Reincarnated as a Dungeon Master, I Became Unstoppable by Doting on My Monsters—My Gorgeous Monsters Have Started to Conquer the World on Their Own! - Chapter 45: Landing
Four people—no, three people and one ship—crossed the unlit sea at night like sailboats in orbit, catching the sea breeze.
That was a day without moonlight where neither of us could see each other very well unless we were monsters, but you could also say it was the most suitable day for an infiltration mission.
-The reason Egrentine is the only one still in her ship form is, of course, because her ship form is more mobile and transportable than her human form.
Egrentine was a D-Rank aquatic monster known as the “Nauprius,” and its true form was a conch shell that could become a ship and cross the sky and sea. Its size was that of a gallack ship… It was about fifty meters long, big enough to withstand ocean voyages.
Or rather, if I felt like it, I could float.
On top of the conch shell cutting through those waves and advancing along the sea route, Saryu desperately scribbled something into her notebook.
“What are you writing, Miss Saryu?”
Curious about her, Clarymond climbed onto Saryu’s shoulder and peered at the contents from behind.
“I’m thinking about the meaning of the holy verse that Yuuto-sama gave me in response to this order.”
“Hmm. What’s it like?”
“It’s a scripture he mentioned for our voyage to the remote island. ‘This is your first ocean voyage. Enjoying the night sky is fine, but I hope you relish the sensation that it’s just us in the world,’ he said.”
With that, Saryu put her pen to her chin and began thinking again.
Since she loves combat, she looks like a brain muscle and spends a lot of time thinking about the meaning of Yuuto’s words.
That was because she was thinking of becoming a saint who would spread the teachings of God, known as Wight, throughout the world.
Maybe that was why she looked so reflective, and the human form she’d taken after transforming into Lady Nanaya was a good representation of her characteristics.
Cool, yet wild. To put it simply, that’s how she looks.
Her silver hair, the color of ash, was well-maintained and shiny, and the bangs that were drawn to one side were long enough to hide one eye.
From the front, her hair was quiet and gave off a high-sense impression, but the active side of her hair showed on the back.
The hair behind the side of her head was braided like braided hair, tied to her ponytail. And at the knot in that ponytail, that braid had been undone.
It was a hairstyle that gave the impression of functional beauty, like that of a top dancer or a female pro boxer, and it showed her duality and her personality to pursue things to the fullest.
…Her hair was too complex and time-consuming to braid, but for someone like her, who could change into this form at any time thanks to the Goddess’s blessing, it had nothing to do with her. Though she, who loved grooming like a beastkin, would sometimes untie it and wash it for no reason in the bathroom.
She had a sharp face and could be considered a beautiful woman who gave off the impression of a wild wolf. She was about 167 centimeters tall, and she preferred loose cargo pants, a thin military jacket, and a white tank top that made her look easy to move in.
The unrefined ness of her combat boots, imbued with iron plates, made it clear that she was indifferent to her clothing.
In pursuit of ease of movement, the tank top showed off its feminine yet toned bodyline to those around it, but she didn’t seem to realize that her tank top appearance made men her age look agitated.
Accepting Saryu’s question, the four of them considered Yuuto’s words.
“Doesn’t that mean exactly what it sounds like? The night sky and the water’s surface which is dark enough to reflect it and inhale it. There’s nothing else to it on the horizon. Do you want me to feel the scent of dystopia love on such a vast being of nothingness and look at it?”
Such voices echoed from the ship… Egrentine had a habit of connecting everything to love.
“…Putting Egrentine-san’s seductiveness aside, those words are certainly beautiful enough to give off a sense of romanticism. However, the problem is the part about ‘enjoying the feeling that we are the only ones in the world’… There’s no way we can enjoy a world without a teacher and value. What is the meaning of these words?”
With that, Saryu began flipping through “Yuuto’s Sacred Word Note” to ensure no answer to Yuuto’s past words.
“Hmm. I understand! Isn’t it telling us to imagine a world where my lord’s very hot magical energy, which always flows into our bodies, is gone?”
…This was Egrentine’s intuition, and in reality, the magical energy being sent wasn’t hot. However, this guess seemed to have tugged at Saryu’s heartstrings.
“That’s… such a painful trial. However, it may be a good way to reaffirm my master’s greatness.”
With that, Saryu immediately tried to put it into practice and practiced Zen meditation, closing her eyes.
