Chapter 8: Encountering an optional gate and challenging it
After the mysterious incident in which Evbejia's outer walls turned into Golems, the people of the city began working on the large scale construction to rebuild it with heavy hearts. The Adventurers' Guild set E-class adventurers to carry out human wave tactics to defend the city and the country's government requested for renowned mages and adventurers to be dispatched in order to investigate the incident. Meanwhile, the mastermind behind all of this was in the midst of an enjoyable journey by carriage.
He was sitting on the hide of a beast spread out inside the carriage in place of a cushion, listening to the cries of insects as he murmured to himself about how it would be autumn soon.
「Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've been on a journey.」
Technically, he had gone on a school trip while on Earth, but the ferry had blown up partway through and he had drowned, so it didn't count. In any case, he remembered that it wasn't exactly enjoyable.
Speaking of journeys -
「A different atmosphere from your everyday life, new experiences, rare sights, delicious food, talking with family or friends… No, that's not a journey, it's a trip.」
『How is a trip different from a journey?』
「If your goal is to have fun, it's a trip. If not, it's a journey.」
Dictionaries back on Earth probably defined it differently.
『So that's how it is. Vandalieu is much more knowledgeable than his mother.』
Darcia gave a small, happy-sounding laugh. Hearing only this conversation, one might think that it was the start of a happy family trip.
However, the mother was the ghost of a Dark Elf, with traces of gruesome torture visible on her slightly glowing body. And the child that was sitting in the carriage had shining red and bluish-purple eyes; he was a one-year-old Dhampir with even less of a presence than the ghost.
The carriage that they were riding on was moving without a driver or horses to pull it. It was a Rank 2 Undead monster, the Cursed Carriage. Flying in circles high up in the sky and keeping watch was the Rank 3 Phantom Bird, a bird with a body of bones surrounded by a bluish glow. And protecting the carriages on all sides were the Rank 3 Skeleton Warrior, and the Bear, Monkey and Wolf Bone Beasts.
This group that was proceeding forward in the middle of the night looked like a monster parade, a small-scale pandemonium. If there were any adventurers nearby, the only two responses they would have to them would be to either attack or run away.
「I think I'll go to sleep now… Before the sky gets brighter, I need to hide somewhere.」
Knowing this, Vandalieu and his party only traveled on the highway at night. They were heading to the Orbaume Kingdom, which had been in conflict with the Amid Empire for centuries.
The original plan had been to head to the village where Darcia had been born and raised, the place she had been living when she was still alive, but Darcia herself stopped them.
『I think it's better not to go to my birthplace. Since I went and died, there is no way to prove that Vandalieu is my child, and I'm not sure that everyone would believe my words as I am now.』
Vandalieu's skin was as white as a dead man's. His ears were pointed, but because of his skin color, one would not think that one of his parents was a Dark Elf.
According to Darcia, the relationship between Elves and Dark Elves of Lambda was not a good one. There were some Elf clans that had friendly relations with Dark Elves, but they were a minority; most Elves hated Dark Elves and regarded them as "the filthy Elves birthed by Vida".
And there was no need to even question what the Dark Elves thought about the people that hated them. If Darica herself had been alive, they would have believed her, but unfortunately, she had died. She did exist as a spirit, but the only ones who would be able to see her other than Vandalieu would be those who possessed rare jobs such as Spiritualist.
『Also, I don't know if they'll forgive your father or not. Your father was the subordinate of a Vampire that believed in evil gods.』
The Dark Elf race had been birthed by the goddess Vida and most of them lived while worshipping Vida and the Spirits while also intermingling with the other races created by Vida. Therefore it made perfect sense that they were also friendly with Vampires and Dhampirs, but only those that believed in gods other than Alda or the evil spirits.
There are also races of monsters such as Lamias and Scyllas that share a parent with the Dark Elf race, but if they were made obedient by tamers, it wasn't a problem. But the evil gods that were once the Demon King's subordinates are still enemies. Those who worshipped them, even if they were of races given birth to by Vida, were considered traitors.
「…It's a tough world we live in, mother.」
『Yes, that's why I think it would be better if we headed towards the Orbaume Kingdom.』
The Orbaume Kingdom and the Amid Empire made up the two halves of the Bahn Gaia continent.
The continent of Bahn Gaia was sometimes called "Warhammer of Zantark" because of the fact that it was shaped like the letter T. The warhammer's "handle" part was thought to be the place where the fallen champion Zakkart had faced his end for the second time, an area filled with high mountains and countless Devil's Nests. It was unexplored territory where even adventurers had never set foot.
The "head" part of the warhammer was divided into two: In the west was the Amid Empire, and in the east was the Orbaume Kingdom. They had been fighting one another for centuries to take over the other and unite the continent. The Orbaume Kingdom had formed from the alliance of many smaller countries that rebelled against the Amid Empire around five hundred years ago.
But since it was a union of countries now, it needed to be managed properly. For this purpose, they had made an electoral system called selective monarchy where the royal families of the participating nations became dukes and then a king was selected from among these. The term of the king was ten years, and reappointment was possible only once. However, since the reappointment of a king was common, the effective term period was usually twenty years.
Politics in the Orbaume Kingdom changed depending on the personality and policies of the new king, but whatever the case, Alda's teachings, the state religion of the Amid Empire that was the enemy nation, should be weak.
『It seems like there are Beast-men and Titans among those who can be selected as kings, so a Dhampir such as Vandalieu should have no problem.』
Darcia had never been to the Orbaume Kingdom herself, so she couldn't be sure. But since there were Beast-men and Titans among the candidates for king's position, it was certain that the Vida's offspring there were treated very differently compared to the ones in the Amid Empire.
And so they were headed towards the Orbaume Kingdom, but they were unable to follow the straightest, shortest path there. They had heard that a war between the Orbaume Kingdom and Amid Empire was close.
『Uhehe, this is a secret okay? It's special, national-secret-level information, okay~?』
The spirit of a spy of the Amid Empire who had died several months ago and gone slightly insane told them this.
Vandalieu actually wondered whether he should believe him or not, but it would be terrible if he ignored him only to find that the war had already started when he reached border between Mirg and Orbaume. Of course, there would be increased security, and even if he managed to get through it to sneak out of this country, he wasn't sure if he could sneak into the next.
