A/N: Hey guys, just wanted to warn you that this chapter was mostly written with speech-to-text. I've had pain in my thumbs for a while now and got diagnosed with tendinitis. The doctor told me to rest them and restrict my typing, or it might develop into something more permanent. I'll still try to keep up my weekly uploads, but I will primarily use speech-to-text from now on. Thanks for understanding.
Chapter 23: An Evacuation For These Forest Monsters!
Part 1
Before we went down into the dungeon, I wanted to take out my Spell Storage Ring to give it to Rin. She should be safe with us, but she could use it in case of an emergency.
But when I looked down on my phone, I noticed something.
There was a new entry for the Chris Bond Rank.
In fact, the rank actually went up to rank 4.
Chris "Silver-haired Thief", Bond Rank: 4
At Rank 4, Chris views you as a total pervert! She has completely changed her opinion of you from a reliable friend to a sexual harasser! However… She didn't seem to hate it that much? She might welcome more in the future…
Bond Reward: You gain 10 speed!
"...Oi, Appuri-chan, how come you didn't alert me of this…"
"...That's because the way you gained the bond rank is despicable. I should really tell mama on you."
"Well, she's right here, you want to tell her that you're not doing your job?"
"No, I don't wanna get in trouble with mama…"
"Then don't do shit like this again!"
"Hm…? Kazuma, are you saying something to Appuri-chan?"
Aqua curiously peeked over my shoulder.
"No, not really."
"But I heard you saying something."
"Must have been your imagination."
Rin was nervously following us. She looked around at the walls, and the darkness beyond.
"Just stay close to us and you'll be safe."
"Alright, I trust you, senpai."
I looked into her eyes and saw that she was completely sincere.
"So, how do you want to start this off, Kazuma?"
Aqua asked, as she took out her staff. Then, she casted a bunch of buffs on us, focusing on protective spells for Rin.
"We're just gonna see if Rin can download the app. If not, then she can't come to the dungeon with us."
"But I can see and enter the dungeon, right?"
"That's true, but the app hasn't appeared on your phone yet."
Rin nodded, taking out her phone to check again, only to not find the app there.
The only way to really see if Rin could become an app-user was to involve her in a fight.
We walked around for a few minutes until we encountered a goblin.
"Eep!"
Rin let out a yelp of surprise as she saw a monster for the first time. I suppose that was a pretty normal reaction.
Standing protectively over Rin, I threw a rope at the goblin.
"[Bind]!"
I also did a pose, trying to look cool for her.
"Wow, senpai! You have powers and stuff! You're like a superhero!"
Every guy wanted to hear that exact thing from a cute girl.
"...This kind of thing is normal for me."
Aqua snorted at my attempts to show off.
"Even though that's the weakest monster…"
She didn't intend to let me have my moment at all.
Next, I handed over Chunchunmaru to Rin.
"You're going to need to finish it off."
"Wait, what? I can't do that."
"You'll have to do it. If you want to unlock the app."
"That can't be…"
She reluctantly raised the sword, facing the tied up goblin. Then while closing her eyes she struck the goblin across the chest, causing a fatal wound.
"See? That wasn't so bad"
"Easy for you to say... You're used to this, senpai."
Aqua smiled and slung an arm around the quivering shoulders of Rin.
"So? Did you unlock the app?"
"Oh, it looks like it's on my phone now!"
Rin smiled and showed me the screen. We all huddled around her to look at the app. We saw the familiar animation of the chibi Appuri-chan dancing around in the intro scene.
"You gained a level, so that means you can choose an available class"
Aqua explained the process of the app. It almost looked like she knew what she was doing.
"Let's see... It says the only classes I qualify for are the mage classes. I guess I'm not built for any frontline class..."
I looked over Rin's petite body, not at all surprised that she didn't qualify as something like a Warrior or knight. Although I was a bit surprised that she also didn't qualify for the Archer or Thief class, considering how slim she was. I guess body types didn't really have anything to do with innate talents.
"Just choose the Mage class. It's a shame that you couldn't unlock the priest class. Although I guess those are for the exclusively talented."
Aqua didn't spare any moment to try and raise her own ego. Thankfully, Rin didn't seem bothered by it. Although she did spare Aqua a side-glance and gave a toneless chuckle.
"Senpai... She has quite a high opinion of herself, doesn't she?"
"Don't worry you'll get used to it."
