Chapter 35: Gobori’s Amplification

Whoosh!

The Apprentice on the stage disappeared.

Should I call her back to greet her?

No.

That would be too obvious.

There wasn’t even a reason to call her back, so I’d greet her when the chance came later.

A smile appeared on my face at this pleasant connection.

“What’s that? Why are you smiling? Someone you know?”

“Huh? Oh, she’s a hero I met yesterday. We talked briefly when I got the early support pack.”

“Ah, so you knew the hero? But she seems kind of timid? With that attitude, she’d definitely be looked down on by others.”

“I heard she’s been through some tough times. Can’t blame her for that.”

I shrugged as I answered Rose.

True enough.

Even yesterday, the Apprentice was shy.

Maybe she had some kind of trauma?

Well, I’d ask about that later.

For now, I quickly checked the equipment.

There was nothing extraordinary among the many pieces, but…

[★★★ Scroll: Poison Spraying]
Sprays poison on the target to inflict damage. Can also be applied to weapons.

[★★★ Scroll: Shield Charge]
Charges forward with a shield. Gains unstoppable status during the charge.

Both skills seemed quite useful.

First, Poison Spraying.

Is this a skill that applies poison to weapons?

I held the scroll and asked Gobori.

“Bori.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Would it be okay if I learned this? It’s a damage-over-time skill, right?”

“Damage-over-time! Wow, a technical term! You can learn it, but the damage isn’t that great. It’s better suited for heroes that inflict status effects or assassins who need to quickly take out a target. Like the pursuer that just came out today? If they go after enemy mages or healers, they cut them down instantly. That’s basic PvP strategy, yes sir!”

“Oh, I see.”

I nodded at Gobori’s explanation.

Targeting a one-shot for assassins.

Poison really does go well with assassins.

Maybe I’ll save it for later.

I put the equipment and scroll back into the warehouse.

Then I picked up the shield lying on the ground.

[★★★★ Arvon’s Shield]
+60% Defense. +80% Destruction Resistance.

The new shield looked pretty strong too.

Alright, I’ll use this one.

I also taught myself the ‘Shield Charge’ skill.

[[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker] learned [★★★ Scroll: Shield Charge].]

“Oh! I knew you’d use this! You’re our player’s favorite character!”

“Ha! This Shield Charge skill, you know? Didn’t you see this guy charge at orcs before? It gives unstoppable status! You can use it as an entry skill to obliterate enemies ahead, or an evasive skill to escape when cornered! It’s efficient in many ways!”

Rose and Gobori cheered.

“That’s a great skill. Thank you, Player!”

I smiled while staring into the air.

Since I was playing myself, I couldn’t help but think this was my ‘favorite character.’

[Repair completed!]

“Hmm? Haha. It got quite lively while I was gone! But that shield—Arvon’s Shield, huh? Wow, it’s the first time I’ve seen it up close! Leave it to me next time! I’ll polish it till it shines!”

By the time I caught my breath, Dulv’s repairs were also done.

Despite repairing so much equipment, Dulv didn’t look tired at all.

“Wow! A 3-star slingshot? Thanks, bro! You really have the golden touch!”

“My staff is 4 stars? No way!”

The two smiled as they received their repaired gear.

Once again, the success rate was high.

It was always unbelievable that a blacksmith like Dulv would only be 2-star.

[Warehouse] [Collected Heroes]
[★★ Apprentice Mage]
[★★ Rookie Spearman Mercenary]
[★★ Abandoned Heal Shuttle]

I glanced at the warehouse for a moment and thought.

The twenty-three heroes I’d obtained.

Some of them might be truly talented heroes like Dulv.

Just Kumgui alone had an unbelievable speed for a 3-star.

But there was no way to meet each hero one by one…

And it was difficult to create opportunities naturally.

A frustrating reality.

“That’s right. How many heroes do we have now? Twenty-three? Twenty-four?”

“Isn’t it twenty-four? Why?”

“I was wondering if our player isn’t doing housing. The stage is too small now.”

“True. Not even a sofa? My wings hurt, really.”

Gobori and Rose talked about housing.

Housing?

Was that the thing where you build structures in the channel?

I tilted my head and asked Gobori.

“Housing? You can do housing on the stage? Like in the channel?”

