XVII

Solo

『S-Day +102』

『Dungeon Guild – Tabernae』

I awoke to an empty bed. Reaching over, I felt for any warmth of Alicia's presence, but found coldness. So early in the morning that she would do her little spy work, but it made sense as the darkness of the early morning would cover for her. My morning routine remained unchanged.

A switch for a 「Glow Stone」 lamp was flipped on to allow my eyes to adjust. The soft dim glow was not so harsh as to blind someone in a dark room. The room was even constructed with a switch to activate 「Bright Stones」. As expected of a 5 Aurei a day room. Aside from the small bathroom, the accommodations were quite comfortable. The communal rooms, however, were simply… lousy. Lots of lice.

Ick.

Just the thought of staying in such a place sent shivers down my spine. Or maybe that was the super duper fun curse I have.

Now that the room was lit, I could see there was a note and a scroll on the nightstand by the bed. The note confirmed she was going all sneaky beaky around the city and that the scroll was a duplicate magic scroll. She had also paid for another night in this room. I took the scroll and unrolled it, reading its contents. It took a bit to translate, but it was a 《Fireball》 spell. No idea how widespread these were, but if I could replicate it I could make a mint. I put it in my bag for now.

My Grimoire was nearly completing its last synthesis. The boots that I had decided on last night. I ordered other things as well, 2 more magazines each and 1 box each of ammo for my rifle and pistol. While the boots were being completed, I took out my rifle suppressor and a 「Silent Stone」. I was unsure if using tape was a good idea since the barrel and suppressor would get hot and melt the adhesive.

I could use leather and sew it into pouches. Maybe I could use my multi-tool and cut notches in the magic stone to fit on the rails. The issue with that is it would not be very secure. I decided to go with the pouch idea as that would be the easiest without harming the barrel. That reminds me, with all that shooting I need to purchase a gun cleaning kit. Expensive though.

Until the sun rose, I spent the morning making the pouch and waiting for the Grimoire to finish. I would just wait until tonight for the cleaning kit. When the pouch was completed, I tied it under the barrel, just forward enough to not interfere with the folded bipod.

The magazines were also loaded. I had thought about getting a vest to hold the spare magazines, but everything that I am carrying was already pretty heavy. The steel scale replacements for my armor already increased the weight by a few kilos.

It was already almost 10am. If I soloed a dungeon now, I would be finished around late afternoon. I can deal with last night's discovery as well as the new loot later tonight.

☘ ☘ ☘

『Labyrinth V』

Labyrinth IV was taken 2 hours before I had arrived at the lobby. The receptionist said that goblins and wild animals were spawned in the 5th level. When I arrived at the gate, the guards gave me an odd look. Probably because I was the only person entering instead of a group.

Now past the gates and at the barricades, I equipped my rifle and inserted both the 「Silent Stone」 and 「Mana Stone」. The fit was a bit snug and it would be somewhat difficult to removed, but that would be future me's problem. I confirmed the stone was working by snapping my fingers at the end of the barrel then screwed on the suppressor. And to prevent blowing my cover like last time, I chambered a round. The silent field did not reach the rear end of the rifle.

The tac-light that was attached to my pistol was removed and attached to my rifle on the side rail. The battery needed to be changed if I want to use the flashlight, but the laser should last long enough. Now that I was all set, I marched forward.

I collected and killed slimes as I moved until I reached a fork in the road. Left. I chose the left lane. The right was dark while the left still had torches lit. Dark bad; light good.

I wonder if there is night vision magic.

When the enemy was spotted, I saw they were some kind of wolf-like creature with a goblin riding on their backs carrying a torch. This lane gave a nice long straight path which made it easy to see them from a distance. Probably half a klick. I set my bi-pod and went prone after laying down a length of cloth.

I took aim at the clearest goblin and fired.

*pew*

Combined with the suppressor, the sound that was emitted sounded exactly like the hollywood stereotype silencers. The loudest part was the receiver ejecting a casing and loading a new round. While it appeared that the 2 goblins did not notice their companion getting sniped, the wolves did. Before I could let them do anything, I opened fire.

In the end, I had emptied my magazine and missed about 8 shots. I reloaded and collected my casings before heading over to deal with the bodies.

