Novel Full Chapter 136 - Hardships (4)
That was rather surprising. When Billy asked more about it, Marie said that the same rules existed in other states. So, it was something passed down through time and all of them respected it, even thought it would be convenient for some to ignore it… that being said, things are fairly calm because those that defeat the guardian of the core are only the guys who are really strong…
"Anyway, call me again when you guys reach the fourth floor," Marie said. "I will see you guys fighting and see what kind of strategy you will deploy against that."
Marie then began to smirk, so she was waiting for a good fight. Regardless, by that, she was probably talking about the guardian and assuming that they would reach the final room of the dungeon. While Billy was thankful for that trust, he would rather proceed with caution. That might be the last mission of the party, so they had to be careful. Not because of the small chance of Lily and Alexander getting married, but because he might be rejected. In all possible scenarios like that, or he failing at getting better with the bow, Alexander probably wouldn't be able to endure staying close to Lily.
Regardless, the group headed toward the guild, and there they sold the materials as usual. This time, they got ten silver coins for the meat and thirty-seven silver coins for seventy-four cores that they got. It was quite surprising that a core was only worth fifty copper coins. They lasted for quite a while, but… then Billy realized that since many people got those, it was only natural that their price would decline.
"Let's rest properly because things will be harder from now on," Billy said. "Use your free time to think of ways to fight the cold golems properly."
Billy said that, but he wondered if he shouldn't mess with their weapons and add some effects. Since the monsters were elemental, he probably could find a counter, but would that be for the best? He couldn't walk around holding their hands forever.
Billy also did some thinking on how he could face the golems more effectively. He was fine since he had the rings, but Sarah was using a lot of mana. Even though he was making sure to take out most of the opponents instead of leaving them to her. Making the monsters evaporate with fire magic was out of the question. Using water was… stupid. As for wind magic… maybe he could save some mana by cutting off the limbs of the golems. Still, it seemed like a waste since he already could crush them. As expected, the answer was in his earth magic.
"Maybe I should just detach a thick block of Earth from the ceiling of the dungeon and then let gravity due to the rest… "Billy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The water Golems weren't that sturdy, so a block heavy enough would do the job. However, the mana Billy would save in control, he would spend in power. Hopefully, his friends will come up with their own answer because Billy was thinking that he would have to fight a lot more until they reach the fourth floor…
In the end, the next day, Billy had some surprises, things preceded as usual on the first floor. However, once they reached the second floor, he saw Natalie and Kate's changes. Usually, Natalie would try to swing a single sword and leave the other for defense, but she went all out while holding both of them. It seemed that she was trying to predict where the core would move once it senses her attack. On her first attempts, she failed. However, once she began to use a variation of Swift Strike, she began to land hints and damage the core critically.
At the same time, Kate started to make her short spears spin like a fan. She would lose some speed and piercing power, but at the least, her attacks would have a bigger area. Those were some creative ways of adapting their fighting style… Billy wondered if, given time, he would reach the same answer. Nevertheless, at first, it was barely noticeable, but their hunting speed increased.
"I feel like I am falling behind," Alexander said.
"Me too," Lily added.
It seemed that they didn't come up with an answer to fighting the Golems. That was particularly troubling to Lily since she had yet to kill a single one of them. Just firing several arrows at the same time won't do it unless she knows where the core is…
Everyone has their weaknesses and strengths. Billy wondered if it was fine for him to say that to Lily. While that was true, it didn't change the fact that it was just an excuse to make her give up on trying to find an answer. That wouldn't be good for her growth…
"Why don't you use magic against them?" Billy asked. "They still are part of your set of skills."
"I won't mind using it… but only once after I confirm that I can take them down with my bow," Lily said.
"Once you confirm that, you will only keep using your now…" Billy said and then sighed.
Lily couldn't deny that. Nevertheless, she realized something. While Kate was making her short spears spin inside the monsters, the water in their bodies began to move, and the bubbles as well. Thanks to that, Lily saw the cores of two monsters and instantly fired two arrows toward them. With fearsome accuracy, the cores were hit and suffered critical damage.
"Nice catch… I didn't see them at all," Kate said, and then they high-fived each other.
It wasn't something that she could do on her own, but Lily was satisfied in making progress, even with the help of a friend. Now more than ever, Alexander felt motivated to use his head and deal with the Golems.. Unfortunately, he didn't make much progress that day.