First, while collecting the seemingly unremarkable iron boxes and looking around at the other members, the seemingly inexhaustible drill birds were gradually reducing in number, apparently due to defeating a specific monster.
In the midst of this, Tatsuro and Cardina also joined the full-scale battle, capturing four of the creatures alive and completely annihilating the rest.
After landing on a suitable small island and settling down, Tatsuro began applying the [Level Eater] one by one to the captured drill birds with broken beaks and clipped wings.
Skills: [Flight Lv.5], [Beak Hardening Lv.3], [Wind Armor Lv.6]
(Not as many skills as the sea dogs, but it seems they've simply extended the necessary ones. When fighting head-on, these can be quite troublesome.)
Skills: [Flight Lv.0], [Beak Hardening Lv.0], [Wind Armor Lv.0]
He kept the level for Nana and Athena and received SP from all four creatures.
Then, after finishing them off, they decided to check the contents of the iron box, which was one meter tall and 1.5 meters wide.
"I'll open it now." (Athena)
"Okay, go ahead." (Ai)
After thoroughly checking for potential dangers, Ai and Athena stood aside and opened the lid from the side.
A small floating island descended from the sky, coming down to about the height between the clouds and the sea.
"When defeating sky monsters, does the entrance to the next layer come down from the sky?" (Tatsuro)
Tatsuro and the others, having judged there was no particular danger, temporarily set that aside and refocused their attention on the box.
After opening the lid and finding no apparent traps inside, they all checked together and found two sets of fluffy feather comforters.
"Feather comforters... Actually, if I put it on and channel magic, could it be some kind of camouflage..." (Tatsuro)
"No, it's really just a regular feather comforter." (Athena)
"But it's so fluffy! Soooo— hmm. It doesn't smell bird-like at all. I'd say this is a high-quality feather comforter." (Ai)
"Let me see. Oh, it really is. What kind of feathers are these?" (Nana)
"They're very similar to the monsters from earlier, but from an even higher-tier material. Possibly from the monsters Tatsuro defeated." (Leah)
When they slipped their hands between the comforters, they immediately felt warmth, and the heat retention was excellent.
Moreover, when lifted, they were light as air, and as Ai mentioned, there was absolutely no animal or bird odor typical of cheap feather comforters.
Indeed, this seemed to be an excellent item.
With two of them and quite large in size, Tatsuro and Ai could use one, and Leah could use the other, solving the numerical problem.
"But this isn't quite it, you know. The box was just a plain iron box, and this is probably in the 'miss' category of dropped items." (Tatsuro)
"But since this came out, there's nothing we can do about it." (Ai)
"I guess so." (Tatsuro)
While Tatsuro understood there was no point in complaining, he looked up at the floating island in the sky and was about to say nothing more when Athena casually spoke up. Latest content published on novèlfire.net
"That specific monster, is there only one of them? This layer is so wide, so there might be more around." (Athena)
"—That's it!" (Tatsuro)
"Just like Athena said, we might find more if we keep searching. So, shall we continue exploring?" (Tatsuro)
"If Father wants to, we have no objections." (Athena)
"I'm fine too." (Nana)
"I'm okay too. Besides, I'm curious about what other items might drop." (Leah)
And so, although they could already proceed to the next layer, they unanimously decided to continue exploring.
They rode on Jeanne's back and spent several hours flying around and battling drill birds.
However, while they could find drill birds everywhere, they still couldn't locate the monster that blends with the clouds.
Since Cardina had already memorized the monster's response and knew what it could transform into, they should not have missed it while flying at a decent speed on Jeanne's back.
"It's not here." (Ai)
"Maybe there's only one of those specific monsters in the sea and sky." (Tatsuro)
If that were true, this would be a completely wasted effort.
Tatsuro was reluctant to accept this fact, but it seemed he would have to soon.
But with that understanding, his goal shifted to defeating the monsters below and obtaining at least one more item.
"So let's quickly defeat them and move on. Since they can turn into water, live capture is difficult, so let's prioritize speed and wipe out the sea dogs." (Tatsuro)
"Yeah, that works." (Ai)
After quickly deciding on a rough strategy, they advanced towards the sea with overwhelming momentum.
Cutting through and throwing the sea dogs one after another, they soon detected the reaction of the large sea dog.
"Large sea dog detected. Cardina, help me." (Tatsuro)
"Then I'll guard you two again." (Ai)
"Oh, thanks." (Tatsuro)
While exchanging light banter with Ai, Tatsuro, and Cardina fired excessively powerful bullets boosted by light, mixing magic bullets, explosions, and fire.
The idea was to shoot before the sea dog could use its water cannon.
The powerful magical bullets landed on the sea surface about thirty meters away, creating white, glowing flames that erased the large sea dog along with the surrounding seawater.
A fifty-centimeter iron box then dropped in front of Tatsuro.
"Damn, looks like another miss." (Tatsuro)
"Getting that feather garment in one try was actually pretty lucky." (Ai)
"Yeah, I'm starting to think so too. Let's process the remaining enemies with the other members before opening this." (Tatsuro)
After eliminating the remaining enemies and landing on a nearby small island, they secured the area before opening the box.
A low, rumbling sound began to resonate from below, and the surrounding area started to vibrate slightly.
They identified it as likely being the next point from the underwater exploration, so they ignored it and focused on the box's contents.
Inside were two carefully folded dry suits made from sea dog skin.
"Dry suits. I want them, but I don't want them. A bit of a marginal item." (Tatsuro)
"Hmm, let me see." (Ai)
When Ai put on one of the suits and dipped her arm in water, she was surprised.