It turns out that Rin had decent intelligence, magic power and magic capacity, all of them ranging at around the 70s. It didn't qualify her for an advanced class, but if we could find her a proper spell book, then she can probably learn intermediate spells without any problems.
"It's kind of hard for spell casters, isn't it? Even if they unlock the class, if still need to find spells to learn"
I said, while looking at Rin's empty skill list.
"Well, it's still worth it because spellcasters eventually outscale the warrior classes eventually."
Aqua explained with a know-it-all expression on her face.
"but if they don't even survive until that point, then it doesn't matter even if they outscale the warrior classes. Especially since it seems like priest classes are actually rare. So most people don't even have healers around them."
"That's why it's important to have a party, right? Of course, someone who prefers to dungeon delve by themselves might disapprove of that tactic."
Aqua gave me quite the smug look. I wanted to slap it out of her face. However, I didn't want to do that in front of Rin. Instead, I just gave an insincere chuckle in response to Aqua's taunts.
"You're always joking around, aqua. Hahaha..."
Rin looked at me with a surprised but amused twinkle in her eye.
"I've never really seen this side of you before, senpai. You're always so nice to me, but it seems like you have a different side to you, at least, when you're talking to Aqua."
Even though I was trying to hide it, Rin was perceptive enough to see through my guise.
"You should see the way this guy talks to me when you're not here, Rin. He's so rude, so abusive, a true enemy to all women."
I tried to get aqua shut up, but being rough on her would just reinforce what she was saying about me.
Rin was shocked to hear this, even gasping.
"Wait... I thought senpai was just a bit rougher when interacting with Aqua. But is it really so much different from how he talks to me?"
I should have thought this through. I should have known aqua would try to expose me.
"No, no. Aqua here is just exaggerating..."
"Rin, if he acts any differently around you, like, more like a gentleman, then just know that it's all fake! In fact, he's probably only just doing that to give a mistaken impression to you, that he is a good guy that can be trusted. That's the furthest from the truth! This guy is a pure scumbag! There are many other girls who can testify to this!"
It's over for me. This is why I hesitated to introduce Rin to anyone else I had bond ranks with. I couldn't exactly deny that I was acting differently around her, but that was because Rin was the only normal girl I knew. There wasn't really any reason to lash out on her.
Well... Chris is also normal but she tempted me too much with that female thief role play she was trying to put on. Yeah sure, let's pin the blame on Chris. I guess I really am a scumbag, huh?
"Listen, Rin, aqua isn't really lying. But it wasn't like I was trying to trick you or anything. You are nice to me and I wanted to be nice to you."
Instead of looking betrayed, Rin ended up in a chuckling fit.
"Wait, why are you apologizing that you have different interactions with other people? That's normal isn't it? I mean, the way I interact with my classmates, and the way I interact with my teachers and parents, is totally different from the way I treat you. Isn't it natural for it to be that way?"
Aqua also ended up giggling.
"yeah, you don't need to be that serious..."
Aqua really was just taking advantage of the situation.
"Still, senpai, it's not good if you're mean to everyone else but me. Can't you work on that?"
I knew I still had a lot to work on. Especially what I did to Chris. They still didn't even know about that. And the fact that I don't even want to tell them means that I really have a lot to work on.
"Yeah I'll try to improve..."
"He's going to say that but I bet he's going to start harassing some other girl we don't even know about. In fact, I wouldn't even be surprised if he was flirting with the female fans he has now."
"There's female fans, huh?"
This was supposed to be a dungeon orientation session for Rin, but it just became a roast session for me. How did that happen?!
Part 2
"Oh, it looks like I leveled up again!"
Rin pumped her fist excitedly.
"You should also be able to see a quest list. What does that look like?"
We all looked at her quest list.
Defeat five monsters! Quest Rewards: Random loot box
Learn magic! Quest Rewards: 2 magic power, 2 mana capacity
Go on a date with Satou Kazuma! Quest Rewards: 2 charisma, 2 attractiveness
The both of us blushed a little, while Aqua snickered.
"Aww... Isn't that cute..."
"W-We can do that whenever. Let's take care of the monster hunting one, since we're already here."
I said, while coughing into my hand.
We resume the pattern of myself disabling the enemies and Rin finishing them off. Aqua kept a careful watch, ready to heal or defend us in case an enemy slipped past my notice.
With us helping her, it didn't take long until the quest was completed.
