Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 166

Passing by the Scissors, we eventually reached an open area as we ventured deeper.

To the left, a lake stretched out, and in the distance, large clusters of crystals could be seen.

So, this was the famous crystal cluster area of the Terra Phios Marshlands.

Even though illuminated by the luminescent crystals from earlier, these crystals sparkled brilliantly.

The purity of these crystals seemed to be on another level, evident even from afar.

“Shuu!”

Lost in admiration of the gleaming crystals, I was abruptly brought back to reality by Leilushka’s sharp voice of warning.

“Ice Shield!”

Reacting to her voice, I instinctively deployed an ice wall as I sensed something flying towards us.

There was a sound of something piercing into the ice wall.

Looking at what had pierced the ice wall, it turned out to be a sharply pointed needle.

【Caicedor Poison Needle】

A needle from a Caicedor. It contains a potent neurotoxin.

Using appraisal, I find it’s the appearance of one of the needed materials, the poison stingers of the Caicedor.

I never expected them to be so aggressive, launching an attack out of nowhere like this.

“I’m sorry, are you alright?!”

“Both Lumia and I are fine!”

Leilushka and Lumia had managed to dodge in time and were unharmed. Countless sharp needles were stuck in the ground.

Poking my head out from behind the ice wall to ascertain the direction from which the needles were flying, I spotted a creature with jet-black needles protruding from its body on the shore of the lake.

【Caicedor Danger Level C】

A creature that inhabits the waterside of the Terra Phios Marshlands.

It moves its needles and uses its tube-like feet to move slowly. It often clings to rocks or crevices.

Its sharp needles contain a potent neurotoxin, causing intense pain upon contact.

While its mobility is virtually non-existent, caution is necessary due to its ability to shoot poison needles.

There were seven Caicedor on the shore.

With detection I could see there were some reactions from the lake bottom, but it seemed that only these were on the shore.

Although they had just launched their needles, they quickly regrew new ones.

In preparation for the next volley, I created several ice walls.

Once again, the Caicedor shot their needles, but Leilushka and Lumia managed to evade by hiding behind the ice wall.

Several needles flew and pierced the ice wall.

“We made it.”

Lumia and Leilushka breathed a sigh of relief.

Even with their excellent agility, continuously dodging such a barrage would be challenging.

“I never expected this many to come ashore…”

Leilushka, hidden from view, craned her neck and groaned.

“Are there usually fewer of them?”

“Yeah, usually there are only two or three at most. Could it be because of the marshland’s recent anomaly?”

It seems that such a large number rarely comes ashore.

However, before us, there were rows of Caicedor waiting.

Leilushka had mentioned that the swamp had been acting strangely lately. The abnormal occurrence of Caicedor might be one of those anomalies.

“What should we do? We can’t move recklessly like this.”

As we spoke, the Caicedor continued to relentlessly shoot poison needles.

Fortunately, their poison needles didn’t have much power, so my ice walls wouldn’t be pierced through. But with this many coming at us, we couldn’t afford to rush out.

“I’ll keep deploying ice walls, so you two should approach during that time.”

With such a barrage, it’s better for us to expand the barrier rather than venture out.

“Got it.”

“I’ll trust you, Shuu!”

As I make such a proposal, Leilushka and Lumia nod with clear eyes. I must answer their unwavering trust properly.

“Ice Shield.”

Timing the needles striking the ice wall, I deploy multiple ice walls ahead.

The ice walls, raised to intersect the lines of fire of Lumia and Leilushka, perfectly block the barrage of Caicedor.

Using the ice walls as shields, the two advance left and right.

With the targets scattered instead of clustered in one place, there’s a sense of hesitation in the Caicedors aim.

Taking advantage of this, I carefully observe their movements and continue to set up more ice walls.

“Hah!”

“Ei!”

The needles, shot in desperation, are blocked by the ice walls, and Leilushka and Lumia’s swords pierce the Caicedor perfectly.

Two Caicedor collapse, splattering purple liquid.

The remaining five hastily shoot their needles, but the two have already withdrawn behind the ice walls.

Not overlooking the Caicedors attempt to regrow their needles, I act.

“Freeze.”

The five Caicedor have been splendidly transformed into ice sculptures by my ice magic.

