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Ascending the Dragon Gate

I fire a barrage of Fire spells and take the Cape Carps out.

Because Grand Wizard had leveled up, there was no problem finishing them off.

I didn’t even care to cast Abnormal Status Resistance Down on Miria’s opponent.

We seem to be able to fight on 26th floor just fine.

The collapsed carps turn into smoke, leaving dropped items behind.

Left behind were two livers and a parasitic worm.

Geh

Did it drop a parasite?

“It’s liver, right? Isn’t it food?”

“If a liver is thrown at a monster, it transforms into a Drive Dragon or so I’ve heard.”

Informs Sherry.

‘A carp can evolve into a dragon,’ huh?

‘If a carp ascends a river called the Dragon Gate, it’ll evolve into a dragon’ or something like that. (TN: Ryuumon in Japanese, Longmen in Chinese)

The carp’s ascension.

I wonder if the carp in this world evolves into a dragon, too.

There’s no use racking brains over it.

It’s a monster, after all.

And one that swims in the air, no less.

“When a monster transforms into a dragon, doesn’t it become strong?”

“It’s used mainly against the bosses and the high-ranked monsters. However, if a monster is strong, it doesn’t transform into a Drive Dragon willingly. Therefore, the ease of its use depends on the strength of the monster.”

If a boss or a high-ranked monster transforms into a Drive Dragon, does it become weak?

After the Drive Dragon comes the boss dragon after which is the high-ranked dragon.

If they (the bosses and the high-ranked monsters) transformed into a Drive Dragon, they would be weakened, surely.

“So you use it like that, huh?”

“Thereafter, the Drive Dragon has to be killed before its body reverts back.”

“Why does it have to be taken out before its body reverts back?”

“A Drive Dragon leaves dragon skin behind. It’s *puripuri* tender and delicious. It has lovely texture. Also, it’s said that if you add it to the soup, its taste ranks up to 2 or even 1.”

Don’t tell me that the dragon drop is the same as chicken skin!

It’s questionable, though, whether it has the same white skin or not.

Still, its stock seems to make for a delicious soup.

I should try it.

“Yes, desu.”

Miria brings parasitic worm over.

I was totally not anticipating it.

The parasitic worm looks like an earthworm.

It doesn’t seem to be moving. It’s not alive, is it?

I can’t imagine a monster dying and leaving a parasite behind.

In the first place, it’s incomprehensible for a monster to host a parasite.

I wonder if the parasite is a monster, too.

Because Cape Carp is a freshwater fish, is that why it contains parasite?

“Is it alright to hold it in hand?”

I confirm with Sherry.

It shouldn’t penetrate into the body via hand.

“As long as it doesn’t come in contact with the soil, there’s no problem. Whenever it touches the soil, it digs into it. The place it digs into turns dead. If sown into the fields, it increases the quantity of crops, so it’s popular amongst the farmers.”

Fertilizer, huh?

So it really is the same insect as earthworm.

It’s a useful insect even though it’s a parasite.

“If that’s the case, then it must be living in the fields from birth.”

“Unless it’s put in the Item Box, it can’t survive for long. There has been no instance of it surviving in the fields for more than ten days.”

The growth conditions for a larva likely differ from that of an imago.

It probably grows inside a monster’s body and reproduces inside the soil.

In the fields, it turns into an imago. That should be why it’s not found after ten days.

The larvae of wasps and moths, found generally in the fields, are probably the parasitic worms.

This creature is a strong one.

On one hand, the labyrinths feed off humans while on the other hand, the parasites feed off monsters.

Frightening.

Actually, the Cape Carp that dropped parasitic worm didn’t drop liver.

For a monster drops only one item, the parasitic worm shouldn’t be a monster.

Or had the parasitic worm already eaten its liver, perhaps?

Since the liver had already been eaten, the monster couldn’t drop it and dropped the parasitic worm instead.

Liver is a part of the monster which it leaves behind after dying. It wouldn’t be surprising if the creature that ate it were left behind in its place.

However, if this theory is to hold correct, the Cape Carp that hosts a parasitic worm and is supposed to drop a monster card should drop two items: the monster card and the parasitic worm.

