Kays Translations

Chapter 77: Giant Magic Stone

"What a gigantic magic stone..."

"I've never seen one this size before..."

The ones who were particularly surprised were Eto and Annemarie.

Living in the magic stone-producing area and dealing with magic stones daily, seeing a size like this for the first time probably meant it was likely the world's largest.

"Moreover, this one is a non-attribute, right, in terms of color...?"

The attributes of magic stones are determined by their color, and the magic power content is indicated by the vividness and transparency of the color.

The more vivid and transparent, the higher the magic power content. Conversely, if the color is dull and murky, the magical power content is low.

In this world, it's common knowledge even for children that when the color becomes murky, it's time to replace the magic stone.

"Yes. If it were a light attribute, it would be even whiter."

As Isamu mentioned, the embedded magic stone was somewhat cloudy like frosted glass, but the stone itself had no color. Being colorless and transparent is a characteristic of a non-attribute magic stone.

"But it's quite cloudy. Seems like the magic power is almost gone..."

Eto, who examined the magic stone from various angles, reached this conclusion.

"Shall we take it as a trophy? Fortunately or unfortunately, since the magic tools are not functioning due to magic power depletion, removing it should be safe."

"Yes, indeed. Even if the magic power is depleted, this size is considerably valuable. Not only as a research material but also for its value as an art piece. As a daughter from the land of non-attribute magic stones, I can't overlook it."

Hunss, nodding in agreement, and Annemarie, with a rough breath, also expressed consent. It seemed that their excitement was at its peak during this archaeological exploration.

"However, for a magic stone of this size to be inside, there was no particular security on this box."

"Now that you mention it... The magic power for the opening and closing magic tools was depleted, so it didn't open, but when this facility was still alive, anyone could open it."

"Maybe it was a place where few people came, or perhaps it was a place where no one would steal... Well, thinking about it won't change anything."

With a small shake of his head, Isamu switched his thoughts and reached out again to the giant magic stone.

"Now, once we collect this and check the third underground floor, should we call it a day?"

"Yes, it's about time to head back."

As Isamu removed the giant magic stone from the console, Felix agreed.

Carefully storing the removed magic stone in a bag, they descended the stairs to the third underground floor without returning.

There, it was the same structure as before, but the width of the corridor and the spacing of the slits seemed wider.

"...It doesn't change much, but the corridor seems a bit wider, doesn't it?"

"Yes. Also, the size of the floor itself might be larger."

At Isamu’s question, Felix aimed the lantern toward the depths of the corridor.

"On the previous floor, I faintly saw a wall just where the light reached, but on this floor, I can't see it."

It seemed that the size of the floor itself had increased.

"Tomorrow, we'll start from this floor. With the increased size, it might take more time."

Isamu answered with a wry smile. It seemed that the intuitive limit for exploring a floor in a day was up to this layer.

Thinking that it would be good if they could confirm the range that could be explored in a day until the last day of exploration, they headed back.

On that night's debriefing, the Klaufeldt couple, who saw the giant magic stone, were also wide-eyed.

"...It seems like Isamu-dono is cursed to make a major discovery every time he dives?"

Selfers muttered with a wry smile.

"If you say that, isn't it a blessing? It might be Orhime-chan's blessing unexpectedly? Right, Orhime-chan?"

Perhaps resigned to the situation, Nicolette said while gently stroking the dozing Orihime.

"But this is an impressive cut... While small things are sometimes beautifully cut, I've never seen something so large cut so finely."

Willem took the giant magic stone, shining light on it while expressing admiration.

The term "cut" refers to the process of shaping a magic stone by shaving it down.

Unlike Earth's gemstones, cutting is rarely done for aesthetic reasons. The main focus is to create a size and shape suitable for incorporating into magic circles.

This is because the size of a magic stone is directly linked to the amount of magic power it contains. Cutting it would reduce its capacity.

Especially for larger stones, which are more valuable, they are rarely cut to preserve as much magic power as possible.

While they may look like gemstones, magic stones are not precious metals; they are treated as fuel.

However, there are exceptions to everything. In the case of high-value magic tools that prioritize appearance, there are instances where cut magic stones are used lavishly.