Convincing a suspicious soldier that they weren't spies of the enemy would be no easy task. In fact, the soldiers would immediately assume that they were a small group of Undead. There would be no Monster Tamer that they could spot with a single glance, so instead of「Let's try talking to them first」they would surely think「Let's get rid of them first.」
「If I'm lucky, they'd take me into custody, but I don't want the Undead that I took the time to raise to be destroyed, and who knows what they'd do if they found Mom.」
Vandalieu was just a fourteen-month-old child, so if they didn't pulverize everything including the carriage from long range using offensive magic, he would probably be taken into custody, but that was impossible for the Undead.
As for Darcia, she was unlikely to be discovered as there was probably no soldier with the Necromancer job, but if they took the bone she was residing in and buried it, she might just disappear this time.
For that reason, they were not heading north-east to the Mirg country that was closest to the Orbaume Kingdom's border, but were rather heading south-east towards the southern part of the continent, the area covered in high mountains and Devil's Nests.
「Crossing high mountains and Devil's Nests will be difficult, but it's still better than coming into contact with humans.」
This was also often true on Earth too. Humans were the most fearsome creatures of all, and this was probably true for his situation right now.
Incidentally, the reason why Vandalieu hadn't trained any Golems or Zombies till now was because he had been planning for this journey.
The movements of Golems were sluggish, and if he made them big to cover for that, they would be conspicuous, even in the middle of the night. Zombies were the same; their movements were also very sluggish. In movies on Earth, he had seen Zombies that could run at the same speed as athletes, but you shouldn't expect fiction-like things in reality. Yes, this world was a fantasy world, but it was also reality.
Also, in the case of Zombies, he would have to use the corpses of the bandits or Orbie and his companions, and they were hardly faces that he wanted to look at all day. This was another very important factor.
And so, Vandalieu's little group was composed of just bones.
Vandalieu's travels, except for the fact that they couldn't move around while the sun was up, was progressing smoothly. During the day, they hid in forests away from the highway, and resumed their travels once night fell. If there were some peddlers or adventurers that were travelling along at night, they would go off the highway and continue on, and do the same when there were guard stations or checkpoints in the way…
Even though they were making steady progress, their pace was less than half that of a normal traveler, but that couldn't be helped.
「I want to hurry and be able to travel boldly in the middle of the highway.」
He hadn't done anything wrong (except for his revenge); it was such an unfair world.
He had to worry about the risk of beasts, monsters or even bandits attacking them if they travelled off the highway, though that was quite rare. Just from seeing Bone Man or Bone Monkey protecting the carriage from far away, beasts and bandits would be discouraged from approaching.
The wild beasts such as wolves and bears instinctively feared monsters except in cases where the monster was plainly weaker than them. Bandits were the same. Their targets were merchants and travelers, not monsters.
Of course, by defeating monsters you could expect some gains like ingredients and experience points. But if they had the skills to take on monsters, they would be working as adventurers, not as bandits.
And as for monsters themselves, there weren't many monsters that attacked other Undead monsters, especially skeleton types that were made of just bones.
The primary reason for a monster attacking another monster was to feed, but skeletons didn't have any edible parts.
There were other reasons such as territorial disputes and self-defense, but Vandalieu and the others never invaded the habitats or entered too far into the territory of other monsters, so the monsters would not do much other than wait and see.
「Gigyaaah!」
Well, from time to time monsters with low judgment capabilities decided to attack them.
Bone Wolf dragged a twitching, almost-dead Goblin in front of the carriage's wheels.
The Goblin was crushed with a loud crunch.
「We haven't been able to gain levels these days by killing monsters like Goblins, huh.」
Vandalieu didn't pay the Goblin any attention as he left it behind. He didn't bother searching for a Magic Stone, let alone the right ear that adventurers took to prove that they had killed the monster.
Darcia had told him that because the chances of finding a Magic Stone on a Rank 1 monster was less than one in a hundred, even many higher-rank adventurers didn't bother searching monsters like Goblins for them. Since Vandalieu had no way of even exchanging the Magic Stones for money, he decided to follow their example.
What concerned him more was the difficulty he was having in raising the levels of his Undead.
When they were Rank 1, their levels increased even when they killed a single monster together, even sharing the experience between all of them. But now, killing numerous monsters without sharing experience didn't even yield one level.
The Rank 2 carriage still increased in levels after running over some Goblins, but the levels of the Rank 3 Undead weren't increasing at all.
「I suppose I have to kill more bandits after all. Though I want the carriage to be Rank 3 before we cross the mountain range.」
『Vandalieu, Rank 3 is normally considered quite strong, you know? It would take several normal Rank 2 people to drive away one Rank 3 monster.』
A Rank 3 monster was so threatening that it could still trample one-sidedly over a group of normal people. At the very least, even normal citizens who were proud of their fighting skills or physically strong town guards wouldn't stand a chance.
「But Mom, there aren't going to be any normal people in the place we're going to, and since I can't get any stronger myself right now, I want everyone to get stronger instead.」
『I suppose that's true~ though you're able to make Golems quickly, so you'll be fine.』
This mother of Vandalieu's was an easy-going person, even after death.
The Amid Empire had been founded by the descendants of Bellwood, a champion who was guided to this world long ago.
The champion Bellwood had stood on the frontlines with the people who were forced to do battle against the Demon King's forces, and fought bravely. Within ten days of coming to this world, he had defeated a Dragon and rescued a nobleman's daughter and the First Lady who had been captured.
Within a month, he had repelled a large army of Giants together with the Second Lady who was a warrior. Within half a year he had fought the Knights of Darkness that the Demon King had sent while protecting the Third Lady who was a Priestess and prevailed. And finally, after ten years, he defeated the Demon King, even as Zakkart and the other champions were lost, bringing peace to the world. It is said that he and the other surviving champions offered their wisdom to help rebuild what had been destroyed.
Much of the champions' wisdom had been lost, but what remained was the hiragana, katakana and kanji that was the commonly-used writing in this world, and the Amid Village that eventually became the Amid Empire.
And Balschmidt, the great First Emperor of the Amid Empire who appeared tens of thousands of years later, was a direct descendant of the champion Bellwood.
「It sounds made-up and unpleasant.」
Vandalieu closed the book that had been mixed in with the bandits' treasure and threw it away violently.
In Lambda, where the technology for printing presses didn't exist, every book was a written copy. Therefore, they were quite high-class items.
But Vandalieu didn't see even a single copper coin's worth of value in the tales written about the actions of Bellwood, the champion who had founded the Amid Empire, and the First Emperor Balschmidt.
Firstly, the whole thing sounded like nonsense.
