Ch 54: Trust is a double-edged sword

“On our travels, we met an old curmudgeon. Originally, we helped him because he looked like a little old man on the verge of death, but later we found out he was a magic item refiner. Well, that stupid old curmudgeon only knows how to make storage rings and only sells them to pretty women…” Miria said.

“Also, if you make him even a little angry, he’ll throw whatever he has at hand at you. The only way to calm him down is by giving him alcohol as a peace offering.”

While Miria appeared to be angry as she told the story, Irina appeared resigned as she shook her head.

“It was Miria who made him angry,” Zia whispered to Alessia.

Apparently, that old man’s name is Gerald, and he lives in the Danes city. He seems to be on the verge of death, but his mind is more alive than ever. Because he still likes young women even when his ‘thing’ is in eternal sleep. Besides, he’s a grump who gets riled up over anything.

“As long as you go to Danes City and ask for old Gerald, you will reach him. Depending on your budget, you can get a basic ring or an advanced one. The one Miria has can only store 20 items, while Zia’s has a maximum of 50 objects.”

“Thank you, that information is very valuable.”

Knowing the speed with which Miria took out a potion from her ring, it is very accurate to say that it is better than the adventurers’ inventory since it also does not need a spell to use it. The only disadvantage is that it can be stolen, and thus, all the belongings inside it will be at the mercy of the thief.

Now, compared to Alessia’s inventory the ring is faster by only a few seconds when entering and removing items… So, it really is a feasible option to be Alessia’s replacement while we get the materials for her second inventory upgrade. 

‘But I’m sure of one thing, the second upgrade will be a thousand times faster than the ring.’

“This is your share of the loot.”

Miria brought dozens of jars of honey and handed them to Alessia. She looked at the loot for a few seconds and then it disappeared from her hands.

“!!!” The 3 annoying beauties were shocked.

“Since we were shown something of you, it would be impolite of me not to show something of similar value. A few days ago, my ability improved to the point that I no longer needed a spell to save and enter items in my inventory. I don’t know the conditions for that. So, I hope that this remains as a secret between us.”

“Don’t worry, it will stay among women.”

‘Hey, I’m a man.’

“Since you have such a large inventory, I recommend purchasing a storage ring with enough space to store weapons and potions so that you can use them in battle.”

“Yes, I will. Thank you.” I said, and Alessia smiled.

***

“We will rest here since the quest also asks us to exterminate the monsters in the trap room on the seventh floor. Good luck in your fight against the floor boss.”

After chatting for some time, we bid farewell to the three annoying beauties.

As I left the room, I created a personalized bookmark for each of them with their respective name. After all, they can be very annoying, but not to the point of wanting to see them dead.

“So, that woman who died against the skeleton boss…” Alessia said a little depressed.

“Very likely, it was also her lover.”

‘Not only did they lose a lifemate, but a lover. Now, the reason for Miria’s bad mood back then is more understandable.’

We continued down the labyrinth corridors, encountering dozens of monsters, but thanks to the fierce battle in the trap room, we quickly became accustomed to fighting Archer Bee. From then on, it didn’t give us any more problems. Even in three-monster group fights.

And so we entered the boss’s room.

[Archer Bee Lvl6]

At 2.5m tall and flying over 5m above the ground stands the floor boss happily buzzing back and forth. It didn’t even look at us when we walked through the doors.

Without any decorations and just made up of rocks, the room is over 40 meters high. Giving enough room for the boss to fly uninterrupted.

Alessia looked at her spear and then back at me.

“I have no idea how people normally fight it. Maybe by throwing bombs at it?” I responded to her look.

There are different types of bombs. Smoke bombs, explosive bombs, poison bombs, and so on. Since they are made by alchemists, they are not as expensive as magic items, yet they are not very cheap either.

“I will try to damage its wings”

Being a boss battle, I concentrated more than usual when aiming with the bow. I moved the arrowhead with the same rhythm as the boss flew around without losing sight of any of its movements until… I fired.

The arrow gave a slight curve in the air and stuck in one of its four wings, interfering with its entire flight process.

I quickly fired the second arrow, but it missed by a few inches.

Then I shot the third arrow, which stuck into a different wing, causing the boss to be unable to sustain flight and to fall to ground level.

“Its wings just barely let it fly a meter above the ground; do you want me to go on?”

“I understand what you mean, master, but if the boss falls to the ground, it will lose its battle potential, and we will gain nothing by fighting a disabled monster. You also think the same, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked”

“Yes, you found me; I’ll use my sword; how about you?”

“Mm… This time I will use the spear. I feel confident with it”

We began to run in the direction of the boss.

The bee appeared to be concerned about the arrows impeding its flight at first, but when it saw us, it changed its mind. It immediately pulled in its stomach, and the end of its stinger was aimed at us.

The stinger turned red the next second, and it shot out at high speed, making hissing noises and making the air visible at times, like the beginning of a tornado whose center was the stinger.

Without saying a word, we both jumped to opposite sides, avoiding the main attack… But not the secondary one.

When the stinger hit the ground, it ripped the rock apart, causing small and large chunks to fly in all directions. The moment I realized it, the stones hit my back hard.

“Are you alright, Alessia?”

“Yes, and you?”

“So am I”

Although we both answered with a smile on our faces, a trickle of blood fell from our heads almost at the same time. The majority of the rocks had fallen on our backs, but some had also fallen on our heads.

‘If we can pretend to be okay, it means the injuries aren’t that bad.’

I can already draw a moral from this. If I avoid a powerful attack, it will most likely destroy the environment, and the collateral damage will affect me as well. It’s happened enough times to be sure that, in the future, it will happen again. 

‘It hasn’t escalated to major damage thanks to chain mail, but it’s time to consider a head protector.’

After the surprise was over, we began to run again.

And in just 10 seconds, its stinger turned red.

“Can it shoot every 10 seconds?!”

“If we continue too close to each other, the damage will affect both of us. Let’s separate!”

Time is too tight to continue talking. So, without responding, I proceeded to the right, while she proceeded to the left.

Following our movements, the body of the boss also moved…  in Alessia’s direction.

Most likely, it feels like she is more dangerous because of the spear in her hands.

While this was happening, I stopped running to the side and started running directly to its position. I can clearly see how the stinger flies out of its body in Alessia’s direction and also how a new stinger immediately replaces the other one.

‘Can it fire right away if it wants to? No, I don’t think so. If it could do it, the boss would have done it without waiting another second. Well, then I have nothing to worry about.’

Without a second thought, I jumped in the direction of its head.

When it saw me, it moved its leg, attempting to pierce me with it… But it’s useless. Even though it only has one battle slot, this is still [Edge] after all.

I swung my sword in a straight line, and as both attacks collided, its leg was slashed vertically. Causing deep pain to the boss. With its attack missing, I have plenty of time to chop off its head. So, I prepare for the next move.

It was at that very moment that I heard the wind whistle beneath me.

Emir: “!!!”

The stinger quickly heads for my stomach.

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