I arrived at the bodies and saw about 6 slimes already cleaning the area up. The area was illuminated with a red chem light that I took out and cracked. The brightness was between a 「Glow Stone」 and a 「Bright Stone」 leaning towards the 「Glow Stone」. The red color was easier on the eyes especially since I was relying on my natural night vision and the occasional torch in this dark corridor.

My Grimoire was summoned and 2 goblins were copied. I had to be careful to place them both on the page at the same time so they would not fall off. While it was copying, I collected the wolves with my magic bag. After the goblins were copied, I converted the last goblin and copied the wolf.

〈Copied: Worg ♂ +5 Skill Points〉

Or, you know, worg. Whatever. I was unsure if I should copy the last 2 or see if they are worth anything. I still had space and decided to hold on to it for now.

The goblins in the treasure chamber numbered 5 along with 3 worgs. I made sure to keep myself as hidden as possible while I set up the same way I had done earlier. The chem light was hidden into my armor. At least 1 worg was sleeping so I targeted the 2 worgs that were at attention. I carefully lined my shot on the 1st worg, aiming at the side of its head.

*pew*

A perfect headshot. This alerted the worg and awoken the sleeping worg. It took 3 shots to kill the 2nd worg which yelped as it died, alerting the goblins. The laser light helped, but it also gave away my position. The worg saw the point source of the laser and charged. It ran in a straight line which made it an easy target. I opened fire.

Once the last worg was killed, the goblins became fearful and were easy to pick off. Though I had to be careful that my shots did not hit the treasure chest. After reloading, I collected the casings and cloth. I then took out my active chem light and threw it close to the exit of the 2nd lane. As I moved into the chamber, I kept my rifle trained at the light.

I collected the bodies as I made my way toward the treasure chest. My hand was placed on the parchment while I still kept my eye on the 2nd lane. When I heard the click of the lock, I tore my attention away from the exit and looked into the chest. The loot I had received was…

“A pair of fucking work boots… really?!”

I threw the boots into my bag and took out my potions. Disappointment and bitterness covered my face as I took the time to drink each potion. Once I finished the last potion, I left through the 2nd lane. The chem light led my way out with the help of wind magic pushing it. Aside from slimes, there was nothing in this lane. I picked up the chem light and put it away so I could copy it.

When I made my way past the gates, the guards took notice of me and I think 1 of them had snickered after seeing me.

“Oi,” I called attention to the both of them, “either of you 2 know if goblin corpses are worth anything?”

The left guard rolled his eyes at my question. “Goblins can be sold for an aes each. 3 aeses if alive. Living ossians and beasts are used in the arenas.”

The fuck is an aes?

“Uh-huh, is that so? Okay then, what is a worg corpse worth?” I asked, hoping to hear a currency I was familiar with.

“Depending on quality… around 1 or 2 silver denarii. The pelt is useful for armor and the meat is dried, though it tastes gods awful.” the left guard answered, helpfully.

“Mhm, mhm. What about the frogs?” I asked, also hoping to hear a good value.

“Frogs?” the right guard asked.

“The what's-it-called, anuu… anos… anck su namun! No wait, that's not right. Anuross. Yeah, that's the one.” the odd naming scheme kept giving trouble as to what to call those things. “I have a bunch of dead ones.”

“Uh,” the left guard look at me with concern in his eyes, “the skin is useful and the meat on the arms and legs can be eaten. Because it tends to be tender meat, it can go for as much as 5 denarii. You didn't actually kill 1 did you?”

“Huh? No no, more like 20.” at my words, both guards became visibly shaken and both their jaws dropped for some reason. “So what creatures are actually valuable?”

“T-tauross, equoss, suidoss and scrofoss along with many more. The guild can give you a proper list along with a list of the various beasts that can be found here.” It took a moment for the guards to regain their composure before answering my question.

After thanking them, I made my way to the lobby.

☘ ☘ ☘

『Minervina's Chambers』

“Oh Naoki. Mmm. Yes, there, right there beloved! Oh my gods. Naoki. Naoki. Naoki!”

Princess Minervina lay in her bed naked. Her light olive skin glistened with beads of sweat. Her left hand cupping her perky breast with palm rubbing her erect nipple. Her right hand snaked between her legs with 2 fingers buried deep within her cunt. Fluid flowed outward as she moved both fingers in and out of her wet cunt. Each time her fingers would also rub against her clitoris causing spikes in her pleasure.

