SWNOVELXO Chapter 21: - Item Box Hoihoi
We continued progressing smoothly on the third floor. Thread Spiders appeared in groups of one or two, but they weren’t much of a threat. Unlike the second-floor boss, they didn’t coordinate their attacks, making them much easier to handle.
Even if my AGI dropped by 5 points, it wasn’t a significant problem.
“Oh!?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I was just thinking, can I use the Item Box to receive their thread attacks?”
“Huh?”
Living beings couldn’t be stored in the Item Box, but non-living things could. As long as I didn’t touch them within one meter, I could store them in the Item Box. So, I thought if I could store the flying threads in the Item Box, it might nullify the AGI reduction effect.
During the verification test yesterday, something felt off, and now I knew what it was.
“I see… I’ve never heard of using it that way, but it might be worth a try,” Anneliese said.
“Then let’s try it!”
With that decision, I implemented the Item Box nullification strategy against thread attacks.
We encountered two Thread Spiders. Without hesitation, I put the Item Box nullification plan into action. The first one was swiftly dispatched with my Mithril two-handed sword before it could spit out its thread. Witnessing this, the second spider spat out its thread.
“Item Box!”
The net-like thread coming towards me disappeared.
“Oh, it worked!”
I rejoiced at the successful experiment, leaving the Thread Spiders bewildered, not understanding what had just happened. Despite my excitement, I remained vigilant and slashed the spiders without dropping my guard.
“Anneliese, threads were stored in the Item Box.”
“Yes, I saw. Congratulations, Master. You truly are amazing.”
I felt the softness of Anneliese’s body as she hugged me. This was the best reward.
“Also, I want to confirm if your magic can be stored in the Item Box.”
“My magic too?”
“I’m not sure, but I have a feeling it might work. Well, even if it doesn’t, knowing that is valuable.”
“I understand. How would you like me to proceed?”
I asked her to cast her magic as if passing by me. A direct hit was way too scary.
“I’ll cast it!”
“Sure, I’m counting on you!”
“—Fire.”
Flames extended from the tip of her staff. The heat was intense. So, this was the magic of a level 21 mage.
Flames resembling a flamethrower shot out from my side. In this state, I activated the Item Box.
“Wow!”
The flames from the flamethrower vanished beside me.
“Even magic…”
She cast the spell for about ten seconds, and I managed to store all of it in the Item Box.
When I checked the Item Box, there was a flame symbol beside the net thread.
“I wonder what will happen if I release this?”
“I have no idea…”
“I can’t imagine either. I think I’ll try it in the boss room, rather than in a hallway.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
I was starting to enjoy this somehow.
The magic part was scary, but as for the threads, I decided to try releasing them.
I focused on them being released in the opposite direction from me. When I released them, they flew about 4 meters before disappearing. It seemed like the inertia remained the same.
“Next, I need to confirm if my AGI will decrease if the threads touch the monster before disappearing.”
“Master, you seem to be doing something quite extraordinary.”
“Really? Has no one who possessed the Item Box ever thought of this before?”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing, so maybe no one has ever done it in the past?”
“Or perhaps they kept it a secret.”
“Alright! I’m going to use the Item Box Trap extensively and get used to this technique.”
“The Item Box Trap, you say?”
“It captures the flying threads and magic attacks, so I call it the Item Box Trap. Is that weird?”
“I don’t fully understand what ‘Trap’ means, but the pronunciation feels wonderful. Master, you are a genius at naming things.”
“O-oh, really? Well, don’t be shy. You can compliment me more if you want. I mean, even if I borrowed the idea.”
Next, a single Thread Spider appeared. Of course, it spat out its thread, but I nullified it using the Item Box Trap and sent it back.
As a result, the Thread Spider’s AGI decreased by 5 points.
“This is an amazing discovery, Master.”
“Yeah, it was a fun experiment.”
When things like this worked out, it made me incredibly happy and excited.
Using the Item Box Trap extensively, I easily defeated the Thread Spiders and finally arrived in front of the boss room. The battles with the Thread Spiders weren’t difficult. However, I might have overused the Item Box Trap because it was so enjoyable.
