The contents of the special clear bonus turned out to be the "Dragon God's Clothes," the "Dragon God's Cloak," and the "Dragon God's Shoes."
All three pieces were exceptionally sturdy and came with a special effect that prevented them from ever deteriorating. On top of that, they appeared to grant powerful Physical Resistance.
Physical Resistance aside, the clothes I had picked up inside the labyrinth were already ragged and falling apart. Having gear that was durable and would never wear down was a true lifesaver.
And so, my strange shared life with Fafnir began.
Wanting a quiet place where I could read books in peace, I gathered lumber from the surrounding area and fashioned a dwelling. Among the tomes I had collected in the labyrinth were several architectural guides, so I managed to build something quite elaborate.
Right now, I was in the middle of serving a meal made from the meat of a thunder bull hunted on the 290th floor.
Incidentally, the salt was acquired by storing seawater from the ocean zone spanning the 170th to 180th floors inside my Item Box, pouring it into a kiln-like vessel found in the labyrinth, and heating it with the Flame Sword. Time was the one thing I had in abundance, so I had built up quite a stockpile.
"It is delicious!"
Fafnir puffed its cheeks like a squirrel, happily stuffing its face with meat.
"Glad to hear it."
When I placed a morsel in my own mouth, an exquisite sweetness spread across my tongue.
Hmm. Sitting around a table with someone else really is nice. More to the point, for someone who spent almost his entire life in complete isolation, having someone to converse with is a welcome distraction.
Though my thirst for life-or-death battles against the strong—bordering on an ingrained sense of duty—still smoldered inside me, it had quieted down considerably thanks to Fafnir's presence.
It seemed to enjoy both the food and exploring the dungeon by my side, so I suppose it was a win-win relationship.
—Approximately 13,000 years after the start of the game.
I reached the 400th floor. Inside the trial chamber, I stood facing a gigantic, armored creature with a long nose. I recalled seeing this animal in an otherworld encyclopedia excavated from the labyrinth. If memory served, it was called an "elephant." Though unlike a normal elephant, this one walked upright on two legs.
"I am Evil God Girimehkala! I commend you for reaching this floor despite being a mere fledgling god!"
Hmm. What an insufferably arrogant monster. And calling himself an evil god... isn't that laying it on a bit thick? Or could this be that condition I read about in books, where one carries childhood delusions into adolescence?
"Hey, Faf, what do you think of this guy?"
Faf was my nickname for Fafnir. Its full name was a bit of a mouthful, so I had taken to calling it Faf for the past century or so.
"Kill him dead!"
Faf thrust its right knuckle toward the ceiling.
Right, right. As bloodthirsty as ever, I see.
When I gave Faf combat training to pass the time, it took to fighting with unreasonable enthusiasm and developed into a full-blown battle maniac. I definitely feel like I failed as a parent. As its guardian, I really needed to set a proper example here.
"Hey, monster. Surrender right now. If you do, I'll let you live."
I plainly offered the optimal path for him.
"You dare tell... me to surrender?!"
Trembling violently from head to toe, the long-nosed beast let out a low, rumbling growl.
Hmm. Did I terrify him that much? Standing face-to-face, the disparity was obvious. The gap in strength between him and me was like night and day. Books noted that small animals instinctively recognize when an opponent is insurmountable, so perhaps that was what was happening to him right now.
"Don't be so frightened. As long as you don't try to harm me, I will gladly spare anything from a bug to a dragon."
In the past, I would have slain him without a second thought, but watching Faf's violent tendencies grow had inspired me to adopt a far milder approach.
"Y-Y-You insolent wretch! I-I am Evil God Girimehkala, the first retainer to Great God Mara! My station is far too exalted to converse with mere lesser gods—"
"I see. So you refuse."
Growing mildly irritated by his stubborn, delusion-riddled monologue, I coated Raikiri in Magic Armament and swung the blade with all the magic power I could muster.
A blinding burst of white light erupted, instantly reducing the self-proclaimed evil god to cinders.
"As expected of Master! An instant kill!"
Why was this happening? It felt as though Faf's moral compass had degraded even further. Well, whatever. Common sense isn't built in a day. I could teach it proper values slowly over time.
At any rate, clearing the trial yielded a special clear bonus: an item called the Subjugation Compendium.
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★ [Subjugation Compendium]: A compendium that links the souls of beings subjugated within the Gods' Ordeal to its owner, stores them within the compendium's inner realm, and reconstructs their physical bodies using magic power. They may be summoned at will.
However, only the first individual to use it will be registered as its owner, capable of storing and summoning subjugated entities from within its pages. Furthermore, the scale and capacity of the compendium's inner realm scale with the owner's magic power.
- Item Rank: Transcendent-grade
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A translucent prompt then materialized before my eyes: "The soul of Evil God Girimehkala is available. Would you like to capture it in the compendium?"
Well, since the option was right there, there was no reason not to try. The moment I pressed "Yes" with my right index finger, the compendium began to glow. Its pages flipped open of their own accord, and the long-nosed monster was drawn inside.
Hmm. How intriguing. I have all the time in the world anyway. Once I test its mechanics and confirm its usefulness, maybe I'll go back and complete the compendium all the way from the first floor.