Earth With Dungeon: Saving the World With an Economic Boom

Chapter 180. Spring Spirit

The Spring Spirit is the pride of Narashino City’s new arsenal.

It looks like a mass of cherry blossom-colored light.

Though it takes on a human shape, it has no facial features and resembles a scarecrow.

“This is Narashino City’s new weapon? It’s just floating there.”

Tilting his head, Nagahide Niwa looked puzzled.

Well, that’s only natural. It just floats like a balloon and doesn’t attack.

However, Nitta grabbed the Spring Spirit by the neck and placed it in front of him.

Effortlessly, he moved it as if it weighed nothing.

“Hm? Ah, are you planning to use it as a shield?

Its appearance suggests it has a high physical defense.”

“As you said, that was the initial use.”

Hiding behind the Spring Spirit, Nitta pulled out a gun from his holster, aimed it at Nagahide Niwa, and pulled the trigger.

With a dry pop, the bullets shot toward Nagahide Niwa.

Even so, Nitta was a soldier. He never missed training and prided himself on his marksmanship.

But the bullets that should have hit Nagahide Niwa accurately veered off course, merely punching holes in the wall.

Seeing this, Nitta remained calm and nodded with an impressed expression.

“So bullets don’t work after all.”

“Hm? You’re not surprised?”

Nagahide Niwa smirked at Nitta’s attitude. Any previous opponent would have been shocked.

Guns were once the ultimate weapon.

But that’s history now.

“I know the Inner City folks have acquired magic to block bullets.

We have similar technology, so there’s no surprise.”

We are entering an era where bullets no longer affect humans.

In a pre-dungeon world, such a notion would be laughable.

“But we are ahead of that era.”

Nitta pushed the Spring Spirit, which floated towards Nagahide Niwa like a balloon.

“Huh?”

[Stone Blitz]

Nagahide Niwa pointed a finger at the Spring Spirit, releasing a bullet of earth.

The earth bullet flew as fast as a gunshot, easily piercing the Spring Spirit.

From the hole, the Spring Spirit dissolved like mist and vanished.

“It’s quite weak, huh?”

“Yes, it is weak. Too weak. Initially deemed useless.”

Nitta took a pouch from his pocket and grabbed six crystals.

“Surprisingly, these crystals appear ordinary but…”

He grinned, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

“This is identified as a piece of wood when in a clump of about six.”

[Wood Puppet Creation]

The paper in Nitta’s hand ignited in a blue flame, and the crystals shone brightly, merging into a single mass.

The light transformed into a humanoid shape about two meters tall.

Its eyes, nose, and mouth were cave-like holes.

Its limbs had rough, bark-like wooden skin and looked like logs.

It floated slightly off the ground.

A whistling sound like wind blowing through its cave-like mouth could be heard, and everyone who saw it agreed it was a monster.

It exuded a malevolent aura.

“This is the Spirit Machine, the Spring Spirit of Narashino City!”

“It looks evil. Is it really okay? You should call it a Treant instead.”

Nitta waved his hand and boasted.

Nagahide Niwa replied with a doubtful look at the Spring Spirit.

Indeed, its appearance was terrible, but Nitta knew its performance was not related to its appearance.

“There’s room for improvement, but its performance is high.”

Soldiers around also summoned Spring Spirits.

The area quickly filled with Spring Spirits, exuding a menacing aura.

“You used a Wood Puppet Creation scroll. I see, its strength varies with the material. An unexpected use.”

“Narashino City’s Core Store analysis is unmatched by the Inner City.”

As he spoke, Nitta looked around Nagahide Niwa.

Seeing no sign of Niwa’s allies, he felt relieved.

Though Niwa might have called for backup, Nitta had ensured the communication center was manned by his loyalists, silencing any calls for help.

“Your arrogance, with your high-level skills, was your downfall.

Each Spring Spirit has power exceeding C-rank.

And we who’ve used Spring Spirits to conquer dungeons are all high-level!”

Nitta himself possessed level 3 skills.

[Spear Techniques 3].

His stats exceeded 1000.

The strategists were similar.

Though he appeared chubby, he had the strength to rival any soldier.

He grinned and gave orders.

“The operation continues. Turn him into a corpse! Go, Spring Spirits. Crush him!”

“Vooohh!”

At his command, the Spring Spirit accelerated towards Nagahide Niwa.

The subordinates gave similar orders, and other Spring Spirits flew towards Niwa.

The Spring Spirit attacked with log-like arms.

Though they appeared wooden, their hardness exceeded steel, and their blows could crush thick concrete walls like Styrofoam.

And it wasn’t just one, but ten of them.

They would dissolve after a certain time, but until then, they held absolute power.

That’s the Spring Spirit, and its counterpart, the Winter Spirit.

They were invincible in dungeons.

A single man was no match.

[Stone Blitz Rapid Fire]

Nagahide Niwa snapped his fingers.

Multiple stone bullets were created, flying towards the Spring Spirits.

Spring Spirits followed simple commands.

When ordered to attack, they did so head-on.