"What is this!? It's not cold at all! In fact, it's warm!" (Ai)
Tatsuro also tried it by putting his arm through and dipping it in water, confirming that no water entered and it wasn't cold.
Instead, he felt a comfortable warmth, as if wrapped in something warm.
As Tatsuro exclaimed in admiration, Leah also wanted to try and began experimenting with the dry suit she received from Tatsuro.
At that moment, Tatsuro casually looked up and saw the floating island that had descended earlier now rising back up.
"This is... Cardina, a moment?" (Tatsuro)
Thinking something might be happening, Tatsuro cast a wide exploration magic upward.
The number of drill birds, which had been significantly reduced after defeating the specific monster, was suddenly increasing again.
"...Could this be what I think it is?" (Tatsuro)
"What do you mean?" (Ai)
"When we generated the point for the next layer here, their point retreated." (Tatsuro)
"Oh, that's true." (Ai)
"And when I cast an exploration magic upward, the drill birds started multiplying like idiots again. Which means..." (Tatsuro)
"Maybe the items that weren't dropping before are now respawning?" (Ai)
Tatsuro nodded in affirmation to Ai's words.
"If we can do this indefinitely, we'll keep going until it drops!" (Tatsuro)
"Whaaaaat, we're going to keep doing this!?" (Ai)
"We can do it!" (Tatsuro)
"Is this really the issue!?" (Leah)
Tatsuro's eyes were remarkably similar to those of a hardcore gacha game player determined to roll until they get the item.
Ai gave a wry smile looking at Leah. However, Cardina and the others were eager to continue if Tatsuro wished it.
Ah, they had no choice but to do it, and so Ai and Leah steeled themselves.
—Not knowing this might become a long journey.
A copper-colored box finally appeared after many iron boxes. However, the contents were not what they sought. Two feather pillows.
When tested, they discovered a function that automatically adjusts to the most suitable height for the user, though only Leah understood the mechanism.
It seems the dungeon wants to provide a comfortable sleep to those who have conquered the sky.
Another copper-colored box appeared. Contents: two snorkeling goggles.
Initially thinking they were just ordinary goggles, upon investigation they found that by infusing magical or spiritual power, they could provide a clear view even in murky water.
However, they remain dark in dark places, so caution is needed.
A silver box appeared. Yes, the water camouflage feather garment.
Tatsuro muttered, "Why is this one dropping..."
A platinum-shining box dropped.
With an unprecedented box, everyone's expectations rose.
Urged on, they carefully examined the contents: a necklace with a thin green, circular, and flat gemstone.
While appearing expensive even to amateur eyes, they carefully investigated.
When magical or Ki/Spirit power is channeled and worn on the body, it wraps the wearer in wind and can deflect light attacks, whether magical or spiritual.
Considering it might save Leah's life in a critical moment, they gave it to her.
A gold-colored box appeared.
Not particularly interested in sea-side items, but expecting something good, they opened it to find two snorkels.
The snorkels' tips were completely sealed, seemingly impossible to breathe through.
Wondering about this toy, they investigated the gold-colored box.
They discovered that by infusing spiritual or magical power, the snorkel generates air. By breathing in through the mouth and out through the nose, it functions like an oxygen tank underwater.
It seems the dungeon wants to provide a comfortable diving life to those who have conquered the sea.
Another gold-colored box appeared, this time extremely large.
Though its size suggested something different, they prayed "Is this finally it?" and checked with tired faces.
Inside were two feather beds, large enough for three adults to comfortably lie down.
Feeling frustrated, they lay down and found the bed melted away the mental exhaustion of their repetitive work.
They could almost imagine what wonderful dreams might come if they fell asleep here.
Moreover, it was fully equipped with heating and cooling, maintaining a comfortable temperature and humidity even when not sleeping.
The downside was that it only works when powered by spiritual or magical power while awake.
However, Leah concluded they might be able to change the power source to a return stone, bringing a smile to their weary hearts.
It seems the dungeon is adamant about providing sleep to those who have conquered the sky.
A platinum-shining box dropped.
This was likely the complete set for the seaside.
Wondering why this came first, they seriously doubted the existence of a "desire sensor" while examining the contents.
Inside was a sea-colored gemstone knuckle.
When tried on a finger, it certainly looked like it would hurt if used to punch.
Upon further investigation, they discovered that by wearing the knuckle on four fingers, one could shoot a water gun by consuming magical or spiritual power.
While the power was far from that of the large sea dog, it would likely be enough to defeat small monsters.
They gave it to Leah for further research.
They continued their quest, crossing days, taking appropriate breaks, and rushing to collect items in the sky and sea.
As a result, despite hunting sky monsters enough to open a store with feather comforters, the silver box stubbornly refused to drop.
Thinking this must be some kind of harassment, but unable to give up after coming this far, they continued hunting like gambling addicts—even the members other than Tatsuro becoming frenzied.
A silver box dropped.
There were no emotions of joy, sadness, or overwhelming sense of achievement.
Only a feeling: "Ah... it's over." This sentiment occupied everyone's hearts.
Tatsuro's group carefully checked the box's safety like professionals, then examined the contents with poker faces.
Inside was pure white, fluffy fur like a cloud.
And this was undoubtedly what Tatsuro had been seeking: the cloud camouflage fur.
"It's over..." (Tatsuro)
Whose words these were is no longer clear.
But the long journey of camouflage hunting had finally reached its conclusion.
T/N: We have finally reached our second milestone, the "200th" chapter. It has been a long way coming for both you (the important READER!!!) and me (the translator). To be honest updates this year were quite slow and it was mainly due to the combining school activities with translating and some circumstances I can't control. But I only hope everything gets better from now on.
Thank you for reading: JonathanTitan