The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time The Death Mage That Doesn't Want A Fourth Time 9

Note from the translator:

Sorry about the delay, this chapter was really long and difficult. Please enjoy the result of my blood, sweat and tears.

Yos.h.i.+

My name is Sam. I was once a coachman who looked after horses for a certain n.o.bleman.

Serving a n.o.bleman is not as prosperous a lifestyle as commoners may think (well, I am a commoner myself). However, I had to take care not to embarra.s.s my master, lest his reputation be questioned, and so I was provided with a proper uniform and I was guaranteed meals to eat each day.

In that regard, I was indeed blessed.

I am especially happy with the fact that I met my wife who was working at his mansion, and under my master’s encouragement, I wed her and was blessed with two daughters.

My older daughter Saria was well-mannered, and my younger daughter Rita grew up to be energetic and cheerful.

And then my daughters also entered the employment of the same n.o.ble family as I, and we were truly happy.

However, one winter, my wife was among those afflicted by an epidemic and pa.s.sed away within a few days. Before I even had time to recover from the sadness of that event, my master lost his footing on the stairs and also pa.s.sed away, and someone else took his place.

The one who succeeded that n.o.ble family seemed to be unhappy with the previous generation’s ways. They declared that they would be changing the servants, and my daughters and I were dismissed.

I thought that for me, who has only looked after horses and been a coachman all my life, it would be possible for me to live as a coachman for a stagecoach in the city, and decided to boldly enter an unfamiliar land.

My daughters, too, followed me in hope of finding good marriage proposals and employment in the city.

However, in the midst of our journey, we were attacked by a group of bandits. My daughters were violated by those beasts before my very eyes, and then we were killed. Our bodies were burned so as not to attract animals and monsters, and then thrown away. That must have been incredibly harsh; Saria and Rita still have their appearance from the time that they were burned.

Of course, we resented those bandits. We lingered here, intending to stay until we saw their destruction. If there had been a Devil’s Nest nearby, we might have been transformed into evil spirits by its Mana.

However, we simply felt pure hatred for those men, and the days went by with us not being able to do anything.

And then one day, my current master Vandalieu-sama and his servants attacked their hideout and slaughtered them all.

So I myself am now one of Goshujin-sama’s servants. One would never expect to be living a second life after death.

And the fact that this horse-caretaker and coachman is now in a dungeon is very surprising.

『Goshujin-sama, I have heard that strong monsters appear more frequently inside Dungeons than outside. Please let me know if you feel that it is too dangerous.』

My new body is the carriage that the bandits stole from me. However, it is a three-horse carriage with its width as its only redeeming quality, and other than the cloth roof overhead, it is no different from a wagon.

But since I am haunting it, despite it being a horse-drawn carriage, it can move backwards if needed. It is therefore easy to make an escape.

「Alright. By the way, I was thinking about this earlier... Can you not call me Goshujin-sama?」

My master Vandalieu speaks to me from the back of the carriage, but what would he like me to call him instead?

『Would Obocchan be preferable?』

TLN: Means “young master.” For some reason, the respectful “o” at the start of this does not appear in the rest of the chapter; Sam uses “Bocchan” for the rest of the chapter.

「No, that’s not it...」

『Vandalieu is just shy. After all, there aren’t many spirits who would speak to him of their own accord like you, Sam-san.』(Darcia)

『Is that so? I see.』

As Vandalieu-sama’s mother Darcia-sama says, none of his servants other than me can talk to him. This is not a matter of courtesy or manners; they are actually unable to speak.

Bone Man and Bone Monkey are haunted with the spirits of small animals, not people. They can convey their general feelings, but not speak words.

「Gyaaaah!」

Also, n.o.body but Vandalieu-sama can see them, but he is also being followed by countless spirits, including my daughters. However, though they would respond if Vandalieu-sama were to talk to them, they are unable to speak to him themselves.

This is because when one becomes a spirit, it is very easy to become dominated by a single emotion, and without intervention, it is normal to repeat the same behavior endlessly. My daughters are no exception.

「Gehyiii!」

『However, since I am Bocchan’s servant, it is only natural that I should show respect to you. And... If I were to behave like Bone Man and the others, you would be displeased, would you not?』

Bone Man’s outward appearance is that of a human skeleton. However, since the spirits inside him are those of small animals, Bocchan sometimes pats him and spoils him in his free time.

