Day 521-530/Day 521

GT

“Day 51 / Day 50” Yesterday I spent the night on the stairs in the safety zone connecting the 7th and 8th floors of ≫.

I was able to sleep for about two hours because I continued the capture until late, but my physical condition is perfect due to [rapid sleep] which can achieve the same effect as sleeping deeply with a short sleep. In addition, I also learned what I experienced that day efficiently at bedtime and then used [High Efficiency Sleep Learning], so my understanding and skill level of the Tenshi knight increased further. As you go upstairs, the knights get stronger, but they can adapt well unless they deviate significantly from the knights.

When I wake up comfortably like this, I relax my body with simple exercise and warm my body. As soon as preparations were over, we had enough gem crystals of the Knight for breakfast, and we started the eighth floor capture today to proceed with the capture.

The capture is proceeding smoothly.

There are several reasons, one of which is a simple internal structure like a grid, which basically consists of a passage and a large room connected to it. As you proceed along the passage, a large room appears, and the large room is connected to the passage going in all directions. Since the number of ends connected to three directions or two directions is reduced, it is easy to make a simple map and it is not easy to get lost. In addition, there are no elements such as mystery solving gimmicks or traps in the passages and rooms, and there is no danger if you pay attention to the knights patrolling the passages. The stairs are always in the large room, so the knights there must be destroyed, but there are places in the aisles hidden by luxurious interiors, so it is possible to proceed without actively fighting repeatedly.

Next is this strategy. Now, if there is a staircase that leads to the upper floor, I will go up quickly, and I'm making progress with emphasis on capture speed.

Personally, I would like to explore every floor from corner to corner, thoroughly examine the internal structure and proceed to the next. That way you can avoid oversights and not have to get lost in an emergency. And you might be lucky to find a treasure chest that will give you valuable and expensive magic items and treasures.

However, this time, we have set the most important target, the Ascension Emperor “Astrakium”, which is located on the top floor. Therefore, there are many unexplored places on the previous floor, and there are some unreserved parts. I want to perfect it eventually, but that's not the time.

And the biggest reason may be that there is only one kind of dungeon monster that appears at the moment.

Heaven knight is strong. Mobility is high due to the ability to fly using the wings on the back, and here the three-dimensional attack takes place where the ceiling is high. The equipped biological armor is robust, agile, strong, and very capable of handling biological weapons. Unless gemstones in the brain and heart are removed, the ability to return to the front even in the event of a limb loss or a torn body should not be forgotten. In addition, it is simply a threat that more than a few people always act together and perform more advanced coordination by sharing their roles.

The conclusion is that the knights are generally packed with high performance. However, individual differences are not so large. On average, they are all strong and all are similar. Although there are some strengths and weaknesses in the division of roles, it has the ability to do the same to some extent. Due to the large number, the knights are excellent as a soldier, but not very diverse.

That's why once you get used to it, the knights are no longer scary. And will the number of heavenly knights I have defeated be over four hundred before coming here? If you defeat it, you can get used to it.

Assuming the best performing knights you fought, you won't exceed expectations because everything is less.

That's why as I get rid of it, my movements become more efficient and the time required for battle decreases.

If you can get used to it, check if the poison is effective for the knight. What are the limits and speed of regenerative ability? Is there average skill or mental fluctuation? There is plenty of room for investigating those areas of concern, and the survey is already over.

The celestial knight's existence was over, and the celestial knight was just a prey.

In a short period of time, you can efficiently hunt for prey, walk around, and climb the stairs you find during your search. So we started the capture from the morning and proceeded to the ninth floor in less than an hour, and arrived at the tenth floor by noon.

As you go upstairs, you can feel the strength of the Knight gradually increasing.

A keen sense of this secrecy. Increase in movement speed and strength. Thick armor and magical power. The parts that make you feel the change, such as the power of magic used in the advanced cooperation that is exchanged naturally, increase. The only thing that you can really realize is that the taste of the gem crystal is deep and delicious.

Anyway, that doesn't change anything. I took a break and proceeded, and I arrived at the bottom of the tenth floor.

The innermost room was a large room with interior decoration reminiscent of the majestic chapel of some temple.

Ceiling high enough to look up. A stained glass that reflects light and shines beautifully. There is a mural on the wall that looks like a moment coming out of a myth, filled with clean air. Most notable was the altar in the center of the chapel.