Additionally, my proficiency with the Item Box increased from (Low) to (Medium). Now, the Item Box had 60 slots, which was a relief since I was running out of space.
There were two parties waiting in line in front of the boss room.
Thanks to Anneliese’s magical perception, we had managed to avoid other adventurers until now, but it seemed impossible to do so in front of the boss room.
Anneliese and I had dummies with backpacks. We pretended to take items out of them and conjured grilled squid and fried squid tentacles from the Item Box.
Anneliese seemed to prefer the fried tentacles, but I liked the body more. Both were delicious, though.
“Since it might take a while, should we have a bite to eat?”
“Thank you.”
The tantalizing aroma seemed to tickle the noses of the adventurers waiting a little distance away, especially when they saw the grilled squid. Hey, don’t drool.
Most adventurers brought their own food and water, consuming them while storing dropped items in empty spaces. They prioritized foods that could fill their stomachs, so items like grilled squid were often not brought along. I bet they were envious.
“U-um… I’ll pay you, so could you share some of that grilled squid with me?”
He was a decent adventurer for not demanding.
“Would one piece be enough?”
“How many pieces are you willing to part with?”
“Two grilled body parts and two fried tentacles, then.”
“Alright, I’ll take those four pieces.”
We took out the four pieces from the bag where we had stored what we ate. The bag was empty now.
The adventurer handed me two silver coins as payment. Grilled squid cost three bronze coins for two pieces, and fried tentacles were two bronze coins for two pieces. So, four pieces cost one silver coin (100 Grills), but he paid double that. Considering the effort involved in transporting these items, it seemed reasonable.
While saying how delicious it was, the five of them shared the grilled squid.
The leader of their group seemed to distribute it among them. The members of the party waiting in front of the boss room stared at us with bloodshot eyes. Sorry, we don’t have any left.
“Master, please refrain from doing this sort of thing in the future.”
Anneliese whispered to me in a small voice.
“Huh, why?”
We waited for quite some time, but we finally entered the boss room. There were no remains, so it seemed that those adventurers had successfully defeated the boss. They were a party of five, consisting of a swordsman and a spearman, which was more stable than a village party.
Now, the boss of the third floor was a Giant Spider. It was a large spider, about twice the size of a Thread Spider, with red-black stripes.
“Gross.”
The yellow-black stripes were disgusting, but the red-black ones were even more grotesque due to their poisonous appearance.
Despite its size, its AGI was higher than that of the Thread Spider. It was not only fast but also tricky because it used both threads and poison.
“Hehehe. I have a trump card up my sleeve. I won’t lose to the likes of you.”
I stomped the ground, taking my stance. The distance between the spider and me was about 10 meters. Let the battle begin!
—Item Box!
The roar echoed.
I released Anneliese’s magic, which I had stored in the Item Box. Flames extended out like a flamethrower, engulfing the Giant Spider.
The spider, wrapped in flames, couldn’t attack me as it writhed in agony.
…
The Giant Spider stopped moving and disappeared. Anneliese’s magic was a one-shot kill against the boss of the third floor.
“Both the Thread Spider and the Giant Spider were instantly killed because fire is their weakness.”
“The Item Box is exceptional, Master.”
Thanks to the Item Box, I could store magic too. For emergencies, I should store several different spells.
We went to the guild to exchange the dropped items for money. However, there were thieves infiltrating the guild. Where were the guards? Was the guild in cahoots with the thieves?
But they were in the way. I wanted to get rid of them, but how should I proceed…
– Normal Drops from Thread Spider: 25 threads for 2,000 Grills.
– G-rank Magic Stones from Thread Spider: 19 stones for 4,750 Grills.
– Rare Drops from Thread Spider: 2 cotton cloths for 3,200 Grills.
– Normal Drop from Giant Spider: 1 poison sac for 1,800 Grills.
Total: 11,500 Grills. (Equivalent to 101,500 yen)
【Job】Dual Sword Hero Level 6
【Skills】Command (Tiny), Auto HP Regeneration (Tiny), Body Strengthening (Low), Buster Slash (Tiny)
【Unique Skills】Detailed Appraisal (Low), Item Box (Medium)