Chapter 9: What Awaits Beyond
Over a year has passed since the defeat of the Goblin King.
The new city was officially named Ilgusia.
However, it was no longer part of the Count Carmel domain. Zeke had been officially appointed as the Administrator of the Ilgusia Dungeon and the Lord of Ilgusia.
When he visited the Royal Capital to present the golden treasure sword and mithril ingots, he was promoted to the rank of Viscount as a reward. Of course, the discovery of the Ilgusia Dungeon and his efforts in maintaining peace around Almeria were also significant factors in this evaluation.
Normally, a lower noble would serve under a higher noble, but Zeke was placed directly under the King’s authority—a special arrangement. This effectively gave him the same standing as a high-ranking noble. While rare, such cases were not entirely without precedent.
Count Carmel was also promoted to Margrave.
The city of Ilgusia was developing almost too smoothly. As originally planned, a considerable number of E-Rank adventurers—those who had finished their training period—gathered there. Naturally, we also succeeded in inviting a branch of the Adventurer’s Guild.
Since we repeatedly and strictly warned that the third floor of the dungeon was recommended only for B-Rank parties or higher, no one other than us had ventured there yet.
For the past year, I dedicated myself to classroom studies alongside Ike.
I had the memories of my past life, so arithmetic was no problem, but I was completely ignorant of this world's common sense. It was the perfect opportunity to learn.
First, the country I live in is the Kingdom of Barcus, located in the southwest of the Central Continent.
Wars between nations are frequent on the Central Continent, and skirmishes with the Kingdom of Zarcam to the east continue to this day. Because of this, the kingdom quickly ennobles useful adventurers to secure military power. However, Ilgusia is located at the westernmost tip of the Kingdom of Barcus, so we have little involvement with these wars.
People in this country have a strong aversion to children depleting their MP. If a young child runs out of MP, they often fail to regain consciousness or, in the worst case, die.
As mentioned before, depleting MP doesn't guarantee an increase in capacity; it varies by individual. Incidentally, Zeke and the others find Ike's MP growth to be unbelievable.
I also relearned the value of currency in this world.
Stone Coin: 100 yen (approx. $1)
Iron Coin: 1,000 yen (approx. $10)
Silver Coin: 10,000 yen (approx. $100)
Gold Coin: 100,000 yen (approx. $1,000)
Platinum Coin: 100,000,000 yen (approx. $1,000,000)
I also learned about the value of Magic Stones, though I was told these are market-dependent and should only be used as a reference.
Threat Level E: 1 Iron Coin (1,000 yen)
Threat Level D: 5 Iron Coins (5,000 yen)
Threat Level C: 2 Silver Coins (20,000 yen)
Threat Level B: 5 Silver Coins and up (50,000 yen+)
I was told not to count on Threat Levels G and F, as they are practically worthless. Threat Level B values vary wildly. As for Threat Level A, since they've never taken one down, they couldn't say for sure, but they estimated it wouldn't be less than ten Gold Coins.
Looking at this, one might think G-Rank and F-Rank paper adventurers couldn't make a living. However, since one cannot become an adventurer until adulthood at twelve, most are still living with their parents. If they reach adulthood safely and become E-Rank adventurers at fifteen, they can make a decent living by completing escort, investigation, and gathering quests alongside hunting monsters.
Another thing I learned—though somewhat vaguely, as Japanese history wasn't my strong suit in my past life—was the peerage system.
High Nobles: Duke, Marquis, Margrave, Count/Earl.
Low Nobles: Viscount, Baron, (Baronet).
Baronets do not have succession rights, so they aren't treated as full nobility. In a noble family, if they don't hold another title, anyone other than the heir becomes a Baronet or a commoner.
As mentioned before, lower nobles generally serve higher nobles. The King grants territory to high nobles, and high nobles grant territory to lower nobles. Consequently, Viscounts and Barons often do not possess land.
Also, the "Name" in "Count Name" refers to the territory or region. Count Carmel is the Count who governs the Carmel region.
As I said earlier, many Viscounts and below have no territory. Addressing such individuals is apparently difficult; whether to call them "Lord" (Kyou) or just use the honorific "Lord/Lady" (Sama) is left to discretion. As long as there is an atmosphere of respect, it seems to be fine.