The altar is made of white stone, and the details are wing-like in gold and silver. On the altar, blue and red shining gemstones floated, and it was obvious at a glance that something was different.

As we approached slowly and with caution, a change occurred when we approached to some extent. The gem crystals on the altar emitted dazzling light.

If the light was not blocked to some extent by [shading], would there be an intense amount of light that was not funny even if the eyes could not be seen for a while? The light slowly diminished when she was thin and watchful of her eyes.

And when the light was settled, there was an integral knight on the altar. Of course, he is not a normal knight.

The height of the knight floating on the altar will be about four meters. It is more than twice the size of a normal knight, and the armor it wears is also thick and huge. The right hand holds a large sword with a faint light, and the left hand holds a large shield like a castle wall. The wings that grew on his back were blue on the right and red on the left, and ice and fire swirled as he moved. Her whole body is covered with armor, so she can't see anything at all, but her golden eyes, staring through the gaps in her helm, stared coldly at me.

Looking at the figure, I took out a magic item called [simple intellectual glasses] from my bosom. [Kind of intellectual appraisal glasses] is one of the appraisal magic items that, when worn, allows one of the name and ability of the target to be seen. There are many things that we do not yet know about the goods in this world, and there is no doubt that the information that can be obtained jumps up and down is very useful. The contents of the treasure chest found along the way helped me. As a reminder, only one ability can be seen, so it is necessary to consider cases where there is a disadvantageous [curse], etc., and it is better to leave full-fledged [assessment] to a specialist.

Anyway, [the simple appraisal glasses of the intellectuals] It has a name of "Graquiel" and has the ability to "balance inquiry".

Speaking of "White Steel Archangel Grachiel", it was one half of a precious two-tiered boss that was known in advance. Hierarchical bosses are powerful special monsters that act as gatekeepers. Its strength seems to stand out from the rest, but from its appearance, "White Steel Archangel Grachiel" may be a further enhancement of the upper class of the Tenshi Knight. While roughly calculating the enemy strength, I removed the [intellectual's simple appraisal glasses] and kept it in a safe place. No one can be embarrassed before a presence that will be much more delicious than a knight. Wouldn't it be natural to smile naturally?

And Grakiel confronted me with a spirit of war, spread his wings calmly, and emitted a high-density magical power that could be recognized around him. While catching it like a gust with his whole body, he kicks the floor vigorously and goes out. Then the first battle with the stratum boss started.

About an hour later, the Great Knight, Grachiel, is lying on the floor of the chapel in a rustic state. No limbs, no wings, gut protruding from abdomen and spread to floor. He is dying but has not yet died, so he tries to move and is stepping on it.

The Great Knight was certainly strong. The regenerative power is also tremendous, the body armor worn is also hard, it flutters in the sky promptly, and has launched a storm of ice flames sweeping over a wide area. Despite some struggles, he managed to improve the heavenly knight's abilities and possess some unique means of attack. The dull regenerative power was already noticeably slowed down because he had repeatedly shaved his body, and even if there was some counterattack, he took out the jewel crystal on his head and heart and stabbed it.

[History boss “ Successfully defeated "Grachiel"] [ Achieveers are allowed to move to the upper ranks, and they can now choose whether or not to fight the hierarchical boss "Grachiel, the White Steel Archangel"] [ The treasure chest [Archangel's Holy Sword] was given to the achiever as the first suppression bonus]

Immediately after finishing, I was surprised by the voice that echoed in my brain. Well, I was convinced that there were some mysterious things, but there are many things I still don't understand about this world. At any rate, open the treasure chest that appears to ooze out of the floor. Inside is a bottle with some contents or some metal ingot. Then, it was a large sword with a wing-like white armor reminiscent of a heavenly knight, and a sacred atmosphere like a sacred sword. Is the sword two meters long? Pulling out of the sheath is a length that seems to be a pain, but the sheath itself opened automatically just by thinking that it was such a magic item. The large sword was a beautiful one with a red fiery core covered with blue ice-like crystals. The large sword is light in contrast to its heavy appearance, so make sure you shape it properly and feel it. It seemed like a good sword, so I wanted to go to the next step and try cutting it.

For the time being, I decided to take a break before proceeding, and to eat "White Steel Archangel Grachiel" while I was fresh.