It’s a flawless theory even if I say so myself.

“Has there been an instance of a Cape Carp dropping both the monster card and the parasitic worm?”

“I haven’t heard any such thing.”

Sherry denies.

I seem to be going ahead of time, so my theory has yet to be validated.

It can’t be helped.

Wagner and Copernicus weren’t understood in their respective times, either.

After receiving the parasitic worm from Miria, I put it in my Item Box.

Huh? Since the parasitic worm can be put inside the Item Box, it should be a dropped item, shouldn’t it?

Only the equipment and the items dropped by the monsters can be put in the Item Box.

So, is my theory flawed?

Oh well, it can’t be helped.

We are talking about monsters, after all.

Thereafter, we explore 26th floor.

We seem to be able to fight on 26th floor, too.

We received an area of effect magic attack but there was no issue for we have two people, including Roxanne, able to heal.

The Cape Carp used area of effect water, which it has command over, and wind magic attacks.

Even though it has command over an attribute, it doesn’t mean it has to be highly powerful.

There wasn’t much difference between the damage inflicted by its Wind magic and Gummi Slime’s Earth magic.

It seems to be good at using magic which it has command over.

Although I have yet to bathe it in Fire, which it’s weak against, and Earth magic, there’ll surely be not much difference.

So I’m sure it’ll be difficult to exploit its weak point.

I have yet to do it.

The items dropped by the Cape Carps were livers.

However, the parasitic worm can’t be said to be a rare drop.

Because a freshwater fish tends to be parasitic.

After leaving the labyrinth, I discuss how to use the livers while having the breakfast.

“In any case, I have to use one liver to see how a monster transforms into a Drive Dragon.”

There may be a job associated with transforming a monster into a Drive Dragon.

Or I may acquire Dragon Slayer after slaying a dragon.

I’m so *wakuwaku* thrilled.

“Yes, we should try fighting, I guess.”

“Since Drive Dragon appears onward from 23rd floor, it shouldn’t be an opponent we can’t defeat.”

“Do, desu.”

“I think it’ll be alright.”

This time, my main objective is to use the liver, not to fight a dragon.

The battle will only be a consequence.

These fellows are excessively aggressive.

“Should I make a Cape Carp a dragon? No, should I make a monster of a lower floor a dragon? Or should I make a monster outside the labyrinth a dragon?”

I would prefer not to make a Lv26 Cape Carp a dragon.

Because I have a choice, I would like try it on a Lv1 monster.

Also, I have no idea as to what will the level of the Drive Dragon be.

There’s another option which is to try it on a monster petrified by Miria but it may fail to take effect on a petrified monster.

It will be a waste of a liver.

Also, if it succeeds and consequently cancels petrifaction, it will be embarrassing.

“It’s said that the size of the Drive Dragons inside the labyrinth differs from the size of the Drive Dragons that rush out of the labyrinth. We should first try to transform a monster inside the labyrinth into a Drive Dragon.”

Suggests Sherry.

Do they differ in size?

Because it’s not spacious inside the labyrinth, the size will be limited even if it’s a dragon.

A tens of meters long Drive Dragon won’t be able to fit inside the labyrinth.

If it became bigger upon going out, it’d be troublesome.

As Sherry suggested, I should try to transform a monster inside the labyrinth into a Drive Dragon.

“Is the monster of 1st floor of the labyrinth safe then?”

“Drive Dragons are the strongest of the monsters that appear from 23rd floor up to 33rd floor. Therefore, we should try it on a monster of 1st floor. Weak monsters give up easily, increasing the likelihood of it succeeding. If it’s the monster of 1st floor, Kobold, it should readily transform into a Drive Dragon.”

“It’s killing two birds with one stone. Because Quratar is crowded, we can’t try it there.”

“Drive Dragon appears on Quratar’s 33rd floor. However, it’s said that it’s stronger than 34th floor’s Kobold Kempfer.”

It’s stronger than the boss of 1st floor.

Conversely speaking, it’s only slightly stronger than the boss of 1st floor.

If it’s the current us, we can do it.

Having collected plenty of livers after hunting early morning, we move to Haruba’s 1st floor after the breakfast.