Thus, the stone bullets hit their torsos directly, creating holes.

With a small clink, the core crystals were ejected from the holes.

As the black crystals hit the ground, the Spring Spirits wobbled, dissolving into the air.

The other Spring Spirits met the same fate.

Nagahide Niwa’s stone bullets accurately pierced the core crystals, causing the spirits to dissolve.

“Wha??”

Nitta and the others were shocked as Nagahide Niwa effortlessly defeated the C-rank Spring Spirits. The precision with which he pierced the crystals was too accurate to be mere chance. He had seen through their weakness.

With disbelief, Nitta watched Nagahide Niwa and pulled out new crystals and paper scraps.

“There are still more Spring Spirits! Don’t be afraid! A mage will be done once their mana runs out!”

“Yes, sir!”

Creating multiple Spring Spirits from the new crystals, Nitta kept one as a shield and commanded the rest to attack Nagahide Niwa.

“Mana, huh? It hasn’t run out yet.”

Nagahide Niwa shrugged, recalling the stone bullets he had released. They spun around him and then pierced the torsos of the approaching Spring Spirits, extracting their crystals.

“No way!”

Seeing the Spring Spirits being so easily neutralized, Nitta’s eyes widened and his mouth twitched. Watching this, Nagahide Niwa grinned, pulling out a silver mask.

Nagahide Niwa’s once ordinary face transformed into a young but scarred, beast-like visage. Placing the mask on his face, Nagahide Niwa smirked.

“I’m Rikyuu Tsuchino, a specialist in earth magic and a member of the Clown Knights.”

“The Clown Knights! You?”

Nitta had heard of the Clown Knights, a renowned group of elite warriors.

“Indeed. And these weak stone bullets don’t consume mana except at the moment of creation. If a mere spell can defeat your Spring Spirits, they’re unfit as weapons. They’re too vulnerable to magic interference, and a light magical strike on their crystal causes them to fall apart. Didn’t this ever become an issue? They’re just tools, aren’t they?”

Rikyuu’s words were incredulous as he continued to defeat the attacking Spring Spirits.

“That’s impossible! I’ve never heard of such a flaw!”

“In high-rank dungeons, this strategy is useless. Good job anyway.”

Rikyuu’s words made Nitta’s head spin. The fact that they were being defeated was a problem, but the fatal weakness of the Spring Spirits was an even greater issue.

Nitta’s future plans were all based on the Spring Spirits. They were powerful spirits with high physical defense, to be used without fear of loss. They were intended to help him conquer Japan.

But if they could be taken down by something as weak as stone bullets, it changed everything. The plan to take over Narashino City had been accelerated for the sake of the Spring Spirits, but it would be meaningless.

“No, you’re just a special case! They’ve been proven effective up to C-rank. I’ll kill you and keep this weakness a secret!”

As the Spring Spirits fell and black crystals clattered to the floor, Nitta glared at Rikyuu and shouted. The Spring Spirits had been effective up to C-rank, providing a steady supply of skill and status potions.

“Stop it. These crystals are dangerous. Have they ever been defeated before?”

Rikyuu’s serious expression made Nitta frown. Dangerous? Was there another problem besides the fatal flaw? Anger boiled inside him, but a calm part of him urged him to listen.

“They’ve rarely been defeated! What’s dangerous about them?”

“If you give them fertilizer, something terrible happens.”

“Fertilizer? What are you talking about?”

As Nitta prepared to resume the battle, the floor cracked, and something slithered out. He squinted to see—it was a tree root.

The root swayed and wrapped around a black crystal on the floor, absorbing it like water.

The floor cracked further, and more roots emerged, consuming the crystals.

“What is this?”

“No way. Is it happening faster than expected?”

Rikyuu stomped the floor and escaped through the ceiling. As Nitta tried to order a pursuit, his leg was suddenly entangled by a root.

“What is this?”

With his high stats, Nitta tore the root apart. But more roots kept emerging from the floor.

“Help me!”

One soldier, entangled by roots, dropped his crystal, which the roots immediately targeted, releasing him.

“They’re after the crystals! Throw them away!”

Seeing this, other soldiers threw their crystals. The roots abandoned the soldiers and wrapped around the crystals, absorbing them.

“Wait! I have a bad feeling about this! Don’t throw them away!”

Nitta tried to stop them, but the soldiers, desperate to escape the roots, ignored him and discarded their crystals.

Nitta’s bad feelings turned into dread. Something catastrophic was happening. He turned quickly, sensing a sinister presence.

“A Spring Spirit?”

But it was different. The being resembled a Spring Spirit but exuded a far more malevolent aura.

He realized it was a monster.

Around him, the air shimmered, and more monsters began to appear.

“Could it be… a dungeon manifestation?”

Seeing the formidable monsters, Nitta’s face paled.

[Tree Lance]

A wooden spear shot up from the floor, impaling him from his lower body to his head.

“Wha… this…”

Impaled from the lower body to the head, Nitta’s life was swiftly extinguished as screams echoed from outside.