Chapter 33: A Gamer Girl For This Former Guild Master!
Part 1
Along with the many facilities I requested from the government was a PC room. I took everyone there after dinner and had them all make accounts for Myriad Swords 2, which already came installed with every PC.
"Wait, I have to play, too?"
Sena said, as she looked at her screen in confusion.
"Of course. Everyone needs to be on the same page, after all."
"Alright, I'm in a place called beginner island, Satou. Ohh! This guy over here says he can give me high-level equipment if I give him my email address!"
I knew that Mitsurugui was clueless when it came to MMOs, but was his media literacy really this low?
First thing I did was disable the chat feature for all of them, only allowing them to communicate with those in the guild.
Aside from Megumin's account, we all had level 1 accounts. I sold the account I used to defeat the player killer, so I had to start from level 1. I took them to the training grounds to grind their stats.
"This is kinda fun, senpai! Ohhh…! This weapon is super powerful, isn't it?! It gives me 5 attack!"
I smiled fondly while watching Rin. I would do anything to go back in time and play an MMO for the first time. That feeling of exploration and wonder is better than grinding all day as a max level sweaty tryhard. Playing the game doesn't even feel fun anymore at that point, it feels more like an obligation.
While I was watching over them, I noticed that there was a commotion in the server chat.
"Omg! It's DarkAngel-sama!"
"What is she doing here in the noob area?!"
"DarkAngel-sama, please accept my marriage invitation!"
DarkAngel was my former protege in my old guild.
I used my same handle as my old account in Myriad Swords 1, 'RNGod'. I did this on purpose, since I was curious if my old guild mates would notice me and look for me. I didn't expect it to happen that fast. I mean, I didn't know why else DarkAngel would come all the way down here in the low level area.
"Hello, my lovely fans! I hope you're all doing well~!"
Everyone in the server went crazy, and the game started to get laggy as they crowded around DarkAngel.
She was one of the most popular players in Myriad Swords, not only because she was a confirmed, real e-girl, but because she was legitimately very good at the game, thanks to my training.
DarkAngel was popular enough in the community that I once overheard some elementary school kid bragging to his friends that he had DarkAngel in his friends list, but he couldn't provide proof because his account got hacked. You know you made it as a player when random elementary school kids lie about having you in your friends list.
If I was to compare her to a player in another game, I'd say she was on the same level of notoriety as Suuushi was in Maplestory. If you know, you know.
"Hm? Why's the game so laggy?"
Aqua said, moving her mouse around the screen, as if that would do anything to fix the server lag.
As Aqua said that, a max-level player with end game armor and weapons appeared in the noob training area.
"Whoa! Who's this?! They look so cool!"
Megumin said, squealing as she admired the player.
Of course, this was none other than DarkAngel.
She sent me repeated DM access requests. I accepted it.
DarkAngel: There you are! Where were you all this time?!
I did feel pretty bad about that, since I did promise my guild I'd play Myriad Swords 2 with them when it came out. But I just happened to discover the dungeon on that day.
RNGod: My bad. I had a lot of IRL stuff to take care of.
DarkAngel: There's nothing else going on in your life. Don't even pretend like you had better things to do.
I couldn't really say anything back, since I really was that much of a loser back then.
RNGod: I'm serious. These noobs over here are my IRL friends. I'm introducing them to the game now.
DarkAngel: I see… When I saw your username pop out on the server list, I thought that you were just an impostor or fan boy, but it really is you, huh?
RNGod: Yup, the very same.
DarkAngel: Well, I don't want to lose contact with you again, so link me your socials!
RNGod: I don't really have any social media accounts.
DarkAngel: Seriously? Then give me your LINE!
I wouldn't normally give my contact info to someone online, but DarkAngel was an old friend, even if I had never met her IRL before. Besides, the fact that she went over here as soon as she saw my name meant that she did care about me to an extent.
DarkAngel: Wait, that's what you look like? No way.
I set my profile picture on LINE to a picture my mom took while I was playing soccer.
Meanwhile, I looked at DarkAngel's picture and saw a cute girl with black hair and clean bangs that covered her forehead, wearing a school uniform.
RNGod: I'm having a hard time believing this is you, as well.
DarkAngel: Then why don't we meet up and I'll prove it?
