Golden Experience

The next day, leaving the Queen Vespoid in charge after the ants were ready, Sugaru was recalled to the royal capital.

Yoroizaka was too. The throne was too wide for Rare to sit alone on it without Yoroizaka sitting on it too.

“We just have to wait for guests to come to the capital. Liebe and Teur probably won’t get customers anyway.”

Liebe Great Forest and Teur Forest are listed as transfer destinations, so anyone can come quickly if they just want to visit. However, since there are no towns or anything around, once they come, they can’t go back. Even if you walk along the road, the nearby destination is still a dungeon, namely the La Colinne Forest. Not only is the difficulty level ☆5, but the difficulty of access is probably one of the reasons why nobody comes.

“It doesn’t matter if no one comes to Liebe and Teur now if we can earn elsewhere. Rather, it’s kind of convenient in the sense that we can gather the forces that were left out due to difficulty adjustment in one place.”

Specifically, it’s Adamants and Megasyros.

If there aren’t too many Adamants, it’s okay to leave them in the capital, but if you gather them all in the capital, it exceeds the level of ☆4. Therefore, currently, they are placed with the former residents of the capital under Sieg’s command.

The Carknights are intended as a bonus for the player. They are much stronger than ordinary undead, but if you defeat them, they turn into Tungsten Carbide—whether that’s true or not is unclear, but they definitely turn into a metal lump.

It’s unfortunate that they can’t be commercially exploited on a large scale, but those who try to challenge ☆4 will eventually be able to defeat them and obtain them.

As for Megasyros, that’s out of the question.

Not only does it have a face that looks more like a dragonfly than a mayfly, but its body is that of a centipede. Moreover, the problem is its size. Probably, even Yoroizaka could fly with it on his back.

They cannot exist in areas other than ☆5.

“I wonder if there’s an area they are native to. I don’t really want to go there.”

It has been confirmed that using a certain amount of Adamants will raise the level to ☆5.

However, if it’s Rare, they won’t lose even if all the Adamants become opponents.

That means, even if it’s ☆5, there is a difference in difficulty. The hypothesis posted on the forum that the maximum difficulty level is ☆5 is probably correct.

“More importantly, I think they should be coming soon, but aren’t they here yet?”

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【☆５】Old Hiers Capital Dungeon Individual Thread

1: Alonson

I’ll set this up just in case. With the increasing number of speculations and conjectures in the general thread, it’s getting in the way, so let’s continue discussions here.

Please find other thread links below:

Dungeon General Thread

【Old Hiers】Dungeon Exploration Report Thread【Others】

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251: Orinki

Well, it seems like Wayne-san and the others aren’t coming.

252: MentaList

Even in ☆3 Erntal, we were wiped out, so maybe it’s still too early for us.

253: Nameless Elf

Us too. We’re training in ☆3 La Colinne Forest. Even if we go to the capital, we’ll be able to handle whatever comes up here.

254: CountryPop

Is La Colinne the place with variable difficulty? It measures the player’s strength, and the enemy’s strength changes, right? That’s interesting. If, like in some retro games, it tells you the number of battles or something, those who only hunt weak enemies for experience points would all end up dead.

255: Healthyunpeelable

Is La Colinne next to the capital? If we can’t stand a chance in the capital, we should go there instead. Alright, I’ll join too. >>240 Healthyunpeelable requests joining, please!

256: Lyewarehouse

>>255

Healthyunpeelable, participation acknowledged. With this, we have 26 people. I’m thinking of closing it soon, is that okay?

257: Lyewarehouse

Looks like there’s no one else. Alright, I’ll close it. This time it’s the first dungeon, and moreover, it’s in the heart of the disaster, so we don’t know what will happen. Let’s go in a direction where we won’t be discouraged even if the attack fails. For now, it seems the calamity is absent, but if it returns in the middle, consider it a failure and give up.

258: Healthyunpeelable

Well, we’ve already beaten it once, so no problem (laughs).

259: Orinki

>>258

So what’s the deal with the preventive statement from >>255…? (laughs)

260: Lyewarehouse

The assembly time is──

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“Your Majesty, it seems they have arrived.”

“Oh, is that so?”

The king returned his gaze to Ominous, who was hovering in the sky.

“1, 2… 26 people. If the discussions on social media are accurate, it seems only the participants have arrived.”

I had considered the possibility that there might be some tourists or other tourists, but I did not see any such visitors.

Once they arrived, they would have no choice but to return to La Colinne, which was only natural, considering the situation.

