Interception confirmed

This isn't visible to me, right?

I wagged my tail, tilted my head, and even danced a little.

"There might be some trash trespassing without permission. Grave robbers, adventurers, hunters, and the like."

Pelerian's illusion spoke as if conversing.

It seems it can't actually see me.

Probably some recording made long ago or something.

By the way, they said he looked eccentric from the start, and his personality matched.

"Sorry if I startled you. Security was important, so it couldn't be helped."

He was incredibly brazen for someone who had just fired a spear.

Come to think of it, why did he only prepare such analog traps when he's supposed to be a magician?

Is he a spear enthusiast or something?

"I've created dungeons like this throughout the continent, including the Great Forest. This is dungeon number 008."

The construction costs must have been quite high.

He's a rich racist.

"Because of that, I've exhausted all the wealth I've gathered. Completely cleaned out. I'm a pauper, a pauper, ahaha."

Hahaha, how amusing.

This elf named Pelerian was in many ways completely different from my image of elves.

He's just a grumpy old man with long ears, isn't he?

Why did he create such a secret laboratory, and what is this space for?

"This Arkan Basin in the Great Forest was formed long ago when a meteorite collided. I started an experiment here that required the power of time. It needed at least three hundred years."

The secret of the basin has been revealed a little.

No wonder the terrain seemed unique. It was surrounded by cliffs on all sides.

Pelerian said he needed 300 years of time.

"If you're seeing my illusion, it means three hundred years have passed. If you tried to enter before that, you would have burned to death, kin or not. Kekeke."

...It seems 300 years have passed.

I almost got burned to death.

But, the state of this place seems terrible no matter how you look at it.

I looked around the crystal ball.

It would have been completely dark without night vision.

Would a magician capable of showing such an illusion decorate a dungeon so darkly?

Moreover, there were signs of destruction and collapse everywhere.

I wondered if it had been looted before, but it was too haphazard for that.

It really seems like there was an earthquake.

"Fellow elf. I have a request."

Pelerian suddenly spoke seriously.

"The elders were divided on my planned experiment. Many foolish ones opposed it. It was about the future of our race. They ultimately couldn't accept that only the path of extinction remained for fairies."

A gloomy anger could be felt.

"If we can't uncover the secret of evolution, it's over. You know too, don't you? That 'people' cannot evolve. The same goes for us fairies, and for dwarves and humans."

Oh, I suppose that's true. That's what I know as common sense.

There's no such thing as Great Humans, right?

"It doesn't matter for short-lived races. But for long-lived races like us elves, the more time passes, the more we stagnate. You can see this from the fact that human magicians stronger than me have appeared."

Pelerian's expression looked very hurt as he said this.

Old man, even I, reincarnated as a snake, am living diligently, so don't worry too much about such things.

"The only answer is to evolve. We fairies have no choice but to be reborn as High Elves. So! I started research to uncover the evolution of magical beasts. I wanted to reveal the conditions for evolution and elucidate its principles. ...Finally, I saw results."

Pelerian raised his hand and pointed towards the back.

There was a continuing corridor.

"I created a magical beast."

What?

"I synthesized a chimera using the blue blood of the high-level magical beast dragon, the Grey Tarantula of this Great Forest, and the blood mole from underground. And I gained results while studying its evolution process."

I thought he was just a racist, but he's also a mad scientist.

Is he like a national alchemist creating chimeras for achievements?

Father Pelerian...

"However, there was a problem."

Pelerian smiled bitterly.

"To achieve the final evolution condition, three hundred years of time was needed. So I put the chimera I created into hibernation. To evolve it after three hundred years. That's what I want to ask of you."

Pelerian clenched his fist and said,

"Go inside and wake the chimera from hibernation. That's all you need to do."

Nope, I don't want to~

"Yes, you might not want to. But there's no need to worry too much."

Oh my!

He heard what I said.

