Volume 1 Chapter 59 The Power Of The Sword Saint
After the battle with Allen and his group, we continued walking through the lower layer to reach the deepest part again.
Although the lower layer is a vast space, there are many areas with severe flooding, so there aren't many places to walk.
Many of the buildings with their tops above the water are heavily damaged, with parts of them crumbling down.
We continued forward, sometimes going in and out of the buildings.
Even though our shoes got wet in the middle layer, we found ourselves in a similar situation as we walked with the four of us.
"I wonder what that attack was all about earlier. I never expected to be suddenly attacked like that, especially by S-Rank adventurers."
Chester finally spoke up, breaking the silence.
Perhaps we were far enough away from Allen and his group now, so he finally seemed to relax.
"They probably didn't want us to take the key. If my father hadn't asked for help in the first place, this wouldn't have happened... it's my responsibility that I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry."
"It's not Mel-san's fault. Those people never planned to listen to anyone from the start."
"Fatina is right. Please don't worry about it. If we can get the key and destroy it, everything will be over."
When I said that, Fatina took Mel's hand and squeezed it. Mel smiled awkwardly at us.
──We left Allen and the others behind in that place, but they probably won't try to move forward after receiving so much damage.
By now, they should be trying to return from the dungeon to Trasverum.
The 'Insanity' effect shouldn't have a very wide range.
Allen and the others are already quite far from us, so the effect should have worn off by now.
"I see, is that so... oh, by the way, it looked like you all were acquainted with that Allen, were you friends with him?"
"Uh, well, you see...
"The priestess in Allen's party is my childhood friend."
"Wha, what!?"
My statement seemed to completely surprise Chester, and his eyes widened.
"She came to Voltana with me, but she joined Allen's party because her Level Cap was high in the Ability Appraisal."
"Huh? So she didn't form a party with Ark-san?"
"Nope. My Level Cap was only 1 in the Appraisal, so it's only natural."
"Oh, I see... But is it really that easy to accept?"
Chester touched his chin while walking, as if contemplating something.
In jobs involving battles with monsters, Level Cap and skills make a difference.
Leanne's choice was probably the right one.
That's why it felt very strange for Fatina and me, both Level Cap 1, to be together like this.
The same goes for Chester.
He is the son of a big merchant guild in Trasverum, with multiple mansions and warehouses, yet he still thinks of Toto, the weapons shop owner.
In order for the heir of a large merchant guild to take her as his wife, his father, Elliot, must be silent.
"Oh no! There's a monster over there!"
Suddenly, Chester shouted and everyone got ready.
When we looked, we saw a sea serpent poking its head out of the water. But something was wrong. As we got closer, we saw that its face was blackened as if burned, and it lay still without moving.
"It looks like... it's already been defeated."
"If that's the case, it must have been Allen and the others who defeated it before."
"I-I see... I apologize."
"Wait, this..."
But Fatina didn't relax her guard. She placed her hand near her sword and stared into the dark shadows ahead.
"Is something wrong?"
"My [Magic Resistance] is faintly reacting. It seems like something is there."
It seemed like Fatina had become aware of her own skills reacting.
As we stood there for a while, we heard a metallic sound coming from the darkness ahead that we were about to head towards.
The sound, heard at regular intervals, was reminiscent of the noise made by adventurers wearing armor when they walked.
The sound gradually approached and eventually stopped in front of us.
What appeared before us were three humanoid figures wrapped in pitch-black armor.
They wore full-face helmets, so their expressions were completely hidden. Each of them held a long sword in their hands.
They faced us without doing anything, just standing there.
It was an eerie sight, as they didn't utter a single word.
"Um, could it be that you are adventurers...?"
"No, those are...undead!"
Almost at the same time that Mel said it, the three undead beings ran towards us, wielding their weapons.
The figure in armor, wielding a sword, lunged toward Fatina.
She intercepted the attack with her own sword drawn from its sheath.
"Hey, is that armored undead!?"
It's just a guess, but these three seem to be A-Rank monsters called Shade.
Shades are ghost-type undead beings, sometimes remaining as spirits, or taking on other physical forms like the armor in front of us to fight.
Another Shade approached and attempted to grab with its unarmed hand. Fatina dodged by moving slightly to the side.
That seemed like a drain touch.
It seems that not only wraiths, but also Shade can use that attack.
I drew my sword and quickly ran to Fatina's side.
"Fatina, I'll take this fight. With drain touch in play, it's dangerous to get close."
"I'll be fine. Light, become a shield to protect── (Protection)"
Fatina used her healing magic skill to cast a (Protection) magic. With this, even if she were to be hit by a drain touch, she should be fine as long as it doesn't last too long.
"But there's something I want to try."
"Try what?"
It seems like Fatina wants to do something, but I can't let her fight alone.
I swung my sword at one of the Shades that came running towards us.
The Shade effortlessly parried it with a pitch-black axe spear it was holding. Even though I had the advantage in simple stats, it seems like I'm easily read without any swordsmanship skills.
"(Quadruple Death)"
Without hesitation, I shot instant death magic towards the Shade.
Even though its true form is a ghost, whether it's possessing the armor or just imitating its appearance, it should still have an effect.
The pitch-black wave of (Death) disappeared as it was absorbed into Shade's armor.
"────"
While running towards me, suddenly the heavy-looking armor made a loud clatter and scattered, falling onto the ground. The armor pieces vanished as if crumbling away.
"Haa!"
Nearby, I could hear the sound of sword fighting. Fatina was battling two Shades, parrying their attacks with her sword.
Just as I was about to join the fight, Fatina swiped away the Shade's swords and leaped back, creating distance.
Then, she held her sword with both hands and prepared herself.
"[Sword Skill]── Sonic Blade!"
As Fatina swung her sword, a black slashing attack rushed across the ground, cutting the approaching Shades cleanly in half, one after another.
She perfectly reproduced Allen's Sword Skill (a copy).
"Is that perhaps Allen's technique?"
"Yes, I tried it because it seemed possible. However, using it repeatedly still seems difficult."
"I-It's as expected of the [Sword Saint]'s skill... It's even more impressive than I heard in rumors."
It's unbelievable that she managed to remember a Sword Skill after seeing it just once. What an incredible ability.
"That's amazing."
"N-No, I still have a long way to go, but I'll do my best!"
Since entering Aquaflow Cavern, Fatina's growth has been remarkable. And to think she still hasn't reached the Level Cap, it's quite frightening.
"Alright, shall we move on?"
"Yes."
After that, we chose a path that seemed walkable and proceeded forward. It seemed like the number of monsters had significantly decreased, perhaps because Allen and the others had already defeated many of them.
After walking for a while, a huge door suddenly appeared in front of us, as if it had been carved out of a rock wall.
I think this might be the final destination of the lower layer.
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