And there is no town in La Colinne.

There should be a town if you head in the opposite direction from the nearest safe area to La Colinne, but it would be a bit of a waste of time to waste that much travel time just to visit.

Nevertheless, 26 people is an exceptional number for a party. Most of them consider themselves high-level players. Reports from other countries mention parties attempting ☆4 dungeons, but none have achieved significant results. Whether they were wiped out or retreated shallowly, there was no substantial accomplishment.

Some high-profile parties or players with significant recognition also attempted the challenge, but there have been no reports of success. This group of players might be one solution to the high difficulty dungeons. If parties in small numbers can’t clear it, overwhelming the challenge with sheer numbers might be the answer. Since there is no party system, and each player party is essentially a gathering of individuals, the number of participants doesn’t matter.

“It’s a rational decision. Even Rare would probably do the same, as long as they can synchronize with each other.”

“But if it were me… After they finish their job and get tired, I’d probably ambush them one by one. That would be the most rational.”

However, Rare currently has reliable companions, and there’s no need for such sneaky tactics. Monitoring will be done through her usual eyes, but forest owl Ominous is not a creature normally found in urban areas. Even if it pretends to be an owl, it stands out here. Therefore, the only option is to secretly observe from the sky without being detected.

While she won’t be able to hear the players’ voices, there’s no helping that.

“Unfortunately, I can’t hear them, but let’s enjoy watching it as if we’re watching a silent movie.”

Now, it’s the entry of the invaders.

Unlike La Colinne, Teur Grassland, or the former Liebe Great Forest, the territory here in Old Hiers Royal Capital doesn’t seem to have a clearly defined area. The capital is a city protected by sturdy outer walls. Of course, the city gates are wide open. It’s not for their benefit but rather to avoid unnecessary destruction if they were to close them.

The city walls have excellent functionality, and their beauty is considered complete with the gates closed. They have been designed to maintain a sense of unity even when open. However, if they were to be destroyed, that would no longer be the case. We had obtained the intact outer walls and related structures. We would like to keep them that way.

The group passing through the city gates advances in a cohesive mass along the main street. It resembles something seen in historical documents or school trips in the real world. Their cautious looks, glancing around as they walk, give off an unmistakable vibe of tourists.

“If they’ve come for a journey to gain knowledge, we should educate them.”

Whether that muttering was heard or not, several zombies suddenly jumped out from the gaps between the buildings, attacking the players. However, due to the wide street, the element of surprise wasn’t very effective. Before the zombies reached the formation, they were detected by archers resembling scouts, and their heads were pierced by arrows. At the same time, fire-based magic rained down, turning all the zombies into ashes.

Even considering they were naturally taking damage from sunlight without doing anything, it was a rather miserable performance.

“Well, I guess zombies are like this. Truly weak for being the ☆4 dungeon trash mobs.”

Most of the residents turned into undead within an hour after death, making them relatively strong among zombies. However, they were still only strong enough for beginners to handle. Some types of zombies, such as those unable to secure a soul, like knights, were even weaker than regular zombies.

“As for zombies, maybe some improvement is needed… But resurrecting all of them is troublesome. Blanc did well. We have a larger population than Erntal here, so what should I do?”

However, if the system categorizes them as ☆4, the current difficulty of the capital is undoubtedly ☆4. If zombies are only as strong as ☆1, then zombies likely contribute nothing to the difficulty judgment. Whether they exist or not, the result is the same.

It’s a bit wasteful from the perspective of human resources.

“…Let’s strengthen them. Probably something for Sieg to do.”

“Huh?”

Having forgotten about it while gazing at the city, Rare’s body is between the thrones. Naturally, Sieg is also next to her. It seems he overheard.

“We don’t have the convenient blood of vampires, so maybe they’ll become Philosopher’s Stones. It’s a shame, but at least initially, not everyone needs to be resurrected. Just mix in a few top-tier individuals. I’ll rely on you after this settles down.”

“…Understood.”

If zombies are utterly powerless, letting them attack is meaningless. It wouldn’t be significant experience points for the opponents, and they probably wouldn’t even bother with material harvesting. It’s a waste of time for both parties.

Next, the skeletal knights under Sieg appeared. Originally under Sieg’s command, if skeletons and zombies are considered on par, these skeletal knights are stronger.

They formed ranks and attacked the players with coordinated movements. However, there was not much difference on this side either. Being slaughtered by the players was inevitable.