“Hmm. I think you’re reading too much into it…”
And just as Clarymond retorts, coming to a tentative conclusion, the pilgrim shifts the conversation to the operation’s content.
“Hey, hey, Clarymond-chan! What’s your plan this time? Do you have a chance to show off your real machine?”
Since Clarymond, who excels at strategy, is a member of this operation, all the planning will be done by her.
Everyone had learned survival techniques and tactics to a certain extent, so there was nothing they couldn’t do as commanders.
“Of course. It’s an infiltration operation this time, so I’d like to use the thief creation of the Piltory Part to reduce the risk!”
With that, Clarymond laid out an extremely simple, skill-reliable strategy. It couldn’t be helped, though, since this was the correct answer.
Each of them reacted to her plan to determine the fate of this invasion.
“No way! Are you sure?! I did it!”
The pilgrim was genuinely surprised and then immediately struck a victory pose.
“… There’s something I want to try.”
“I don’t mind. I don’t want to do something as shameful as the fight.”
Other than Saryu, everyone else seemed to agree on the plan. Besides, Saryu was always trying to fight on her own, so it was decided that the project would pass without issue.
“Roger that! If there’s a strong enemy, I’ll take your place! Okay, I’m getting excited! I was looking forward to seeing other dungeon constructions, but if we can merge, I’m looking forward to that! I’m looking forward to it! Gah!”
“Hey! Please don’t give my body a nosebleed!”
The pilgrim’s eyes glowed seven colors as blood gushed from his nose. Then he leaped up with such force that he immediately got up again and approached the other members.
“First of all, I want a cute butt, so it’s Clary, right? As for breasts… I guess it’s Egrentine-chan, after all. I want to use her supple legs like Saryu-chan’s female leopard, but I also want Egrentine-chan’s smooth legs…”
As she said that, the pill part looked at Saryu and Clarymond as if licking their bodies, blood dripping from their noses.
“Our goal this time isn’t to satisfy Pile’s desires!”
Clarymond mercilessly slaps the pilgrim on the head as he crouches down to look at her legs, but all she can do is let out a careless laugh.
“You’re so sloppy. Come on, don’t be ridiculous. It’s almost time for the usual waters!”
With that, Egrentine’s report raised the alertness of the three aboard the ship, filling the boat with a tense atmosphere.
“…In that case, I’d like to ask Pill to create a thief. I want to take him to the dungeon infiltration without the enemy finding out, but… there’s no problem with the usage skills, is there?”
With that, Clarymond turned to his trusted dungeon-remodeling companion and bondage companion, Pillippert.
“Of course it is! I’ve memorized everyone’s skill usage perfectly! Now then, let’s show them the romance of a combination!”
With that, the Pilgrim struck a hero pose. Then, two stupid antennas with glowing tips rose from her head and began to spin. …It wasn’t a particularly meaningful antenna, though.
And with that incomprehensible pose, her chant began.
The two around them closed their eyes silently as if accepting it.
“‘Even though taboos should have turned to truth,’ ‘my paths remain two.’ ‘Romanticism is a steel steam locomotive that gains organic life and dashes forward.’ ‘Come on! Let’s revolutionize mythology.’ ‘Capitalism is all about perverts!’”
When the pilgrim finished chanting and shouted, “Transformation: Body,” he touched Saryu and Clarymond.
“Skill! Create Mask☆DeMasque!”
A flash of light. And then, nothing was left in the sea.
…No, that wasn’t it. Even Egrentine, the size of a ship, had been absorbed into the pilgrim’s body.
Looking more closely at the sea, there was a girl on the surface, radiating light and letting out a cry of joy.
“YESSSS! My body’s on fire! Woahhh! My frame’s getting irresistibly sexy!”
And when the light faded, the pilgrim floating there did indeed have slightly larger breasts and longer legs.
…Her usual pilgrim Harlow was less attractive because of her outstanding proportions and more because of her youthful, healthy body, but her limbs seemed to have been replaced by Egrentine’s
Then, the transformed Pilgrim grinned.
“Hmm. Your broken abs are pretty good, too, Saryu-chan. But your face is best with the real thing, isn’t it, Capi?”
With that, she pulled out her Void, Sora, Ka, and Item camera, pulled up her uniform, and simultaneously showed her six broken abs and face, then began snapping selfies.
…This was the race skill “Item Box” I’d gained when Saryu was an E-Rank monster, Awaysam Oppossam, because she was an Aribukuro.
