I had been planning to start diving into the dungeon to stock up on magic stones, but my priorities shifted the moment I got my hands on the Item-finding Rods. There was a specific target I wanted to track down first.
I started by testing the rods’ behavior—specifically, how far they could track a target. My conclusion was that within a dungeon, they likely wouldn't work if the target was on a different floor.
I confirmed this using an ant monster called a Big Ant. These creatures were known to appear on the second floor, but no matter how many times I tried the rods while inside the city of Aingurna, they never pointed in a clear direction. Of course, it was possible that the issue was simply the distance rather than the floor transition.
Next, I checked how they handled multiple potential targets. When I set the target to "slime," the rods clearly biased toward one specific direction. I assumed they were pointing toward the nearest individual. If each rod had pointed toward a different slime, they would have been practically useless, so that was a relief.
The verification process was simple enough. The search range and logic were quite intuitive, making the rods surprisingly easy to use. Now, finally—it was time for the treasure hunt!
To start, I targeted a Pandora Gift. Unfortunately, the rods pointed in every possible direction, completely scattered. It seemed there weren't any Pandora Gifts left in Aingurna at the moment. Since the Research Society had mentioned using up their entire stock, this was the expected result. I had only checked just in case, so I wasn't too shocked... though I’ll admit I’d been holding out a sliver of hope.
With that out of the way, I moved on to my real prize: a Golden Slime! The one I had defeated alongside Rache-san had been a special individual, but I figured there had to be others out there. That specific one had only dropped a mysterious key, but normally, they were famous for being goldmines that dropped rare items in abundance. If there was one on this floor, I was going to find it.
"All right, here we go!"
Once we were outside the city wall, I tossed the Item-finding Rods. Six out of the ten pointed in the exact same direction.
"Wow! If there's a reaction, that means one is on this floor, right?" Halfa asked.
"Looks like it," I replied, gathering the rods for the time being.
Since the rods had given a clear direction, a Golden Slime had to be nearby. We headed that way, and after a while, I used the rods again to fine-tune our course. We continued walking like that for some time.
"Huh? The direction changed?"
"You're right," Spira agreed. "It's toward the right now."
Just as Halfa and Spira noted, the direction the rods pointed had shifted significantly.
"The margin of error is getting bigger because we’re getting closer to it. I think it’s right around here."
"I see! It's this way now!"
"Ah, wait a second."
I hurriedly stopped Halfa as she prepared to dash off.
To be honest, sightings of Golden Slimes on the first floor were quite rare. I suspected they were either masters of hiding or they sensed adventurers approaching and fled immediately. If that was the case, tracking one down normally would be a massive headache. It was time to cheat a little; there was no point in having items if I didn't use them.
"I see. An Attraction Slip," Spira realized.
"Exactly."
Based on the rods, the Golden Slime had to be very close. It was definitely within the effective range of the slip. All that remained was to see if I could lure it in... but since it had worked on the special individual, a normal one should be no problem.
『I’ll be the one to defeat it this time!』
Shiroru was highly motivated. Back then, his attacks hadn't been able to pierce the special individual’s barrier, and he was clearly looking for redemption.
Once everyone was ready, I held up the Attraction Slip and activated it. A magic circle floated into the air, and a glittering, metallic body appeared instantly. It was a Golden Slime!
Shiroru, who had been lying in wait, immediately lashed out with his claws. No barrier appeared. This was definitely a normal individual.
『Oh, I can actually hurt this one!』
Gaining momentum, Shiroru tried to pin the slime down with his forepaws. Spira's vines lashed out, snaring the creature as it tried to slip away. The slime struggled to escape, but the vines moved in tandem with its wriggling, refusing to let go. Its abilities were clearly inferior to the special individual we had fought before. At this rate, the fight would be over in seconds.
The prediction held true. The restrained Golden Slime was one-sidedly shredded by Shiroru’s claws until it vanished. In the end, Spira and Shiroru handled it entirely on their own.
『It's my win!』
Setting aside Shiroru, who was letting out a victorious howl, I turned my attention to the loot. Since the special individual's drop had been unique, this was essentially our first time seeing a standard drop.
"I found something! It's a scroll! I wonder what spell it is?"
"And I have a magic stone. It’s so sparkly and pretty."
Halfa had found the scroll, while Spira picked up the stone.
"That’s a rare magic stone."
"Is it, Big Bro?"
"Yeah. While size and transparency vary between monsters, they’re usually a deep blue. But this..."
"You're right, it's gold. Is it even a magic stone?"
Just as the siblings were discussing, the stone was indeed unusual. My appraisal identified it as a "Golden Slime Magic Stone (Mutant)." However, only the name was strange; the item description was identical to a standard magic stone.
I had been planning to use any stones we found as ingredients for Status Enhancement Potions, but I wondered if I should hold off on this one.
Golden Slimes were technically classified as C-Rank. They weren't powerful, but they were fast and resilient. Since their stats were likely specialized, I expected that a potion made from them might significantly boost Agility or Stamina. I decided to wait until we had defeated a few more before making a decision.
As for the scroll, it contained a spell called 〈Shadow Leap〉. I’d never heard of it before. At the very least, I’d never seen it for sale at the Mage Guild. It was a form of Dark Magic that apparently allowed the user to jump from one shadow to another. I didn't quite understand the mechanics, but it sounded incredibly cool.
Since it was Dark Magic, the party decided I should be the one to use it. I wondered what kind of magic it really was. It would be great if I could learn it on the first try... we would see.