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The Otherworld Conquest Method of a Reincarnated Porter Chapter 86 Part 1

Tenth Stratum

　As we get close to mid-August, there are days when it is a bit hard to sleep at night.

Today is the nineteenth day of my contract with Aisha and Karen, and this two days and one night labyrinth exploration will mark the end of our contract. Through my battles in the forest of death alongside Mireia, my level has gone up to 48. Aisha is level 37, while Karen is level 32. My level is higher than theirs, but in terms of simple offensive and defensive abilities, I believe Aisha and Karen are superior to me.

This is my first time on the tenth stratum. When we arrive and take a look around, I see that there are holes everywhere, and it is almost impossible to find a puppet. A great number of adventurers had flooded this stratum to look for the way to the eleventh stratum, and most of the puppets in their way had ended up getting defeated by them. Thanks to this, the map making progresses in a smooth manner, but it doesn’t seem possible to make money here.

「Where is the stratum lord located?」

「Ah, that guy wanders around like a normal puppet, so it doesn’t really show up in any specific place.」

「In that case, there’s a possibility that it’s already been subjugated, huh.」

「Nah, the bronze magic puppet, unlike the iron magic puppets, walks very fast and its attack and defense are on an entirely different level, you see. So it’s best not to fight it.」

「How much can you sell the material for?」

「Five small gold coins, I guess.」

Hmm~, talk about tricky. The selling price of the iron magic puppet from this stratum is eight large silver coins and five small silver coins. Rather than deliberately putting your life at risk, it might be a better idea to earn steadily by hunting the iron magic puppets.

As we walk around making a map, we come across adventurers knocking on the walls and climbing up ladders to check the areas near the ceiling. If they still can’t find it even after going to such length, it probably means that the way to the eleventh stratum is not in this stratum.

After walking for a while, we see a group of adventurers running toward us. We draw our swords and hold them at the ready.

「Wait, wait, wait, it’s the stratum lord. Please allow us to pass through.」

When we move to the edge of the passageway, the adventurers run off and disappear into the distance. It seems they were telling the truth. In a place a short distance away, I can see a puppet in dull blue color. Around it, I can also see small fist onis. There are eight in total.

「Are you going to give it a go, Sei?」

「But of course. You two can just watch, Aisha, Karen.」

「There’s no way we can accept that. You’re our important client, after all.」

「It’s also unacceptable to be on the receiving end all the time.」

Karen seems to be raring to go, too. Well, they had their husband killed by that guy, after all. They must have their own sentiments about it.

「Got it. I’ll take down the small fist onis first, as usual. You two stay out of this, okay?」

「Make sure to be careful, okay, Sei? That guy moves faster than an iron magic puppet, after all.」

「Yeah, as you can see, I guess.」

*Thud, thud, thud* The bronze magic puppet, unlike the iron magic puppets, comes toward us at a fast pace. Speed-wise, we will be able to easily get away from it if we run, but it is much faster than the iron magic puppets. As usual, the small fist onis seem to have no intention of leaving the puppet’s side.

Since I don’t know the strength of the bronze magic puppet, I judge that it is dangerous to get close to it and take out an iron spear from my storage. It has a long reach, so it should be effective against the bare-handed small fist onis. It is just that, it has the drawback of being made of iron, which makes it hard to channel magical energy into it.

「Ugh!」

I thought I would be able to attack the small fist onis one-sidedly from a distance, but when I pierce one of them in the throat, two other small fist onis jump out toward me. As I thought, life is not that easy. During that period of time, the bronze magic puppet also comes closer toward me, making heavy footsteps. As I lure the small fist onis little by little, I take them down with my spear one by one, but I have ended up getting quite far away from the place I confronted them at the beginning.

「Alright, I’ve defeated all the small fist onis. Aisha, Karen, I’ll take the role of facing the enemy head-on all the time. You two attack the legs from behind. It is just that, just like the iron magic puppet, it will probably also attack the rear with backhand blows, so make sure not to overdo it, okay?」

「Got it.」

「Roger than.」

I put the spear away into my storage, take out my mithril alloy sledgehammer, and channel magical energy into it. The sledgehammer emits blue-white light and I can feel its weight rising rapidly. Activating body enhancement, I move to the other side of the puppet with intent step, and swing the sledgehammer at its right leg in a sweeping blow. It is a blow that would surely destroy the leg if the opponent were an iron magic puppet, but facing the bronze magic puppet, it merely makes a clang sound echo through the air. Not good, at the moment of impact, shock runs through my entire body and my hands go numb, so it looks like it is impossible to launch a follow up attack. But from the way it felt just now, maybe I managed to make a crack on it.

The puppet turns around to face me, allowing me to pincer it with Aisha and Karen. It certainly throws a punch that is sharper than that of the iron magic puppet, and if you take the blow squarely, you would likely suffer a fatal injury. However, before it swings its fist down, there is a slight pause in its movement, which makes it possible to avoid it.

「Ugh, that was close.」

Among all of the attacks that the puppet unleashes, the most frightening one is the attack in which it swings its fist down and then swings it around as it is. The moment you feel relieved after dodging the fist that is swung from above, it swings the fist around in a circle. *Clang, clang* Aisha and Karen’s attacks land on it from behind. Without overdoing it, the two quickly flee out of the enemy’s attack range after attacking it once. It is a war of attrition.

Clang, crack. After unleashing my second full-power sledgehammer attack at its right leg, I immediately move away from the enemy. It has definitely made cracks on it. There is no change in the movement of the puppet. And once again, Aisha and Karen’s attacks land on it from behind. A crack runs through the puppet’s right leg. Just a bit more. The puppet turns around and starts chasing Aisha and Karen. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I move closer toward the puppet’s right leg with instant step. Just as I am about to swing my sledgehammer, the puppet twists its body to the left and throws a backhand blow with its left fist. Not good, I am already getting into motion for the attack, so I can’t change my posture at this point. Just before it hits the puppet’s right leg, I change the direction of the sledgehammer to the backhand blow that is looming over my face. A clang sound echoes through the labyrinth. As expected of a mithril sledgehammer imbued with magical energy. It seems that our respective attacks have canceled each other out. However, as shock spreads through my entire body, I feel as if I am being rocked around, my hands are numb, and I cannot hold the sledgehammer. One way or another, I manage to escape to my rear with instant step. It doesn’t seem to have suffered any damage, but his hands are still numb, so it seems impossible to launch an attack for a while. A crack is running on the puppet’s left fist. It seems that in a battle between mithril and bronze, mithril is the winner.

「Sei, are you okay?」

「Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just that, my body is numb and I can’t move. I need to rest for a while.」