Completion of learning for [White Steel Sky [ Completion of learning for ability name [White Gatekeeper]] [ Completion of learning for ability name [Ice Flame]]

“The Archangel of White Steel, Grachiel” was very delicious. The meat was tempered and responsive, the blood was rich in magic, the wings covered with ice and fire were stimulating and rich, and the gem crystals were ecstatically delicious. In addition to that, I could say that I was lucky to learn.

After resting, he climbed up the stairs in the back of the large room and set foot on the eleventh floor. Apparently, the style changed from here, and it was completely different from the interior of some palaces and temples as before, and there were intricate passages like hell.

A series of pillars as if countless humans with an expression full of agony were folded. The fleshy walls beat as if they were alive, and the complicated and intricate passages like blood vessels cannot be clearly seen. The light is a blue, mysterious, burning skull in an iron bird cage. The light is scarce and always dim, and the darkness is spreading here and there. The smell of blood and organs drifts deeply, and the sense of smell does not work well. From afar, you can hear screams and screams of grudges at a considerable frequency, so it is highly likely that you will miss small noises. The only difference is that the air contains dense magic, but all properties are the opposite.

I'm going to continue late into the night today, wondering what's ahead.

'''PLACE TRANSLATIONS ABOVE THE BAR. THESE ARE THE RAWS, LEAVE THEM HERE. CLICK EXPAND TO VIEW THEM.'''

“五十一日目　／　五■二■一■目” 昨日は≪≫の七階と八階を繋ぐ安全地帯の階段で一夜を過ごした.

遅くまで攻略を続けたので寝れたのは二時間程度だが、短時間の睡眠で熟睡したのと同じ効果を得られる【急速睡眠】により体調は万全だ. ついでにその日体験した事を就寝中に効率良く学習し次に繫げる【高効率睡眠学習】も使ったので、天騎士に対する理解度と熟練度はより上昇した. 上の階に行くほど天騎士達はより強くなっていくが、それが天騎士から大きく逸脱しない限りは十分に順応していけるだろう.

そんなこんなで快適に目が覚めると簡単な運動で身体をほぐし、身体を温める. 準備が終われば余るほどある天騎士の宝石結晶を朝食として囓り、今日も攻略を進めるべく八階の攻略を開始した.

攻略は順調に進んでいる.

その理由は幾つかあり、一つは通路とそれに接続した大部屋で基本的に構成されたマス目のようなシンプルな内部構造にある. 通路を進めばやがて大部屋が現れ、大部屋は四方に進む通路と繋がる. 端は三方向や二方向と繋がる数が減るので簡易的な地図も作りやすく、迷いにくい. また通路も部屋も謎解きギミックや罠などといった要素は見当たらず、通路を巡回する天騎士に注意しておけば危険も無い. 階段は必ず大部屋の中にあるのでそこに居る天騎士は必ず殲滅する必要があるものの、通路では豪奢な内装によって隠れる場所もあるので、積極的に戦闘を繰り返さなくても進む事が可能だ.

次に今回の攻略方針だ. 今は上階に繋がる階段があればさっさと上っていく、攻略速度重視の進み方をしている.

個人的にはどの階も隅から隅まで探索し、内部構造を完璧に調べて次に進みたい. そうすれば見落としを防げるし、いざという時に逃げ道を迷わなくてもいい. それに貴重で高価なマジックアイテムや財宝を得られる宝箱を見つけるなんて幸運もあるかもしれない.

ただ今回は最上階に居る古代爆雷制調天帝“アストラキウム”を最重要目標に据えているので、寄り道は極力せずに攻略している. だからこれまでの階では未踏破な場所も多く、心残りな部分はある. 何れは完璧に仕上げたいが、今はその時では無い.

そして最も大きな理由は、今のところ出現するダンジョンモンスターは天騎士一種しかいない事にあるだろう.

天騎士は強い. 背中の翼を使った飛行能力により機動性は高く、天井が高いここでは三次元的に攻めてくる. 装備している生体防具は堅牢で、俊敏に動き膂力も強く、手にする生体武器を扱う技量も非常に高い. また脳と心臓にある宝石結晶を摘出しない限り、四肢欠損や胴体断裂があったとしても戦線に復帰する高い再生能力も忘れてはならない. それに常に数体以上で行動を共にし、それぞれの役割を分担する事でより高度な連携を行ってくるのは単純に脅威だ.

結論として天騎士は全体的に高い性能で纏まっている. だが、それだけに個体差もそこまで大きくない. 平均的にどれも強く、どれも似通っている. 役割の分担で多少の得手不得手はあるが、ある程度は同じ事が出来る性能を持つ. 数は多いので兵隊としてみれば天騎士は優秀だが、多様性はあまりないと言えるだろう.