The proof that the First Emperor of the Amid Empire was a direct descendant of the champion was incredibly questionable. Surely there was no way to prove a relationship with an ancestor who had lived a hundred thousand years ago. The book had covered this up with stories about destiny, prophetic dreams and an illusion of the champion himself appearing and speaking to the emperor.
Secondly, it was unpleasant because it made Vandalieu feel envious.
The champion Bellwood… He was probably known as Suzuki in Japan*. He had manifested cheat-like abilities or something as soon as he arrived in Lambda, and within ten days he had become known as a Dragon-slaying champion who had rescued the princess. Within a month, six months, he had continued piling up achievements and connections and after ten years, he was known as a great hero.
What was Vandalieu compared to that? He couldn't help but to ask this question to himself.
Fifteen months had passed since he was born. The only member of the other sex that he had talked to was his own mother. It seemed impossible that he could become a great hero within ten years.
Of course, the champion Suzuki probably endured hardships and suffering of his own; he had survived the battle with his life on the line, after all. Even so, Vandalieu is all too aware of the difference between receiving a god's blessing and being cursed by the god instead.
「This is all Rodcorte's fault as well.」
『You're right, it's all this god Rodcorte's fault. But even so, I'm a little thankful. It was that god who made you my child, Vandalieu.』
「Mom…」
His splintered heart began to heal a little. Vandalieu reconsidered, thinking that perhaps he should at least be thankful to Rodcorte for making Darcia his mother.
But if it weren't for Rodcorte's curse, he would be able to use death-attribute magic at the level that he had been using it just before he died for the second time in Origin. He would be able to employ countless Golems freely, manipulate many spirits simultaneously, turn an entire lake of water into deadly poison or reverse the process, turning deadly poison into pure water. If he had been able to do all these things, perhaps Darcia wouldn't have had to die. When he thought about that, any gratitude that he might have felt towards Rodcorte was blown away.
The carriage that had been proceeding along a side road to avoid being spotted suddenly stopped.
「What is it?」
Due to his[Danger Sense: Death]magic, he knew that they weren't in an emergency situation such as being surrounded by enemies or attacked by a powerful monster. That magic detected not only poisonous mushrooms and plants, but also the bloodlust given off by monsters and humans.
Therefore, he shouldn't be in a dangerous situation… or so Vandalieu thought as he poked his head out from inside the carriage to see a gate that led underground.
「A gate? A base used by bandits… it's a little too well-built to be something like that. Is it some kind of ruins?」
As Vandalieu tilted his head sideways, it was Sam who told him what the gate was.
『Goshujin-sama, I believe this may be a Dungeon.』
「A Dungeon?」
『Yes, it is a Dungeon.』
Because Vandalieu was inside the carriage, he couldn't see Sam, but he could hear his voice clearly.
Dungeons. They were originally breeding facilities created by the Demon King to multiply his monster subordinates and increase their individual strength. Afterwards, Ricklent, the genie of time and magic, used his secret magic to turn them into places that humans could use to train and obtain materials.
The basic principle behind their appearance was that when a certain place was corrupted with a certain amount of magic, there was a corresponding probability that a Dungeon would form. Their shape, size and degree of danger varied greatly, and some of the first Dungeons that had appeared over a hundred thousand years ago still hadn't been discovered yet.
There were Dungeons that only consisted of one floor that couldn't be distinguished from a normal cave, home to only weak monsters like Goblins, but there were also enormous fortress-like Dungeons with over a hundred floors, crawling with high-rank monsters that even A-class adventurers would have a tough time getting through.
And as the requirement for the formation of a Dungeon was for magical power to contaminate the earth, most Dungeons existed only in Devil's Nests…
「Is this place a Devil's Nest?」
『Probably not. If this were a Devil's Nest, we would be seeing a lot more monsters coming out. This is likely a rare Dungeon that has appeared outside a Devil's Nest.』
As Darcia said, Dungeons forming in normal forests and fields were rare, but not unheard of. But in such cases, the Dungeons were often not very dangerous.
But if left alone for too long, the monsters multiplying inside the Dungeon would eventually emerge from it and turn the surrounding area into a Devil's Nest.
There were apparently continents in Lambda whose entire land surface and surrounding oceans had become Devil's Nests due to this process repeating numerous times.
「So then there should be a lot of monsters in here that aren't too strong. Judging from the grass growing thickly in front of the gate, it seems that adventurers haven't been here in a while… Alright, let's stop by and go inside.」
Dungeons. The fantasy-like sound to the word and the sense of adventure excited Vandalieu.
Though the ones who would actually do the adventuring and fighting the monsters would be Bone Man and the other Undead.
That couldn't be helped, since he was still only fifteen months old.
Around the time that Vandalieu was preparing to enter his first Dungeon, Degan, the guildmaster of the Adventurers' Guild in the town of Terow was watching three adventurers glaring at each other with a troubled look on his face.
The three people here were each a leader of an adventurer party that was well known here in Terow.
Cashew, the leader of the D-class adventurers' party, the『Wind Chasers.』Barn, the leader of a similar party called the『Steel Wings.』And Miranda, the leader of the『White Stars.』
It was safe to say that none of them were famous on the national level in the country of Mirg, and none of their abilities surpassed the D-class level. However, in this modestly-sized commercial town of Terow where there were no Devil's Nests nearby, they were top-class adventurers.
In fact, they had repelled bandit attacks numerous times and overcome the explosive increase in the Kobold population. They were known as heroes here in Terow.
They had accepted a request to exterminate a lost Ogre together and searched the forest near Terow, and had discovered a Dungeon on the way back.
Only the members here, the town's feudal lord and his aide knew about this, but Degan was ecstatic as this was a big opportunity to develop the town.
Indeed, the Dungeon was dangerous. If left alone, monsters might emerge from it and advance onto the town.
But if adventurers were to venture into it from time to time to thin out the monster numbers, it was essentially a chicken that laid an unlimited amount of golden eggs. The fact that monsters spawned without limit meant that there was a limitless amount of raw materials to be obtained from them, as well as precious plants and ores that could only be found inside Dungeons. Not to mention the treasure chests that appeared in Dungeons that could yield valuable magic items.
Adventurers seeking this Dungeon would gather in the town, and in turn, merchants seeking the gold that the adventurers would spend would also gather here, and thus the town would develop.
And if the Dungeon was cleared in this way, it would become a resource with greater returns than the risk.
With that said, there were also Dungeons in Lambda with only monsters such as Goblins that yielded only small amounts of raw materials and treasure boxes with poor contents, the kind of Dungeons that only caused trouble just by existing.
