Okami Wa Nemuranai

They crossed two mountains before arriving at Golbul.

Along the way, Lecan was made into a test subject in Eda's learning the basics of <Recovery> under Nike's guidance.

Eda kept casting <Recovery> over and over as if she had an inexhaustible supply of mana. You get better at magic the more you use it. Since normally getting your dried up mana refilled takes time, the progression speed is not fast. In that regard, you can say that Eda is a bearer of a monstrous talent.

By the time they got to Golbul, Lecan's wounds have completely disappeared without a trace. And he's feeling abnormally fit. Probably thanks to Eda.

"Eda-chan. Lecan will pay all expense for our rooms in this inn."

"Is that true, Lecan?"

"Yea."

He can't exactly refuse here.

He's still got money from when he explored the dungeon last time. Lodging fees for <White Pavilion> are a really cheap price to pay for having his life saved and the curse and wounds inflicted on him completely cured.

"If it isn't Lecan-sama. Welcome to our humble abode."

"Manager. We'll be in your care again. Get me the room from last time, and rooms for two women near mine. I'm paying for everything."

"It's our pleasure to."

They had a meal in Lecan's room.

Nike guzzled down expensive wines one after another.

Lecan was drinking liquor.

Speaking of, Eda does not drink alcohol. He's never seen her drink. Apparently she tried taking a lick on wine a bit before and found it taste appalling.

Lecan woke up in the middle of the night.

He desires to go to the dungeon.

Strongly so.

He left <White Pavilion> and headed toward the dungeon.

Passing through a guard who was letting out a big yawn.

"Oy. Ain't that <Overlord in Black> just now?"

"Ah, yer' probably right."

"Aren't we supposed to contact captain if <Overlord> is headed to the dungeon or something."

"D'ya know where captain is drinking tonight?"

"I got one in mind, but it's a bit far."

"Let's just go to his lodging room and wake him up to report on this once our shift is over in the morning."

"Sounds good. Let's do that. Overlord is prob gonna prowl the depths anyway, he's not gonna be out for days."

Lecan proceeded inside.

Then he cast a spell.

"<Floor (Sijmel)>"

Floors that have been carved with <Marks> are displayed in his mind. He picked the last floor on the list, floor 26.

"<Warp (Palp)>"

A moment later, Lecan was on floor 26.

Apparently even humans who don't have mana can use this Floor Warp magic. It's an extremely weird little fact, but then again, dungeons themselves are lumps of mystery.

Relying on <Life Detection> and Map, he descended the floors while avoiding contact with enemy.

There was an explorer party on floor 27, but he carried on without getting in contact with them either.

And then, Lecan arrived at the bottommost floor.

<TLN: If you're reading this novel at any other site than Sousetsuka.com you might be reading an unedited, uncorrected version of the novel.>

Lecan stepped inside the lowest floor without <Guardian Jewel of Zana> equipped.

The last battle ended in a tie.

No.

He barely managed a tie and it was only after he received the protections of Guardian Jewel, so for all intent and purpose, it was his loss.

He's not saying that protections granted by accessories are not part of one's strength.

If he were, he would have to forgo fighting with swords and armor.

Getting stronger includes getting better equipment.

However, strength that fully relies on equipment is not true strength.

If one were to lose sight of that, they would be misled by accessories with convenient protections, heading toward a path of self-weakening.

Adding accessories' protections to your own properly honed strength is what makes strength.

This time Lecan will defeat that formidable foe with his own strength.

It's absolutely imperative for him to defeat this enemy that way.

'The me right now can do it', felt Lecan.

He advanced toward the central part of the floor.

The boss really is in the central part.

Lecan approaches the <Great Ogre (Ulgang)> without stopping.

It's sleeping like last time.

Shooting maximum powered <Flame Spear> at it will likely kill it. Or at least deals a fatal damage. But he hasn't come this far only to resort to such a cheap trick.

When he got 20 steps away from the ogre, Lecan spoke out.

"Get up."

The Great Ogre stood up.

The same as last time. An overwhelming intense force gets unleashed toward Lecan.

A shiver down his spine.

The real fight begins now.