“Huh? Haha! Of course! When the number of heroes passes 30, 50, or 100, you can expand the waiting room! You can even build things like the Plaza Fountain, sofas, beds, all sorts of furniture. You might make it pretty, but for our heroes, it’s welfare, welfare!”

Gobori’s eyes sparkled as he answered.

[Game time: 1 hour elapsed.]
[Excessive gaming may interfere with daily life.]
[Tip! Do you have many heroes? Spend diamonds to expand the waiting room! Decorate the waiting room with more heroes!]

A similar tip popped up on the screen.

Ah.

So diamonds are used for that too?

I’d thought they were just for buying cards, but apparently housing needed them as well.

“Hah. I hope they make a sofa for me. Flying around all the time gets tiring.”

“Hehe. I want the workshop expanded. The one I use now is good, but that’s the greed of a blacksmith!”

Rose and Dulv added their voices.

Housing on the stage.

It was an exciting idea.

If the stage got bigger, I could get closer to more heroes.

[Deployable Regions]
[Lv. 32: Gravel Desert]

Shall we head to the dungeon?

The amplification and card grinding were over, so it was time to head to the dungeon.

I selected Rose and Gobori and prepared to enter the dungeon…

“Player! Sand Boots! You have to wear Sand Boots!”

Right then, Gobori spoke up.

Oh, yeah. Sand Boots.

I almost forgot if Gobori hadn’t reminded me.

I stopped and put on the Sand Boots.

“Wow, not bad. I forgot about these too. You’re the best, Gobori.”

“Hehe. That’s the strategist’s role. When it comes to thinking, leave it to me, Gobori! Hehe!”

Gobori sniffled as he laughed.

That guy.

I manipulated the screen and headed to the desert.

Thunk!

The air changed instantly as I dropped into a bright space.

This dry, arid air.

All I could see in front of me were grains of sand.

The journey led here, passing through the forest behind.

“Ah! The desert! The desert I’ve only ever seen before! It feels like a dream!”

Gobori kicked the sand and laughed.

“Hah. It’s already hot. Let’s go! Go go!”

Rose perched under my collar.

Is she using me as shade?

I chuckled and moved forward.

Thanks to the Sand Boots I was wearing from the stage, my feet didn’t sink in.

[Main Story Triggered! : The Desert of Gold and Sun]

As I entered the desert, a message popped up.

But there were no NPCs or objectives in sight.

I tilted my head and looked around.

“Aren’t there any NPCs here? Are we just walking?”

“Hey, didn’t the prologue go like that? Don’t look too much for objectives!”

“Don’t look for objectives…”

I kept walking while chatting with Rose.

There was a skip option, but I didn’t press it.

I wanted to see what hidden clues the desert held, and I needed time to get used to the heat.

“Sir! Incoming! Enemy assault!”

Just then, Gobori raised his slingshot.

Swish swish swish!

Something was approaching, parting the sand.

I already knew what they were from reading the manual.

Monsters.

I raised my shield and blocked for Gobori.

“Cover the rear. You know the pattern, right?”

“Of course! Leave it to me!”

Got it!

No sooner had Gobori replied than grains of sand shot up.

“Shaak!”

“Shiak!”

From beneath the sand emerged two-meter-long lizard creatures.

I slashed the first one charging at me head-on.

Smash!

[Lv. 32 Lizardman Spearman defeated.]

One down.

Bright red blood soaked the sand.

I shifted my stance and waited for the next.

“Siak!”

“Af!”

The Lizardmen that appeared on the sand disappeared below again.

Then they prowled around.

This was the pattern of the Lizardmen.

Unlike the orcs that targeted the strongest hero, the Lizardmen aimed for the healers or dealers in the back.

A much smarter strategy than the orcs.

Swish swish swish… Smash!

“Sir!”

At that moment, a blade shot out from the sand.

I raised my shield to protect Gobori.

Clang!

[Lv. 32 Lizardman Spearman defeated.]

I defeated the Lizardman that rose from the sand.

Their tough scales meant nothing to the blade of an Uruk Slayer.

Pat pat pat!

“Shaak!”

“Siak!”

Simultaneously, other Lizardmen sprang up.

Four of them?