「Gigyagagagaga!」

Since Bocchan can see spirits, he does not seem discomforted by this, but there would be a problem if it were me.

『If I, a middle-aged man in his forties with thinning hair, were to say “Bocchan, pet me~♪” or something of that sort, he would most certainly feel hesitant about that.』

「Ah... Indeed. Then, “Bocchan” will be fine.」

He looks strangely unsatisfied, but we have come to an agreement.

「Gugeeeh!」

Incidentally, the unpleasant death cries that have been rising up are those of the Goblin Soldiers that I have been running over.

Goblin Soldiers are Rank 2 monsters, Goblins that have developed enough intelligence to hold weapons.

Rank 1 Goblins also wield sticks sometimes, but they are nothing more than tree branches; one cannot say that they have any kind of technique.

Even if a Goblin were to luckily get its hands on a sword or a spear, it would swing it no differently from a tree branch.

Goblin Soldiers are Goblins that are capable of wielding a sword like a sword, a spear like a spear and a stick like a stick. However, their skill is amateur-level, and any skilled, experienced adventurer or soldier would be able to defeat them one-on-one.

They are quite similar in appearance to regular Goblins, so apparently there are incidents where farmers and hunters carelessly try to drive them away and become overwhelmed.

However, these Goblin Soldiers are not worthy enemies to face Bone Man, Bone Wolf and Bone Bird who have already become a Rank 3 Skeleton Soldier, Bone Beast and Phantom Bird.

As they appear, they have their heads split by a sword, are torn to pieces by fangs and shot down by spirit feathers.

The Undead throw the ones that are still barely breathing in front of my wheels. Thanks to this, I am also able to attain some experience points.

「Gegih, gigigigigigeh!」

Their organs are crushed with a squelch and their bones crunch and crumble beneath the wheels. What a – wonderful sensation.

『Though I am embarra.s.sed to admit it, I may become addicted to this.』

「I hope you don’t, it would be a problem if we were to run someone over by accident. Ah, but it’s alright to run over bandits.」

『Thank you very much.』

I will crush bandits beneath my wheels. My heart beats with excitement just imagining this.

Incidentally, Bone Monkey and Bone Bear are protecting the back of the carriage while prudently checking to see if any Magic Stones have been generated. Since they are Rank 2 monsters, around one in five monsters drop Magic Stones.

『For Goblin Soldiers and Goblin Archers to be appearing on the first floor, it seems that this is a rather dangerous dungeon after all.』

Goblin Archers are Goblins that wield bows and arrows instead of melee weapons, and are also Rank 2 monsters.

「... I don’t feel any danger, though.」

『It may seem that way because the Undead are defeating them as soon as they appear, but it is quite unusual to encounter more than fourteen monsters right after entering a Dungeon. Well, this is also my first time being in a Dungeon as well.』

Darcia-sama was an adventurer in her past life, but it seems that she acted solo, so she does not have any experience in clearing Dungeons.

『However, this number of monsters may be because not many adventurers have attempted to clear this Dungeon.』

『That happens?』

『Occasionally. When there are wars and the adventurers have to work as mercenaries, or when there is a large-scale emergency request and more people are needed, or when there is no profit to be had from a Dungeon so adventurers are unmotivated to clear it.』

「Well, if the only monsters that appear are Goblins, then it’s not likely that they would be rewarded for their efforts. Humans are creatures that don’t act if there is no benefit for them.」

『You are wise, Bocchan; you do not seem like a one-year-old child at all, so please take care around other people.』

『You’re right, but he does keep talking like an adult. Even though he never actually became an adult in his previous life or the one before that, so I wonder who he learned it from. Ah, it seems that I’ve reached my limit today, so I’m counting on you, Sam-san. Good night, Vandalieu.』

『Certainly.』

「Good night, Mom.」

Even as Darcia-sama goes to rest in the bone that contains her spirit, we continue our expedition into this Dungeon.

However, there are no fierce battles unfolding, and our exploration goes smoothly.

The first level’s walls and floor were made of stone and only Goblin Soldiers and Archers have been appearing. There were fourteen of them, but the only casualty we have suffered was a chip in the blade of Bone Man’s sword.

Our spoils are six Magic Stones.

The second floor seems more like a natural cave, and though the first floor’s ceiling was glowing a little, the second floor is pitch-black.

Adventurer parties would normally use torches, lanterns or the【Torch】spell, but all of us, including Bocchan, possess the【Night Vision】skill. We can see more clearly in complete darkness than in dim lighting, so this is actually more beneficial for us.