Looking closer, it may be the same Great Ogre kind, but its appearance differs slightly from the last one, it's got a slightly slimmer profile and its fur is more yellow colored. But the intensity of its force remains the same.

The Great Ogre isn't moving.

Neither is Lecan.

Both understand that they're already in each other range by the time they're half a step away.

(The fight back then became a drawn out one because I didn't have an attack to decisively end it.)

(But this time.)

The Great Ogre raised both its arms up, putting strength into its fingers. Its ten fingernails emitted dim lights. It has activated a skill. Right now the sharpness of those fingernails rivals that of Sacred Solid Silver swords.

The Great Ogre rushed off without any signal, and perceiving that, so did Lecan. No, perhaps they rushed off at the same time.

Lecan is focusing at a single point on the Great Ogre's throat.

This sensation wasn't present last time.

His body is telling him where to make a thrust.

An instant later, the two crossed paths, with Lecan's sword pierced through the Great Ogre's throat.

It's just as he thought.

<Puncture> skill greatly increases his attack power and accuracy whenever he launches a thrust.

This is the decisive finishing strike for Lecan.

And it's been proven in this rematch against Great Ogre.

In a fight between two individuals of equal skills and strength, the deciding factor is a superlative finisher. As a swordsman, magic is nothing more than a support to Lecan no matter how powerful it is. This is the moment where Lecan obtained that deciding factor.

A treasure chest spawned as the Great Ogre vanished.

He opened it.

There's a dagger inside.

Appraisal.

It's <Dagger of Harut>.

Its effect is Curse Annulment.

Most curse won't have any effect on you if you have this dagger equipped.

In case you still get afflicted by a curse however, the dagger will suck the curse out of you if you use it to wound yourself.

"Wish I had this on our way there."

"Good morning."

"Aa, morning. Is Lecan awake already?"

"I have been entrusted with a letter from Lecan-sama."

"Hee?"

"What's wrong ssuka? What's in the letter ssuka?"

"....Eda-chan."

"Yes?"

"Lecan has gone back ahead to Vouka."

"Eeeeeeh?"

"Looks like he paid for our rooms already."

"Ah, then all's good ssu."

"Go enjoy your shopping before getting back, he said."

"Come at me ssu."

"Congratulations."

"Hee? What is this about?"

"Lecan-sama has conquered the dungeon for a second time."

"Eh?"

"Lecan-sama came back before dawn this morning and quickly took his leave. Right afterward, magic beasts inside the dungeon disappeared, causing a commotion over the second conquer of the dungeon."

"...Hee."

"And this is nothing more than a prediction of mine."

"What is?"

"I believe that town lord-sama's envoy will soon arrive here."

"We've got nothing to do with Lecan. Can you leave it at that."

"With all due respect, that would prove most difficult."

"Why's that?"

"As Nike-sama and Eda-sama were also present in the reception party sponsored by lord-sama the other day."

"Oh right."

Nike tore up the letter and threw it away

"That little."

"What? What? What's happening here?"

"Eda-chan."

"Yes?"

"For now, let's go grab some food."

"Yes. Agreed ssu."

Lecan kept running while chugging Stamina Recovery medicine Shira made.

He arrived right as the town gate opened.

This early in the morning, even Adventurer Association isn't open yet.

He got back to Shira's house, greeted Jericho, had a light meal he took from <Storage> and made his way to Adventurer Association.

The association is full of busy adventurers competing for good job. Yet as Lecan walked toward the receptionist desk, those adventurers receded opening him a path, as if they were scared of Lecan.

"Ah, Lecan-san. Welcome back."

"Aira. I owe you one for that time during our departure. You have my thanks."

"Please don't mention it. It was a huge blunder on our part to let that happen inside the association as well."

"We completed the quest and got the promised rewards for all three."

"I'm glad to hear that. Could I have a moment of your time."

Aira took Lecan behind a cover and said this.

"The temple is looking for Eda-chan. And the way they're going at it is not normal. It's as if they're exhausting every possible means to track her down. Do you have any idea as to what may have caused it?"

[Episode 10 Zaikaz Company] End/ Next [Episode 11 Ceres Temple]