My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon - Chapter 177:

Battle Against The Evil Apple Monsters

A monster of an apple tree with an atmosphere that seems to harbor evil intentions.

If I were to give this one a name, it would probably be something like Evil Apotheosis or Evil Apple Treant.

Coming out on the 5th underground floor means the opponent is as strong as King Roach.

In appearance, it’s a creature that looks like it belongs in a dreamland, with a face on its thick trunk. But when it comes to fighting, it’s like facing off against heavy machinery like a power shovel.

“Here it comes, Master!”

“Leave it to me! Hard Mucus Bind!”

We’ll shower the approaching evil apple tree, the Evil Apple Treant, with a spiderweb-like slime. Yep, it’s really sticky stuff…

But still, the Evil Apple Treant doesn’t stop.

Though its momentum has been slightly diminished, it continues to approach, its thick roots wriggling even when covered in slime, like elephant limbs. Indeed, a boss-level opponent. Impressive horsepower.

“Charge!”

“Shark! Protect the two behind! Hyper Lotion Field!”

If we can’t stop it by pushing, let’s try pulling.

If we can’t stop it with Hard Mucus Bind, then let’s use Hyper Lotion Field to make it slip and fall.

“Groooon!”

Despite being entangled in slime, the Evil Apple Treant determinedly tries to advance.

But suddenly losing resistance with the ground, it topples over spectacularly. Without regaining its posture, it slides, crashing into the wall. The impact sends apple branches and fruits flying, shattering upon hitting the ground. Furthermore, the slime sticks to its sharp leaves like knives, dulling their edges.

Hmm… success.

Yes, this is a tactic I developed through countless imagery training sessions for encountering assault monsters like King Roach again. Against enemies charging in with momentum, we can deal significant damage by utilizing that momentum.

So far, we’ve suffered no damage.

Serai-san covers Ruu, Shark skillfully guides Nina-san away. And the Evil Apple Treant is still lying overturned.

Alright, it’s time for “Our Turn Forever!”

“Let’s bring out the weapons, there! It’s a throwing attack!”

Besides Serai-san and Shark, I conjure up weapons made of salt one after another, like shurikens, hand axes, and throwing spears. With practiced hands, both of them immediately grab these weapons and begin attacking the Evil Apple Treant.

“Groooon!”

“Die! Die, you…!!”

“Take this! Hyah!”

But this time, the Treants blocking the retreat move to rescue their boss sensing danger.

“Argh, this is bad! Pixies! And Roaches! Intercept the Treants!!”

We can’t let the Trents interfere.

So, I retrieve them from the spatial vault and imbue them with magic before releasing them into the air: metallic plates in silver and red bronze. Yes, you guessed it, Monster Cards. They shine and transform into the shapes of Pixies and Roaches, flying like arrows toward the Trents.

And Pixies have always been cherished companions.

But the giant Roaches were honestly too numerous and troublesome, so we cardified some for thinning purposes. Well, even though they’re cardified, we still need to give them a chance to shine like this.

“Pipi-pipi!!”

[[[Rustle rustle rustle…!!]]]

The Pixies dart around swiftly, attacking the Treants with magic bullets, while the Roaches crawl on the ground, gnawing at the roots. Though some Roaches are being knocked back by the Trents’ attacks, they’re winning through sheer numbers, following the law of Lanchester.

“Oh, crap! Why is that thing here too!? Die! Die!!”

Hey, Shark, you’re a girl, so you shouldn’t use words like “crap” or “die”. But would this also be considered gender discrimination? Well, regardless, it’s not good to use vulgar language.

“Hey, Master! This thing is too tough!”

Hmm, indeed, even though we’re throwing rock salt weapons at it as Serai-san suggests, it doesn’t seem to be taking much damage. Rather, the slime covering it is absorbing the impact, hindering our attacks quite a bit.

But if we remove the slime binding it, it’ll quickly get back up with renewed momentum. Then, should we use the Fire Wand… no, that’s not possible either. No matter how much we roast living wood, it only smokes and won’t catch fire.

(Well, I guess there’s no choice but to use that…)

Dodging the branches and roots of the still-downed Evil Apple Treant, I approach and thrust a sharp hand blade made of solidified rock salt into its trunk.

“Gust! Rock Salt Apple Pen!”