The monsters that are appearing are monsters that are like animals and bugs whose body lengths have grown over a meter, such as Giant Bats, Giant Moles, Giant Worms and Giant Spiders. Goblins are not appearing here. All of the monsters other than the Giant Spiders are Rank 1, and even if we were to find ourselves in a nest of the Rank 2 Spiders, we would defeat them easily, so we do not have much trouble at all.

However, there are no raw materials to be obtained and these monsters are particularly unsuitable for eating.

The only thing we attained was a single Magic Stone from a Giant Spider.

The third floor that we have descended to is a wetland. Despite our surprise, the sight and smell of water and dirt are real. When we look up at the sky, there is even a sun-like light source.

While we are still wondering whether we could possibly still be underground, Darcia-sama awoke and informed us,「Dungeons are apparently these kinds of places.」

If she says so, then that must be the case, I thought. But Bocchan had his head tilted to one side for a while.

Putting that aside, the monsters appearing on the third floor are all Rank 1 monsters that one might expect to see in a wetland, such as Giant Slugs, Big Frogs, Giant Leeches, Giant Lizards, so I a.s.sumed that it would be easy for us.

However, we encounter Rank 2 monsters further in. Acid Slugs, slugs that release acidic mucus. Poison Frogs that secrete neurotoxins from their tongues. Dagger Finches, small birds with quick movements and a sharp beak that could easily pierce a human’s body.

Though these monsters are Rank 1 and 2, they are clearly much more dangerous enemies than Goblin Soldiers. However, they still have no chance against Bone Man and the others, who are Rank 3.

Our only casualty was Bone Man’s sword, which fell to pieces when he swung it at an Acid Slug, mistaking it for a Giant Slug.

Having Bone Man’s weapons degrade every time he cuts one of the Acid Slugs down is a waste, so Bocchan buried them alive using Mud Golems; the rest of the enemies were easily defeated. Poison does not work against the Undead who are made of just bones, and even when the Dagger Finches poke holes in the bones, the damaged bones are easily replaced.

Of course, the same applies for me, since my body is a carriage. Having some holes poked in my canopy does not affect me in the slightest.

「The one who has to sew it back together later is me, though.」

『I apologize, Bocchan.』

Our harvest is seven Rank 2 Magic Stones as well as the hind legs and internal organs of the Giant Frogs and Poison Frogs. And the beaks of the Dagger Finches. These beaks can easily become a knife blade or a spearhead just by attaching a handle.

The hind legs of two species of frog are a great delicacy, and their organs are used as ingredients in medicines.

The dismantling of the monsters was conducted by Bone Monkey and Bone Man. They crushed several organs and broke a number of beaks, but overall it went quite well.

『Will you make medicine, Bocchan?』

「I don’t know how, so that’s impossible. For now, I’ll use the【Preservation】spell on them and keep them in a sack.」

Using Death-Attribute Magic, it is possible to preserve for several years the organs that would normally spoil very easily. How very convenient.

「I’ll have grilled frog legs for food today. First, let’s start a fire.」

『Bocchan, you will not use【Demon Light】?』

「Unfortunately, 【Demon Light】doesn’t produce any heat. Actually, it absorbs heat, so it’ll actually get colder.」

But it seems even Death-Attribute Magic is not omnipotent. Though at least he can stay cool in the summer.

Bone Monkey burned one of the legs, but Bocchan said they were delicious as he enjoyed them.

「It tastes better than rabbit blood.」

Bocchan, that comparison is not helpful at all.

The fourth floor is another cave, and the monsters that appear here are all Undead. They are not Rank 1 Living Dead and Living Bones, but powerful Rank 3 Skeleton Soldiers, Zombie Warriors, Bone Beasts and Wraiths that are immune to physical attacks.

『Oh, such terrifying undying beasts.』

「Sam, you’re an Undead as well.」

『Now that you mention it, you are correct.』

It seems that we are in for a difficult battle this time, but as I am about to suggest that we return to the previous floor to think of a strategy, something surprising happens.

The Skeletons and Zombies move aside and make a path for us.

「I can pa.s.s through?」

The Skeletons with blue flames in their eye sockets and the muddy-eyed Zombies give a groan as if to answer Bocchan’s question, and drop their weapons.

Their rusty weapons drop onto the ground with an echoing clang, and there is no further response from these Undead.