だからこそ、慣れてしまえば天騎士はそこまで恐ろしい存在ではなくなった. そしてここに来るまでに俺が倒した天騎士の数は四百を超えるだろうか. それだけ倒せば嫌でも慣れる.

戦った中で最も優れた性能の天騎士を想定して戦えば、全てそれ以下なのだから予想を上回る事もない.

そういう訳で討伐を重ねるにつれて俺の動きは効率化され、戦闘に必要な時間は短くなる.

慣れて余裕が出来れば、天騎士には毒が有効かどうか. 再生能力の限界と速度はどの程度なのか. 平均的な技量や精神的な揺らぎの有無はあるのか. そういった気になる部分の調査に力をさく余裕も生まれ、そして調査は既に終わっている.

天騎士という存在の見極めは終わり、天騎士はただの獲物になった.

短時間で効率的に獲物を狩りつつ歩きまわり、探索中に見つけた階段を上っていく. そうして朝から攻略を開始して一時間とせずに九階に進み、昼には十階に到着した.

階を重ねるにつれて、天騎士の強さは徐々に上がっているのは実感できる.

こちらの隠密を感じとる鋭敏な感覚. 移動速度や膂力の上昇. 分厚い防具と漲る魔力. 自然にやり取りされる高度な連携に、使用する魔法の威力の向上など、変化を感じさせる部分は増える. ただ宝石結晶の味が濃く美味くなる事が最も実感できる部分ではあるのだが.

ともあれ、それでもやる事は何も変わりない. 休憩しつつも先に進み、そして俺は十階の最奥まで到着した.

最奥はまるで何処かの神殿の荘厳な礼拝堂を彷彿とさせる内装の大部屋だった.

見上げねばならないほど高い天井. 光を反射して美しく輝くステンドグラス. 壁面にはまるで神話に出て来る一瞬を描いたような壁画があり、清浄な空気が満ちている. 中でも注目を集めるのは礼拝堂の中心にある祭壇だった.

祭壇は白い石材で作られ、その細部には金と銀で翼のような装飾が施されている. その祭壇の上には青と赤に輝く宝石結晶が浮かび、これまでとは何かが違う事は一目で分かった.

ゆっくりと警戒しながら近づいていくと、ある程度まで近づいた時に変化が起きた. 祭壇の上にある宝石結晶から、目も眩むような光が放たれたのだ.

【遮光】によってある程度光を遮断していなければ、少しの間目が見えなくなっていても可笑しくはない強烈な光量はあっただろうか. 薄目で目を逸らさず警戒していると、光はゆっくりと弱まっていった.

そして光や収まった時、祭壇の上には一体の天騎士が居た. もちろん、普通の天騎士ではない.

祭壇の上に浮かぶ天騎士の身の丈は四メートル程はあるだろう. 通常の天騎士の二倍以上の大きさで、身に纏う鎧もまた分厚く巨大である. 右手には薄らと光を宿した大剣が握られ、左手には城壁のような大盾を持つ. 背中に生えた翼は右が青く、左は赤の光を宿し、動きに合わせて氷と炎が渦を巻いている. 全身は鎧で覆われているので生身は全く見えないが、ヘルムの隙間から覗く金色の双眸は冷徹にこちらを見つめていた.

その姿を見て、俺は懐から【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】というマジックアイテムを取り出してつけた. 【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】は装着すると、見た対象の名前と能力の一つが分かるという鑑定系マジックアイテムの一つである. この世界の物品に関してはまだまだ分からない事が多い現状、得られる情報が段違いに跳ね上がるコイツはとても有用なのは間違いない. 道中で見つけた宝箱の中身についても、これのお陰で助かっている. 一応の注意として能力は一つしか見えない為、不利益な【呪詛】などがある場合も考える必要があり、本格的な【鑑定】は専門業者に任せた方がいい.

ともあれ、【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】によってコイツが“・グラキエル”という名を持ち、【天秤審問】という能力がある事が分かった.