Would this be one of those failures, or a great success? Most importantly, adventurers would need to be deployed into the Dungeon to determine how dangerous it is, and there was an unspoken understanding that the adventurers who had discovered the Dungeon would have the first rights to it.
Of course, in cases where adventurers that were not hunters or otherwise not confident in their abilities discovered the Dungeon, they could sell the rights to explore the Dungeon first through the Adventurers' Guild.
In cases where multiple adventurer parties discovered the Dungeon together, they often negotiated with money or performed the first exploration together.
「We『Wind Chasers』will explore the Dungeon first!」(Cashew)
「What are you saying! We『Steel Wings』are more suitable for the task!」(Barn)
「Leave it to us, the『White Stars!』The rest of you can go and collect some Goblin ears or something!」(Miranda)
However, it seemed that these adventurers had no intention of coming to a compromise, and expecting them to join forces seemed hopeless.
「This is a problem. Though I suppose that they were competing against each other since the very start…」(Degan)
For a long time, these three adventurer parties had been competing with one another for the title of the best adventurer group in the town. However, they had a proper sense of morals as adventurers, so they had worked together to overcome the Kobold population problem in the past, but that was all.
The Dungeon that had been discovered had no evidence that any monsters had wandered outside from within, so there was no hurry to explore it. Also, Dungeons that appeared outside of Devil's Nests were generally not very dangerous and small in size.
Therefore, there was no need to cooperate; any one party could take the Dungeon on without a problem.
In fact, if the first exploration of the Dungeon was successful, the party that completed it would be viewed favorably by the Adventurers' Guild and may even be able to increase their rank to Class. It was a chance for one party to surpass the other two.
「We『Wind Chasers』have members that are good at disarming traps! The best your party's Thieves can do is conceal their presence and scout, hardly suitable for exploring a Dungeon!」(Cashew)
「What the hell are you saying, Cashew?! Your party has no Healers; exploring a Dungeon relying only on potions is too dangerous! In that regard, we『Steel Wings』have two Healers who can heal injuries, remove poison and cure diseases on the spot!」(Barn)
「What are you talking about? It seems that in short, you have a bad balance in members. I'll tell you this, we『White Stars』are a perfectly balanced party with one person on attack and one on defense, an Archer and a Thief, an offensive Mage and a Healer! You should leave the first exploration of the Dungeon to us!」(Miranda)
Seeing these three giving each other angry looks, with a fistfight that could break out at any moment, Degan pressed his fingertips against his eyebrows.
「You three… we've been having this conversation for three days now.」(Degan)
Perhaps this would be settled faster if a fistfight really did break out. It took everything in Degan to resist the temptation to suggest this.
Chapter 9: The second life that begins after death
My name is Sam. I was once a coachman who looked after horses for a certain nobleman.
Serving a nobleman is not as prosperous a lifestyle as commoners may think (well, I am a commoner myself). However, I had to take care not to embarrass my master, lest his reputation be questioned, and so I was provided with a proper uniform and I was guaranteed meals to eat each day.
In that regard, I was indeed blessed.
I am especially happy with the fact that I met my wife who was working at his mansion, and under my master's encouragement, I wed her and was blessed with two daughters.
My older daughter Saria was well-mannered, and my younger daughter Rita grew up to be energetic and cheerful.
And then my daughters also entered the employment of the same noble family as I, and we were truly happy.
However, one winter, my wife was among those afflicted by an epidemic and passed away within a few days. Before I even had time to recover from the sadness of that event, my master lost his footing on the stairs and also passed away, and someone else took his place.
The one who succeeded that noble family seemed to be unhappy with the previous generation's ways. They declared that they would be changing the servants, and my daughters and I were dismissed.
I thought that for me, who has only looked after horses and been a coachman all my life, it would be possible for me to live as a coachman for a stagecoach in the city, and decided to boldly enter an unfamiliar land.
My daughters, too, followed me in hope of finding good marriage proposals and employment in the city.
However, in the midst of our journey, we were attacked by a group of bandits. My daughters were violated by those beasts before my very eyes, and then we were killed. Our bodies were burned so as not to attract animals and monsters, and then thrown away. That must have been incredibly harsh; Saria and Rita still have their appearance from the time that they were burned.
Of course, we resented those bandits. We lingered here, intending to stay until we saw their destruction. If there had been a Devil's Nest nearby, we might have been transformed into evil spirits by its Mana.
However, we simply felt pure hatred for those men, and the days went by with us not being able to do anything.
And then one day, my current master Vandalieu-sama and his servants attacked their hideout and slaughtered them all.
So I myself am now one of Goshujin-sama's servants. One would never expect to be living a second life after death.
And the fact that this horse-caretaker and coachman is now in a dungeon is very surprising.
『Goshujin-sama, I have heard that strong monsters appear more frequently inside Dungeons than outside. Please let me know if you feel that it is too dangerous.』
My new body is the carriage that the bandits stole from me. However, it is a three-horse carriage with its width as its only redeeming quality, and other than the cloth roof overhead, it is no different from a wagon.
But since I am haunting it, despite it being a horse-drawn carriage, it can move backwards if needed. It is therefore easy to make an escape.
「Alright. By the way, I was thinking about this earlier… Can you not call me Goshujin-sama?」
My master Vandalieu speaks to me from the back of the carriage, but what would he like me to call him instead?
『Would Obocchan be preferable?』
「No, that's not it…」
『Vandalieu is just shy. After all, there aren't many spirits who would speak to him of their own accord like you, Sam-san.』(Darcia)
『Is that so? I see.』
As Vandalieu-sama's mother Darcia-sama says, none of his servants other than me can talk to him. This is not a matter of courtesy or manners; they are actually unable to speak.
Bone Man and Bone Monkey are haunted with the spirits of small animals, not people. They can convey their general feelings, but not speak words.
「Gyaaaah!」
Also, nobody but Vandalieu-sama can see them, but he is also being followed by countless spirits, including my daughters. However, though they would respond if Vandalieu-sama were to talk to them, they are unable to speak to him themselves.
This is because when one becomes a spirit, it is very easy to become dominated by a single emotion, and without intervention, it is normal to repeat the same behavior endlessly. My daughters are no exception.
「Gehyiii!」
『However, since I am Bocchan's servant, it is only natural that I should show respect to you. And… If I were to behave like Bone Man and the others, you would be displeased, would you not?』
Bone Man's outward appearance is that of a human skeleton. However, since the spirits inside him are those of small animals, Bocchan sometimes pats him and spoils him in his free time.