From the perspective of this world's common sense, having a magic stone of this size neatly cut is quite unusual.

The appearance of a cleanly cut hexagonal prism base and top with an attached hexagonal pyramid looked like crystals from a certain famous RPG, as seen through Isamu’s eyes.

And the next day, they headed to the limited area from morning.

By the fifth day of exploration, they were quite used to it, and they descended to the third underground floor in less than half a day.

As Felix predicted, this floor seemed larger than the previous ones.

To be precise, the area had gradually expanded each time they descended by one floor, but now the increase in size was sudden.

"Looks like there's a bit more room in the construction, after all."

While continuing the exploration by repeating locks after three errors, Isamu expressed his impressions.

"Yes, indeed. Since the intervals are wider, if this was a living space, as Isamu-san said, this floor probably has larger rooms."

Walking beside Isamu, Annemarie picked up the conversation.

Since the middle of the previous day, Annemarie had also participated in the password unlocking game. By the way, Isamu was the type to input the same password every time, while Annemarie changed it based on intuition each time.

As they progressed like that, Felix, leading the way, sent a hand signal to "stop," creating tension among them.

Where Felix had stopped, the walls on both sides disappeared, forming a crossroad-like shape.

On the right, a wider corridor extended than the one they came from, and on the left, a considerably long distance had no wall. Straight ahead, it turned into a corridor again.

"The left side seems to have turned into a plaza. Quite spacious." 

Felix returned and explained the situation while observing.

"A plaza at this point... If our assumption that this is a residential area is correct, is this what they call an entrance or lobby...?"

"Should we investigate?"

"Yes, that's a good idea. Since it's this spacious, we should be cautious; there might be monsters around."

Isamu nodded in response to Felix's suggestion.

The monsters they had encountered inside the ruins so far had either inhabited these larger areas or emerged from nearby expansive spaces. A plaza of considerable size deserved attention.

"Come with me, Liddell. Be ready to cast magic at any time. Isamu-dono and the others, please follow a bit behind with Mizeroi."

"Understood."

"Got it."

Following Felix's instructions, Felix and Liddell advanced toward the plaza.

"Nya."

Hitherto, Orihime, who either peeked her face out or slept in the backpack, jumped down from the backpack and landed on Felix's shoulder as he walked.

"Huh!! S-Sensei!!! Are you coming with us!?"

Felix was momentarily wide-eyed but quickly returned to a serious expression.

"Nya."

"Thank you so much!"

However, Felix's cheeks remained relaxed, and there was no tension in his response. Carrying Orihime on his shoulder, they walked about twenty steps into the plaza, where Eto noticed something.

"Hmm? What's in front? One on each side... Statues or something?"

Isamu and the others also stopped and focused on what Eto was pointing at. As Eto tried to direct the lantern toward the indicated direction, small red lights flickered in the darkness.

Four on each side, a total of eight red lights slowly blinked several times.

"The eyes of the statues lit up? No, they're moving!!"

As Eto shouted, a clattering sound occurred, and the red lights moved into the air.

Mizeroi opened the lantern to its maximum brightness and revealed large spider-like monsters with glowing red eyes, leaping at Felix and Liddell.

"Rock Fist!"

First, Liddell spontaneously cast the prepared magic. Fist-sized stones flew toward the monsters and hit them. The monsters were blown away, making a dull sound.

The blown-away monsters, despite being somewhat dented, landed safely in mid-air. Although they seemed damaged, they didn't appear to be fatally wounded.

"Shh!!"

On the other side, Felix, dodging the leaping monster, unsheathed Felis I Enhanced and slashed its leg.

A hard sound echoed around as the monster's leg was cut halfway. Feeling the danger, the monster also jumped backward, putting some distance between them.

"It's tough! Even with the Enhanced model, it won't cut through completely!"

Felix shouted loudly.

"Understood!"

"Leave it to us!"

Liddell and Mizeroi, each unsheathing their Enhanced models, responded.

With each lantern increasing its brightness and placed on the floor, the full figure of the monsters was finally clearly visible.