「Sam, everyone, let’s move on.」

『Is this alright? Perhaps it is some kind of trap?』

「I don’t sense any bloodthirst, so I think it’s fine.」

I trust in Bocchan’s【Danger Sense: Death】magic and proceed onwards, and the Undead really do not attempt to attack us.

Other than slowly picking their weapons back up as we pa.s.s, they show no further movements.

『I’m sure those guys came to like Vandalieu, too!』

『As expected of Bocchan.』

「Well, isn’t it just the normal effect of my【Death Attribute Charm】skill? Though I didn’t expect it to work on already-raised Undead.」

This fourth floor contains nothing but Undead monsters that show no signs of wanting to attack Bocchan, so we continue our expedition with no obstructions. Of course, we do not attain any Magic Stones and such either, but compared to having to fight against Rank 3 monsters, this is a welcome turn of events.

『Vandalieu, it’s a treasure chest. Treasure chests really appear in Dungeons, don’t they~?』

『So it seems. Just who would leave them there?』

『I don’t know about that. Maybe they’re the Demon King’s traps to lure humans into danger, or the Genie Ricklent’s way of motivating humans to improve themselves by giving them the treasure chests as a reward for their training; there are a few theories.』

It seems that treasure chests appear in Dungeons depending on the floor. It is unknown as to why they appear, but valuable goods are contained within them and they are fuel that warms the hearts of adventurers.

Of course, the treasure chests are locked and sometimes there are traps set on them. Getting through those is the job of a Thief, but we have no Thieves among us.

「Well, I guess we’ll open it... Awaken.」

Even so, Bocchan finds a way. Even without a Thief, he can have spirits haunt the treasure chest itself and have it open the lock and undo the traps itself.

It costs ten thousand Mana to open one treasure chest. Therefore, this is a method well-suited for Bocchan, who possesses a tremendous Mana pool.

「The contents are... What is this? On first glance, it seems like poison.」

What is contained in the treasure chest is a blue fluid in an expensive gla.s.s bottle. Oh, if this isn’t a Potion, and quite a high-cla.s.s one!

『Bocchan, this is no poison. It is a Potion!』

「A Potion, you mean an item that heals injuries?」

『That’s right, if you drink it or apply it to wounds, they heal right away, so they’re essential items for adventurers.』

『Yes, Darcia-sama. I have never seen such a high-quality product, even in the n.o.ble family that I once served!』

Potions have a number of grades, and the typical 5th-grade Potion heals for thirty Vitality. Most merchants and soldiers carry one of these with them, and adventurers and mercenaries always include them as part of their inventory.

However, 4th-grade Potions are more expensive, and n.o.blemen have 3rd-grade potions in reserve. Of course, these Potions have effects reflecting their high price.

『You can tell a quality of a Potion by its color. The brighter blue it is, the higher quality. If it’s darker, it’s lower quality. This color should be a 2nd-grade Potion, I suppose.』

『To find a 2nd-grade Potion, one must find it at a store in a large city such as the imperial capital of the Amid Empire, or order it directly from a skilled Alchemist. The price for one of these will not be any lower than 100,000 Amid.』

「100,000... How is its effect?」

『It won’t let you regrow a limb that’s been cut off, but it should heal most wounds you apply it to.』

『If you drink it, it will heal not only your injuries, but also relieve fatigue and restore a little Mana. It will also cure some poisons and illnesses.』

「What about the taste?」

『... The higher quality the Potion, the worse it tastes.』

『Indeed, there was a legendary adventurer who once drank a high-grade Potion and fell unconscious due to its terrible taste. When he opened his eyes, he said that it would have been better if he had died.』

With that in mind, I cannot blame Bocchan for mistaking the Potion for poison at first.

「They say that good medicine is bitter to the tongue, but isn’t that a little too bitter?」

I did not have the experience of drinking a Potion while I was alive, and I am fortunate that I am unable to drink it now.

It seems that Bocchan has also realized that this Potion is not to be consumed.

Following this, we found more treasure chests and attained the treasure inside. All of the items contained inside them seemed considerably high-cla.s.s items. With that said, I cannot be sure, as I am but a horse-caretaker and a coachman, and cannot judge the value of some items.