「Gigyagagagaga!」
Since Bocchan can see spirits, he does not seem discomforted by this, but there would be a problem if it were me.
『If I, a middle-aged man in his forties with thinning hair, were to say "Bocchan, pet me~♪" or something of that sort, he would most certainly feel hesitant about that.』
「Ah… Indeed. Then, "Bocchan" will be fine.」
He looks strangely unsatisfied, but we have come to an agreement.
「Gugeeeh!」
Incidentally, the unpleasant death cries that have been rising up are those of the Goblin Soldiers that I have been running over.
Goblin Soldiers are Rank 2 monsters, Goblins that have developed enough intelligence to hold weapons.
Rank 1 Goblins also wield sticks sometimes, but they are nothing more than tree branches; one cannot say that they have any kind of technique.
Even if a Goblin were to luckily get its hands on a sword or a spear, it would swing it no differently from a tree branch.
Goblin Soldiers are Goblins that are capable of wielding a sword like a sword, a spear like a spear and a stick like a stick. However, their skill is amateur-level, and any skilled, experienced adventurer or soldier would be able to defeat them one-on-one.
They are quite similar in appearance to regular Goblins, so apparently there are incidents where farmers and hunters carelessly try to drive them away and become overwhelmed.
However, these Goblin Soldiers are not worthy enemies to face Bone Man, Bone Wolf and Bone Bird who have already become a Rank 3 Skeleton Soldier, Bone Beast and Phantom Bird.
As they appear, they have their heads split by a sword, are torn to pieces by fangs and shot down by spirit feathers.
The Undead throw the ones that are still barely breathing in front of my wheels. Thanks to this, I am also able to attain some Experience Points.
「Gegih, gigigigigigeh!」
Their organs are crushed with a squelch and their bones crunch and crumble beneath the wheels. What a - wonderful sensation.
『Though I am embarrassed to admit it, I may become addicted to this.』
「I hope you don't, it would be a problem if we were to run someone over by accident. Ah, but it's alright to run over bandits.」
『Thank you very much.』
I will crush bandits beneath my wheels. My heart beats with excitement just imagining this.
Incidentally, Bone Monkey and Bone Bear are protecting the back of the carriage while prudently checking to see if any Magic Stones have been generated. Since they are Rank 2 monsters, around one in five monsters drop Magic Stones.
『For Goblin Soldiers and Goblin Archers to be appearing on the first floor, it seems that this is a rather dangerous dungeon after all.』
Goblin Archers are Goblins that wield bows and arrows instead of melee weapons, and are also Rank 2 monsters.
「… I don't feel any danger, though.」
『It may seem that way because the Undead are defeating them as soon as they appear, but it is quite unusual to encounter more than fourteen monsters right after entering a Dungeon. Well, this is also my first time being in a Dungeon as well.』
Darcia-sama was an adventurer in her past life, but it seems that she acted solo, so she does not have any experience in clearing Dungeons.
『However, this number of monsters may be because not many adventurers have attempted to clear this Dungeon.』
『That happens?』
『Occasionally. When there are wars and the adventurers have to work as mercenaries, or when there is a large-scale emergency request and more people are needed, or when there is no profit to be had from a Dungeon so adventurers are unmotivated to clear it.』
「Well, if the only monsters that appear are Goblins, then it's not likely that they would be rewarded for their efforts. Humans are creatures that don't act if there is no benefit for them.」
『You are wise, Bocchan; you do not seem like a one-year-old child at all, so please take care around other people.』
『You're right, but he does keep talking like an adult. Even though he never actually became an adult in his previous life or the one before that, so I wonder who he learned it from. Ah, it seems that I've reached my limit today, so I'm counting on you, Sam-san. Good night, Vandalieu.』
『Certainly.』
「Good night, Mom.」
Even as Darcia-sama goes to rest in the bone that contains her spirit, we continue our expedition into this Dungeon.
However, there are no fierce battles unfolding, and our exploration goes smoothly.
The first level's walls and floor were made of stone and only Goblin Soldiers and Archers have been appearing. There were fourteen of them, but the only casualty we have suffered was a chip in the blade of Bone Man's sword.
Our spoils are six Magic Stones.
The second floor seems more like a natural cave, and though the first floor's ceiling was glowing a little, the second floor is pitch-black.
Adventurer parties would normally use torches, lanterns or the[Torch]spell, but all of us, including Bocchan, possess the[Dark Vision]skill. We can see more clearly in complete darkness than in dim lighting, so this is actually more beneficial for us.
The monsters that are appearing are monsters that are like animals and bugs whose body lengths have grown over a meter, such as Giant Bats, Giant Moles, Giant Worms and Giant Spiders. Goblins are not appearing here. All of the monsters other than the Giant Spiders are Rank 1, and even if we were to find ourselves in a nest of the Rank 2 Spiders, we would defeat them easily, so we do not have much trouble at all.
However, there are no raw materials to be obtained and these monsters are particularly unsuitable for eating.
The only thing we attained was a single Magic Stone from a Giant Spider.
The third floor that we have descended to is a wetland. Despite our surprise, the sight and smell of water and dirt are real. When we look up at the sky, there is even a sun-like light source.
While we are still wondering whether we could possibly still be underground, Darcia-sama awoke and informed us,「Dungeons are apparently these kinds of places.」
If she says so, then that must be the case, I thought. But Bocchan had his head tilted to one side for a while.
Putting that aside, the monsters appearing on the third floor are all Rank 1 monsters that one might expect to see in a wetland, such as Giant Slugs, Big Frogs, Giant Leeches, Giant Lizards, so I assumed that it would be easy for us.
However, we encounter Rank 2 monsters further in. Acid Slugs, slugs that release acidic mucus. Poison Frogs that secrete neurotoxins from their tongues. Dagger Finches, small birds with quick movements and a sharp beak that could easily pierce a human's body.
Though these monsters are Rank 1 and 2, they are clearly much more dangerous enemies than Goblin Soldiers. However, they still have no chance against Bone Man and the others, who are Rank 3.
Our only casualty was Bone Man's sword, which fell to pieces when he swung it at an Acid Slug, mistaking it for a Giant Slug.
Having Bone Man's weapons degrade every time he cuts one of the Acid Slugs down is a waste, so Bocchan buried them alive using Mud Golems; the rest of the enemies were easily defeated. Poison does not work against the Undead who are made of just bones, and even when the Dagger Finches poke holes in the bones, the damaged bones are easily replaced.