While the shape resembled the Rigid Spider encountered before, it was about twice as large. The differences included having only four legs and an exoskeleton that was ashy brown and not very bumpy.

Above all, their strength was on a different level. The Rigid Spider had a hard surface resembling rocks, but even Felis I Enhanced could cut through it, and it didn't move as quickly.

"Liddell and Mizeroi, take care of that one! I'll draw the attention here, so support me when you're done!"

"Understood!"

"Leave it to us!"

The three knights, accustomed to battle, quickly decided on a strategy and put it into action.

"Rock Fist!"

First, Liddell cast the same Rock Fist as before to distract them. Due to being struck in a fan shape, the monsters sought refuge in the air.

Seizing the opportunity, Mizeroi jumped in, slashing down from above and slamming one of the monsters to the ground.

Thunk!

The monster that was slammed into the ground, shedding its exoskeleton, rolled around. Cracks appeared everywhere, and its legs bent at odd angles.

Chasing after it, Liddell ran in and thrust her sword. The monster, struggling and flailing its legs in an attempt to repel the attacks, eventually ceased moving.

After observing it warily for a while, once it turned into smoke and disappeared, Liddell looked toward Felix to head for backup.

Then, there was Orihime who was toying with the monsters with her brilliant steps, and the vice-captain who took advantage of the gap and happily landed an effective blow.

"Nyaa" Gakin! "Nyafu" Gigin! "Nyaoo" Buggi!

"Wow! That's amazing! As expected of you, sensei, that's a great step!"

After slashing several times, Felix succeeded in cutting off two of the monster's legs, and the monster finally fell to the floor.

At that moment, a massive shadow descended from above while Felix was about to swing his sword down on the fallen monster.

With a thud, Mizeroi crushed the monsters with both feet, thrusting her sword into them. After stabbing the sword several times and fiercely turning around with a demonic expression, she shouted. 

"Felix! Who said you could have all the fun with Orihime-sensei!?" 

The wide space echoed with Mizeroi's scream, and the battle came to an end.

Despite Mizeroi's considerable anger, Orihime, perched on her shoulder, licked her cheek as if to say "Good job," and Mizeroi seemed to forget everything about the recent battle.

"That was a monster I've never seen before. A subspecies of the Rigid Spider, perhaps?" 

Liddell, while checking his sword for any damage, spoke to Felix.

"I don't know..., but it seemed like it was guarding this place. Well, Well there isn’t sufficient information on monsters in restricted areas. We'll have to increase our adaptability as we delve into the ruins more seriously in the future."

"That's true. We were taken by surprise because it was our first encounter; it won't happen when now we’ve faced them once."

"That's the idea."

The knights spoke encouraging words to each other, anticipating the upcoming exploration of the ruins.

Confirming that there were no monsters besides the two defeated ones, the group began exploring the plaza again. However, soon, everyone gathered in one place.

"It was the entrance after all..."

Isamu said this as he faced three slits in the wall that seemed to be double doors.

Politely, the slits were placed a step higher, with a stage-like structure resembling a kamaboko cross-section.

In front, there were three steps, and both sides were sloped. Was there a consideration for barrier-free access?

"Hmm, even though it's so obvious, we can't find anything like a control panel."

After about 30 minutes of examining the walls around the slits by everyone, they couldn't find a control panel cover like before. The door had burn marks and small scratches as usual, but there were no signs of it having been opened.

"Since there's no way there's nothing in such a mechanism, let's check the floor last... Can you all lightly tap the floor with the stone tips of your spears or the swords still in their sheaths? If the sound is different, there might be something."

In response to Isamu’s request, everyone nodded, and they began tapping the floor one by one.

Soon, they found it.

"...I never thought the staircase itself would double as a magic device container."

As Eto said with a wry smile, the top step of the staircase, which had become a stage, opened, and a magic circle emerged from below.

It was a considerably large magic circle, so it took some time for Isamu to confirm. After about 10 minutes, a loud voice erupted from Isamu.

"Haaaah?! Required magic power 2ffffuuuuuuuuu?! 200,000 magic power, isn't that excessive inflation?!" 

It was a literal roar in response to the astronomical required magic power displayed, the only thing they could read so far.

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