"When it wakes from hibernation, it will evolve immediately. The evolution process will be automatically recorded and transmitted to the World Tree. After the evolution is complete, you just need to pull a lever to incinerate the chimera. It's a simple task."

Why should I do such a thing?

"Brave deeds are rewarded. If you complete everything, a massive reward will follow."

Pelerian, shouting thunderously, now pointed to the right.

"That vault will open after the chimera is incinerated. There are various magical items and artifacts I possess, so it will be sufficient reward."

Ah, I see.

"Then, for the eternal victory of fairies."

Pelerian's illusion disappeared.

He keeps talking about fairies until the end, but from a snake's perspective, I can't relate at all.

I'm curious about the reward, but I have no intention of following that old man's orders.

A chimera, just thinking about it is terrifying!

And more than anything else ....

The vault, it's open.

It seems there really was an earthquake.

The sturdy iron door was twisted, creating a gap.

It was a gap so narrow that a person could never enter even if they died trying, but it didn't matter to me, a snake.

Come on, if you're a magician, make something like a magic vault.

Just putting an iron door like this, thank you very much.

I slithered through the gap.

And inside, there really was a reward.

Wow! A glittering full plate mail!

A gorgeous sword fit for a fairy!

Gold and silver treasures!

He was a better old man than I thought.

The problem is that none of this is useful to me.

This is too wasteful.

Especially this short sword.

──────────────

[Elven Broadsword]

──────────────

It's really beautifully made.

And it looks very, very sharp.

It's also small, so maybe I could hold it with my tail.

I tried grasping the handle with my tail and I really could lift it.

I don't know what material it's made of, but it's light.

Should I become the first ever sword snake - 'snake' as in the reptile?

I swung the sword around.

Then the sword suddenly fell and almost cut off my tail.

Cancel that, it's better not to wield swords.

How very disappointing.

As I was about to leave the vault in disappointment, something caught my eye.

──────────────

[Pelerian's Signet Ring (Sealed)]

──────────────

What's that?

Unlike the other glittering weapons and armor, the ring looked ordinary.

It was on a shelf and had some wear, so it might have actually been used by Pelerian.

It has a cross-shaped decoration. It seems to be made of gold, but unknown metals form intricate decorations.

The most intriguing point is the "sealed" indication.

A sealed magic ring, somehow it makes my heart race.

I tried putting the ring on my tail.

Rather, the ring was too small to fit on my tail.

Swoosh, it expanded in size.

Wow! Size adjustment magic.

The ring grew large enough to fit three fingers and fit perfectly in the middle of my tail.

It came off when I tried to forcibly remove it, but it didn't fall off just by shaking.

This is pretty.

But the ring was not just a simple ornament.

The moment I put on the ring, I could understand its function.

──────────────

[Pelerian's Signet Ring (Sealed)]

Subspace storage magic. Other functions are sealed.

──────────────

I was fascinated by the word magic.

A snake that can use magic, imagine that.

Come to think of it, it's natural. I read it in Harry Potter too.

It's common sense that snakes can use magic, right?

And when it says subspace storage magic, the meaning was intuitive.

It was something that would allow even a snake like me, who can't wear a backpack, to carry items.

Is this how it works?

I sent mana to the ring like when using a skill.

Whoosh, the gold coins were sucked into the ring.

Good, just obtaining this ring made it worth coming here.

There seemed to be a limit to how much could be stored in the subspace.

I took a few gold coins and the broadsword.

I hadn't completely given up on the dream of being a sword snake.

Feeling reassured, I slipped out of the vault.

Now I just need to go back the way I came.

....

Well, Pelerian, you terrifying old man.

I went quite a distance and reached the stone door, but it was tightly closed.

There was no way to open it from the inside.

With no choice, I returned to the cavern with the crystal ball.

There was only one way forward, the room where that chimera was said to be hibernating.

Well, it doesn't matter as long as I don't wake it up, right?

