The Goblins I cut down were swallowed by the dungeon floor.
A dungeon was like a massive living creature; any being that died within its depths was absorbed to serve as its nourishment.
"Woof!"
"Hmm? What is it, Shiro?"
Shiro trotted over, holding a small red stone in its mouth that had been left behind where a Goblin was absorbed.
"I see, so this is a Monster Nucleus."
Compared to a dungeon nucleus, it was tiny and riddled with impurities. It would be difficult to weave a proper spell formula into something this low-quality.
Only one had dropped so far. Since none had appeared during my previous delve, they must be quite rare. Well, I might as well keep it for now.
"Woof!"
Shiro wagged its tail vigorously, urging me to move on.
…It was the same earlier, but it was becoming a problem that Shiro didn't move exactly as I intended. Or rather, constantly sending telepathic commands to it was starting to feel like a chore.
Alright, time to construct a spell formula.
I would create a system that automatically sent orders to Shiro based on the situation. That way, it could fight on its own without my constant input.
"Let’s see… While no enemies are present, walk ahead of me to scout. Upon encountering an enemy, immediately shift into a combat stance. In close and medium range during combat, feel free to attack at your own discretion—biting, scratching, and so on. Obey my direct commands instantly. Straying too far from me is prohibited. At long range—"
"Master Lloyd, you look like you're having way too much fun with this…"
Grimo muttered with an exasperated look as he watched me tinker with the spell formula.
"Yeah, it is fun. Especially since Shiro moves exactly how I want it to. It makes constructing the formula feel rewarding."
"I-I see…"
It had a high degree of freedom, a physical body that allowed for various uses, and it was cute to boot. Magical beasts really were excellent.
"…Alright, let’s try it out like this for now. I can reconfigure the commands as the situation demands."
"Woof!"
"Good grief, it’s like a puppet… You have my sympathy, furball," Grimo said, letting out a deep sigh for some reason. I wondered what had gotten into him.
Regardless, our progress through the dungeon was smooth.
The final set of commands I settled on was: in a neutral state, Shiro would walk about three meters ahead of me to scout. If it spotted a monster, it would bark once to alert me. If the enemy tried to flee, Shiro would disable their movement; if that was too difficult, it would hold position. No overextending on pursuits. If the enemy stayed put or charged, it would initiate combat. Against multiple opponents, it would circle around to prevent escape and drive them toward me.
…That was the gist of it. After a few skirmishes, we settled into a comfortable rhythm.
"Woof!"
Shiro barked, and a Goblin lunged out from the shadows. Shiro immediately clamped its jaws onto the creature, finishing it in seconds.
With my hands free now that the spell formula was managing the orders, I noticed something while experimenting on Shiro. If I applied mana to Shiro’s claws and fangs and altered its properties to make them sharper, it became incredibly effective. Our clear speed increased so much that Shiro was now handling about half of the monsters we encountered.
"Lloyd! If you let the dog do all the work, you won't gain any experience!"
"I know!" I called back to Tao.
Despite my answer, I intended to keep Shiro working hard. While altering the properties of mana was easy enough for myself, applying it to others was quite difficult. It was hard to project a clear image onto something that wasn't my own body. The power and precision were significantly lower than when I did it myself. It would require more practice—though eventually, I wanted to automate this as well.
"Oh, it looks like we’re nearing the end."
A large hole opened up ahead of us. I remembered the boss room having a similar entrance the last time I was here.
"Woof!"
Shiro charged toward the enemy as usual, and the sounds of battle immediately rang out. Now then, let's see how well it fares against a boss.
The moment I tried to step into the room, a barrier manifested before my eyes. My head hit it with a dull thud.
"Ow… What is this?"
I knocked on the surface, but it wouldn't budge. It seemed designed to lock everyone else out once a battle began.
"Once a fight starts in a boss room, no one else can enter until it's finished, boss!"
"Ah, right. I think I remember hearing about that."
A powerful barrier was erected at the entrance, drawing mana directly from the dungeon itself. The activation conditions must have been met the moment the boss spotted Shiro. Now, Shiro was trapped inside alone.