It was a race skill with rather fiendish stats that allowed you to store items in an alternate dimension.
“Umm, so, that’s right! Egrentine’s tentacles, Clarymond’s Anti-Search, Saryu-chan’s five senses strengthened!”
And in the same way, Pilgrims use their companion skills one after another.
The tentacles that sprouted from the pilgrim’s body were the same as the grotesque tentacles that Egrentine’s tip had become like a brush.
…Using those tentacles that also served as the ship’s oars, the Pilgrim advanced through the night sea at high speed.
“Whoa! So fast! Egrentine-chan’s tentacles are amazing!”
More than twenty thick, long tentacles sprouted from the back of the Pilgrim’s body and began to row across the sea at high speed without her body touching the water’s surface.
It would have been one thing if it had sprouted from a large ship, but seeing many tentacles sprouting from the girl and moving at high speed would have been traumaticly terrifying, depending on what you saw.
——Pirulipart’s unique skill, “Monster Creation,” fused a humanoid form with something else.
However, there was a catch: the human subject had to be a b-e-a-u-t-y.
This resulted from her perversion manifesting, and the binding was also the result.
Her perversion was a fusion.
For Yuuto to find love, she needed a woman who would be a good match for him. When she thought such a woman didn’t exist in the world, she felt she could make that happen by fusing all the beautiful women to make one handsome woman and by creating the ultimate beauty that had only her strengths removed.
…Before she gained this skill, she’d been trying to accomplish something so insane on her own, but when she’d ranked up, it had finally manifested as a Unique Skill.
That said, it wasn’t just a unique skill that combined physical bodies. Those fused with this skill would be split into the main body and the raw materials, and the brains of the main body would be able to use the materials’ race skills.
However, Unique Skills are limited because they cannot be used unless they become the main body. However, since anyone can freely choose the main body, one can use Unique Skills when using a Nanaya shrine maiden other than the Pilgrim.
…Normally, since she can use Unique Skills, she should use the other members as the main body, but since the Piltory Part especially trains the ability to use other people’s skills, it was chosen as the main body this time.
…The advantage of this skill is not just that the main body can use many skills.
Skills that only work on you can be put into the same state as what you’ve done to virtually everyone by being alone. You could say that the Anti-Search skill you borrowed from Clarymond this time is the right skill to use.
“Fufufu. The four don’t have many combat-oriented skills this time, but they’re versatile. Borrowing people’s skills is exciting, like in a game!”
Then, the pilgrim charged straight through the Sea of Troubles at high speed.
She used her “Five Senses Enhancement” skill from when She was Saru’s G-Rank to avoid enemy patrols, then used her “Anti-Search” talent from when she was Clarymond’s E-Rank to scratch the enemy’s Search skill. Then she used her “Tentacle Generation” skill from when Egrentine was F-Rank to row across the sea.
And so, she landed on Grabsdred Island without being spotted by the enemy.
Upon landing, the island could only be seen as a jungle from the beach.
“Okay! Landing complete! Nice island… No, it’s too dark to tell.”
After giving such appropriate feedback, the pilgrim began searching for something, squinting and surveying the entire island.
Then she let out an “Ah” because she caught sight of a single monster glaring at her from the jungle.
It was Sunflower Panther, a black panther-like monster with sunflowers on its neck.
“What is this guy? He looks ridiculous! But cute! And the size is just perfect! All right! This time, I’ve decided on this one!”
With that, the pilgrim said, “Whoa!” and got down on her hands and knees on the beach, sticking out her butt and taking the form of a quadruped.
“Transform again!”
And no sooner had she said the decisive line in that stupid form than she looked the same as Sunflower Panther, who could be seen in the distance.
…This was the effect of Egrentine’s E-Rank race skill “Secret Identity.”
…Among the mimic skills, genjutsu skills are relatively difficult to use, such as “Monsters have to be about the same size as you,” “You can’t become invisible,” and “The phantom pose will be the same as the caster’s.” Still, they’re also highly effective at affecting the enemy’s perception.
“Heh-heh-heh. ‘It’s all noncombat skills, but about the unrivaled incident in the Dungeon’ arc is about to begin! Getting on all fours with Egrentine’s body is like doing something naughty! I’m so excited! I’ll try this for everyone before we get to the Dungeon!”
And then, with a “hehe” and a laugh, the pilgrim headed for the island’s center in high spirits, doing something very stupid like advancing through the jungle in a female leopard pose.