The random loot box soon appeared in the inventory. It was the same blue box with the pink ribbons.
"Hey, Aqua, does it matter who opens the box?"
"no, you could even gift it to someone"
Since I had an insanely high luck stat, I took the box and opened it.
Surely enough, the rare magic tome appeared. The last time I got this item, it only gave me elementary magic. But with Rin's higher magic potential, she should be able to at least unlock intermediate magic.
"so, I have to read this? Wait, there's nothing really inside the book."
She was a bookworm and was excited to read a story. Instead, a bright light emerged from the book before it disappeared.
"It says here I have intermediate magic now!"
I was a bit jealous since she already had a higher tier of spellcasting than me despite just starting out.
To try it out, she used a spell on a group of skeletons. She swiped her hand in front of her and summoned a blast of razor sharp wind.
"[Wind Blade]!"
The skeletons fell in a heap of bones as the powerful spell cut through them. Small lacerations appeared on the walls as the large-scale blast tore through the narrow corridor. The torches also simultaneously lost their flames.
I used [Tinder] to reignite the torches. Then, I said,
"You'll have to be careful using big spells in the dungeon like that. Especially with fire spells."
"G-Got it, senpai..."
She looked a bit shaken by the destructive spell she conjured. But also I could sense a childlike excitement within her. After all, she was an avid reader of fantasy novels. And now, she discovered this fantastical element in her, what was once, ordinary life. She could summon lightning, fire and wind from her fingertips.
We didn't want to overwhelm her too much in her first visit to the dungeon. We went out into the city again. Rin gave a glance back to the floating door.
"Be careful, you're going to get addicted to the dungeon."
Aqua warned her, when she saw Rin's gaze lingering at the door.
"And make sure you don't go there without us around."
It was one thing if she had any frontline capabilities, but since she was a pure caster build, I didn't want her to take the risk of going in alone. Even I, at the start, had weapon proficiencies. Meanwhile, Rin couldn't even unlock the [Improvised Weapon] skill like I did. Maybe if she had a staff like Megumin she could defend herself, but Megumin was an exception with that unusual strength of hers.
"Don't worry, I don't think I can go in there by myself willingly, anyway."
I turn to Aqua and said,
"By the way, do you think your replacement in heaven is going to give Rin a cheat item? Or has Eris-sama already taken over your role?"
If that was a case, then there would be no cheat items going out anytime soon.
"Do you really think my authority would be usurped that quickly? If that angel bitch knows what's good for her, then she'd be quietly, obviously, humbly, resuming my tasks in my place without seeking credit for it."
I feel sorry for that angel now.
"If you do get a chance to receive a cheat item, then make sure it's magic related."
"I'll keep that in mind, senpai."
Aqua grinned and draped her arms around our shoulders.
"Well, you two do have a quest to do. I mean, you're already in Tokyo and all. Why not make use of it?"
"Doesn't senpai have a game in a couple hours?"
"We can just go to a café for a quick coffee, or something..."
"If you're sure you have time, then why not? Aqua, do you want to come as well?"
"That would make Kazuma way too happy, going on a date with the two of us. So, I'll pass."
And what's wrong with making me happy?
"Besides, you won't be able to meet the quest conditions if I come along."
"I suppose that's true. Then I guess it's just us two, senpai!"
I nodded and took out my phone, checking my Service Locator app.
"Says here that there's a café that provides charisma bonuses. Let's check it out."
Rin looked at me with a look of suspicion.
"... Don't tell me that you always take bonuses and such and such into consideration when choosing places to hang out with me?"
"N-No not at all..."
It's a lot more scary now that Rin knows about the app. Not only that, thanks to Aqua, she doesn't have an idealized version of you anymore in her head. She was now beginning to doubt the things that I said.
After that, we headed over to the cafe and tried the coffee.
You gained 1 Charisma! Also, I'm glad that mama approves of your mistress, you cheating scum!
Appuri-chan still seems to disapprove of the whole arrangement. Even when the parties involved are fine with it.
"So, you really do get bonuses just from drinking coffee."
Rin said, while sipping the coffee.
"Sorry, this must all be overwhelming and confusing for you."
I had my gamer background to lean on at the start, but Rin was kind of a normie, bookworm qualities aside.
"It is making me think of you in a different light…"
"I'm sorry for not living up to your expectations."
"No, no, it's nothing like that! In fact, I think it's cool that you're risking your life to protect everyone from the demon king army."
