I was reincarnated as bait for the summoned hero
I heard that the safety area has the effect of hiding the presence of people from magical beasts and monsters.
In the safe zone inside the dungeon, it seems that the creatures cannot ‘see’ or ‘recognize’ us.
Moreover, the area is protected by a barrier that magical beasts avoid, making it the only sanctuary where adventurers in dire situations can escape to.
But now, that…
“Be careful. The arachnes are in a frenzy. They’ve been commanded by someone who has taken the place of the dungeon boss, and they’re losing control.”
Rei, now in a humanoid adventurer style, said matter-of-factly.
“Does that mean they’ll ignore the safety area and charge in?”
“Yes, right now they can’t ‘see’ or ‘recognize’ the safety area. As a result, they’ll keep coming, crushing themselves along the way.”
Guga, gigigi.
The sound, like a cry, came from the black, rushing flood of arachnes.
From within the safety area, we kept casting spells at them.
Shella , transformed into a silver bird, created a wind magic tornado that sent the arachnes flying high into the air.
Kotesu used Water Cutter, a water blade, to strike the arachne horde, slicing nearly ten of them into pieces.
We couldn’t use fire magic against the frenzied creatures.
It had a high risk of spreading flames across the plains or forest. Despite being burned alive, the arachnes would continue charging toward us until they died.
High-ranking magical beasts like the arachne are difficult to defeat. While the upper human part is still vulnerable to attacks, the spider lower half hinders that. Their tough bodies and eight long, dexterous legs act like a pitch-black armor, protecting their upper half.
Their sticky threads are also troublesome. Once entangled, escaping becomes difficult.
Fortunately, the threads are flammable, so I left the task of burning incoming threads and arrows to Rei.
(How long will the safety area last? I want to finish this before the barrier is broken.)
I used a magical weapon dropped in the Magic Mountain Dungeon to chip away at the arachnes.
A magic bow that can fire arrows without running out of magical power. I enchanted it with light magic and fired five arrows at once.
Fortunately, they were moving in a group, so I was able to take down nearly ten with Light Arrows.
Though I could cast magic directly, I preferred using the magical weapon, which could deliver the same attack power with minimal magical energy.
(Even if I defeat the arachnes on this floor, there are still lower levels. There may be frenzied monsters down there, so I can’t afford to exhaust myself here.)
I glanced up at Rei, who had transformed into a tall, well-built, handsome man, feeling just a little resentful.
(If someone would just use Dragon Breath, this would be over in no time.)
However, that was something he had already declined.
The Golden Dragon, who is neutral in the proxy war between the Creation God Kesaran Pasaran and the Destruction God Evil Dragon, cannot intervene.
I had tried to get him on our side, hoping he’d lean toward humanity by enticing him with delightful food and culture, but this time, it was difficult.
“You’re here as witnesses, after all.”
That seemed to be the reason.
If it were just Rei here, he could have quickly turned back into a dragon, burned the demon horde on the lowest floor with his breath, and finished it all. I secretly wished that would happen, but of course, I couldn’t do that now.
Therefore, I had no choice but to face the situation head-on.
As an adventurer, I could offer some help, so I used my great sword to defend against the arachnes’ spider webs, letting Rei take care of that for now.
“…Well, normally, this would be the summoner heroes’ job, but I guess there’s no helping it.”
After all, I was their rather unremarkable cousin.
Having whittled down a good portion of the arachne swarm, I took a potion break.
I snacked on a calorie bar, replenishing my magical power and filling my stomach.
“I’m going to do what I did at the High Orc settlement.”
I whispered to Shella and Kotesu.
After a quick appraisal, it seemed my magical power was still fine.
“I understand. I’ll make a particularly large tornado!”
“Nya!”
A giant tornado formed above the arachnes’ heads.
Kotesu’s spirit magic added to it, turning it into a fierce blizzard.
With a low, terrifying rumble like an earthquake, the arachnes were tossed around.
Then, with a snap of my fingers, I called down lightning to complete the combined magic. This time, it wasn’t static electricity—it was the thunder itself falling from the sky.
The godly thunder struck mercilessly, like divine retribution from the heavens, and the arachne swarm was obliterated.
“Ho. So you’ve learned how to control thunder magic.”
Rei murmured in admiration, and thanks to him, we were all saved without a scratch.
Thanks to the powerful barrier Rei had placed around the safety area, we were shielded from the aftermath of the lightning.
I had used up a great deal of magical power and collapsed to the ground, grinning.
“Yeah. When we destroyed the High Orc King’s settlement, I created lightning from static electricity. Afterward, when I checked my stats, I had learned thunder magic.”
Although it requires a finger snap, I had acquired a powerful magic attack.
The amount of magic required is enormous, but I was genuinely happy.
(I guess the Creation God Kesaran Pasaran probably helped me out…)
I wondered if he had noticed the commotion in the Unheim Dungeon.
(Does he want me to act in place of the heroes? Well, I can’t exactly summon them while they’re on a ship heading to the Empire, so I guess it can’t be helped.)
Thunder magic is powerful, but even with the abundant magical energy of a High Elf, it still drained a massive amount of power.
I didn’t expect it to take away so much.
“I’m tired. And I’m starving. I don’t even have the energy to pick up the arachne drops.”
Lying on the ground in a starfish position, Kotesu, also exhausted, curled up on my stomach.
The silver crow was sprawled out beside us, wings spread out, its belly against the ground.
“I’m hungry too… I’m dizzy…”
“Nyaa…”
Kotesu’s mewling sounded weak, like a baby kitten.
I crossed my arms and looked up at Rei, who stood there looking perfectly fine.
The bird and cat, both looking up at him with wide, watery eyes, gave him an adorably desperate look.
He hesitated. Alright, time for one more push.
“Ah… With all these items, we should get a lot of points…”
I spoke in a flat tone, maybe too obviously.
But Rei, to my surprise, twitched his fingers.
“…Fine. I’ll collect them for you.”
I silently pumped my fist in victory, and as Rei muttered something, a mountain of dropped items appeared before him.
“Huh? What?!”
“Spirit magic. I asked the spirits to gather them for me.”
“That’s so convenient…!”
Even Kotesu was wide-eyed with surprise. It was definitely something worth learning.
“Magic stones and spider silk. Hm, this is top-quality arachne silk. It’ll probably give us high points.”
“Seriously?! Yeah, magic stones and silk are piled high!”
The number of arachnes had increased to nearly seven hundred. Among them, there was a floor boss, and the dropped items included treasure chests and magical tools. Wonderful.
We decided to check and sort through the items later, but for now…
“Let’s eat. I’m about to die from hunger.”
Though the safety area’s barrier held up, it felt a bit unreliable.
I decided to take out the camp gear blessed by the Creation God Kesaran Pasaran, which also had a barrier.
