Side Story 2: Undersea Dungeon 04

We just learned that one of the Rank S adventurers is actually a divine sword wielder, despite barely knowing anything about her.

Because Silent Sea casually told us out of nowhere.

Now that Fran was Rank S, the guild allowed us access to information about the other Rank S adventurers, such as their race, appearance, and alias.

Apparently, this was a precaution to prevent Rank S adventurers from accidentally butting heads with each other. Well, not that they told us very much.

Rigdith Narasimha

  • “Beast King”
  • Beastkin Male
  • Skilled in fire magic and spears
  • Current ruler of the Beast Kingdom

Izario

  • “Crimson Blade”
  • Human Male
  • Wielder of the Flameblade, Ignis

Ashwrath

  • “Friendly Fire”
  • Oni Male
  • Wielder of the Earthblade, Gaia

Dimitris

  • “The Immovable”
  • Human Male
  • Founder of Dimitris-style martial arts

Roseberyl

  • “Wings of Freedom”
  • Halfling Female
  • Skilled in ultra-long-distance sniping. Famed as the world’s greatest archer.

La Sakool

  • “Headhunter”
  • Birdkin Female
  • Protector of the mountain kingdom Tyrell, inhabited solely by birdkin

Sheila

  • “Howling Seas”
  • Merfolk Female
  • Axe-wielding general of the merfolk nation

Elbalinshrad

  • “Wise Scales”
  • Lizardman Male
  • Wandering mage who can use all the elements

Fran

  • “Black Lightning Princess”
  • Beastkin Female
  • Wielder of the Humanblade, Master

That list is all of the current Rank S adventurers, according to guild records. Which means the archer Silent Sea mentioned is still active.

The four we haven’t met operated on other continents. Dunno if it’s intentional or not, but it seems they’re pretty well distributed around the world.

We knew practically nothing about her aside from her skill in archery, then this guy drops the sudden bomb that she owns a divine sword!

Man, I bet that Roseberyl-san was trying to hide it. Unfortunately for her, it seems the secret is out.

『Are you sure you should be sharing that with us?』

「Hmm? Was there some reason not to?」

『I feel like she was probably trying to keep it a secret, you know?』

「Is that so? Then I shall refrain from telling anyone else.」

He’s way too casual with secrets!

『C-Can we also ask that you don’t share our information with others?』

「Very well! I promise.」

Phew! I had the bad feeling that he would go around blabbing to everyone as soon as we parted ways! Well, I guess everyone already knows that I’m a divine sword, so it might be a bit too late for that.

Either way, Silent Sea will probably be coming through the dungeon with us, so we can’t keep our abilities secret from him.

「Hmm…」

「What’s wrong?」

「You mentioned Elbalinshrad, yes? I believe he is the wielder of the divine sword, Wisdom. Or should I avoid telling people that too?」

Yes! That’s exactly the kind of secret you shouldn’t be telling others!

『As a general rule of thumb, I think most divine sword wielders would prefer if you don’t reveal information about their powers.』

「Is that so? The rules of human society are quite complicated.」

Silent Sea may be a divine envoy capable of holding a conversation, but I think he’s still a beast at his core. He seems to have a completely different way of thinking than humans.

Maybe he just can’t comprehend the idea of hiding a god-granted power.

「Hmm… In that case, perhaps I should refrain from speaking about the remaining divine swords.」

『Uh, well, we would prefer it if you share that information with us…』

Dang. Maybe I should have waited until we got all the info before speaking up.

「I want to know more about the divine swords too.」

「I see, then I shall continue. I know nothing about the current wielders of the remaining swords, so speaking of them should pose no problem.」

And so, Silent Sea continued by telling us of Jormungandr.

「Jormungandr the Emperor Serpent Blade is, as the name suggests, a divine sword capable of summoning a colossal sea serpent. Long ago, the divine blacksmith Fargo sealed an enormous monster that was rampaging through the seas, and forged it into a blade. We assisted in its creation.」

「You were there?」

「Indeed.」

Jormungandr was originally a sea serpent that gained overwhelming power by devouring a dungeon core. Apparently, it had gotten to the point where it could even escape Leviathan’s pursuit.

Then, one of the Leviathan’s kin happened to bump into Fargo and told him about Jormungandr. This led to a plan to seal the creature’s power inside a divine sword.

「I call it a sea serpent, but it was capable of traversing the land and air as well. Though of course, it was most powerful in the sea. In times like these, when we require outside assistance, we often relied on the wielder of Jormungandr.」

Silent Sea recounted the tale with a distant, nostalgic look in his eyes. He had no idea about the Jormungandr’s current whereabouts, but it was clearly a familiar and beloved sword to him.

Apparently, Jormungandr took the form of a trident with a sea serpent coiled around it.

「I also know a fair bit about the Water Spiritblade, Krystalos. Due to its underwater abilities, many of its past wielders were adventurers who operated primarily in the sea.」

Krystalos granted underwater breathing and pressure resistance even without being fully released. This allowed the wielder to move through the seas just as easily as on land, or perhaps even better.

As a result, many of its wielders focused on undersea dungeons and hunting magical beasts in the ocean. This brought them into contact with Leviathan’s kin, leading to frequent cooperation.

Krystalos seemed like a water-based version of Ignis. The wielder can freely control water and gains multiple enhancements when underwater. Like Ignis, its power comes at the cost of levels.

Both were forged by the same blacksmith, so the similarities make sense.

「The last one is Raging Roar?」

『I’ve never heard of that one before.』

「Raging Roar, the Beastheart Blade. I have only encountered it once, and as an enemy at that, so I must admit my knowledge is limited.」

I had expected as much, but it seems the divine swords could be misused by their wielders. Several centuries ago, the wielder of Raging Roar suddenly broke into a sacred temple for housing Leviathan’s kin.

Only about half of Leviathan’s kin are active at any given time, since they alternate between periods of activity and hibernation. And when entering hibernation, they rest in one of the many temples scattered throughout the world’s oceans.

Silent Sea had been hibernating at the time, but he awoke upon sensing the intruder.

That was when he saw the blade in the intruder’s hands—undeniably a divine sword.

A longsword as beautiful as a jade sculpture, with runes engraved on its surface.

「Then, he released his divine sword, transforming it into a jade gauntlet with the same runic pattern. The blade had the power to tame magical beasts, turning them into his servants. His goal was to enslave the kin of Leviathan.」

Apparently, he made it to the depths of the ocean by commanding a Threat Level B sea serpent with the power of his divine sword.

However, his plan ended in failure. Silent Sea and his brethren launched a counterattack before he could do anything, forcing the man to flee for his life.

I assume Raging Roar doesn’t have much when it comes to direct combat ability. But to be fair, he was up against Silent Sea and the kin of Leviathan, essentially an army of pseudo-divine beasts.

Not even a divine sword wielder would be able to escape such a foe unscathed.

「Well, that is about all of the information I have on the divine swords. Are you satisfied now?」

「Nn!」

『Yeah, it was really helpful. Thanks.』

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