"Well, there's others, too"
"Yeah, but that just makes it even more impressive, that you are still fighting even if you can just rely on others to do the job."
That actually meant a lot to me, considering my attitude at the start. I even suggested to Aqua that we should just take the final blow on the Demon King, rather than risking our lives fighting seriously.
"I'm sorry I wasn't completely honest from the start."
"It's not like I'm just accepting everything. A part of me does feel like I shouldn't forgive you for not telling me sooner. I mean, it's kind of weird that you have an app helping you with our relationship."
"It's not really helping me. In fact it's been intentionally sabotaging me."
And that was the truth.
"Well, from now on we're in this together. So, you don't have to worry about hiding the dungeon from me anymore. And I want to protect senpai like you were protecting me all this time."
I gave her a genuine smile. I couldn't help but feel touched by her words. Less
"So, how's the coffee from Tokyo?"
I gave it another sip.
"Overrated. Overpriced. But at least I like the company."
"But you can have me anywhere, senpai, not just in Tokyo."
"I can have you anywhere, huh? I'll hold you to that."
"Senpai, you're kind of perverted, aren't you?"
I guess my cool, reliable façade is no more.
Part 3
It was time for the final game of the nationals.
I expected a bunch of app-users on the field for the big finale. Instead, I was surprised to see my middle school classmate, the same one I faced for my first official game.
He walked up to me and said,
"Satou... You weren't kidding when you said you had enough talent to reach the national stage. But I worked my ass off to reach your level, ever since I lost to you. Let's have a good match, alright?"
I looked at his hand. I considered riling him off again to get him emotionally imbalanced, like last time. But instead, I just took his hand and shook it.
"Yeah, may the best man win."
I couldn't even remember his name, but I do have clear memories of sometimes playing soccer with him in the school courtyard. This was before I became a NEET, when I was a relatively normal high school student. This guy would always invite me to play with them, even when we weren't friends or anything. Granted, he was probably just trying to get enough members to play. But still, I always thought he was a cool guy for doing that.
I went up to Mitsurugi and said,
"We probably shouldn't use skills in this one."
He looked at me in surprise.
"I never thought I would hear that from you, ever. And this is the most important match, too."
I pointed at the cameras filming the game.
"this is going to be nationally televised, so it's probably not a good idea to show off a bunch of superhuman abilities."
"Yeah, you're right about that. I always wanted to play normally without cheats, anyway. So I have no complaints."
Thankfully, he accepted my explanation.
I worked hard. It wasn't like I didn't work hard. After school I'd always attend practices. I'd work on my shooting, my passing, my cardio. How you even started going to the gym.
But I guess, these guys worked harder, for much longer, and love this sport more than I ever did.
Even without any special abilities, they ran faster to me, hustled harder than me, and had a better feel for the game.
Mitsurugi did his best, but I was just reduced to a normal guy now. A lot of our offense revolved on me using an ability to steal the ball, or imitate voices to cause chaos. Now that I wasn't doing that, I was just below average midfielder, clearly outclassed by actual national level players.
Still, I did my best. I looked for passing lanes, even finding Mitsurugi for a lob pass. It was reminiscent of our first play. And like our first flight, he scored.
The game was tied. Both teams, with one goal each.
I was exhausted at this point. I was almost tempted to use [Drain Touch] on someone, but I held back. There were only a few minutes left of regulation. If the game ended in a tie that would mean we go into a penalty shootout.
"Let's play defensively."
Our coach yelled, his face set in a serious, stony expression. He wasn't crying like before. It was the first time I saw him like this, and I knew that this meant a lot to him and everyone else.
And I found myself feeling the same way. This whole thing started out as just a means for me to raise my stats and finish quests. But now, I want to win this with everyone.
Time ticked down as legs became heavy and the sound of everything, the sound of the cheers of the crowd got drowned out by the sound of my overworked heart trying to beat its way out of my rib cage. My lungs felt like there was hot wax plastered all over it. Nausea accompanied each muscular function I tried to force my exhausted body through.
"Satou...! Ball is coming your way!"
Mitsurugi warned me. I raised my head and saw the ball, spinning almost languidly over to me. I looked at my mark. It was my former classmate. I could still see him in my mind, wearing our siddle school uniform, it's dirty shoes kicking up dirt and grass and the ball over to me.
I grabbed his shirt. He tucked his elbow into my rib cage. We fought for position as we've been through our knees, preparing to jump.
