Chapter 246

After the battles ended and everything was successfully defeated, the doors that had confined everyone began to open automatically.

Being close to the doors, Tatsuro, Ai, Cardina, Nana, Leah, and Athena came out to regroup.

"Good work"

"Good work~"

"Peewee~"

"Yes indeed"

"Good work everyone"

"Gau-ga"

While Tatsuro was concerned about Athena being in her small tiger state, he wondered why one person still hadn't come out.

"Huh. Where's Jeanne?"

"Hey~ Jeanne~!"

Worried that she might have sensed danger and left, or something else might have happened, Ai shouted toward the door Jeanne had entered.

"Neigh~!"

However, when they heard Jeanne's voice from beyond the door, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

But wondering why she still hadn't come out, everyone approached the half-open door.

"The battle's over, so it should be okay to go in, right?"

[Yes, that's fine~]

After Tatsuro checked with the dungeon just in case and went through the opened door, he first saw the pure white room from before, and then instead of Jeanne... a massive blue sapphire-like object dominated his field of vision.

While ignoring this assertive mysterious object, they searched for Jeanne and found her lying down in her [Child Form] state, as if hiding in its shadow.

"Jeanne! Nana, quick, use life magic!"

"Yes, indeed!"

Jeanne's body in her [Child Form] was completely cracked. Furthermore, she was missing everything below her right shoulder, and her horn was gone too.

While wondering what kind of battle she had fought, Tatsuro replenished her magic power with all his might, and Nana began healing her wounds with life magic.

As Tatsuro's magic power accumulated rapidly, Nana's life magic gradually healed the missing parts.

Once the magic power replenishment was complete, Tatsuro also helped Nana with light magic and life magic, and Jeanne soon recovered to her original state.

"Neigh~♪"

"Whoa. Glad you're okay, Jeanne"

As soon as she fully recovered, she jumped powerfully at Tatsuro in her small form, and he tried to catch her firmly—but almost fell backward.

However, Ai quickly supported him, and he regained his balance.

"Still, whatever you fought must have been pretty dangerous to hurt Jeanne this badly"

"Yeah. I thought she'd be fine on her own, but looks like we pushed her too hard... Sorry, Jeanne"

"Neigh!"

"She says not to worry about it since it was her own decision".

"And Athena seems pretty exhausted too. Come here, I'll replenish your magic power"

"Gaa~"

While not as bad as Jeanne, upon closer inspection, Athena was also in rough shape.

So while Athena received magic power replenishment while being held by Tatsuro, Nana healed her with life magic.

Even after being completely healed, she remained in her small tiger form, contentedly narrowing her eyes in Tatsuro's arms as if spoiled.

In response, Jeanne also had Ai hold her and lined up beside them.

Cardina and Nana held back this time since those who fought alone seemed to have had a very difficult time.

As things settled down, the topic shifted to the assertive mysterious blue object from earlier.

"By the way, what's this huge sapphire-like thing..."

"This is... it appears to be a weapon specifically for Jeanne"

"Neigh?"

For Jeanne, who had forcibly lost consciousness and woken up in a white room, she had no idea what it was since it was just placed beside her.

"A weapon— this whole thing is one weapon!?"

When Tatsuro checked its overall form with dispel magic, it was a weapon that looked like an axe attached to a beautiful blue jeweled spear fifteen meters in length—in other words, a giant halberd.

"Hm. But from the way Leah said it earlier, it's not just for Jeanne because of its size, right?"

"Yes. Try holding it, Ai"

"Eh? Me? Jeanne, is it okay if I touch it?"

"Neigh!"

Since she nodded vigorously as if to say 'Of course!', Ai gently put Jeanne down on the floor and walked to the part that seemed to be the weapon's handle.

Though it was too big to use, with Ai's status, lifting it should be no problem.

So Ai tried to hold it by wrapping her arms around the handle.

"Huh? It's like my hand sinks into it like water, and I can't hold it?"

When Ai tried to hold it, her arm sank into it with a sensation similar to putting her hand in the water, and she couldn't even properly touch it in the first place.

"Then now, please try holding it, Jeanne, in your [True Form]"

"Neigh"

As Leah suggested, after transforming into her [True Form], Jeanne thought it might be tough with one hand, so she lifted it firmly with both hands.

|Skill [Axe Arts Lv.10] acquired.|

|Skill [Spear Arts Lv.10] acquired.|

|Title [Master of Axe Arts] acquired.|

|Title [Master of Spear Arts] acquired.|

"Neigh!?"

When she gripped it normally with the sensation of a solid jewel, it fit perfectly in her hands and wasn't as heavy as it looked.

But more shocking than that was suddenly mastering both axe and spear skills.

However, since only Jeanne could hear the announcements, everyone else seemed to think she was just surprised that she could hold it.

"So only Jeanne can touch and hold it. Truly specialized"

"That's amazing! But why was Jeanne-nee given something like that?"

"Didn't Athena receive anything? You fought alone just like Jeanne-oneesama, right?"