「This is... probably a Magic Item. This is probably also a Magic Item. Ah, this is just a gem... no, could it be a Magic Item?」

『Bocchan, you are saying “probably” quite frequently.』

「I’m just over a year old; I hope you’re not expecting me to have a good eye for judging these things.」

『But if you include your previous life and the one before that, are you not almost forty years of age?』

Several days ago, Bocchan told Darcia-sama, my daughters and myself about his circ.u.mstances. Though it was surprising to hear, he possesses a tremendous Mana pool for a one-year-old, even if he is a Dhampir. Furthermore, he is using some unknown magic that n.o.body has taught him. These things are far more surprising.

Of course, Bocchan also explained the future risks that he faces, but neither Darcia-sama nor I feel any intention of separating ourselves from him.

To me, Bocchan is my savior and master. Bocchan requires my carriage, so how can I abandon my duty?

Furthermore, if I were to separate myself from Bocchan, I would be nothing but a stray Undead monster.

「That might be true, but there was no magic on Earth, and even though there was magic in Origin, I never touched a Magic Item. Well, to be precise, I never touched a Magic Item other than laboratory equipment.」

That is why Bocchan says that he had no chance to become good at appraising items or detecting Mana.

We find items one after another. A knife, a dagger, a broadsword, silver accessories, a ring with a gemstone embedded in it. However, Bocchan cannot tell anything about them other than that they have some Mana imbued in them, so he cannot tell how valuable they are.

Also, Darcia-sama informed us,「Treasure chests often contain normal knives and stone necklaces, so we should be satisfied that we are finding any Magic Items at all.」

And as we descend into the fifth floor, we find ourselves in another home of the Undead.

「... Koooh.」

「b.u.moooh...」

They are Rank 4 Undead, even stronger than the Rank 3 Undead that appeared on the fourth floor.

A skeleton warrior with its entire body dyed red by the blood of its victims, a Red Skull. An Orc Zombie that has even more brute strength than when it was alive. A Zombie that can use magic even after it has become Undead, a Lesser Lich.

And finally, a Living Armor that bears the hatred of the dead, moving around even though n.o.body is wearing it.

「Koooh.」

「Ah, thanks. Excuse us.」

However, like the Undead on the fourth floor, these Rank 4 Undead move close to the wall to open the way for Bocchan.

「Ah, stop, Bone Monkey, Bone Wolf. I have a feeling there are traps on the floor.」

The only obstacles in our way are the traps set in the Dungeon. However, with Bocchan’s【Danger Sense: Death】, we can detect and disarm them.

「I feel death in that wide s.p.a.ce on the floor, so it’s probably a pitfall? If I make a Golem and cover the floor, we should be fine.」

He makes a Golem from the wall and covers the floor with it, nullifying the trap. This method of dealing with traps is only possible for Bocchan.

「Well then, shall we continue?」

We discover even more treasure chests on this fifth floor than the fourth floor, and attain a number of treasures.

And then we open a conspicuously large door to find an enormous room in which a very powerful monster has been waiting.

It is a Skeleton General, over two meters tall, wearing golden armor. It is holding an axe that could easily cut a cow in half, and a s.h.i.+eld as st.u.r.dy as a castle wall.

It is so impressive that it is difficult to believe its body is made of only bones; it is enough to send a chill down a spine that I do not possess.

And around the Skeleton General are ten suits of Living Armor, like knights serving their master.

『This must be a Dungeon Boss.』

According to Darcia-sama, who has just awakened, Bosses always appears in a Dungeon.

Bosses that appear at the bottom floor are particularly difficult to defeat compared to Bosses that may appear on other floors.

「Ooooh...」

「Thank you for your courtesy. Eh? You’re giving that to me? That’s helpful, but is that really alright?」

But like the other Undead we have encountered so far, not only does the Skeleton General let us pa.s.s, but he also offers the sharp-bladed axe and s.h.i.+eld in its hands in his devotion to Bocchan.

「I feel bad for receiving a weapon and s.h.i.+eld for free, so I’ll give you this in return.」

Bocchan retrieves a battleaxe and large s.h.i.+eld from inside the carriage and hands it to the Skeleton General. They are among the better-made items that the bandits were using, but they are not Magic Items. They are normal equipment made of metal.

「Just these won’t quite do, so...」

With that, Bocchan produces a large amount of Mana from his body. It takes great effort to not have my consciousness swept away by its pressure. Bone Bird stops flying and falls onto the ground.

Right before my eyes, Bocchan’s Mana is poured into the battleaxe, the large s.h.i.+eld, and also the Skeleton General and Living Armors.