We decided to head to the third-floor boss room once a week as a group of four, but from the third trip onwards, it was just Ike and me. And here are the results.
【Name】 Mars Bryant
【Title】 Wind King / Goblin Slayer
【Status】 Human / Second Son of Viscount Bryant
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 7
【Level】 18 (+3)
【HP】 108 / 108
【MP】 7681 / 7681
【Strength】 70 (+15)
【Agility】 73 (+15)
【Magic】 110 (+20)
【Dexterity】 95 (+18)
【Endurance】 70 (+17)
【Luck】 30
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Gift (Lv MAX)
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Eye (Lv 7) (6→7)
【Unique Ability】 Lightning Magic S (Lv 0/20)
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship B (Lv 5/17) (4→5)
【Special Ability】 Fire Magic G (Lv 4/5) (3→4)
【Special Ability】 Water Magic G (Lv 3/5) (2→3)
【Special Ability】 Earth Magic G (Lv 2/5) (1→2)
【Special Ability】 Wind Magic A (Lv 13/19)
【Special Ability】 Holy Magic C (Lv 6/15) (5→6)
【Equipment】 Wind Dagger: Sylph Dagger
Actually, for the past year and a half, I've done almost nothing but magic training. My reasoning was that if my MP stops growing at age ten, I should prioritize magic training until then. I still believe this was the optimal choice.
My physical growth is also quite rapid. Just before turning eight, I'm already surpassing 140 centimeters in height. Maria told me that Holy Magic users grow faster than others and age slower. Thanks to that, I can handle a sword now, but since the Sylph Dagger is sufficient, I don't equip one. Carrying it around just adds baggage.
With Heavenly Eye reaching Level 7, I learned something called Magic Eye. This allows me to see the flow of magic, meaning I can detect when an opponent is about to cast a spell.
My Holy, Fire, Water, and Earth magic levels also increased. For Water Magic, I learned 《Ice Arrow》. For Earth Magic, I can still only use 《Earth Bullet》. If I get Earth Magic to Level 3, I can learn 《Stone Bullet》, so I'm using Earth Magic desperately. However, due to my Talent being Rank G, the level barely rises compared to Wind Magic. This is despite Heavenly Gift giving me more MP than others and double the recovery speed.
It makes me feel like it's almost impossible for a person with Talent G to reach Level 5...
I still can't simultaneously handle the Sylph Dagger while using 《Wind》 or 《Wind Cutter》. Nor can I run while firing Fire Magic.
Also, I have a vague feeling that training while using 《 Sylphid》 makes my Dexterity rise easier. Doing something else while using magic must be exceptionally difficult and delicate.
As for Ike:
【Name】 Ike Bryant
【Title】 —
【Status】 Human / Eldest Son of Viscount Bryant
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 10
【Level】 21 (+2)
【HP】 120 / 120
【MP】 1082 / 1082
【Strength】 80 (+11)
【Agility】 60 (+8)
【Magic】 43 (+6)
【Dexterity】 34 (+5)
【Endurance】 76 (+11)
【Luck】 10
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship C (Lv 4/15)
【Special Ability】 Spearmanship B (Lv 7/17) (6→7)
【Special Ability】 Fire Magic C (Lv 6/15) (5→6)
【Equipment】 Flame Spear: Flame Lance
【Equipment】 Fire Spirit Sword: Salamander Sword
【Equipment】 Robe of the Fire Phantom Beast Ifrit
【Equipment】 Bracelet of Fire
Since passing age ten, Ike's MP growth has stagnated. I haven't told him, but he might have vaguely realized it himself.
He can now manifest 《Fireball》, a spell learned at Fire Magic Level 5 which was listed at the end of the elementary grimoire, but he can't control it as he wishes.
Ike himself said, "I just don't have the talent, so it can't be helped," but I know he's been working hard in the lower floors of the dungeon, trying desperately to control 《Fireball》. Perhaps thinking the reason for his lack of control lies in his Dexterity, he's been training frantically to raise that stat.
I have a feeling that men in this world might have a harder time raising Dexterity. In exchange, their Strength and Endurance seem to rise more easily compared to women. Thanks to Heavenly Gift and 《Sylphid》, both are going up for me, though.