そして“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”と言えば、事前に判明している貴重な二体の階層ボスの片割れだった. 階層ボスとは門番の役割を持つ強力で特別なモンスターの事である. その強さは他とは一線を画するらしいが、外見からして“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”は天騎士の上位種を更に強化した存在なのだろう. 大雑把に敵戦力を計算しつつ、俺は【知識者の簡易鑑定眼鏡】を外して大切に保管し、そして食欲を滾らせながら朱槍を構えた. 天騎士よりも遥かに美味いだろう存在を前に、臆する事などありえない. 自然と笑みを浮かべても仕方ないのでは無かろうか.

そして戦意を漲らせる俺と対峙したグラキエルは悠然と翼を広げ、周囲にそれと分かる高密度の魔力を放出した. まるで突風のようなそれを全身で受け止めながらも、力強く床を蹴って前に出る. そうして、階層ボスとの初めての戦闘は開始した.

それから一時間ほど経過して、大天騎士・グラキエルは無残な有様で礼拝堂の床に転がっている. 四肢はなく、翼も失い、腹部からは臓物がはみ出して床に広がっている. 瀕死の状態だが未だ死んではおらず、何とか動こうとするので踏み付けて押さえつけている.

大天騎士は確かに強かった. 再生力も凄まじく、身に纏う生体防具も硬く、俊敏に空を舞い、広範囲を薙ぎ払う氷炎の嵐を繰り出してきた. 多少の苦戦はありつつも、天騎士の能力をより強化し、幾つか独特な攻撃手段を持つ程度だったので何とかなった. 幾度も身体を削ったので鈍った再生力は既に目に見えて遅くなり、何か反撃があっても面倒なので頭部と心臓の宝石結晶を取り出して止めを刺した.

［階層ボス“・グラキエル”の討伐に成功しました］ ［達成者は上層への移動が認められ、以後階層ボス“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”と戦闘するか否かは選択できるようになりました］ ［達成者には初回討伐ボーナスとして宝箱【大天使の聖剣】が贈られました］

仕留めた途端、脳内に響いた声に驚いた. まあ、不可思議な事もあるもんだと勝手に納得したが、やはりこの世界についてまだまだ分からない事は多い. ともあれ、床からにじみ出るように出現した宝箱を開けてみる. 中には幾つかの中身が入った瓶や何かの金属のインゴット. それから天騎士を彷彿とさせる翼の生えた白い全身鎧に、まるで聖剣とでもいうような神聖な雰囲気を持つ大剣【破邪の翼晶剣】だった. 大剣の長さは二メートルはあるだろうか. 鞘から抜くのも一苦労しそうな長さだが、そういうマジックアイテムなのか抜こうと思うだけで鞘自体が自動的に開いた. そして抜き身になった大剣は、赤く燃えるような芯を青い氷のような結晶が覆った美しいものだった. 大剣は重そうな見た目に反して軽く、適当に型を行って感触を確かめる. 中々に良い剣らしく、早速次に進んで試し切りがしてみたくなった.

とりあえず次に進む前に少し休む事にして、新鮮な間に“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”を喰う事にした.

【【白鋼の天翼】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【白の門番】のラーニング完了】 【能力名【氷炎の翼理】のラーニング完了】

“白鋼の大天使・グラキエル”は非常に美味だった. 肉は鍛え抜かれていて食べ応えがあり、血液は魔力を豊富に含み、氷と炎を纏っていた翼は刺激的かつ濃厚で、宝石結晶は恍惚とするくらい美味かった. それに加えてラーニング出来たのは運がよかったと言えるだろう.

休息を終えた後は、大部屋の奥にある階段を上って十一階に足を踏み入れた. どうやらここから様式が変わるらしく、これまでのように何処かの宮殿や神殿のようだった内装とは一変し、まるで地獄のような入り組んだ通路が続いていた.

苦悶に満ちた表情の無数のヒトが折り重なったような柱の連なり. 肉のような壁はまるで生きているかのように拍動し、血管のように複雑に入り組んだ通路は先がよく見通せない. 明かりは鉄の鳥籠に入れられた青く妖しく燃える頭蓋骨で、光量は乏しく常に薄暗く、あちらこちらで闇が広がっている. 血や臓物の臭いが濃く漂い、嗅覚は上手く働かない. 遠くからは怨嗟の籠もる断末魔や悲鳴がかなりの頻度で聞こえてくるので、小さな物音を聞き逃す可能性は高いだろう. 空気が濃密な魔力を含んでいる事だけは変わりないが、全ての性質がこれまでとは真逆だった.

先に何が待ち受けているのか気にしながら、今日もまた夜遅くまで進む事になるだろう.