"Step back."
A voice sounded right beside me. It was Tao. After a sharp intake of breath, she unleashed a palm strike infused with Ki. Simultaneously—
"Langris Style Twin Sword Arts: Wolf Fang!"
Sylpha unleashed a rushing slash. Even with their combined attack, the barrier didn't so much as ripple.
"This barrier… it seems its structural integrity has been pushed to the limit by narrowing its conditions."
By adding specific conditions, a spell formula can generate much higher output. In this case, it sacrificed versatility to become incredibly strong at a specific place and time. It wasn't impossible to break by force, but it would take a long time.
"Yelp!"
Shiro let out a pained cry as it was sent flying into a wall. A giant Goblin stood over it, smirking. It was a Hobgoblin, an evolved species. Its fists were already stained with blood. The gap in combat power was far too wide.
"Tsk, even in my spirit form, I can't phase through this! At this rate, the furball is toast!" Grimo hissed, gritting his teeth.
However, there was a way. Fixed barriers like this were vulnerable to restructuring because their formulas were static and exposed. If I messed with the formula to make it collapse, I could weaken the barrier itself. First, I would strip away the restrictive conditions. It was only this strong because it met such specific criteria; if I made those parameters generic, the density would drop.
Let’s see… rewriting the formula… and done. That alone should have made it brittle enough.
"You two! Attack one more time! Give it everything you’ve got!"
"…! Understood."
"Roger that!"
Sylpha and Tao nodded and took their stances. They gathered their strength and lunged.
"Hundred Flowers Fist Point-Break Form: Thunder Fire Crushing Fist!"
"Langris Style Twin Sword Arts: Lion's Roar!"
The barrier shuddered under a massive impact.
"Ngh…!" "Ugh…!?"
Sylpha’s swords shattered, and Tao crouched down, clutching her hand. However, a small crack appeared in the center of the barrier. It spread rapidly until—crash—the entire thing dissolved into fragments.
"Shiro!"
I dashed through the opening. The Hobgoblin, which had been about to trample Shiro, sensed me and turned.
"GROOOOOOOO!"
"—You're in the way."
Before its roar could finish, a wave of black magic surged from my right hand—channeled through Grimo. It struck the Hobgoblin square in its open mouth, blowing its head off instantly.
I gave the collapsing corpse a brief glance before turning to Shiro.
"Shiro, are you okay?"
"Whimper…"
Shiro let out a weak cry. It had taken a lot of damage. If it had focused purely on evasion, it wouldn't have been hurt this badly, but it had followed my automated orders with literal, stubborn honesty. Relying solely on automation was dangerous if it killed off the ability to adapt. I'd have to rethink the logic.
"Master Lloyd, please heal the furball quickly."
"Right, of course."
Analysis could wait. I held my hand over Shiro’s wounds.
Healing System Supreme Magic: Healing Spiritual Light.
A warm, gentle light enveloped Shiro, mending its injuries. As the glow faded, Shiro snapped its eyes open and leaped from my arms.
"Woof!"
It barked with renewed energy, its tail wagging like a blur. It appeared to be completely healed.
"Heh, lucky for you, furball."
"Woof woof!"
As Grimo teased it, Shiro licked my hand affectionately.
"He weakened that barrier…? It must be some kind of magic, but to pull off a stunt like that… he's no ordinary child. Plus, he can even use healing magic… Lloyd’s talent as a mage might already surpass Master Albert’s," Tao muttered to herself.
"That black flash just now… was that Magic Sword Arts? A technique that combines magic and swordsmanship… Our Langris Style has secret techniques for magic swords, but even then, those who can use them are incredibly rare. Even my father cannot execute them properly…! For Master Lloyd to possess talent in both… I'm sure he doesn't even realize what he just did. Hehe… Master Lloyd, just how deep does your potential go…?"
The two of them were whispering about something, but I was too busy with Shiro jumping all over me.
"Hey, cut it out! That tickles!"