「OOOOH!」

The Skeleton General trembles in pleasure as its white skull is dyed black, and the Living Armors begin to emit a sinister aura.

『Bocchan, it seems they have ranked up... Just what have you done?』

「I just used【Enhanced Bloodshed】and【Energy Absorption】with about ten thousand times more Mana than usual... Why is that? Maybe Death-Attribute Magic is just too compatible with Undead. Next time I’ll try it on Bone Man and the others.」

If he can cause monsters to rank up by expending 100,000 Mana, it will be easy for Bocchan, who possesses over 100,000,000 Mana, to strengthen his followers; this is a wonderful discovery.

「I’ll try making Living Armor when I get my hands on some good armor, too. Bone Man can’t equip metal armor, after all.」

Because Bone Man’s body is made of only bones, he can equip flexible armor like leather armor, but he cannot wear metal armor. It is too large for him as he has no flesh, and the armor would s.h.i.+ft around too much and get in the way as he moves his body.

Because of that, we cannot use metal equipment except for s.h.i.+elds.

The nearby Skeleton General is wearing full plate armor made of metal, but he is a high-rank monster; there is surely some trick behind that.

But rather than trying to figure it out, it is more important for me that Bocchan is planning to make more new Undead.

『Bocchan, if you are planning to do this, please use my daughters. I believe if you were to give them bodies, they would be able to speak as they did when they were alive.』

I think that it would be pitiful for my daughters to be spirits with the appearance of burnt corpses forever, so I take this chance to request that Bocchan uses them.

『Saria and Rita were just maids, so they do not know how to handle weapons, but they can do housework. They are not professional chefs, but they can cook basic things.』

Bocchan blinks and falls silent, and then gives me a reply:「Alright.」

「But this is only going to happen if I get some good armor, so I think you’re going to have to wait a while. I can’t go into towns to buy some, and most bandits wear leather armor.」

『I understand. Thank you very much, Bocchan.』

I do not know how many months or years it will be, but the day may come where this father and his two daughters can talk to each other like they once did. That is enough hope for me.

However, it seems that wish will be granted sooner than expected. Behind the door past the Skeleton General is a treasure storage room containing about as much treasure as the amount that we have already collected so far.

Inside there are two sets of「good armor」that Bocchan wanted.

『Oh, if this isn’t another Magic Item!』

Suits of metal armor with Mana imbued in it. They are designed for female use; where other suits of armor are usually unrefined in shape, these suits of armor have elegant curves and there are decorations embedded into them.

A non-adventurer such as myself would have no idea just what kind of magic is imbued in these or what kind of ability they have, but I do know that they are beautiful suits of armor.

『Bocchan! Please make my daughters into Living Armors using this!』

「... I just want to make sure, you’re alright with this? With these suits of armor? Are you really sure?」

For some reason, Bocchan seems dissatisfied. As I reply,『Of course』, he looks at the armor again with half-closed eyes and whispers.

「... No matter how much this is a fantasy world, I didn’t expect there to be suits of armor shaped like high-leg leotards and bikinis.」

『High-leg leotards? Bikinis? Is this what armor of this shape is called on Earth?』

「No, they’re swimsuits... I wonder if there are swimsuits in this world. Well, I suppose it’s fine. Now that I think about it, it’s not worth hesitating over.」

And so Bocchan places Saria in the armor that he referred to as a high-leg leotard and Rita in the one he called a bikini, pours Mana into them and successfully creates Living Armors.

Unexpectedly, the required amount of Mana was over ten times that needed to create Stone Golems, but I am grateful that my daughters have received new bodies.

However, this treasure storage room is a dead end; there is no staircase that continues to the next floor. It seems that this Dungeon is only five floors deep.

Our first Dungeon expedition is finished, and the Skeleton General sees us off as we return the way we came.

On the way back, I crush more Goblins that attack us and attain one of our original goals in coming here – I have now evolved into a Rank 3 Ghost Carriage, which is a happy event.

The most difficult battle I faced in this Dungeon was that with the stairs that I had to go up and down. Bocchan turned them into Golems and made them into a steep slope that I forced my way up and down, but it was rather difficult. I had Bone Monkey and Bone Bear support me when I went down them, and push me when I climbed up.

Now that I have attained the【Rough Road Travel】skill, it is no longer a problem. I wonder why skills are obtained just when the time you need them most is already over.