I carefully passed by the crystal ball and moved into the corridor.

This corridor doesn't look very long.

There was an open door beyond the corridor. It looked like the room where the chimera was supposed to be.

And on both sides of the corridor were crumbling statues.

There must have been an earthquake. One statue was missing its right arm and another had no legs.

Moreover, they were covered in something like vines.

Poor things.

Thinking that, I entered the corridor.

"Magical beast intrusion detected."

What?

Is there a speaker installed somewhere?

Why are you only now noticing that I've entered?

Is this the security zone where the chimera is? Or maybe they were wary of the chimera coming out through this corridor.

Yeah, but what are you going to do after detecting a magical beast intrusion?

What can you do?

"Activating interception golem."

You can do something.

Interception golem, that sounds terrifying just hearing it!

Where is it!

Crack, crack.

It was the sound of vines breaking.

The crumbling statues were the true identity of the interception golems.

They look incredibly terrifying.

──────────────

[Pelerian's Guard A]

[Traits]

[Guardian], [Golem]

[Skills]

[Smash lv10], [Sturdiness lv10], [Shockwave lv10], [Magic Resistance lv6], [Slash Resistance lv10], [Heat Resistance lv10], [Threat Detection lv3], [Self-Repair lv2], [Destruction Beam lv6], [Intermediate Elemental Magic: Fire lv10], [Basic Elemental Magic: Fire lv10]

[Status]

[Half-Destroyed], [Malfunctioning]

──────────────

Crazy, it's so strong!

And what's with the destruction beam?

The golem looked strong enough to play with a cockatrice alone.

The golem next to it, called Pelerian's Guard B, was similarly strong.

Except its elemental magic was earth-based.

With a crackling sound, the vines covering them were finally torn off.

A crimson light exploded from their single eyes.

They seem full of the will to intercept me.

However, at that moment, the golem without legs flopped forward.

──────────────

[Pelerian's Guard A]

[Traits]

[Guardian], [Golem]

[Skills]

[Basic Elemental Magic: Fire lv10], [Heat Resistance lv10]

※Unusable due to 'Half-Destroyed'

[Smash lv10], [Sturdiness lv10], [Shockwave lv10], [Magic Resistance lv6], [Slash Resistance lv10], [Threat Detection lv3], [Self-Repair lv2], [Destruction Beam lv6], [Intermediate Elemental Magic: Fire lv10]

[Status]

[Half-Destroyed], [Malfunctioning], [Fallen Over]

──────────────

Haha.

The mighty interception golem instantly became a pathetic golem with only one skill left.

And flames spewed from the mouth of the pitiful golem as it raised its head.

Whoosh--

Ah, my scales nearly burned off.

I barely survived by quickly dodging.

Oh, the floor is undulating.

I used Leap to jump high, and...

Boom!

The stone slabs on the floor clapped together, striking the space where I had been.

Looking to the side, it was the armless golem friend.

This is dangerous.

I'll retreat for now.

The moment I retreated outside the corridor's boundary...

"Interception confirmed."

With a keening sound, the golems' eyes became gentle.

They returned to where they had originally been stuck.

But the interception hasn't happened yet.

After pondering for a moment, I cautiously poked my head in.

"Magical beast intrusion detected. Activating interception golem."

The golem stood up again.

I pulled back from the corridor.

"Interception confirmed."

I poked my head in.

"Magical beast intrusion detected..."

"Interception confirmed."

This is fun.

After making the golem stand up and sit down about ten times.

I realized something important.

So I immediately tried it out.

Hey, Guard B.

──────────────

[Pelerian's Guard B]

[Skills]

...[Basic Elemental Magic: Earth lv10]

...

──────────────

I'll borrow this for a bit~

「Using Billy's Horn lv2 to borrow Basic Elemental Magic: Earth lv10.」

「Success. Temporarily gained Basic Elemental Magic: Earth lv1.」

If I do this right, I might be able to learn real magic here.