It's kind of crazy, isn't it? Going from kicking the ball around in the courtyard, to clashing in the biggest stage of our lives. I wonder if our classmates from back then we're watching? I wonder if our teachers were watching. Were they surprised that a guy like me was competing in the finals like this? I mean, even I wouldn't believe it if you told me back then, I'd be doing this right now, trying my all for a soccer tournament.
We jumped. We were on the same level for the longest while. But he seemed to get higher, and higher and higher. He headed the ball down to his team and they started their counter-attack. All we could do was give a futile chase. All we needed to do was stop them from scoring for another minute, and then we'd go to shootouts. Just one more minute.
The ball curved around our keeper's fingertips. It spun against the netting and slid down into our goal. There was a moment of silence and then the arena erupted into cheers. I stared in disbelief until I felt Mitsurugi's arm around my shoulders.
"We tried our best. I'm proud of you for not relying on your powers until the very end, Satou."
I gave him a weak chuckle and shrugged his arm away.
"Hah... I should have cheated at the end there. What a waste."
"Seriously, I'm glad we competed on an even playing field. It was fun, Satou."
"Yeah. I guess it was fun."
Your bond with Mitsurugi Kyouya has deepened!
Mitsurugi Kyouya (Soccer Club Ace), Bond Rank: 6
At Rank 6, Mitsurugi Kyouya sees you as an invaluable teammate who he had a fun nationals tournament with. He still sees you as a rival, but also sees you as one of his closest friends. He hopes that you will stick with the soccer team and try again for nationals next year!
Bond Reward: 20 Strength
You meet the 'Strength' requirement for the 'Warrior' class! You can switch classes the next time you level up!
Part 4
"Maybe we're bad luck charms? I heard your team was undefeated until this point…"
My mom said, on the car ride back. I had the option of going with the team, but I was tired from everything and didn't want to spend even more time with a bunch of dudes than I had to. Plus, a lot of them were depressed about coming close to winning the whole tournament, only to lose at the final moment.
I also didn't want to deal with the coach's crying.
"Nah, it was my fault for not securing the all at the end."
"You've become so mature, Kazuma!"
My dad said, looking at me through the rearview mirror as he drove.
Kazuto was sleeping as it was getting late, while Aqua was looking out the window at the view of the highway at night. I didn't know what she found so fascinating about the cars driving beside us, or maybe she found an idle amusement with the lights on the road. She noticed me looking at her and turned to me with a small smile, placing her hand over mine.
We had a blanket over our laps, which my mom gave us after Kazuto fell asleep. Most of it was draped over him, but there was still a good stretch of fabric over our laps. It didn't take long until I felt her hand slipping from mine and going to a more dangerous area. I sent her a warning look, while glancing at my parents at the same time, but she just smirked and went ahead and grabbed my bulge anyway.
I bit my lip, trying not to make a sound. She kept rubbing me over my pants and I felt myself swelling up.
"Is there a gas station or somewhere we can pull up?"
"Gotta go to the toilet? Yeah, there should be one here."
When the car pulled up to the gas station, I took Aqua's wrist and dragged her inside. Then I casted [Lurk] on the both of us to avoid the attendant's attention and led her inside the bathroom. She smirked at me as I pinned her against the door.
"Can't help yourself, huh?"
"You're the one tempting me here."
I said, leaning in to kiss her neck. She giggled and started working on unbuckling my belt.
"Let's go for a quickie, then."
She turned around, placing her hands on the door, sticking her ass out for me. By then, my pants were completely down and my hard member was out. I grabbed a fistful of her ass and held it, my member pressed against her slit. She moaned as I shoved myself past her wet entrance, slipping myself further against her folds.
"I can never get tired of doing you."
I breathed out, as I held her waist and started thrusting, speeding up in a matter of seconds. The [Bedroom Skill] did its work, letting me set the pace I want, with the knowledge of knowing exactly how to make Aqua cum her brains out.
"Kazuma, you're so good at this…! Mnn!"
A part of me wanted to work out all my frustrations from losing the match, as I pounded it in Aqua over and over. We were so close, then I ruined it all because I wasn't good enough. What am I really, without my skills? I'd just be the same NEET as before, right?
"Damnit!"
I didn't realize how frustrated I was until I was actually given a chance to express it. I wondered if Aqua recognized that and did this on purpose. She took all my frustrations on, taking all my deep, hard thrusts.
