3
Lecan left <Rafin's Rock Terrace Inn>.
He swung by the store that was taking care of his damaged armor, but his spider armor hadn't been finished being repaired yet.
Nothing he could do about it so he headed for the dungeon. As it was near evening hour, there weren't that many people going in. He got in the dungeon without queuing up.
"<Floor>."
He picked Floor 1.
"<Warp>."
He warped to floor 1.
Went in a vacant room, rummaged his <Storage> and put on a chest armor, a stomach band, shoulder pads and a leather helmet he used in the past. He also replaced his trousers to sturdy leather made ones.
He grabbed <Necklace of Intuador> and equipped it. He's got his usual silver ring on his left hand. Also <Dagger of Harut> hanging on his waist. <Guardian Jewel of Zana> is in his chest pocket.
What will his main weapon be.
The one he's most accustomed with would be <Sword of Rusk>, it's so nice to handle and swing.
In term of sharpness, it would be Solid Sacred Silver swords. They're a bit shorter and with dicey durability but they're easy and quick to swing around with.
For power, it goes to <Comet Cutter> and <Power Sword>.
Length-wise <Comet Cutter> wins by a huge margin. He only manages 2x the length presently, but that's still longer than anything else he's got. Next up would be <Sword of Rusk>. Zoltan has longer limbs than Lecan's. Hence it's a good idea to pick a longer sword to compensate.
The issue is its usage time. Once you've run out of mana and can't maintain the magic blade anymore, <Comet Cutter> is nothing more than a weak short sword.
The other issue is <Guardian Jewel of Zana>'s offense boost effect. Only <Sword of Rusk> can make use of this.
As <Comet Cutter>'s blade is made of magic, physical offense boost does nothing to it. <Power Sword> doesn't work with <Guardian Jewel of Zana>'s Grace. Combining its Offense Boost with Solid Sacred Silver sword's sharpness would produce terrifying results, but the blade likely won't hold out. Failing to make a blow decisive would be the end of it.
Which among four should he choose here.
Lecan chooses <Comet Cutter>. Petty tricks most likely won't work on Zoltan. This will be a clash of powers. Yet Zoltan is not someone that would fall in one hit. In which case, his only choice would be <Comet Cutter> and its highly destructive power contained within each and every swing.
Guardian Jewel, Necklace, Short Sword, and Silver Ring. All on.
<Necklace of Intuador>'s mana storage is full. He's got five large magic stones in a bag hanging on his waist, though he might not afford the time to use them. <Guardian Jewel of Zana> is not fully loaded with mana.
He doesn't have <Shield of Wolkan> equipped. He's got no plan to ever stop moving in a match against that total monster.
And now he's all set.
However, Lecan still hopes it wouldn't come to him having to fight Zoltan.
That man comes from his old world, a man who has trodden through dungeons in his homeworld.
Lecan prefers not to engage in a death match against this man.
(It's not set in stone yet.)
(He might even say this instead.)
('Help me get Nark and Nell back.')
However, somewhere in his heart, Lecan knew it wouldn't come to that.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
4
As Lecan went out of the stairway onto floor 121, Zoltan was standing in the crossroad ahead.
120-130 steps away. Lecan slowly approached him.
There are two rooms on each side of the middle passageway, then the stairway room further back.
It's a crossroad that splits four rooms and a square shaped passageway surrounding those rooms and the crossroad. Zoltan is standing in the middle of all that.
Zoltan's bearing is completely serene, no bloodlust drifting out of him whatsoever.
Lecan stopped moving about ten steps away.
He's really tall.
He's supposed to be only a fist or two taller than Lecan, yet Lecan feels as if Zoltan is towering over him, perhaps the result of his long years in battlefields.
Lecan immediately inferred material of the armor Zoltan is wearing.
(Damn it.)
(He's got Phantasmal Verdant Hornet Armor on.)
"Hey there. Sorry for calling you all the way out here."
Zoltan spoke jovially.
"What happened."
Lecan was trying to keep his cool, yet his voice came out slightly stiff.
"Nark and Nell have been kidnapped. On knight Torog's order. Torog demanded the <Comet Cutter> you have in exchange for their lives."
Gwislan the spy was speaking the truth.
Lecan spoke after thinking for a bit.
"I don't mind lending it if you swear you'll absolutely bring it back."
This is the biggest concession Lecan is willing to make. Lecan has no intention to let go of this <Comet Cutter>. However, a man of Zoltan's caliber might be able to make use of this <Comet Cutter> to save the two. He should have a pretty good chance succeeding with Lecan lending a hand.
"That is kind of you. However, I am unable to say I will bring <Comet Cutter> back if you let me borrow it."
"Where are the two being held?"
"General Dungeon Administrative Office."
This also matches with what Gwislan said.
"Young lady is under house arrest, so General Dungeon Administrative Office is controlled by that Torog fella now. He wants achievements by getting the <Comet Cutter>."
It appears Gwislan was speaking the truth.
"Can't we work together to save those two?"
"Fumu. We might manage, or the two of them might get killed. Even if we got them back to safety, they could never live in this town again."
"I see."
If that's his mindset, there's nothing Lecan says can change it.
There was an adventuress known as <Burstflame Dame Wojeni> in Lecan's old world. Her fame reached far and wide after conquering many dungeons, but then she married a shoemaker man and put her bloody trade behind her.
However, Wojeni never actually gave up being an adventuress.
When Lecan was much younger than he is now, the town Wojeni lived at waged war with its neighboring town. The town lord kidnapped Wojeni's husband and daughter and demanded Wojeni's cooperation. Wojeni blew the town lord to bits. And killed her husband and daughter. She burned down the town lord's mansion and killed every single person who went at her and perished herself. A few maids and servants who survived through the ordeal then spoke of the incident.
That's just how adventurers are like. Those who have been bound by something and lost their freedom are no longer an adventurer.
Zoltan has prioritized Nark and Nell's safety and happiness above his own freedom. Meaning he's given up on being an adventurer. That's how important his savior's grandkid is to him. Hence he cannot go against Torog. If he managed to kill Lecan and save the two, Zoltan would likely leave this town after. Warning Torog, 'You're dead if anything befell Nark and Nell when I come back.' Zoltan called Lecan here with that resolution already in place. Somewhere nobody else may interfere.
"I guess we gotta do this huh."
"Sorry about this, Lecan."
Thus began a fight to the death.
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