"Nah~ In my case, I just forcibly took something, ahaha~"

"I just heard something very ominous..."

While it wasn't a problem if it led to strengthening, the fact that only Jeanne received something piqued their curiosity.

So Tatsuro decided to ask the one who would likely know the answer.

"What's the deal with this? Dungeon?"

[Ah~ Well, you see~ Fornellius—ah, that's the name of the monster Jeanne fought. Fornellius must have really taken a liking to Jeanne. So it offered not just its soul but its entire body too~ Popular women are something else, really~]

"So you're saying... the monster fell for Jeanne's charm and was like 'be with me even after death' kind of thing?"

[Ah~ That might be close. It seems to have truly dedicated its entire being~]

"When you put it that way, it starts sounding a bit stalker-ish, so please stop..."

Tatsuro pushed Ai's words to the back of his mind, as it was starting to make the weapon seem like it contained the monster's grudge.

[Fornellius was my firstborn child~ And was also the closest existence to this dungeon. So its enhancement rate was the highest~ Because of that, it seems strong self-awareness also developed. Honestly, I want to be angry about giving too much just because it liked someone, but since this is its first and last selfish act, I'll overlook it~]

"Even if you say it gave too much, isn't it just becoming a weapon?"

Even in a level 3 dungeon, there was a time when a Giant Frog monster completely transformed into the Frog Staff.

So it seemed reasonable that a stronger monster could provide a stronger weapon.

To these doubts from Tatsuro and the others, before the dungeon could answer, Jeanne informed them through Nana and Athena about the skills she had received.

"Suddenly getting two level 10 combat skills..."

"That really is giving too much, when you put it that way"

"I'm envious indeed"

"And it seems you can get special abilities from the titles earned from defeating monsters, so combined with those, it might have truly been an extraordinary gain"

"Come to think of it, did everyone else get unusual titles too?"

"Got them~ And broke through the level wall too~"

Apparently, Athena wasn't the only one who broke through the level wall, and everyone seemed to have grown through their respective battles.

So, they decided to take this opportunity to check everyone's status.

Since Tatsuro and Ai only added levels and titles, they would touch on those briefly later. So first, everyone looked at Cardina's status. (T/N: Shedding tears of relief at this!!!)

--------------------------------

Name: Cardina

Class: Blade Dragon

Level: 56

Dragon Power: 1409

Strength: 620+20

Durability: 420+30

Agility: 706+50

Magic Force: 1196

Magic Resistance: 1231

Magic Control: 1312

|Acquired Skills|

[True Form], [Adult Form], [Child Form]

[Dragon Flight Lv.12], [Dragon Wing Blade Lv.10], [True Dragon Wing Blade Lv.3]

[Dispel Magic Lv.11], [Earth Magic Lv.10], [Water Magic Lv.10]

[Magic Bullet], [Auto-tracking Lv.3], [Dragon Power Recovery Speed Rise Lv.8]

|System skills|

[Item Box +4]

Remaining Skill Points: 299

|Titles|

[Master of Dispel], [Master of Earth], [Master of Water]

[Amazing!], [Dragon Flying Phoenix Dance], [Dragon Blade Incarnate]

[Deverylute]

--------------------------------

"Dragon Blade Incarnate! The name sounds really cool!"

"Indeed, it's a skill that tickles one's chuunibyou heart. So, what's different about it?"

When Tatsuro asked that, he was told through Nana and Athena's translation that it turns each feather into a blade, and combines all of them into a single blade.

"Having Magic Bullet with Auto-Tracking seems pretty brutal too."

"Indeed. If you're on the enemy side, it would be terrifying to have bullets that curve and chase you instead of flying straight."

"Since it has levels, it might get interesting at higher levels!"

"Peewee♪"

Looking from top to bottom, what catches attention are the new titles [Dragon Blade Incarnate] and [Deverylute].

So everyone checks them in order.

--------------------------------------

Title Name: Dragon Blade Incarnate

Rarity: 11

Effect: Dragon Power +100, Strength +100.

Great reduction in Dragon Power consumption when using Dragon Wing Blade, Control power increase.

--------------------------------------

--------------------------------------

Title Name: Deverylute

Rarity: Unique

Effect: Allows parts of the body to become blades and execute blade-cutting defense.

All Stats +35.

--------------------------------------

"The Dragon Blade Incarnate has similar effects to the title Jeanne got with Dragon Horn Spear Blade, so that's fine... But this Deverylute thing, with the body parts becoming something and blade-cutting defense... I don't really understand this one. Could you try it out?"

"Peewee!"

Cardina nodded strongly and focused on that power.

Then Cardina's wings became flat like metal, quickly changing from bird wings to more triangular, airplane-like wings.

Furthermore, their edges were covered in such perfect cutting surfaces that merely touching them would probably make fingers fall right off.

"Peeweeeee"

"She says she would like something that can be cut to be thrown at her wings."

"Something that can be cut, huh? Well then, with this -- ho!"

When Tatsuro created a ball with earth magic and threw it in an arc toward Cardina's wings, without making any cutting motion, the moment it touched, the earth ball was vertically sliced into five or six pieces.

