamp Demon from behind.

All right, Stealth is working perfectly.

It was Hikaru.

Dealing with the Specters hovering in the air proved challenging, so he entrusted them to Paula and Sophie, while he focused on eliminating the Lamp Demons one by one. He had just defeated the twentieth one, and his Soul Rank had increased by two points.

This marked his first battle against genuine monsters since his exploration of the Southleaf Island dungeon with Jillarte. Back then, his Soul Rank had not gone up, but here, after the first Lamp Demon fell, his rank increased by one point. Upon defeating the twentieth, it went up by an additional point.

Hikaru shuddered as an inexplicable sensation surged from the core of his being. It was an itch, a tickle, a feeling that made him want to scream. This was proof that his Soul Rank had increased.

He maxed out both Life Cloaking and Mana Cloaking, and with the Blessing Stealth God: Bearer of Darkness selected on his soul card, no one could detect his presence.

But it’s still not enough. I can only hunt the small fry.

He cast a sidelong glance at Gerhardt, who was battling the new Morax with ease, and the much stronger Selyse. He realized that there would always be someone better.

Conversely, Igloo, possessing a formidable weapon himself, stayed in the rear, clutching his holy sword. He had no intention to engage in combat.

What now? My initial plan was to maximize Stealth. But what’s the next step?

Hikaru fell into profound contemplation. Battling here would increase his Soul Rank and give him points, but he wouldn’t gain ten or twenty more points by the time they reached Ranna. Only two or three additional points, at most.

【Soul Board】Hikaru
Age: 15 | Rank: 22 | 0

【Vitality】

【Magical Power】

【Strength】
【Muscle Strength】2
【Weapon Mastery】
【Projectile】2

【Agility】
【Power Burst】1
【Balance】1
【Stealth】
【Life Cloaking】5 (MAX)
【Mana Cloaking】5 (MAX)
【Imperceptibility】5 (MAX)
【Assassination】3
【Group Cloaking】3

【Instinct】
【Detection】
【Life Detection】1
【Mana Detection】5
【Expanded Detection】0

I guess I should focus on Muscle Strength… or take a gamble on Sharpshooter? But I only have two points on its base stat Projectile.

Hikaru glanced at the nearby Selyse and checked her Soul Board.

【Soul Board】Selyse Lande
Age: 19 | Rank: 42 | 1

【Vitality】
【Natural Recovery】6
【Stamina】5
【Immunity】
【Magic Resistance】1
【Toxin Immunity】2

【Strength】
【Muscle Strength】4
【Weapon Mastery】
【Sword】5
【Shield】4
【Armor】3

【Agility】
【Power Burst】5
【Balance】3

【Willpower】
【Mental Strength】4
【Faith】
【Holy】5
【Charisma】3
【Appeal】3

She was a fighter that relied on speed, with balanced stats fit for hunting undead monsters. Here in this pit, she could demonstrate her abilities to their fullest. Her Holy stat seemed to shield her from the miasma’s effects.

“Hmm?”

Noticing his gaze, Selyse gave a faint smile to Hikaru, who quickly averted his eyes.

“The miasma is too thick. My throat hurts,” said one temple guard.

“Do we have holy water left?” another asked.

“Miss Sophie can cast high-level blessings, so we won’t run out of holy water.”

“She’s so cool…”

Though they could cleanse the miasma’s influence by drinking holy water, the constant inhalation of the tainted air made these short breaks a necessity.

“Lord Silver Face, would you like some?”

“Thank you.”

Hikaru took the cup that Paula offered. It contained holy water. Paula, like Sophie, could use magic related to Healing to transform regular water into holy water. He drank it. It was merely room temperature water, yet it was delectable, coursing down his throat into his belly. His body felt invigorated, and his mind cleared.

“Something on your mind?” Lavia, seated beside him, asked.

“Kinda,” he replied vaguely.

He didn’t want to talk about the Soul Board with other people around. Lavia guessed as much and pivoted the conversation.

“What exactly is this pit?” she asked.

“Hmm… It resembles a natural dungeon. This cave doesn’t appear to be man-made.”

“True… There’s underground water flowing in some areas, so maybe a path was formed over the years.”

“Probably. But it’s also odd how there’s this much air underground.”

Hikaru activated Mana Detection. He sensed faint traces of magical energy in the air, swirling like the wind.

“…”

“What’s the matter?”

“I was just wondering whether monsters also breathe.”

“They probably do. Not the Undead, but the bigger ones like the Morax.”

Hikaru worked his brain. It was a single clue, but it could prove highly useful in clearing this massive pit.

“Just maybe… I have a theory, but it might just be correct.”

“Hmm?”

As their break ended and they resumed their trek, they eventually reached an area where the corridor branched into two paths.

“What’s this?” Gerhardt wondered. “Silver Face, should we split up? We take this one, and you take the other?”

“No, let’s head right.”

“What? Are you sure about that?”

“Nope. But there’s something I want to check. If the right path is a mistake or leads to a dead end, we might need to split up next time.”

“I see… I’ll trust you for now. Heard that, lads? To the right!”

Since Gerhardt followed Hikaru’s advice, Igloo and the temple guards reluctantly agreed.

Selyse, intrigued, fell in beside Hikaru. “So, why choose the right path?”

“I’ll tell you if my hypothesis turns out to be correct. Though I suppose that wouldn’t be enough for you.”

“If you want to act coy, that’s perfectly fine. But it would be pretty embarrassing if your theory turns out to be wrong.”

“Nice personality you got there. How did you even get the name Sun Maiden?”

Selyse earned her moniker, Sun Maiden, thanks to her beauty, immaculateness, and her past battles on behalf of the Church. She was highly admired by many.

Or at least, that’s what Hikaru heard. To him, she was no Sun Maiden. Devious Maiden, more like it.

“Ladies like to make jokes sometimes.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“You’re hurting my feelings.”

“As for why I chose the right path, I could see mana in the air.”

“Mana in the air?”

“You can’t see it? Well, I guess it’s pretty hard to see.”

With his Mana Detection maxed out on his Soul Board, Hikaru could pick up faint traces of mana over a wide area. Only someone with his level of Mana Detection could sense the magic particles in the air.

“…And then?” Selyse asked, wearing a look that was a mix of curiosity and craftiness. Hikaru was not particularly fond of such expressions.

“Breathing is possible here. That means there’s oxygen—”

The term oxygen likely wasn’t common knowledge among adventurers. Scientific knowledge in this world lagged significantly due to the prevalence of magic.

“There’s air circulation. So, I thought there might be some magic items or mechanism at work here. Therefore, I chose the path with air circulation, as it’s more likely to be the correct one.”

“I see.”

Selyse conceded after that. Hikaru wondered if she might be thinking about Serika at this moment.

Earth’s knowledge often applied here as well. Serika probably possessed a wealth of knowledge that Selyse wasn’t aware of and shared it with her. Selyse ought to understand that there were things she didn’t know about.

Hikaru’s assumption turned out to be accurate, and the group entered a spacious area. Stalactites hung above, and despite being deep underground, countless bats fluttered about. The sound of flowing water drifted in from somewhere.

The magic lamps revealed the pinkish surface of the stalactites. They couldn’t ascertain the full scope of this stalactite forest, but the straight path stretched onward.

Suddenly, Hikaru’s Mana Detection picked up the presence of about ten monsters.