Still, Ike has the strength of a C-Rank adventurer. He starts school the year after next, but his stats are so high I'm worried he might get bullied—or rather, stand out too much.
And as for our idol, Lina, her stats haven't changed much, but her cuteness has gone off the charts. Ike, Zeke, and I are completely wrapped around her finger.
Happily, Lina saying, "I love Mars-oniichan!"
If anyone tries anything funny with Lina, Big Brother Mars here will execute them!
"《Fire Arrow》!"
"《Ice Arrow》!"
"《Earth Bullet》!"
Right now, I am training magic at the entrance of the dungeon.
Since Ike is struggling with arithmetic, I’m going to dive into the Ilgusia Dungeon with the members of Blue Fang.
I've wanted to explore the unvisited areas of the Ilgusia Dungeon for some time now, and when I conveyed this to the leader, Van, he readily agreed.
At the very first T-junction on the first floor, we went right only once; ever since then, we've only gone left. To perfect the mapping, I want to go there at least once. After meeting up with Blue Fang, we proceeded right at the first fork.
We advanced while defeating the goblins in the passages and rooms.
We walked a considerable distance. The first floor is probably the largest.
We reached the final room—a dead end.
This last room was smaller than a standard room, about half the size.
But there was something clearly wrong with this room.
The wall. Part of the wall in this room was made of magic. Or rather, was it a magic barrier?
Using my Magic Eye, I could clearly see there was something beyond this wall.
"About that wall there, doesn't it seem strange? Do you mind if we all investigate it together?"
It's best to have multiple people check out suspicious places like this. Even if it's a trap, if we all touch it, it's not scary.
The members of 【Blue Fang】 touched the wall that looked like a magic barrier.
It seemed to be a normal wall.
Being careful, I touched it too—and for some reason, my hand passed into the wall without any resistance.
A disgusting sensation traveled through my hand and arm touching the wall. The members of 【Blue Fang】, seeing this, looked at me with shocked expressions.
"W-What happened? How did you put your hand in the wall?"
Van, the leader, rushed over to me in surprise.
When I tried to pull my hand out, it felt like something was grabbing me. I couldn't pull it free.
"My hand is stuck. Could you help me pull it out?"
All the members tried pulling my body or attempting to destroy the wall, but I couldn't be pulled out, and the wall didn't budge an inch.
If we went to contact Zeke and the others before taking action, I'd be in this state for hours. Furthermore, my hand was gradually being pulled deeper into the wall. at this rate, my entire body would eventually be dragged inside.
"Van-san! I'm going to try going through to the other side. Please head to my father and report this. If I can return, I will follow after you."
"I thought about that too, but... isn't it dangerous? There's a chance you won't be able to come back. Are you sure?"
"Yes... I've thought it through. Please."
"Understood. In that case, Iris and I will remain here just in case. I'll have the other members go report to Lord Zeke."
He made a very good proposal, and I nodded immediately.
"This wall seems quite thick. My fingertips are still inside the wall, so once I go in, my voice likely won't reach you. Well then, I'm off. Please take care of things."
As I said that, he said, "Wait a moment," and placed a small crystal in my palm.
"Take this. This crystal is part of a pair. Even if separated by ten kilometers, they can locate each other. Another member, Ann, has the other one right now, and she'll pass it to Lord Zeke or Ike. Can you sense the reaction of the other crystal?"
I could sense the sensation of the other crystal moving away from this one.
"Yes. It's vague, but I feel it moving away from here. Ann must be heading to my father. Thank you very much. I'm losing sensation in my right hand and arm, and it's getting scary, so I'm going to the other side. Here goes!"
Resolving myself, I stepped into the wall.
The wall was about ten meters thick. I could breathe inside it, but it felt disgusting.
Visibility should have been dark and poor, yet for some reason, I could see.
When I said it was about ten meters thick, I knew that because it was bright about ten meters ahead. That must be the exit.
Thinking that this is what it feels like inside a magic barrier, I walked.
I tried using 《 Sylphid》 while walking. It was unstable at first, but I soon got used to it and managed to cloak myself.
And when I stepped out to the other side of the wall, the scene before my eyes was...
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