Moans filled the air as her fingers moved faster and faster. Her hand released her breast as it moved to grip the bedsheet. Her toes curled and back arced as her orgasm rippled throughout her body. Minverina bit her lip to surpress any scream she would give. She continued moving her fingers back and forth hoping to eke out another orgasm. Just enough to get her through the day.

Finally done with her self-pleasuring, she noticed her high servant, Salina, standing at the edge of the bed watching over her.

“Princess,” began Salina, “Everything requested has been collected. All the recipes dominus Naoki has given has been prepared and packed in the boxes that were also given. The carpenters have also crafted more of the same boxes.” After speaking, Salina offered her master a soft, wet cloth for cleaning.

Minervina stood on shaky legs and beckoned the girl to her. She took the cold cloth from her and wiped the sweat away from her face. The coldness felt refreshing on her reddened face. She handed the cloth back to Salina who then proceeded to wipe Minervina's body.

“Good, when the opportunity finally arises, we will be able to reunite with my beloved. I will be taking you with me and you will be given to Naoki as a dowry.” Minervina said as her hand cupped Salina's cheek, smearing fluid onto her skin. “You're excited are you not? To be able to taste Naoki's cock once more.”

“Yes princess.” Salina blushed as she remembered the last night Naoki had spent with Minervina. Throughout the entire day and night, each time Naoki had finished inside Minervina Salina would fellate Naoki helping him rise once more. Each time her mouth became filled with Naoki's cock, she would swallow as much of his semen and Minervina's fluids, enjoying the taste.

“Good girl.” Minervina said as she revealed Salina's breast and began to fondle each one. “They have grown larger. Naoki will enjoy you very much.”

“Thank you princess. This one is honored.”

“How goes Naoki's invention? Are the carpenters able to replicate his designs?” Minervina changed the subject to the crude flashlight Naoki had shown her. Before leaving, he left her an updated design that promised a more refined appearance and usage.

“Yes princess, the carpenters have little issue crafting the tube structure. We can purchase slaves to learn the process and begin manufacturing.” Salina reported. “This one would like to suggest using Umbria to operate the workshops.”

“You sly girl. You just cannot wait to have Naoki buried deep inside you, can you?” Minervina grinned at Salina's suggestion.

☘ ☘ ☘

『Dungeon Guild – Tabernae』

I returned to our room after visiting the lobby. The list of prices had to be purchased and it did confirm what the guard had told me. A live tauross was the most valuable and could fetch a price of 100 gold aurei. After I had received the list, I inquired about selling corpses. I was then led into a private room with 1 of the staff to assess whatever I had wanted to sell. The worker was confused when I had asked him to leave the room so I could retrieve the corpses without revealing my magic bags.

Only 1 of each was sold for now, a goblin, ork, frog and worg. I needed to find out if it was worth selling or converting straight into stored mana. Before leaving, I used the money I had gained for some food.

The room was empty when I walked inside. After locking the door, I checked around the room for any evidence of intruders. A fancy… ish room like this would surely attract unsavory characters. Satisfied that no one entered, I removed my armor and clothing and took a nice hot bath.

I took out my Grimoire after getting out of the bath to check some of the loot I gained. As useful as it was, I hated using the encyclopedia due to the fact that it was impossible to sort through it. Unlike the shop which had a search function and categories, the encyclopedia did not. It was fine when it considered me owning 100 items, but now that has gone into the 1000's.

Figurative hours were spent flipping through pages until I was able to find the 1st item I had been ignoring.

Shield of Judgment:

When infused with mana, reflect a small amount of damage to the attacker.

The shield was taken out from my magic rucksack and inspected. Above the arm loops were 4 small loops and below were 6 small loops. Each loop was made with leather. Aside from being uselessly unsortable, the encyclopedia only gave generic or, at best, minorly useful information.

Suffice to say, I had no fucking idea what the small loops are for. I made a guess that it used a 「Mana Stone」, but did it need 10 stones? Would other types of magic stone work? As I inserted a 「Mana Stone」 and 「Water Stone」nothing happened. Visually at least. I removed the magic stones and put the shield away.

Scepter of Fast Casting:

Increases User's spell casting speed. Increases spell projectile speed.