The monster native to Haruba’s 1st floor is Naive Olive.

“I’ll throw the liver. Until it transforms into Drive Dragon, Miria will hold back from attacking it.”

“Okay, desu.”

“Drive Dragon tends to charge, so it’s safer to attack it from the back and the sides. Also, it uses magic of all four attributes and is resistant to all four attributes. Since it’s not weak against any attribute, it’s better to attack it with Lightning magic.”

You should tell me such things earlier, Sherry!

Had you told me during the breakfast, I would have set it to Basic Lightning Magic. After the admission test, I had set it back to Intermediate Fire Magic.

Oh well. Because I haven’t told her, amongst many other things, that setting the skill of Jobless has a cooldown period, it can’t be helped.

I can only submit.

Sherry might even have noticed already. Weren’t there such situations?

Appraisal, multiple jobs, Character Reset; all of it is connected. If any of it comes out, all of it will unravel.

Even if I told Roxanne and the girls, I would only be burdening them unnecessarily.

When I take it with me to my grave, it will all end with that.

In any case, I will just have to use Durandal and nothing of it will matter.

It’s all for a new job: Dragon Slayer.

I pull Durandal out and proceed under Roxanne’s guidance.

A Naive Olive appears and approaches us, trotting.

I close in to a distance where it won’t be able to dodge and throw a liver.

When the liver hits the Naive Olive, it turns into smoke and starts shapeshifting.

When the shape resembled that of a dragon, the smoke turns back into a monster.

Is this the transformation process?

A monster, green just like the Naive Olive, appears.

It’s Drive Dragon Lv1.

A creature resembling snake, possessing wings, four limbs and large talons: dragon.

I wonder if it’s about 3 meters long.

It’s quite huge.

It’s normal for it to be frightening.

It’s dreadful.

The Drive Dragon floats up in the air.

Opens its mouths, bares its fangs.

And plunges into Roxanne who was standing in the front.

Roxanne lowers the upper half of her body and dodges it.

As expected of Roxanne. She observed it composedly and magnificently dodged it. Immediately after, the talons of its forelimb came stabbing at Roxanne from the side.

Did she dodge that, too?

The dragon regains its posture and charges again.

This time around, Roxanne only tilts her neck to dodge it.

Unlike last time, the dragon’s head didn’t come out this time.

No sooner than its forelimb lunges in, Roxanne wards it off with her shield.

Blocking the talons with the shield must hurt.

If that’s all there is to it, we can take this monster out.

There will be no problem if I leave the front to Roxanne.

I go around to the side and attack it from the safe zone.

It doesn’t collapse in one swing of Durandal.

Its endurance seems to be that of a Drive Dragon rather a Naive Olive’s.

Trying it on a Lv1 monster was the right decision.

I slash from the side once more.

At the same time, the Drive Dragon stops moving.

Miria’s attack from the other side seems to have paralyzed it.

Availing the chance, I hammer in Durandal consecutively.

The dragon collapses.

It’s huge. If someone were standing under, it would be troublesome.

However, it was paralyzed this time, so there was no problem.

It took some time.

It seems to be as strong as the boss, indeed.

The Drive Dragon turns into smoke and dissipates.

Leaving dragon skin behind.

The dragon skin looks just like chicken skin.

There are whitish grains.

They can’t be pores, can they?

Because it’s dragon skin, they must be scales.

“Yes, desu.”

Miria picks it up.

Oh no.

I should be the one picking it up, shouldn’t I?

I open Party Job Settings interface. Neither Miria nor I have acquired any new job.

No job seems to be associated with transforming a monster into Drive Dragon using a liver, slaying a dragon or picking up dragon skin.

The ascension has failed.

There’s a possibility that other conditions haven’t been met yet.

It shouldn’t be necessary for Roxanne and the girls to do it, too, should it?

“If I made dragon skin soup tonight, would you like whole fish and dragon skin soup for tomorrow’s dinner?”

“Do, desu.”

When I ask while receiving the dragon skin, Miria immediately snatches it back.

Does that ‘do’ mean she’ll ‘do’ the cooking?

Or ‘do’ the dragon in? I’d rather it’s not the latter.