Volume 7 - Ch 1.04
(Insectivorous plants need nitrogenous compounds for amino acids, which they obtain from the insects. They produce starch normally through photosynthesis.)
We need to be on alert and pay attention the entire time when we are fighting the Nephtenes, seeing as its arms that are made out of leaves are long enough to enable it to launch an attack on us from behind; and something tells me that being slashed with those leaves is going to hurt more than we might suspect.
Damn it! This might be more troublesome than I originally anticipated. If only I knew that things would end up this way, then I wouldve asked Miria to use the Steel Spear instead so that she could at least poke this Floor Boss from a safer distance. Well, her level has risen quite a lot in comparison to how it was before I bought her, so she should be fine.
In the end, it turns out that we managed to score ourselves another easy victory most likely because it was the four of us against the one Nephtenes. Our easy winning streak remains uninterrupted for the time being. The Nepenthes finally collapses, changes into a cloud of smoke, and disappears, leaving behind its Drop Item.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X!!!cried out Miria.
But before I could see what that Drop Item actually was, Miria shouted something out with a pretty excited voice.
Roxanne, care to translate what she said just now? I asked.
She said fish savings; so based on what she told us about this before, I would guess that the Drop Item that dropped from Nephtenes has to be a Magic Crystal.
Magic Crystal, you say?
She also says that there wasnt any before the battle, so it mustve appeared just now. While Roxanne translated what Miria was saying, Miria herself picked the Magic Crystal up.
Amazing! She really was able to spot it in a place where I wouldnt even dare to look! So she can identify the location of the Magic Crystal the moment it appears? The members of the Catkin tribe really are incredible with their eyes! With Miria by our side, we will never miss any more Magic Crystals from now on!
As expected of Miria. Amazing work!
She says that she immediately noticed it because it started glowing in the dark, so it was pretty easy to spot.said Roxanne.
Pretty easy to spot, huh? I highly doubt it, because from what I am seeing, the Magic Crystal that appeared here is a Black Magic Crystal so there is no way for it to glow.
Its a Magic Crystal. Repeat after me, Miria. Magic Crystal. Magic. Crystal.
Magic Crystal, desu.
I should have taught her the right words for it before, not while in the middle of the Labyrinth after we just went through a battle; but whatever. As long as she remembers it, it doesnt really matter where, when, or how she learned it.
After teaching Miria two more Brahim words, I receive the Magic Crystal from her, followed by the Nephteness Drop Item that Sherry went and picked up for me. I looked at it with my Identify and saw that it was apparently called Crow Dipper (TL Note: This is a plant that is native to China, Japan, and Korea, and known as the herb effective in removing dampness-phlegm one of the causes of obesity in traditional Chinese medicine.
This plant is toxic in raw form and must be processed first before using it for medical purposes.) I removed my Warrior Job and switched it with Herbalist, and tried to make medicine with it as a base. The plant in the palm of my hand shone brightly, and when the light subsided, instead of a Crow Dipper I had three Nourishment Pills. This means that the Crow Dipper must be classified as a medicinal plant after all.
You really did it, master. For some inexplicable reason, Sherry was very surprised at my achievement just now.
Well, Isnt that a given?Roxanne asked.
No. I have heard that most of the Herbalists are unable to beat Nephtenes during their first ever encounter with it, or to successfully create Nourishment Pills out of Crow Dipper on their very first attempt; so they simply sell the plant itself to get at least some money out of it.
Eh? Really? No, wait a minute. Wasnt Sherry the one who told me that I can make Nourishment Pills from the items dropped by the Floor Boss of the thirteenth floor? But if I can do it, and the Nourishment Pills can successfully be made from the items dropped by the Floor Boss of the thirteenth floor, then cant they also be made from the items dropped by the Floor Boss of the twelfth floor?
S-So, usually Herbalists are not able to successfully create the Nourishment Pills on their first try, you say?I asked.
Yes, that is usually the case; but I knew that you would be able to do it, master. After all, youve shown time and time again that if there is anyone who can do such a thing, then it is going to be you, master. said Sherry.
As expected of Master. Youre amazing! said Roxanne.
As expected, desu!
Even though Sherry, Miria and Roxanne were giving me compliments, I dont really feel like I did anything worthy of their praise. With that successful creation of the Nourishment Pills, the level of my Herbalist Job jumped up to Lv.4, so it means that it kept leveling up when I was making Nourishment Pills the other day.
An Herbalist Lv.4 is not supposed to be able to defeat Nepenthes, according to Sherrys information, and so even though an Herbalist Lv.4 can make Nourishment Pills just fine, there must have been no Herbalist known to the world who wouldve been able to ascertain that fact.
Theres also another possibility here: that a list of the things that an Herbalist can make depends on his or her total MP. Because I have the Wizard Job (Lv.37) supported by Hero and Monk Jobs, I definitely should have enough MP at my disposal to create such a medicine.
Come on girls, this is not that big of a deal. I said. I stuff the Nourishment Pills and the Black Magic Crystal in my Item Box, and then we leave the Boss Room.
The monster native to the thirteenth floor of Quratars Labyrinth is Fly Trap. Its similar to Sarracenia with the exception that it uses ranged attacks based on Water Magic; and on top of that its regular attacks have a chance to inflict poison upon those hit by it. Naturally, since it is using Water Magic itself, it is highly resistant to it as a result; and its weakness is Fire Magic.said Sherry.
As usual, Sherry shares the information about the monster native to the new floor that we have arrived on, and then I asked Roxanne to guide us towards the nearest Fly Trap so that we could try our hands at fighting it and see how smoothly it is going to go.
We encountered the Fly Trap shortly upon arriving at the thirteenth floor. Sherrys info about it was definitely correct, because it really was similar to Sarracenia in many aspects. Even its size and shape are very similar to it, albeit with some small differences. The biggest difference is related to its head: whereas Sarracenias head looked like a pitcher plant, Fly Traps head looks like a giant. well, fly trap. It splits open in half in order to trap and then devour any objects or organisms that are going to be stupid enough to find themselves sitting on top of the head, or getting anywhere near it. Is it carnivorous, just like Sarracenia?
Throughout the entire duration of the battle, I made sure to pay especially close attention to the movements of the Fly Traps head, just in case it ever tried to attack us with it or do something unexpected while we were too focused on dealing with its body and its regular attacks. Thankfully, because I already know what its weakness is, I can easily exploit it to my advantage, and it falls dead after five spells
So in the end, it didnt attack us with its head even once.I said.
Thats right; but just because it didnt attack us with it this time doesnt mean that one wont attempt to do so next time or the time after that. That is why it is so important for us to stay vigilant and not get careless. In the Labyrinths, carelessness can be lethal.
Roxanne said.
Once we advance onto the even higher floors, we might start seeing Fly Traps that are going to start attacking with their heads or use Skills that involve their heads.said Sherry.