“Hmm, although I almost went down from the surprise attack, if I can recover, it’s not too bad.”

“I’m sorry, it’s because I got distracted by the crystals…”

“Don’t worry about it. I was also careless, thinking there were only two or three at most. It’s not just your responsibility, Shuu.”

“It can’t be helped with such beautiful crystals around. We were just lucky to notice since we happened to be a little behind.”

While Leilushka and Lumia forgive me with a smile, I’m the one with the perception skills.

It’s one thing to make a mistake myself, but this time it’s a party. It’s not good to inconvenience my companions.

Despite the beautiful scenery, I need to stay calm and vigilant of my surroundings.

I’ll admire it only after ensuring it’s safe.

With firm reflection, I remove the needles stuck in the ice wall.

Long and slender like skewers, and sharply pointed.

The clear liquid attached to the tip is probably poison.

“It looks like we don’t need to dissect the poisonous materials this time.”

“As long as we extract the clean ones and collect them, it should be enough.”

The poison needles of the Caicedor are scattered throughout the cave and are also stuck in the ice wall. By extracting the unbroken ones and putting them in a special case, the collection would be complete.

“Just to be safe, should we store the main bodies as well?”

“Other parts might be useful as materials! My master would be pleased!”

“It’s dangerous if the needles prick you when you take them out, so let’s break all the needles.”

With so many spikes, accidents could easily happen when extracting them. While the poison isn’t lethal, we want to prioritize safety as much as possible due to the intense pain it causes.

I use a knife for collecting to break the needles, while Lumia uses her sword to slice off the needles on the opposite side.

“This is fun!”

“I feel like we could keep doing this forever!”

With both of us enjoying breaking the needles, I strip three Caicedor naked and store them in the magic bag with Lumia.

Then I activate the magic stone detection once again to check if there are any monsters around.

There are reactions from several Caicedor on the lake bottom, but there’s no sign of movement at all.

They seem quite sluggish, so even after several hours, they probably won’t come ashore.

After checking the safety of the surroundings, I approach the giant crystal shining in the distance.

As I get closer, I can see the beauty of the crystal clearly. It’s as transparent as water, with no impurities at all. Maybe because I saw the luminescent crystals before, the abundance of crystals seems even more beautiful.

【Silver Crystal – High Quality】

A silver crystal formed by the rich water and magic pouring down year-round.

It’s almost free of impurities and shines with a transparent brilliance like water.

Although its hardness isn’t particularly high, its value as an artwork or decoration is extremely high, and its beauty captivates countless people.

“Silver crystal… it’s really beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, very much,”

Next to me, Lumia nods with a sigh-like voice as she gazes up.

Illuminated by the luminescent crystals, the sparkling silver crystal was truly beautiful.

The giant silver crystal integrated with the cave’s interior, along with the surrounding crystals, seemed like a work of art in itself.

“Seeing something so beautiful like this makes me lose the desire to mine it.”

“Yes, I can’t bring myself to smash a pickaxe into it either.”

While I had considered mining it from afar and heard stories about it, seeing its beauty up close made me lose that inclination.

I know it’s self-indulgent, but encountering such natural beauty somehow makes me feel that way.

“Aren’t Shuu and Lumia fond of collecting such materials?”

“We do love it, but when we see something this beautiful, it feels wrong to take it.”

“I think leaving it in its natural state here is the most beautiful.”

While it’s not entirely untrue that my collector’s heart is itching, it seemed best to leave this material as it is.

“You two are adventurers, yet you’re so earnest. I don’t dislike those who appreciate the beauty of nature. Since we’ve come this far, let me give this to you.”

With a chuckle, Leilushka reaches into her pocket and hands something over.

Looking at what we received, it was indeed a small piece of silver crystal.

“These are silver crystals that have chipped off due to dripping water or the aftermath of battles between monsters. I usually carry them instead of money, but I’ll give them to you.”

“Really? Are you sure!?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind.”

Lumia and my words overlapped perfectly.

Seeing that, Leilushka laughed as if amused.

As someone who loves such materials, the desire to have them was quite strong after all.

It’s embarrassing how openly delighted we were despite saying we wouldn’t mine them, but if it’s something with such circumstances, it’s fine to carry it in our pockets.

Blushing, Lumia and I accepted the small silver crystal sincerely.