Of course, the same applies for me, since my body is a carriage. Having some holes poked in my canopy does not affect me in the slightest.
「The one who has to sew it back together later is me, though.」
『I apologize, Bocchan.』
Our harvest is seven Rank 2 Magic Stones as well as the hind legs and internal organs of the Giant Frogs and Poison Frogs. And the beaks of the Dagger Finches. These beaks can easily become a knife blade or a spearhead just by attaching a handle.
The hind legs of two species of frog are a great delicacy, and their organs are used as ingredients in medicines.
The dismantling of the monsters was conducted by Bone Monkey and Bone Man. They crushed several organs and broke a number of beaks, but overall it went quite well.
『Will you make medicine, Bocchan?』
「I don't know how, so that's impossible. For now, I'll use the[Preservation]spell on them and keep them in a sack.」
Using death-attribute magic, it is possible to preserve for several years the organs that would normally spoil very easily. How very convenient.
「I'll have grilled frog legs for food today. First, let's start a fire.」
『Bocchan, you will not use[Demon Light]?』
「Unfortunately, [Demon Light]doesn't produce any heat. Actually, it absorbs heat, so it'll actually get colder.」
But it seems even death-attribute magic is not omnipotent. Though at least he can stay cool in the summer.
Bone Monkey burned one of the legs, but Bocchan said they were delicious as he enjoyed them.
「It tastes better than rabbit blood.」
Bocchan, that comparison is not helpful at all.
The fourth floor is another cave, and the monsters that appear here are all Undead. They are not Rank 1 Living Dead and Living Bones, but powerful Rank 3 Skeleton Soldiers, Zombie Warriors, Bone Beasts and Wraiths that are immune to physical attacks.
『Oh, such terrifying undying beasts.』
「Sam, you're an Undead as well.」
『Now that you mention it, you are correct.』
It seems that we are in for a difficult battle this time, but as I am about to suggest that we return to the previous floor to think of a strategy, something surprising happens.
The Skeletons and Zombies move aside and make a path for us.
「I can pass through?」
The Skeletons with blue flames in their eye sockets and the muddy-eyed Zombies give a groan as if to answer Bocchan's question, and drop their weapons.
Their rusty weapons drop onto the ground with an echoing clang, and there is no further response from these Undead.
「Sam, everyone, let's move on.」
『Is this alright? Perhaps it is some kind of trap?』
「I don't sense any bloodthirst, so I think it's fine.」
I trust in Bocchan's[Danger Sense: Death]magic and proceed onwards, and the Undead really do not attempt to attack us.
Other than slowly picking their weapons back up as we pass, they show no further movements.
『I'm sure those guys came to like Vandalieu, too!』
『As expected of Bocchan.』
「Well, isn't it just the normal effect of my[Death Attribute Charm]skill? Though I didn���t expect it to work on already-raised Undead.」
This fourth floor contains nothing but Undead monsters that show no signs of wanting to attack Bocchan, so we continue our expedition with no obstructions. Of course, we do not attain any Magic Stones and such either, but compared to having to fight against Rank 3 monsters, this is a welcome turn of events.
『Vandalieu, it's a treasure chest. Treasure chests really appear in Dungeons, don't they~?』
『So it seems. Just who would leave them there?』
『I don't know about that. Maybe they're the Demon King's traps to lure humans into danger, or the Genie Ricklent's way of motivating humans to improve themselves by giving them the treasure chests as a reward for their training; there are a few theories.』
It seems that treasure chests appear in Dungeons depending on the floor. It is unknown as to why they appear, but valuable goods are contained within them and they are fuel that warms the hearts of adventurers.
Of course, the treasure chests are locked and sometimes there are traps set on them. Getting through those is the Job of a Thief, but we have no Thieves among us.
「Well, I guess we'll open it… Awaken.」
Even so, Bocchan finds a way. Even without a Thief, he can have spirits haunt the treasure chest itself and have it open the lock and undo the traps itself.
It costs ten thousand Mana to open one treasure chest. Therefore, this is a method well-suited for Bocchan, who possesses a tremendous Mana pool.
「The contents are… What is this? On first glance, it seems like poison.」
What is contained in the treasure chest is a blue fluid in an expensive glass bottle. Oh, if this isn't a Potion, and quite a high-class one!
『Bocchan, this is no poison. It is a Potion!』
「A Potion, you mean an item that heals injuries?」
『That's right, if you drink it or apply it to wounds, they heal right away, so they're essential items for adventurers.』
『Yes, Darcia-sama. I have never seen such a high-quality product, even in the noble family that I once served!』
Potions have a number of grades, and the typical 5th-grade Potion heals for thirty Vitality. Most merchants and soldiers carry one of these with them, and adventurers and mercenaries always include them as part of their inventory.
However, 4th-grade Potions are more expensive, and noblemen have 3rd-grade potions in reserve. Of course, these Potions have effects reflecting their high price.
『You can tell a quality of a Potion by its color. The brighter blue it is, the higher quality. If it's darker, it's lower quality. This color should be a 2nd-grade Potion, I suppose.』
『To find a 2nd-grade Potion, one must find it at a store in a large city such as the imperial capital of the Amid Empire, or order it directly from a skilled Alchemist. The price for one of these will not be any lower than 100,000 Amid.』
「100,000… How is its effect?」
『It won't let you regrow a limb that's been cut off, but it should heal most wounds you apply it to.』
『If you drink it, it will heal not only your injuries, but also relieve fatigue and restore a little Mana. It will also cure some poisons and illnesses.』
「What about the taste?」
『… The higher quality the Potion, the worse it tastes.』
『Indeed, there was a legendary adventurer who once drank a high-grade Potion and fell unconscious due to its terrible taste. When he opened his eyes, he said that it would have been better if he had died.』
With that in mind, I cannot blame Bocchan for mistaking the Potion for poison at first.
「They say that good medicine is bitter to the tongue, but isn't that a little too bitter?」
I did not have the experience of drinking a Potion while I was alive, and I am fortunate that I am unable to drink it now.
It seems that Bocchan has also realized that this Potion is not to be consumed.
Following this, we found more treasure chests and attained the treasure inside. All of the items contained inside them seemed considerably high-class items. With that said, I cannot be sure, as I am but a horse-caretaker and a coachman, and cannot judge the value of some items.