I held up my shield and focused on the front.

“Stay close behind!”

“Yes!”

“Shield Charge!”

[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker: Shield Charge skill!]

Thunk! Crash crash crash!

[Lv. 32 Lizardman Spearman defeated.]
[Lv. 32 Lizardman Spearman defeated.]

I charged forward, breaking through the Lizardmen.

The surrounding Lizardmen scattered in all directions.

“Siak!”

But one survived.

It fled beneath the sand.

I quickly chased its movement, running after it.

“Hup!”

Stab!

[Lv. 32 Lizardman Spearman defeated.]

I finished it off by stabbing under the sand.

The bright yellow sand was dyed red with blood.

“Wow, how did you catch that? It was so fast!”

“Ha! That’s our sir! You need detection ability to catch a Burrow!”

Rose and Gobori admired me.

Fast, huh?

Maybe because I’d experienced a whole different speed yesterday?

The Lizardmen’s speed was just about visible to the naked eye.

I laughed lightly and moved on through the desert.

“I just stabbed because I saw it. Let’s go!”

[★★ Goblin Sentry’s level…….]
[★★ Goblin Sentry → Lv. 36]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker’s…….]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker Lv. 18]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker → Lv. 19]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker Lv. 20]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker → Lv. 21]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker → Lv. 22]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy’s level…….]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy Lv. 37]
[Mission Clear!]
[+400 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+100 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+70 Steel Shards]
[+Common Card x1]

By the time we broke through the second wave, the dungeon was cleared.

Why did the levels go up so much?

It seemed they rose quickly because we were low level.

Leveling up so fast felt refreshing.

Thunk!

We returned to the stage.

“You’re going to keep going, right?”

I asked the two.

“Hah. What’s so hard about that?”

“Of course! Amplification is only four levels away! Let’s go!”

Rose and Gobori answered enthusiastically.

Especially Gobori, who seemed fired up since his amplification was just ahead.

Without stopping, we set out for the next dungeon.

[Lv. 34: Sand Desert]
[Lv. 36: Star Sand Desert]
[Lv. 37: Great Star Sand Desert]

We cleared three dungeons.

Lizardman Needle Handlers, Harpooners, Awl Handlers, and various other Lizardmen appeared, but apart from color, the patterns were similar.

Without rest, we moved on to the next dungeon.

[Lv. 39: Flowing Sand Desert]

[★★ Goblin Sentry’s level…….]
[★★ Goblin Sentry → Lv. 40]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker’s…….]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker Lv. 32]
[★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker Lv. 33]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy’s level…….]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy → Lv. 40]

[Mission Clear!]
[+500 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+130 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+90 Steel Shards]
[+Common Card x1]

“Finally…! Finally!”

Gobori clenched his fist as we cleared the dungeon.

[★★ Goblin Sentry] Lv. 40

The amplification Gobori longed for was finally within reach.

“Hmph. I thought you’d use him a bit and discard him, but you’re amplifying him after all? Not managing your 3-star water?”

“Haha! Congratulations! It’s a joyous day when two heroes get amplified at once!”

Rose and Dulv also congratulated us.

Rose—though she said that, I doubted she was being sincere.

Before starting amplification, I gave a small gift.

[[★★ Goblin Sentry] learned [★★★ Scroll: Rapid Fire].]

“Oh? Ra-Rapid Fire! Thank you! I was wondering when I’d use this, and now’s the time! Thank you, Player! Thank you!”

Gobori clasped his hands joyfully.

“Oh. Our player’s pretty good, huh? Trying to open the skill upgrade path!”

“Hehe. Though it might be a bit late, if it’s our player, there must be a purpose. I’m curious what kind of hero he’ll become!”

Rose and Dulv nodded in agreement.

Skill upgrade path.

Amplification is influenced by various factors, but the suggested examples are always skills, abilities, and traits.

Since Gobori had no skills before, he wouldn’t get examples related to skill upgrades after amplification.

So I gifted him a skill.

Manipulating the screen, I began amplification.

[★★ Goblin Sentry]
[Amplification!]

Thunk!

“Oh! Oh oh! Ooooh!”

Gobori was enveloped in light and soared upwards.

After me, I was curious what kind of 3-star he would become.