But the piercing strike, which would easily penetrate an ordinary monster, only sinks halfway as expected.

(Hmm, it’s really tough! But then…! Inside Maggot Wave!)

I activate the forbidden technique, the Maggot Wave, inside the body of the Evil Apple Treant.

The summoning circle appeared, glowing red and spinning, summoning forth creatures known as monster maggots, who lacked any semblance of defense.

But the power of their dissolving liquid was extraordinary. With this, even the toughest wood tissue should dissolve into a gooey mess… For a plant to move like this, its cellular structure must be closer to that of animals, most likely resembling muscle tissue.

“Grooooon!!”

The scream of the Evil Apple Treant bathed in the Maggot Wave, echoed throughout the dungeon.

And it violently twisted, trying to escape. However, it seemed unable to move as it wished, bound by slime, just bouncing in place…

(Alright, to finish it off, if I pour salt slime into the hole the maggots open…!!)

As the finishing salt slime pursues through its body, the Evil Apple Treant begins to glow, and its body starts to crumble apart.

“Gyaaaa!!”

Yes, this is the end. Our victory.

…..

“Gyaaaa!!”

“Everyone… gather! Everyone gather!!”

The body of the Evil Apple Treant is now almost translucent and disappearing, completely dead. All that’s left is to release the accumulated life energy…

(Oh no, I forgot about [Usurpation]. Can I do it now? Here goes!)

“Gyaaa!!”

As the monster is large, the rising golden light is also magnificent.

So we gather around it like a campfire, holding hands. But this time, Pixies and Roaches have also gathered.

Hmm, there are quite a lot of them. I wonder what will happen with this roll.

“Spuuaaah!”

The golden light of the surging life energy fades away, and darkness and silence return to the surroundings.

And no one speaks, whether captivated by the beauty of the life energy or simply shocked. But from the flow, it seems that life energy has been distributed to everyone who participated in the battle.

Have we leveled up from this? Also, the edges of the Roaches’ bodies seem to have rolled up a bit, making them look a bit cooler, like some mini 4WD.

“Ruu, Nina-san, are you okay?”

“Yes… I’m fine!”

“Uh… yeah. I’m okay. Just felt a bit dizzy.”

Ah, when you absorb a large amount of life energy at once, your body gets surprised and feels a bit dizzy, huh? So that’s what she felt.

“Ugh… still buzzing…!”

“Uhh… what’s this…?”

Serai-san is still excited, feeling the life energy circulating in her body, while Shark, who has absorbed boss-level monster life energy for the first time, trembles like a newborn deer.

“It’s alright. Once the absorbed life energy settles in your body, any irregularities will naturally calm down.”

Previous Current

Level  12  12

Race: Human

Occupation: Teacher

Stats

Strength:  266  266

Endurance:  258  258

Intelligence:  251  251

Spirit:  265  265

Agility:  253  253

Luck:  390  390

Melancholy:  554  554

Blessings:

[Salt Spirit] Quasi-Divine Spirit, [Fairy Queen] Fortune Spirit, [Red Viscous Creature] Semi-Quasi-Divine Spirit

Skills:

[Strong Acid 2], [Agility 2], [Disease Resistance 7], [Usurpation], [Slime 9], [Space 6], [Good Luck 1.4], [Footwork], [Meditation], [Salt 5], [Art], [Maggot 2], [Female], [Martial Arts 6], [Paralysis 4], [Jump 9], [Robust 8], [Charm]

Titles:

[Bug King], [Salt Mate], [Salty Guy], [Bug Queen], [Woman Killer], [Bug Friends]

There’s been no change in my level.

But upon closer inspection, it seems that the skill [Maggot] has reached level 2. Hmm, it seems to be growing unusually fast. And there’s a new title [Bug Friends]! What’s with this title that sounds like the name of an educational channel program?

Huh? Is it because I used Roaches with cards or summoned maggots with skills?

Somehow, I now have three insect-themed titles: [Bug King], [Bug Queen], and [Bug Friends]. Maybe that’s why the proficiency of the [Maggot] skill has increased. Anyway, it seems like I keep acquiring titles that I can’t boast about to others…

Ah… The drop from the Evil Apple Treant, like the Bloody Carrot, is once again a seed.

Could this be an apple seed? Hm? Maybe I’ll buy some soil and try growing it in the dungeon.