Today’s spoils:

Rank 2 Magic Stone x14 Goblin Archer arrow x47 Giant Frog hind leg x16 Poison Frog hind leg x5 Dagger Finch beak x9 2nd-grade Potion x2 3rd-grade Potion x7 Iron knife (weak Mana) x3 Iron dagger (weak Mana) x4 Buckler made of unknown material (moderate Mana) x1 Steel broadsword (weak Mana) x1 Round s.h.i.+eld made of unknown material (moderate Mana) x3 Tower s.h.i.+eld made of unknown material (moderate Mana) x1 Longsword made of mysterious metal (moderate Mana) x1 Steel spear (weak Mana) x3 Chainmail (weak Mana) x1 Half-plate armor made of mysterious metal x1 Claymore made of mysterious metal (moderate Mana) x1 Glaive made of mysterious metal (moderate Mana) x1 Halberd made of mysterious metal (moderate Mana) x1 Steel battleaxe (weak Mana) x1 Skeleton General’s fine battleaxe (slightly weak Mana) x1 Skeleton General’s fine kite s.h.i.+eld (slightly weak Mana) x1 Various accessories (weak ~ moderate Mana) x many

Normally, we would also receive income from the proof that we killed the monsters, but because we are not adventurers, that is impossible for us.

Name: Sam Rank: 3 Race: Ghost Carriage Level: 3

Pa.s.sive skills:     Spirit Body: Level 1 (NEW!) Spirit Body: Level 1 (NEW!) Superhuman Strength: Level 1 (NEW!) Rough Road Travel: Level 1 (NEW!) Impact Resistance: Level 1 (NEW!) Precise Driving: Level 3

Active skills:        Silent Steps: Level 1 (NEW!) High-Speed Travel: Level 1 (NEW!) Charge: Level 1 (NEW!)

Monster explanation:

【Ghost Carriage】

This is an Undead consisting of a spirit that had lingering regrets in this world and now inhabits a carriage as an evil spirit. Its appearance is that of a carriage driven by horse and coachman made of mist, but the main body of the evil spirit lies in the carriage itself; the horse and coachman are but a manifestation of its spiritual body.

Because of this, the only way to defeat it is to purify the evil spirit or destroy the carriage itself.

Its main method of battle is a ramming attack using the carriage, or rather, this is its only method of attacking.

However, depending on the type of carriage, there are some with armaments such as spikes attached.

Riding in it is usually impossible as they are often reckless, but if they are ridden, they are said to be very comfortable as they possess the Rough Road Travel and Impact Resistance skills.

As proof of defeating one, a carriage component with a Magic Stone is used. The raw material that can be obtained from it is the Mana-imbued carriage itself. It is seldom used as is, but when disa.s.sembled, its components have various uses.

To carry the carriage intact, one would need a horse or a carriage of his own.

Ghost Carriages are fundamentally rare monsters, and do not normally appear in Devil’s Nests. All known incidents of Ghost Carriage appearances that have occurred were stagecoaches of abandoned areas that have turned into Devil’s Nests.

Sam has attained Precise Driving and Silent Steps, which Ghost Carriages cannot normally attain, with the acquisition of the former being due to Sam being a professional coachman during his lifetime and the latter from moving around stealthily since becoming an Undead.

Thus, he has more skilled movements than normal Ghost Carriages and can move around very quietly.

Skill explanation:

【Spirit Body】

This is a skill that allows half-materialization of the soul or spirit, something that does not normally exist physically. The materialized spirit body is visible to the eye and can be touched physically. Though physical attacks do affect the spirit body, over two-thirds of their effects are nullified. Attacks using Magic Items or consecrated weapons are effective.

There are various ways to use the half-materialized spirit body; lower-level use extends to only using it to connect bones in place of cartilage. Just by attaining the skill, one can use it to replace muscle that has rotted and fallen off in order to strengthen the body, or decayed fur and scales in order to improve defense.

To give an example, Bone Bird’s materialization of its spirit body over its bone wings allows it to generate the lift required for flight, and it can fire parts of the spirit body as projectiles. Another example is Sam, who has now increased in rank to become a Ghost Carriage, who can use his spirit body to take the shape of a horse to increase the carriage’s horsepower.

Yet another example is how the Skeleton General wears his metal armor; the s.p.a.ce between the bones and the armor is filled by its spirit body.

Another application of this skill is to manipulate the spirit body without materializing it to have it crawl under another person’s skin or penetrate walls.