novelraw Chapter 69 : Chapter 69
Chapter 69 : Chapter 69
Chapter 69. The Entrance to Hell (1)
No one could speak.
To say such a thing after seeing the massive beam of light I had shot.
'Just how strong is this fellow, Primus...'
Anonymous comforted me, saying that there must have been some mistake.
"Even if I had taken that last blow, I would not have avoided a critical hit. Perhaps some mistaken revelation has been sent down?"
"It's not a revelation. It's a foresight."
Noemi, still with a pained expression, continued.
"It's not just a matter of insufficient power. The sword is the problem."
"The sword?"
"Yes. When the final battle began, we pushed Primus relentlessly. In the end, Dad used the Aura Sword you just showed us. But the sword couldn't handle the Aura Sword and shattered, so it couldn't inflict a major blow."
She described the scene of the sword shattering in detail.
"Dad's sword broke in mid-air. The shattered pieces scattered in the darkness like glass. In that moment, Primus moved and..."
Noemi hesitated for a moment, then forced the words out.
"…everyone was annihilated."
The group fell silent.
Anonymous seemed to be thinking about something, then asked me to show her the sword.
She examined Ragnarok from various angles, observing it closely.
"Hmm. Its durability is in a very weakened state. How many times have you used such a big technique like the one just now with this?"
"I don't know. I don't count every single time I use a technique."
"With this, ten times will be the limit at most. The sword is screaming."
The sword is screaming?
Could it be that Ragnarok, like Anceps, is an ego sword with a consciousness?
Anonymous shook her head, explaining the difference between Anceps and Ragnarok.
"Most swords can't speak like ego swords. But this one is different. A masterpiece of this level may not be able to speak for itself, but it has its own personality."
"Are you saying you can hear it?"
"I'm not hearing it with my ears. I'm hearing it with my heart."
I took Ragnarok back from Anonymous and quietly closed my eyes.
But even now, with my power returned, I couldn't hear any voice.
'Is there a separate condition required? I can't hear anything.'
I opened my eyes and silently looked down at Ragnarok.
It looked fine on the outside, but to think it only had ten more uses at most.
Come to think of it, Ragnarok had almost never appeared on the front lines of PP.
Because the main characters of this game are the daughters, not me.
Also, due to his power being sealed, Frank rarely took this sword out from the underground storage.
'Carrying around a sword with precarious durability is tantamount to a suicidal act. What should I do about this?'
If I couldn't use Ragnarok, it would be like losing 30% of my combat power.
Even if I tried to use a technique, if the sword couldn't withstand it, it would be nothing more than a simple lump of iron.
I glanced at Anonymous and asked.
"Can't it be repaired? You're the craftsman who made Anceps, after all."
Anonymous shook her head, saying it wasn't that easy.
"A sword is a work that condenses the creator's individuality and skill. No matter how similar the skill level is, it can't be made exactly the same as before."
"Wouldn't it be possible for you?"
"I can do it to a certain extent, but I can't make it like new. On the contrary, if I fail, the sword might break."
She closed her eyes for a moment, lost in thought.
It had been a long time since I'd seen Anonymous look so serious.
Since becoming a slave, she had always shown a cheerful side.
Soon, her eyes flashed open, and her mouth opened at the same time.
"It's not that there's no way."
"What is it?"
"I could make a better sword than this. However, the necessary materials are formidable, so I can't make it for you right away."
She said that the following materials were needed.
"First, we need Durani steel. To make a sword of Ragnarok's caliber, it needs to have both the hardness to cut through rock and the flexibility not to break easily."
Rude chimed in with his knowledge.
"But Durani steel is an alloy produced only in the Durani Empire, so it won't be easy to obtain, will it? Still, if we can get it, it's as good as the best material. Isn't it famous for its fantastic beauty, with a unique wave pattern on its surface?"
"That's right. Anceps is also a sword made of Durani steel."
"I see. No wonder it was so sharp; so that's what it was."
Rude, with a surprised face, couldn't take his eyes off Anceps, which Adel was holding.
From the description alone, it seemed like Damascus steel was the motif, but in PP, users couldn't make weapons or armor themselves, so I don't know the details.
"How much of it is needed?"
"Usually, about one and a half times the final weight in raw material is needed. For the same length and weight as Ragnarok, we would need more than six kilograms. The steel is shaved off during the hammering and polishing process of forging, and some is also lost during the impurity removal process."
"About six kilograms doesn't seem like a large amount, is it that hard to get?"
Anonymous nodded with a troubled face.
"Many things have changed since I made Anceps. Back then, there were many dwarves left, so it was easy to get, but now it's stored in the treasure vault of the Durani Empire, and you can't take even a single gram without the Emperor's permission."
The Emperor of the Durani Empire.
He never appeared in the game, so I don't know his appearance, let alone what kind of personality he has.
"Then, what's the second thing we need?"
"That's surprisingly easy to get."
Anonymous smiled brightly and continued her explanation.
"It would be good to have a demon's soul. In fact, all magic swords contain a demon's soul. Anceps is such a case, and an ego sword ultimately means that someone's soul resides in it. But killing a person or a dragon is a bit much, so a demon is better. Because those fellows are useless for anything."
Anonymous, as if she had a grudge against demons, denigrated them without rhyme or reason.