「This is… probably a Magic Item. This is probably also a Magic Item. Ah, this is just a gem… no, could it be a Magic Item?」
『Bocchan, you are saying "probably" quite frequently.』
「I'm just over a year old; I hope you're not expecting me to have a good eye for judging these things.」
『But if you include your previous life and the one before that, are you not almost forty years of age?』
Several days ago, Bocchan told Darcia-sama, my daughters and myself about his circumstances. Though it was surprising to hear, he possesses a tremendous Mana pool for a one-year-old, even if he is a Dhampir. Furthermore, he is using some unknown magic that nobody has taught him. These things are far more surprising.
Of course, Bocchan also explained the future risks that he faces, but neither Darcia-sama nor I feel any intention of separating ourselves from him.
To me, Bocchan is my savior and master. Bocchan requires my carriage, so how can I abandon my duty?
Furthermore, if I were to separate myself from Bocchan, I would be nothing but a stray Undead monster.
「That might be true, but there was no magic on Earth, and even though there was magic in Origin, I never touched a Magic Item. Well, to be precise, I never touched a Magic Item other than laboratory equipment.」
That is why Bocchan says that he had no chance to become good at appraising items or detecting Mana.
We find items one after another. A knife, a dagger, a broadsword, silver accessories, a ring with a gemstone embedded in it. However, Bocchan cannot tell anything about them other than that they have some Mana imbued in them, so he cannot tell how valuable they are.
Also, Darcia-sama informed us,「Treasure chests often contain normal knives and stone necklaces, so we should be satisfied that we are finding any Magic Items at all.」
And as we descend into the fifth floor, we find ourselves in another home of the Undead.
「… Koooh.」
「Bumoooh…」
They are Rank 4 Undead, even stronger than the Rank 3 Undead that appeared on the fourth floor.
A skeleton warrior with its entire body dyed red by the blood of its victims, a Red Skull. An Orc Zombie that has even more brute strength than when it was alive. A Zombie that can use magic even after it has become Undead, a Lesser Lich.
And finally, a Living Armor that bears the hatred of the dead, moving around even though nobody is wearing it.
「Koooh.」
「Ah, thanks. Excuse us.」
However, like the Undead on the fourth floor, these Rank 4 Undead move close to the wall to open the way for Bocchan.
「Ah, stop, Bone Monkey, Bone Wolf. I have a feeling there are traps on the floor.」
The only obstacles in our way are the traps set in the Dungeon. However, with Bocchan's[Danger Sense: Death], we can detect and disarm them.
「I feel death in that wide space on the floor, so it's probably a pitfall? If I make a Golem and cover the floor, we should be fine.」
He makes a Golem from the wall and covers the floor with it, nullifying the trap. This method of dealing with traps is only possible for Bocchan.
「Well then, shall we continue?」
We discover even more treasure chests on this fifth floor than the fourth floor, and attain a number of treasures.
And then we open a conspicuously large door to find an enormous room in which a very powerful monster has been waiting.
It is a Skeleton General, over two meters tall, wearing golden armor. It is holding an axe that could easily cut a cow in half, and a shield as sturdy as a castle wall.
It is so impressive that it is difficult to believe its body is made of only bones; it is enough to send a chill down a spine that I do not possess.
And around the Skeleton General are ten suits of Living Armor, like knights serving their master.
『This must be a Dungeon Boss.』
According to Darcia-sama, who has just awakened, Bosses always appears in a Dungeon.
Bosses that appear at the bottom floor are particularly difficult to defeat compared to Bosses that may appear on other floors.
「Ooooh…」
「Thank you for your courtesy. Eh? You're giving that to me? That's helpful, but is that really alright?」
But like the other Undead we have encountered so far, not only does the Skeleton General let us pass, but he also offers the sharp-bladed axe and shield in its hands in his devotion to Bocchan.
「I feel bad for receiving a weapon and shield for free, so I'll give you this in return.」
Bocchan retrieves a battleaxe and large shield from inside the carriage and hands it to the Skeleton General. They are among the better-made items that the bandits were using, but they are not Magic Items. They are normal equipment made of metal.
「Just these won't quite do, so…」
With that, Bocchan produces a large amount of Mana from his body. It takes great effort to not have my consciousness swept away by its pressure. Bone Bird stops flying and falls onto the ground.
Right before my eyes, Bocchan's Mana is poured into the battleaxe, the large shield, and also the Skeleton General and Living Armors.
「OOOOH!」
The Skeleton General trembles in pleasure as its white skull is dyed black, and the Living Armors begin to emit a sinister aura.
『Bocchan, it seems they have ranked up… Just what have you done?』
「I just used[Bloodshed Enhancement]and[Energy Absorption]with about ten thousand times more Mana than usual… Why is that? Maybe death-attribute magic is just too compatible with Undead. Next time I'll try it on Bone Man and the others.」
If he can cause monsters to rank up by expending 100,000 Mana, it will be easy for Bocchan, who possesses over 100,000,000 Mana, to strengthen his followers; this is a wonderful discovery.
「I'll try making Living Armor when I get my hands on some good armor, too. Bone Man can't equip metal armor, after all.」
Because Bone Man's body is made of only bones, he can equip flexible armor like leather armor, but he cannot wear metal armor. It is too large for him as he has no flesh, and the armor would shift around too much and get in the way as he moves his body.
Because of that, we cannot use metal equipment except for shields.
The nearby Skeleton General is wearing full plate armor made of metal, but he is a high-rank monster; there is surely some trick behind that.
But rather than trying to figure it out, it is more important for me that Bocchan is planning to make more new Undead.
『Bocchan, if you are planning to do this, please use my daughters. I believe if you were to give them bodies, they would be able to speak as they did when they were alive.』
I think that it would be pitiful for my daughters to be spirits with the appearance of burnt corpses forever, so I take this chance to request that Bocchan uses them.
『Saria and Rita were just maids, so they do not know how to handle weapons, but they can do housework. They are not professional chefs, but they can cook basic things.』
Bocchan blinks and falls silent, and then gives me a reply:「Alright.」
「But this is only going to happen if I get some good armor, so I think you're going to have to wait a while. I can't go into towns to buy some, and most bandits wear leather armor.」
『I understand. Thank you very much, Bocchan.』
I do not know how many months or years it will be, but the day may come where this father and his two daughters can talk to each other like they once did. That is enough hope for me.
However, it seems that wish will be granted sooner than expected. Behind the door past the Skeleton General is a treasure storage room containing about as much treasure as the amount that we have already collected so far.