“And then, the advance of those players suddenly came to a halt.

It was because there were Carknights mixed in that couldn’t be defeated in a single blow.

No, not Skeletons. They were Carknights.

Apparently, Carknights are tougher than the weapons carried by the vanguard. After showing signs of requesting support from the rear magic users, flames poured down from the magicians.

However, even with that, the Carknights didn’t fall. Their fire resistance was high.

The magicians immediately switched to ice magic as soon as they realized fire was ineffective.

To Rare, who was watching, this was surprising. Were the players acting on reflex? Normally, one would understand that undead are not very susceptible to cold damage.

However, coincidentally, this was the optimal solution against Carknights. Due to the nature of the metal they originated from, they were weak to temperature changes.

After being hit by a fire attribute attack, their resistance to cold temporarily decreased. The same applied in reverse.

The pitiful Carknights were easily scattered by the saturation attack of [Ice Magic] from the group of magicians. Only metal lumps were left behind.

It seemed like they were skipping the early stages a bit too much. Is it because they’re so focused? Or did the failure to penetrate the vanguard’s attacks weigh heavily on them?

After that, Skeleton Knights and Carknights continued to attack the players.

Carknights had high cold resistance even in their normal state. While the player magicians seemed to be confused about whether to attack with cold or fire at first, once they realized the weakness, they could hunt them down before they got close.

Of course, before it came to that, they had inflicted some damage, but no player that they could defeat was found. The damage was also recovered with potions and skills, and the only achievement was breaking the equipment of some vanguard members.

The Skeleton Knights were never enemies to begin with, and they had become nothing more than providers of experience points and metal lumps.

“It’s more threatening than I thought to have many magicians. Above all, the ability to shoot without worrying about cooldown times is significant. It’s like having several crossbow or musket squads, alternating between loading and firing. Was it Duke Maurice who did that first? I don’t remember well.”

This was not a battle against a party but a fight against a number greater than that. The horror of it was becoming apparent.

All the previous battles against multiple opponents involved facing powerful individual pieces. Whether it was when Rare fought in the royal capital or when Sugaru fought on the Teur Grassland.

In those times, the enemy’s attacks were not a threat in any true sense. Even the awareness of being continuously hit by magic was faint.

However, in a battle like the one happening now, where there is not much difference in strength between opponents, the situation is entirely different.

If only physical attack classes like vanguards and scouts were the opponents, they might have won with the quality of their equipment. However, with many magicians present, and their weaknesses exposed, Carknights couldn’t handle it.

“It’s truly an educational experience. I intended to teach them, but it seems like we’re the ones being taught.

Just like the recent battle with that clan, players sometimes show strength that doesn’t rely solely on experience points. And that brings growth. For my subordinates.”

Sieg, watching through the eyes of his subordinates, should be observing this battle. The battle on the Teur Grassland should also be nourishing Sugaru.

The raid parties of the Players’ Clan increase the overall responsiveness of the team by limiting the types of magic they use and adopting a completely specialized system. There should be much for Sugaru to learn, as she can generate many different types of subordinates.

On the other hand, those here each have their way of dealing with weaknesses as generalists. The Adamant series, which is a uniform force, should be more suitable for them.

“Unlike the elite Adamant Squad, there are no magicians among Carknights. Even among my subordinates, the only ones who might counter those magicians are the former nobles, the Liches. It’s indeed disadvantageous.”

There should be Skeleton Mages as well, but they won’t likely be a match for the players. It would be like water off a duck’s back.

The players continued their victorious advance, approaching the gates of the royal castle.

The inside of the royal castle has a different difficulty setting. There’s no need to hold back, so there’s no trouble with firepower, but the main gate of the castle is closed. They want to avoid it being destroyed. Besides, it would be irritating if the furnishings inside the castle were looted.

“Shall I call a few Adamant Scouts? If it’s a small number, the difficulty shouldn’t change much.

They have no weaknesses like Carknights, and they excel in stealth. They shouldn’t be easily taken down.

Confronting magician with magician will just be a power struggle. If those are troublesome, it would be quicker to approach from behind and assassinate.”

“If you could lend them to us, please.”

“Well, today should be enough for the players to earn a considerable amount.

The first-time bonus is coming to an end.

Let’s collect the payment and send them home.”

This is the royal castle. There’s no problem with calling as many as they want. Just to be sure, a battalion has been [Summoned] from the Liebe Great Forest and ordered to be used freely in times of emergency by Sieg and the wights.

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