Level Eater

Chapter 216

Level Eater

After discussing the groupings, they were divided into the following groups:

First Group: Tatsuro & Ai

Second Group: Cardina, Nana & Leah

Third Group: Jeanne

Fourth Group: Athena

To explain how this came about, regarding the first group...

"Father and Mother should be together. They can strengthen each other, and they'd be worried if separated."

"That's right. That way, we can be at ease too."

"That's true. I won't have to worry about whether Ai is alright."

"And I won't have to worry about whether Tatsuro is alright."

With the [Perfect Harmony +1] effect, and their ability to cover both magic and physical aspects at a high level, the balance was good.

Above all, being able to protect each other up close was mentally reassuring.

For these reasons, the first group was quickly decided.

For the second group, although Leah's weapon development had progressed considerably, her physical abilities, even with status enhancements, were insufficient against monsters at this dungeon level.

Therefore, leaving Leah alone was out of the question.

When deciding who to pair her with, they chose Nana, who got along well with her and could handle both the front line and recovery, as well as status enhancement and enemy containment.

However, depending on the monster's characteristics, it might still be dangerous.

So Jeanne, who like Athena was eager to participate alone, was assigned to the third group.

Athena, who was the first to suggest fighting alone, was put in the fourth group.

The remaining Cardina was capable of solo combat, but her ability to assess situations through dispel magic was also useful in group battles.

Therefore, Cardina was asked to join the second group with Nana and Leah.

"Now that the groupings are done, let's establish the most important rule."

"A rule?"

"Yeah. First and foremost, your own life is the top priority. Clearing the dungeon comes second. So if you feel it's dangerous, you can run away immediately. I plan to do the same. While we want to clear it, it's not worth risking anyone's life. So if you think you can't win, don't be stubborn - just run. Understood?"

"Yes"

"Peewee"

"Neigh"

"Yes"

"Yes"

"Roger"

Tatsuro looked into each person's eyes, and after confirming his message had gotten through, he nodded.

Just as Tatsuro was about to say they should get going now that the important things had been said, Leah raised her hand to indicate she wanted to express an opinion.

"Yes, Leah?"

"Well, since monsters don't appear in this place, it's a rare space where we can relax, isn't it?"

"Hey, Dungeon. Do monsters come out here?"

[Not unless you enter through the doors~]

"So that means it's a space where we can finally get some proper sleep?"

"Yes. Since the difficulty increased, we couldn't really relax even in places that seemed safe..."

Near transition points to the next floor, monsters rarely appeared.

Everyone had thought this was true from experience.

However, it wasn't that they absolutely never appeared.

They had been ambushed during sleep several times, so their sleep was always light.

But this place had the Dungeon's personal guarantee.

While they weren't completely trusting, it had never lied before and had generally been fair in its dealings.

So Tatsuro thought it was okay to believe it.

"Also, since we'll be fighting in small groups this time, I want to upgrade our equipment by utilizing all the knowledge from my research so far to ensure we're fully prepared."

"Upgrade? What kind of things can you make?"

"Basically it's just enhancing existing equipment, but this time I want to create a staff for Tatsuro."

"My staff? So, is the research all complete?"

"No. The core aspects are still incomplete."

"But you're still going to make it?"

Nana posed the natural question to Leah, wondering if an incomplete item would be problematic.

Leah, seeming to understand this concern, immediately explained her thinking.

"That's why it won't be incomplete, but rather... let's say... something that's half-completed, excluding the core aspects."

"So even at half completion, it's still properly usable?"

"Yes. While it won't be as good as the perfect version I envision, even at half completion it surpasses existing staves. The current staff Tatsuro uses can provide some support effects, but it still can't keep up with its owner's level. However, if I can accurately translate my theory into reality, even at half completion it should somehow keep up with Tatsuro's level."

"Just hearing about it makes it sound like it'll be an amazing staff."

Currently, Tatsuro still uses a staff for magic, but since his level increased and he acquired many titles, his magical ability has improved so dramatically that he sometimes unconsciously performs the support functions that the staff should provide.

So while he uses it because it's convenient, frankly speaking, it has reached a point where he wouldn't be particularly hindered without it.

However, the staff Leah is proposing seems to be fully capable of adapting to Tatsuro's magical abilities, which exceed those of normal people.

While being careful not to show it on his face, he really wanted to try using it and looked at Ai with a serious expression.

Ai smiled and nodded in response.

"Well then, let's accept your offer. Besides, you're not just upgrading my equipment, but everyone else's and your own too, right?"

"Yes, of course. That should increase everyone's safety and chances of victory somewhat."