The scepter was a light brown color and made of a hardwood. The scepter head appeared as if it were claws grasping a light red orb. Holding it in my hand, I fed it a small amount of mana. I felt nothing obvious happening and ceased feeding it mana. I then stood up while looking around the room for a suitable test target.

On the table, I placed 2 clay cups. I aimed a small gust at a cup enough to tip it over. Mentally taking note of how long it took to cast, and how long it took to travel, I picked up the scepter and cast the same spell. While the casting time did not feel any different, the travel time appeared to be slightly faster. I would figure this out later inside the dungeon. I sat back down and flipped through my Grimoire.

Mana Stone Recharger:

Place 1 「Mana Stone」 to recharge at an increase rate.

This would be useful. Although I have not run into any problems with 「Mana Stones」 running out of power, it would be useful to recharge spares. A problem I did notice was that when I placed a 「Mana Stone」 into the magic chest, it would sometimes take up a single slot. I circumvented this by putting it in a bag with other magic stones. There was, unfortunately, no way to tell how much charge was left in each stone.

Boots of Swiftness:

Wearer receives a small movement speed increase.

It looked almost identical to my work boots. These boots also had the steel-toe reinforcement. Alicia could use these since she is probably running around the city with her camera. If trouble were to come along, she could speed away. Not sure if it would fit her, though.

I went ahead and ordered the gun cleaning kit after converting enough 「Mana Stones」to afford it. While waiting, I boiled some milk in a clay bowl using fire magic and mixed in a ration bar to make a porridge. As I was eating, I heard the clacking of the door lock. I watched as Alicia walked through the door in an almost zombie-like state.

“...Hi onii-chan~… I’m back~…” she slurred as she flopped onto the bed. She had not quite made it as her lower body was hanging off the edge. I had been sitting on the floor looking over the magic items I had gained while eating when she walked in. My hand automatically reached out to flip over her skirt.

Red.

“Wait onii-chan, I’m exhausted and I need a shower. Are you going to take advantage of me while I can't move? Yo-you're so naughty onii-chan…” she said, stirring me.

My porridge was finished quickly and my shorts removed also quickly. I stood behind her and aimed myself carefully.

“Hold on, let me get wet first!” she screamed as I pressed myself forward. “Unf, fuck, oh god yes…” her screams turned to grunts turned to moans. She turned face to look at me while she was grabbing onto the sheets. “Slowly, fuck me slowly.”

I made shallow thrusts for a few minutes until the friction decreased. As her pussy became wetter, I was able to move deeper inside her. Each thrust became harder and longer as I finally buried myself fully. With a few more strokes, my orgasm reached. I fell atop her back snaking my hands to fondle her breasts while filling her with my cum.

“Okay, you got your rocks off, now help me take a shower. I still can't move my body.”

I helped carry her to the bath. Though the bath itself was unable to fit 2 people, the cleansing area afforded me enough space to clean her. She told me about her day as I scrubbed and massaged her sore feet and legs. Magic stones costs were 5 times that of Aventine and potions were 3 times the cost. She also had problems with guards and adventurers bothering her while she was doing spy work. They were quite rude.

Every time I put pressure on her muscle, she would moan lewdly. I could no longer take and moved between her legs. Even though she had dripped out much of my cum on the way to the bath, there was still enough inside her for me to slide in easily.

The hot water helped her sore muscles relax and she was able to walk back to bed. While she laid herself down, I relayed to her my day. She could not help buy laugh at my footwear dilemma. I got dressed and cleaned up my gear, preparing to head out for a bit. Alicia would watch over my Grimoire while I was out.

☘ ☘ ☘

It did not take long to find what I was looking for. I ran into a group of adventurers that sold me a 1 libra bag of wheat grain. They charged me 8 silver denarii for it which was much more expensive than usual. But because it was late at night and I did not want to travel all the way to the villa for some seeds, I was unperturbed at the increased cost.

Once I returned to the room, I could hear Alicia lightly snoring. I moved to where my Grimoire floated near the bed and sat down. While my Grimoire continued to synthesize, I started counting out and grouping the grains of wheat. Halfway through counting, the synthesis was complete. It seems there was a cap of 2 hours for a synthesis to occur. This was an unlisted feature.

Thanks devs.