"Hnnngh!"
I grunted as I came hard inside her.
At the same time, the frustrations I felt started to abate.
"Feel better?"
She said, after wiping herself off and pulling her panties up again. She leaned her back against the door and crossed her arms, raising a brow at me.
"Yeah, thanks. I needed that."
"For what it's worth, I thought you were cool out there."
It was the first time Aqua had seen me play a match. Of course, I just had to lose with her watching.
Wait a minute. I thought about it. This was the only match Aqua watched and we lost for the first time since I started playing.
This was the same Aqua who had a disastrously low luck stat.
"..."
"There's always next time, Kazuma. No need to fret about losing one game!"
Surely, it wasn't Aqua's fault.
Right?
Part 5
When my bond rank with Mitsurugi went up, my strength rose dramatically as well.
Thank you for that, Mitsurugi.
I noticed when I woke up the next morning, when I looked into the mirror, that I was pretty ripped now. I didn't look like some Dragonball character, but I was certainly more built than the average person.
"With a score of 82, you're on the level of a pro-athlete now, Kazuma-san!"
That was Appuri-chan's explanation.
Apparently, a score of 90 was peak human, the highest an ordinary human could achieve. App-users could go beyond that, and those with advanced classes could even go beyond 100, into truly superhuman territory. That wasn't even considering skills and such.
Still, with a strength score of 82, there was a bit of a physical imbalance here. My other physical stats needed to catch up.
There was also the newly unlocked 'Warrior' class to consider. Apparently I passed by the required strength score of 70 by a lot already. In fact, I'd need a score of 90 to unlock the advanced warrior classes like Swordmaster.
Was it worth it to switch over to the 'Warrior' class the next time I leveled up? With 'Adventurer', I could basically unlock every warrior skills anyway. The only thing that would really change was the class title. I asked Appuri-chan about it.
"There are class exclusive features and skills, Kazuma-san! For example, one can learn the [Power Slash] skill with the Warrior class!"
I see. So there were class specific moves that I didn't have access to with just the adventurer class.
"I guess I better get my level up, then."
I thought about calling up Rin, but I didn't want to risk bringing her beyond the first floor.
Instead, I called up Megumin and Darkness, and shook Aqua awake as she was enjoying sleeping on a lazy Sunday.
"...Do we really have to go?"
Aqua said, as she rolled out of bed with nothing on but panties and a tank top.
"Yeah, but first…"
I yanked her panties down and had some fun with her before leaving.
…
…
Once we all gathered in the dungeon, I asked the girls if they were ready to face the second floor boss, the Rookie Killer.
"...I don't know if I'm excited or not. I've just been reduced to a melee specialist, haven't I?"
Megumin said, still upset about the fact that she couldn't use her explosions.
"Well, we learned our lesson from last time. If you blow up the entire population…"
Before I could finish my sentence, I got an idea.
"Wait a minute, I have the [Monster Talk] skill… If Aqua casts some buffs on me, won't it increase my stats and allow me to talk to all sorts of monsters?"
"And how would that help us?"
"I was just thinking about warning some of the monsters that live on that floor. After all, if enough monsters evacuate, then Megumin won't wipe out the entire population, right?"
"Hmm… And what if the monster doesn't want to listen to us?"
"Then we just kill it."
It was a simple enough answer, and they didn't argue with that. We were going monster hunting, anyway. The result was going to be the same no matter what.
From how I understood it after observing the kobolds, monsters had tribes and family units. There wasn't a monster hegemony, nor were they all mindless units belonging to a hive mind. The Kobold tribe we faced were just one of many tribes hidden away in the second floor.
There were monsters who belonged in smaller packs, or even acted individually. For example, there were kobolds and goblins who didn't belong in big tribes. These creatures didn't have much in the way of equipment and battle power and were swiftly taken care of. They didn't drop a lot of good loot, either, as they mostly fought with their claws and teeth.
The Rookie Killers rarely hunted in packs, preferring to hunt alone while using goblins as bait. This was what Mitsurugi told me.
And so, we began our diplomatic approach.
The first group of goblins gnashed their teeth at us and prepared to attack us with their daggers.
I held my hand up and said,
"Gobu… Gobu… Gob…"
Megumin snorted once I started speaking the language of the goblins.
"Oi, Megumin… Pffft! Don't laugh at him… He's doing this for you… Pffft!"