"Then I'll leave it to you. If there's anything we can help with, let us know. We'll help as much as we can."

"Understood. Then I'll rely on your help without hesitation."

"In that case, we won't challenge yet, but we'll stay here for a while."

[Please do~ It doesn't seem like any other parties can reach this far yet anyway~]

And so, they decided to prioritize equipment enhancement work while taking a break.

Days passed with everyone providing full support wherever they could while making sure Leah, who was busiest with the production work, got proper rest.

After successfully updating the existing equipment and several failed attempts, Tatsuro's staff was finally completed.

"Is that... a staff?"

"Rather than a staff, looking closely, it looks like a gun."

Looking at the staff (provisional) that Leah handed over, from a distance it certainly had a form that could be called a staff.

But looking at it up close, it was a gun with a trigger.

Moreover, it could only be described as a large rifle about 140 centimeters long with quite an imposing presence.

"Could you try holding it?"

"Sure. ...Hm. Not as heavy as it looks, but still a bit weighty."

"I tried my best to make it lighter, but prioritizing functionality resulted in this. Is it too heavy to swing around?"

Since Tatsuro hadn't received an explanation yet, he gripped the handle while being careful not to put his finger on the trigger, tried holding it horizontally with one hand, then tried running, jumping, and spinning with various movements.

If this was Tatsuro from his original world, holding it horizontally with one hand would have been quite difficult, but perhaps thanks to his increased level despite being a magic class, it was a manageable weight that he could handle sufficiently.

"No, it seems fine. I don't think this will be a problem."

"That's good then. Honestly, with my current technology, further weight reduction was difficult."

"By the way, why did you make Tatsuro's staff look like a gun?"

"Well, that's because when I asked about what image of attack came to mind for Tatsuro, the answer was a gun. Since Tatsuro primarily uses attack magic, and magic is heavily dependent on image, I thought about whether I could maintain staff functionality while reinforcing the image with an aggressive appearance, and this is how it turned out."

"Heh. So the staff's shape matters too."

"Well, what's most important is what's inside."

Leah joked with a relieved expression after successfully completing her work.

While the reason for it looking like a rifle was understood, it was still essentially a staff.

This led to a question forming in Athena's mind.

"So is that trigger just decorative? It seems like it can actually be pulled though."

"It's for setting the mood, isn't it?"

"Ah- Because the image is important, right!"

As Ai and others started interpreting on their own before the explanation, Leah hurriedly began her explanation.

"No, it's not decorative, it actually has a purpose!"

"What kind of purpose?"

"To explain its purpose, could you first try using magic without pulling the trigger?"

"Understood. I'll try it."

As Leah instructed, Tatsuro simply tried using magic as usual, thinking of it as just a staff.

"Yeah. It definitely feels easier to use magic than before."

"Oh, how pretty!"

While making twelve elemental spheres float and rotate in the air, he checked the behavior of each one.

Until now, when he wanted to concentrate on using a particular element, it was somewhat troublesome having to switch to that element's staff or hold multiple staves at once.

But with this staff, just holding this one seemed to make casting magic smoother than any staff he had used before.

However, he felt it wasn't quite as revolutionary as Leah had claimed when she said it would "surpass existing staves."

Though he tried to hide it, his subtle expression revealed this feeling, which Leah seemed to pick up on, but she maintained her smile.

"Now, could you try pulling the trigger just once?"

"Where should I point it?"

"Anywhere is fine. No bullets will come out of it."

"Understood."

While wondering what would happen, Tatsuro lowered his arm and pointed the muzzle down before pulling the trigger.

Then there was a sound like glass breaking, followed immediately by a whining sound like a PC starting up coming from the barrel.

Furthermore, blue light leaked from inside, beginning to dance as particles from the gaps in the barrel.

"What exactly is happening?"

"A sub-core of the magical brain has activated. Now, could you fire a strong spell in a direction where no one is present?"

"Got it. ...Huh!?"

Tatsuro pointed the barrel upward and released a thick laser toward the ceiling. Then, displaying magical control ability far beyond what was possible before, the magic was already being released exactly as imagined the moment he channeled magical power into the staff.

Both its power and precision clearly surpassed all previous staves.

The only drawback was that since it automatically handled even information processing, the behavior felt too fast and peaky for Tatsuro who was just starting to use it.

However, he felt that was just a matter of getting used to it with time.

"Amazing. Once I get used to this, I won't be able to use any other staff..."

"Hehe. Thank you."

With a confident smile that suggested Tatsuro's surprised face was the best reward possible, that's how Leah responded.