I put aside the cleaning kit and brought the Grimoire close to me. A single kernel of wheat was picked up and dropped onto the page.

〈Error: Item Data Present in System〉

Right, I had already copied this.

2 grains were dropped.

〈Copied: 2 Wheat Kernels +5 Skill Points〉

This time I dropped 3 grains of various sizes.

〈Copied: 3 Wheat Kernels +5 Skill Points〉

Okay good, size doesn't matter.

I continued this until the entire bag of wheat was copied. Unfortunately, the tedious nature of copying a specific number of grains became too much to bear. I simply started dropping small handfuls at a time, gradually dropping larger handfuls. Whenever a handful was errored out, I would just add a single grain.

If my count was right, there should have been around 6,000 grains of wheat in this bag. That should net me around 550 skill points. However, I only managed 495 skill points. While this is a great exploit and an even greater way to farm skill points, it is absolutely mind breakingly tedious. I could probably do a slow pour next time.

〈Copied: Small Cotton Sack +5 Skill Points〉

I threw the bag into the Grimoire as well. This one was smaller than a cotton sack I had already copied. And with this done, I went to bed pressing myself against Alicia.

☘ ☘ ☘

『S-day +103』

『Labyrinth VI』

Alicia was still sleeping when I had woken up. I did my morning routine while she continued sleeping. Medicine, coffee, bath, food, sex with an unconscious girl. The usual. I left a note on the table for her and gave her a kiss before leaving.

When I met with the receptionist and requested Labyrinth VI, she explained that while Labyrinth V and below was meant for single parties Labyrinth VI and above's nature allowed multiple parties to participate. VI had 3 lanes with the middle and right already taken. It was also an unpopular lane due to its length and low amount of spawns. Perfect for me.

I arrived at the gate only to be stopped by the guards. Because I was alone, they kept dissuading me from entering.

“Do you wish to die?” asked the guard, annoyed that I would not take no for an answer.

“Yes.” I replied as I pushed them out of the way.

Inside the labyrinth at the fork were numerous guards ever vigilant for anything that would make its way out of the lanes. They had also stopped me in an attempt to dissuade me from going forward. In the corner of my eye I could see a group of adventurers watching as I argued with the guards and snickering before heading into the middle lane.

Finally making my way from the guards, I equipped my scepter and shield. Wind magic, electric magic, earth magic and mantra magic. These would be the skills I would focus on training. Not fire, though. I can still smell that warrior.

I stuck a new chem light at the front of the shield and looked into the poorly lit corridor. My body moved.

“Leeroy Jenkins~!”

☘ ☘ ☘

7 orks, 22 goblins and a fucking troll.

I went through 8 mana potions and 3 stamina potions fighting these annoying things. It got to the point that I was forced to use my pistol which had run out of bullets and had to rely on my sword. These goblins and orks also utilized archers which made the fights much more difficult, but thanks to my Shield of Judgment they had damaged themselves as well.

And for my trouble of making it to the treasure chest? A goddamn bag of 10 magic stones.

As I rested by the treasure chest and consuming a mana potion, a slime came toward me. I have no idea how many slimes I had killed and collected, but this one was different. Most would ignore me and look for corpses, which I had not yet picked up, but this one was aiming at me. When it moved close enough, I grabbed it. It was a bit large, but still small enough to hold with both hands. The most curious thing about it was that it was pink rather than green.

*squish* *squish*

I could not help but squeeze the slime in my hands. The softness of its body and the way it springs back into shape kept reminding me of something. I could not put my finger on what it was, however.

*squish* *squeeze*

It feels like Minervina.

*squish* *squish*

Oppai.

Softer than Minervina. It reminded me of someone else besides Minervina.

“Oppai healer.”

☘ ☘ ☘

『Maze VII』

“Achoo.” sneezed a young girl.

“Claritia, are you unwell?” asked a nearby adventurer.

“I-I am fine. It was probably just the dust.” the young girl answered.

“Is that so? Just mind your health, we are relying on you to keep us alive. If something were to happen to you, we would not last long in here.” said the adventurer. “By the way, how much food do we have left?”

“About 3 weeks. If we do not find the exit soon, we will need to search for edible ossians.” replied the young girl who was concerned about the amount of food remaining.

“I've gotten us out of worse problems. We'll be fine.” said the flag-raising adventurer.