Aqua tried to chastise Megumin, but she couldn't help as well.
Darkness took out her phone and filmed me.
"Chris is gonna wanna see this…"
Considering what I did to Chris last time, she'd surely enjoy this footage of me.
The goblins turned to each other after I warned them that a crazy explosion mage was going to destroy the area. They were reluctant to do so, but they eventually packed up their belongings and left.
I was worried that they'd warn all of the goblins in the area, but they had their own disputes and rivalries against other goblin clans. They were happy to leave the other tribes to their own demise.
"...I guess even goblins have cutthroat politics, huh?"
Megumin said, as we observed the goblin tribe temporarily vacating the second floor.
"Where are all their female human slaves?"
Darkness looked around, waiting for some naked girl to show up in a cage, carried by goblins.
"...You've been reading too much eromanga, Darkness."
Goblins were certainly dangerous, but were they really enough of a threat to capture a female app user who had cheat items and abilities? The only real threat in this area were the Rookie Killers, and those things ate their victims in a literal sense, rather than whatever 'eating' Darkness was thinking about.
Seeing the goblins vacating the area, the Rookie Killer that was using them as bait came down and growled at us. With Aqua's buffs working on me, I managed to speak its language as well.
"Grr… Grrrr…"
The girls started laughing again.
"Wow… Those are some very convincing growls, Kazuma…"
"Are you the type who identifies as a werewolf? You're so cool, Furryma-san!"
"Pffft! A-Aqua, you can't just call him Furryma… Pffft!"
Can the peanut gallery just shut up?!
The Rookie Killer considered my words, then looked behind it, revealing a litter of Rookie Killer kittens following its mother.
"Aww! Can we keep one?"
Aqua said, while eyeing the cute kittens.
It was a good thing the mother couldn't understand her.
We went around the forest, sneaking around and getting more monsters to leave. Once we were sure that we had enough monsters evacuating, we went to the next stage of the plan, eliminating the monsters that were left behind.
I went up a hill that overlooked the forest, but the hill wasn't quite tall enough to set up a sniper post. When I voiced my concerns, Aqua said,
"Oh, I can create a tower for you or whatever, if I have the materials."
"...Do you have a [Carpentry] skill or something?"
"Not really? I'm just talented in a lot of things, you know!"
Now that she mentioned it, she also did things like make a perfect art piece for Kazuto using only grains of rice…
I only wished that she was just as consistently useful when it came to battles. It wasn't a matter of ability, but rather, intelligence.
"I can help you gather supplies, Aqua."
Darkness offered, placing a fist over her chest.
"Good! Hmm… Then maybe you can chop off some logs for me to use?"
"Sure, I can do that… I don't have a saw, though…"
Megumin looked at her greatsword and pointed at it,
"You can always use that. Oh, Kazuma, you can use your [Smithing] skill to make the blade serrated, right?"
"Oh, good idea, Megumin."
"Excuse me?! I'm not going to use my precious weapon as a saw, nor allow you to alter it into one!"
She hugged her greatsword protectively once we made our suggestions.
"Hah? You can only say that once that thing is actually being used as a weapon."
She flinched when I said this and hugged her sword even more.
"B-But I am using it as a weapon."
"When was the last time you hit anything with it? If it's going to be used as a saw, then at least it will have some use."
"T-That is…"
Darkness lowered her head in defeat, unable to argue. She weakly handed over her greatsword and I began to set about using the [Smithing] skill to turn the blade into a serrated saw.
We then watched her in a depressed mood, sawing away at trees. Still, she was making great progress.
"You make an excellent workhorse, Darkness."
Megumin said, which seemed to make Darkness even more depressed.
I turned to Megumin, who was just relaxing beside me.
"...You keep taunting Darkness, but she's doing useful work right now. What are you doing, huh?"
"Kazuma is also just standing here uselessly with me."
"Didn't you just see me make a saw for Darkness? You're the only one who hasn't contributed yet! And we're doing all this for you and your explosion addiction!"
Reminding her why we were doing all this work, Megumin got a bit nervous and said,
"F-Fair point. So, what should I do?"
I looked at my shortbow. It wasn't the best for long-distance sniping. I'd need something like a longbow.
"Go ahead and see if the goblins left behind a longbow. I can try to alter it to my size."
"...Wait a second, Aqua is building a tower, Darkness is sewing and I'm gonna be left with the lowly task of looting goblins? I deserve a more prestigious task, right?"