"It seems that a defensive layer of slashing attacks can be imbued in those wings. So enemies that carelessly touch them will be injured just from that."

"It's literally embodying 'the best defense is a good offense,' isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's an ability that perfectly suits the Blade Dragon class."

"Peewee"

By the way, if this is done in [Adult Form] state, it becomes difficult to fly properly, but in [True Form] state with dragon flight, it only slightly reduces flight capability.

After finishing looking at Cardina's status, next is Jeanne.

--------------------------------

Name: Jeanne

Class: Holy Dragon

Level: 50

Dragon Power: 1497

Strength: 761

Durability: 992

Agility: 648+50

Magic Force: 746+30

Magic Resistance: 1097

Magic Control: 727+20

|Acquired Skills|

[True Form], [Adult Form], [Child Form]

[Dragon Holy Sword], [Dragon Horn Spear Blade Lv.12], [Dragon Flight Lv.7]

[Wind Magic Lv.11], [Tree Magic Lv. 10], [Fire Magic Lv.10]

[Dragon Tail Flash Lv.7], [Axe Arts Lv.10], [Spear Arts Lv.10]

[Mana Generation Increase Lv.6], [Dragon Power Recovery Speed Increase Lv.8]

[Super Hardened Skin], [Magic Reduction Particles]

|System skills|

[Item Box +4]

Remaining Skill Points: 276

|Titles|

[Master of Wind], [Master of Tree], [Master of Fire]

[Master of Axe Arts], [Master of Spear Arts], [Amazing!]

[Dragon Spear Incarnation], [Fornellius]

--------------------------------

"Holy Dragon... That's quite a divine class."

"And what kind of skill is Dragon Holy Sword!? Show me, show me!"

"Neigh"

Pleased with Ai's sparkling eyes, Jeanne stood up and stretched out her large hand, activating that skill for the first time herself.

Then at the tip of Jeanne's outstretched hand, a giant sword of light appeared with a handle and guard modeled after a dragon.

When Jeanne waved her hand, that sword of light flew straight ahead, piercing into the wall while scattering noble light and destruction before disappearing.

"It seems like a sword created with magic. Presumably, you can temporarily hold and swing it, but in that case, it would disappear when the invested dragon power runs out. Also, as magic control increases, you could either increase the number at this size or make them smaller to create more Dragon Holy Swords."

"Neigh. Neigh"

"She says thank you for investigating."

"No, no. You're welcome."

As Leah explained, at this stage, one giant sword was the limit. However, if made human-sized, dozens of swords could be rained down on enemies at once, making it quite a powerful skill.

After testing it out a bit, the topic eventually moved to the title Fornellius.

--------------------------------------

Title Name: Fornellius

Rarity: Unique

Effect: Enables generation of waves from the body, allowing addition of destructive power.

All Stats +70.

--------------------------------------

"As I thought, the titles everyone received were monster names."

"Looks like it... Hmm... This one seems pretty dangerous too."

Since it seemed quite violent, they asked Leah to analyze it again before having her use that power.

"Neigh!"

When Jeanne raised her fist and released waves, just light contact turned part of the floor to powder.

"This is -- quite a powerful skill. However, one drawback is that anything worn on the parts emitting waves will also be destroyed, so combining it with weapons seems impossible-- or maybe not. That weapon might work."

"By that weapon, do you mean the one exclusive to Sister Jeanne?"

"Yes. It seems it was born as a weapon that can be used in combination with this."

"Neigh"

So immediately, while bracing with both hands, she held the giant sapphire-like halberd.

And when she sent waves through the handle, where normal weapons would shatter, and this weapon exclusive to Jeanne began to ripple all over.

When Jeanne powerfully raised it and slammed it down in a direction where no one was present, a huge crater formed as if a meteorite had fallen.

"How should I put it... I now really understand what the dungeon meant when it said it gave too much..."

"That wasn't your full power, right?"

"Neigh. Neigh"

"She says she mostly just let it fall..."

"Amazing. I'm really glad Jeanne is on our side, truly."

Everyone was amazed at that destructive power, feeling reassured that Jeanne had added destructive ability to her defense.

"Also, what's notable about this title is that the stat boost is double what Ai, Cardina, and I got. Maybe it's basically 70 divided by the number of people who defeated it."

"Come to think of it, I got 70 too."

"Nana and I got 18."

"Hmm. For Cardina and the others, it was like two people counting as one, right?"

"Yes. The monster was split between two, with one half for Sister Cardina. The other half was defeated by myself and Leah."

"In that case... Nana and Leah get a quarter multiplier of 17.5 rounded up to 18. Ai, Cardina, and I get a half multiplier for 35. Jeanne and Athena get the full multiplier for 70. Thinking about it that way, it seems the base enhancement value is 70, and the fewer people who obtain it, the less it gets divided."

Having solved that minor mystery, Jeanne changed to [Child Form] and stored the halberd in her [Item Box], and they moved on to look at the next person's status.