It seems it would be better to leave her somewhere else for a while when I meet the demons.
"So an ego sword is a sword containing someone's soul, and a magic sword is one that contains a demon's soul among them?"
"That's right. Another reason a demon's soul is good is that it aligns well with their destructive nature. If it were a soul that loves peace or feels reluctant to kill someone, even if you put the soul in, it wouldn't be able to draw out one hundred percent of its power."
"But where do we get a demon? Aren't they a race that's rarely seen these days?"
"Is that so? I heard that seven of them live together around here."
Anonymous, lightly glancing downwards with a sidelong look.
Surely she wasn't talking about the archdemons, was she?
'Those fellows are not fools; I don't think they would cooperate in such a matter.'
On the contrary, if things went wrong, I would become enemies with the fellows I had barely made into allies, so this matter required a little more time for consideration.
I asked what the final ingredient was.
"Actually, this is the most difficult. It's something I failed to obtain myself."
An item that Anonymous, a being of the highest class in this world, failed to obtain?
I was very curious about what kind of item it was.
"Do you happen to know the dungeon called the Entrance to Hell?"
"Isn't that the dungeon sealed deep within the Demon King's Castle?"
"As expected, there's nothing you don't know. That's right. It is said that all sorts of treasures are lined up in the deepest part of the Entrance to Hell, and the item I'm looking for is one of them."
"What's its name?"
In that instant, Anonymous' eyes sparkled.
"Dungeon Core! The core that constitutes the dungeon. A core of that size must have an immense amount of magical power slumbering within it. If we melt it and use it for quenching, an unprecedented sword will surely be created."
Noemi retorted that it was absurd nonsense.
"If you take the dungeon core, the dungeon will collapse immediately. How do you mean to bring it out?"
"Why not? You can use teleportation magic, can't you? It might be impossible on the way there, but it's possible on the way back. Am I wrong?"
"But it's too dangerous! If you fail, you'll be crushed to death!"
"What do you mean, fail? If you can't even use teleportation magic properly, you shouldn't be a wizard. You're still talking like a child."
When Noemi shut her mouth at Anonymous' scolding, this time Rude joined in.
"I think you're all misunderstanding something. Getting out isn't the problem. How are you going to get in there, and how are you going to conquer it? Isn't that the dungeon where even Timor, the worst Demon King, entered boldly and disappeared without a trace? That's an unrealistic story."
Wow. To think I'd hear Timor's name here.
Timor was the Demon King from several generations ago who had pushed humanity to the brink of annihilation.
I remember seeing it in the setting book; he was said to be at least three times stronger than Nox, or something like that.
But he never appeared in the PP I know, and perhaps Primus is a powerful figure of about that level.
'That much, I can acknowledge. It should be possible to put up a fight somehow.'
If he were any stronger than that, no matter how extreme the power inflation, Primus would be a celestial being that we could not do anything about.
Anyway, the easiest thing to get right now was the dungeon core said to be in the deepest part of the Entrance to Hell.
Are you asking if I misunderstood something?
No.
The Entrance to Hell, that place, is a familiar place I've been in and out of countless times.
***
The Entrance to Hell.
As I mentioned earlier, it is a ruin sealed in the basement of the Demon King's Castle.
It is infamous for being the most difficult dungeon to conquer among the ruins that exist in PP.
But who am I?
One can only earn the title of a veteran player by easily doing what others find difficult.
'It's a place I've frequented as if breathing. Because that place had the best experience efficiency.'
Some said that conquering this place was more difficult than defeating the Demon King, but it's only difficult at first; once you get used to it, it's no big deal.
However, it's so deep that you wonder where the end is, so it takes a long time, but since we have Anonymous, couldn't we reach it in an instant?
'There's a long spiral staircase installed along the edge of a giant pit, so if Anonymous transforms into a dragon and enters, she should be able to reach the lowest floor easily.'
Various gimmicks would activate along the way, but I just need to tell her the appropriate Strategy method,(strategy).
That being said, to think that a dungeon core could be used in such a way.
In fact, the use of a dungeon core that I knew of was as a kind of restorative medicine.
If you crush it into a powder and drink it with water, your magical power increases immensely.
So it was one of the items I used to get as a rite of passage before the final battle with the Demon King, but I never even thought of using it for quenching when making a sword.
'The entire dungeon core probably isn't needed for quenching, so I can just drink the rest with water.'
I can already hear the sound of my MP increasing.
However, while I'm fine, I don't know about the others.
The one who created the Entrance to Hell was the first Demon King.
To conquer it, you have to pass his trials, but it's not a team-based Strategy guide (conquest), but an individual task.
In other words, each and every person needs to pass all of his trials.
'It's probably best for just me and Anonymous to go. If we all go together, there might be some who don't return.'
Having made up my mind, I voiced my thoughts.
But everyone strongly opposed, saying that the two of them couldn't go on such a dangerous mission alone.
Noemi was especially severe.
"No! I can't let just the two of you go!"
Noemi took out the contract I had written from her bosom and thrust it forward as if it were evidence.
"You promised you would definitely take me with you! You absolutely can't go without me!"
Noemi's hand trembled slightly.
In her eyes, there was not just simple stubbornness, but an unspeakable anxiety.