"Do I need to keep repeating myself, or what? You can have all your prestige or whatever when you're doing your beloved explosion later! Now, make yourself useful!"
She sighed and went into one of the abandoned goblin encampments. When she came back, she brought me a longbow.
"Oh, it doesn't even need too much alterations."
I said, as I held the longbow.
"Yes, because Kazuma is goblin-sized, after all."
Megumin said, with a smirk.
"I don't want to hear that from you. Megumin is the shortest out of the entire group, after all. Are you sure you're not just projecting?"
"...It's an acceptable size for my age! But Kazuma is a highschooler, so you have no excuse to be that short!"
"I'm not even short?! I'm average size! Besides, look at this!"
I pulled my sleeve up and surprised Megumin with my biceps. Her eyes widened when she saw it.
"W-When did you get so muscular, Kazuma?"
"...Hard work and dedication."
"So it's because of the app, huh?"
I couldn't fool the knowledgeable Megumin. This kind of physique took years to build normally. There was no way a guy like me could get this ripped in a few days.
She went over and squeezed my bicep curiously.
"Oi… Who said you could touch it?"
"You touch my ass every chance you get, and you have the nerve to tell me that?"
"Fair enough."
Speaking of muscles, Darkness already chopped up enough logs for Aqua to use. Aqua also produced tools out of seemingly nothing, even though she didn't have the [Smithing] skill.
"I see that my cheat item is working well."
I said, while looking up at the tower she was constructing.
She looked down with a blank glare.
"...Did you just call me your cheat item?"
"You're the item I chose to bring along, remember? I wonder if I can use [Steal] on you…"
"Don't even think about it."
Thanks to the efforts of Darkness and Aqua, the tower was soon built. I went up to Megumin with my new longbow in hand.
"Oh… Good job, Aqua."
I said, activating [Farsight] to look around the forest.
"Fufu… Marvel at my carpentry skills! You also did a good job, Darkness."
"...Can you revert my sword back to normal now?"
I took Darkness's sword and put it back to normal. Then, I had her and Aqua take their positions at the bottom of the tower, while Megumin and I stayed up.
"Are you ready, Megumin?"
She grinned and pointed her staff at the forest.
"Of course I am!"
She flipped her cape and held her staff high.
"...Explosion!"
Thanks to her gaining levels, the explosion was larger and more destructive than the last time I saw it. Trees fell, smoke rose and fire spread through the forest as screams rang out. Monsters all came rushing out of the burning forest, as Megumin fell down, slumping against the railings of the sniper platform.
"...Ah, that's the best feeling ever!"
Megumin said, letting out a satisfied sigh.
I looked down at the two below and yelled,
"Oiii! Time for you two to deal with the stragglers!"
"Hahaha! Come here, you mooks! [God Blow]!"
"E-Even I can hit a few injured monsters! [Side Slash]!"
Darkness still missed.
Thankfully for her, there was one goblin who fell down, already covered by wounds from Megumin's explosion.
"...I'm sorry you have to go down like this, but at least I will be releasing you from your pain."
Darkness stabbed the goblin with her sword.
"..."
Or at least, she tried to. The blade landed an inch away from the goblin's head.
Darkness looked up in a panic, to see if we saw her.
For her sake, Megumin and I looked away. Darkness sighed in relief and stabbed down again, only to miss once more.
Let's ignore this pathetic sight for now.
I took out my new longbow, then I tried out my new trick.
I formed water into the shape of an arrow then froze it with [Freeze].
Holding the arrow with my gloves, I loaded it into the bowstrings and notched the arrow.
Megumin watched the process and gasped.
"K-Kazuma, you're pretty cool right now!"
She was impressed by the show of magic.
Rather than take the time to line up each shot…
"[Snipe]! [Snipe]! [Snipe]!"
I relied on my aimbot skill and fired off ice arrows all over the place.
I didn't even wait for each arrow to land, or confirm kills, knowing that each shot would land true.
With my mana running out from the consecutive use of [Snipe] and magic…
The increased vision of [Farsight] showed me where the arrows arching up in the air landed.
One by one, clean sprays of blood gushed out all throughout the forest, as the ice arrows found their mark. Headshot after headshot, goblins fell down without even knowing what hit them.
With Aqua and Darkness, mostly Aqua, finishing up the rest, the monsters that haven't evacuated were all eliminated.