Inside there are two sets of「good armor」that Bocchan wanted.
『Oh, if this isn't another Magic Item!』
Suits of metal armor with Mana imbued in it. They are designed for female use; where other suits of armor are usually unrefined in shape, these suits of armor have elegant curves and there are decorations embedded into them.
A non-adventurer such as myself would have no idea just what kind of magic is imbued in these or what kind of ability they have, but I do know that they are beautiful suits of armor.
『Bocchan! Please make my daughters into Living Armors using this!』
「… I just want to make sure, you're alright with this? With these suits of armor? Are you really sure?」
For some reason, Bocchan seems dissatisfied. As I reply,『Of course』, he looks at the armor again with half-closed eyes and whispers.
「… No matter how much this is a fantasy world, I didn't expect there to be suits of armor shaped like high-leg leotards and bikinis.」
『High-leg leotards? Bikinis? Is this what armor of this shape is called on Earth?』
「No, they're swimsuits… I wonder if there are swimsuits in this world. Well, I suppose it's fine. Now that I think about it, it's not worth hesitating over.」
And so Bocchan places Saria in the armor that he referred to as a high-leg leotard and Rita in the one he called a bikini, pours Mana into them and successfully creates Living Armors.
Unexpectedly, the required amount of Mana was over ten times that needed to create Stone Golems, but I am grateful that my daughters have received new bodies.
However, this treasure storage room is a dead end; there is no staircase that continues to the next floor. It seems that this Dungeon is only five floors deep.
Our first Dungeon expedition is finished, and the Skeleton General sees us off as we return the way we came.
On the way back, I crush more Goblins that attack us and attain one of our original goals in coming here - I have now evolved into a Rank 3 Ghost Carriage, which is a happy event.
The most difficult battle I faced in this Dungeon was that with the stairs that I had to go up and down. Bocchan turned them into Golems and made them into a steep slope that I forced my way up and down, but it was rather difficult. I had Bone Monkey and Bone Bear support me when I went down them, and push me when I climbed up.
Now that I have attained the[Rough Road Travel]skill, it is no longer a problem. I wonder why skills are obtained just when the time you need them most is already over.
Today's spoils:
Rank 2 Magic Stone x14.
Goblin Archer arrow x47.
Giant Frog hind leg x16.
Poison Frog hind leg x5.
Dagger Finch beak x9.
2nd-grade Potion x2.
3rd-grade Potion x7.
Iron knife (weak Mana) x3.
Iron dagger (weak Mana) x4.
Buckler made of unknown material (moderate Mana) x1.
Steel broadsword (weak Mana) x1.
Round shield made of unknown material (moderate Mana) x3.
Tower shield made of unknown material (moderate Mana) x1.
Longsword made of mysterious metal (moderate Mana) x1.
Steel spear (weak Mana) x3.
Chainmail (weak Mana) x1.
Half-plate armor made of mysterious metal x1.
Claymore made of mysterious metal (moderate Mana) x1.
Glaive made of mysterious metal (moderate Mana) x1.
Halberd made of mysterious metal (moderate Mana) x1.
Steel battleaxe (weak Mana) x1.
Skeleton General's fine battleaxe (slightly weak Mana) x1.
Skeleton General's fine kite shield (slightly weak Mana) x1.
Various accessories (weak ~ moderate Mana) x many.
Normally, we would also receive income from the proof that we killed the monsters, but because we are not adventurers, that is impossible for us.
Name: Sam.
Rank: 3.
Race: Ghost Carriage.
Level: 3
Passive skills:
Spirit Form: Level 1 (NEW!).
Superhuman Strength: Level 1 (NEW!).
Rough Road Travel: Level 1 (NEW!).
Impact Resistance: Level 1 (NEW!).
Precise Driving: Level 3
Active skills:
Silent Steps: Level 1 (NEW!).
High-Speed Travel: Level 1 (NEW!).
Charge: Level 1 (NEW!)
Monster explanation:
[Ghost Carriages]
These are Undead consisting of a spirit that had lingering regrets in this world and now inhabits a carriage as an evil spirit. Their appearance is that of a carriage driven by horse and coachman made of mist, but the main body of the evil spirit lies in the carriage itself; the horse and coachman are but a manifestation of its spiritual body.
Because of this, the only way to defeat them is to purify the evil spirit or destroy the carriage itself.
Their main method of battle is a ramming attack using the carriage, or rather, this is heir only method of attacking.
However, depending on the type of carriage, there are some with armaments such as spikes attached.
Riding in them is usually impossible as they are often reckless, but if they are ridden, they are said to be very comfortable as they possess the Rough Road Travel and Impact Resistance skills.
As proof of defeating one, a carriage component with a Magic Stone is used. The raw material that can be obtained from it is the Mana-imbued carriage itself. It is seldom used as is, but when disassembled, its components have various uses.
To carry the carriage intact, one would need a horse or a carriage of his own.
Ghost Carriages are fundamentally rare monsters, and do not normally appear in Devil's Nests. All known incidents of Ghost Carriage appearances that have occurred were stagecoaches of abandoned areas that have turned into Devil's Nests.
Sam has attained Precise Driving and Silent Steps, which Ghost Carriages cannot normally attain, with the acquisition of the former being due to Sam being a professional coachman during his lifetime and the latter from moving around stealthily since becoming an Undead.
Thus, he has more skilled movements than normal Ghost Carriages and can move around very quietly.
Skill explanation:
[Spirit Form]
This is a skill that allows half-materialization of the soul or spirit, something that does not normally exist physically. The materialized spirit form is visible to the eye and can be touched physically. Though physical attacks do affect the spirit form, over two-thirds of their effects are nullified. Attacks using Magic Items or consecrated weapons are effective.
There are various ways to use the half-materialized spirit form; lower-level use extends to only using it to connect bones in place of cartilage. Just by attaining the skill, one can use it to replace muscle that has rotted and fallen off in order to strengthen the body, or decayed fur and scales in order to improve defense.
To give an example, Bone Bird's materialization of its spirit form over its bone wings allows it to generate the lift required for flight, and it can fire parts of the spirit form as projectiles. Another example is Sam, who has now increased in rank to become a Ghost Carriage, who can use his spirit form to take the shape of a horse to increase the carriage's horsepower.
Yet another example is how the Skeleton General wears his metal armor; the space between the bones and the armor is filled by its spirit form.
Another application of this skill is to manipulate the spirit form without materializing it to have it crawl under another person's skin or penetrate walls.