At this point, I didn't really care if this was a trap. I mean, what could a normal human even do to me at this point?
RNGod: Sure, why not.
DarkAngel: Eeep! This guy is so eager to see me! I'm in danger!
She was full of jokes, as always.
Glad to see that some things never change.
Part 2
I never thought I'd actually meet my old protege in the guild offline, yet I found myself going to a family restaurant we agreed on. Prior to the meeting, she kept doubting the fact that I was a highschool soccer player who made it to the finals of the inter-high. She thought that I was trying to steal someone else's identity.
When I arrived at the family restaurant, I saw her already seated at a table. She was wearing a black hoodie and had pink headphones on. She had smooth and silky black hair that went up to her shoulders, bangs cut just over her eyelids. She looked up when I approached and did a double take.
"No way."
She said, unable to believe that I was telling the truth.
I couldn't really fault her for staring at me. My attractiveness wasn't crazy high, at a 61, but my charisma was a high 80. Not to mention, I was ripped now thanks to my high strength score, which was at an 82.
I also splurged 10,000 Yen on a new outfit, getting myself a tan collared shirt that I kept unbuttoned, sleeves folded up. Inside I wore a white v-neck, and completed the outfit with dark green pants and black sneakers.
The outfit was pretty simple, but my muscular physique made everything I wore fit well, especially around my pecs and shoulders.
"...Alright, how much did he hire you?"
She said, narrowing her eyes.
"Hah? What are you on about?"
"There's no way you're my guild leader! My guild leader is a stinky NEET who did nothing all day but play games!"
I couldn't really blame her for having that image of me, since I really was like that back then.
"So, what? You think I'm some guy he hired to fill in for him?"
"Exactly! You must be a model, or one of those rental boyfriends!"
It was very flattering, hearing her mistake me for a model.
"...Why would I even need to do that?"
"To impress me, of course!"
"What's the point of impressing you if I'm not even going to meet you as myself?"
"Well, uh…"
I showed her the error in her logic easily enough.
"Listen, I quit playing that game for a while, right? I made a lot of self-improvements since then, and this is the result."
"I see… Well, good on you."
She finally accepted it. Not only that, but she was clearly checking me out.
I thought that the conversation would stall a little bit, since this was our first time meeting each other offline. Not only that, but we hadn't been in contact with each other for a while. Yet, when we started talking about the good old days of our guild, we found ourselves talking pretty easily, laughing as we fondly recalled the more entertaining parts of our time in the guild.
DarkAngel and I always got along. It was an instantaneous connection, in fact. I never really went out of my way to try and impress her like the others in the guild tried to do, because I just viewed her as another gaming friend. Besides, I never really thought that I'd ever get a chance to talk to her face-to-face like this, anyway, so there was no ulterior motive on my part. Maybe that was why she trusted me so much like she did.
"...Do you think the guys in the guild would welcome me back?"
I said, once we finished talking about the time we almost got party wiped in the most infamously unfair dungeon in the game.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure? We're still the top guild, but there really isn't any actual leadership position. There are some who are expecting you to show up any day now."
Now that Hans and Sylvia were dealt with, and we had some time until the demon king army could open their portals again, I did have some more spare time now. There were still midterms I had to worry about, but I was making steady progress with Konno-san in that regard.
"...I guess I'll have to rejoin them eventually."
"Heh. And I thought I'd have to lure you in somehow…"
She gave me a flirtatious little grin as she sipped the melon soda she ordered.
Let me make one thing clear about DarkAngel.
You know that e-girl stereotype about them constantly seeking attention from guys online? DarkAngel was the embodiment of that stereotype. She almost broke the guild apart because she flirted with a bunch of members, and they all got jealous of one another and almost fought each other. If it wasn't for me stepping in, that would have been the end of the guild.
I then took her under my wing and used her status as a gamer girl to raise the morale of the guild members.
With that said, there were still some incidents that popped up here and there. Like when I found out that DarkAngel was selling nudes to her fans. I immediately put a stop to that, but I was sure that she went right back to her old habits after I stopped playing.
The point is that DarkAngel wasn't the kind of girl who shied away from using her sexual powers, so to speak. And right now, she clearly found me attractive and was making every indication that she was up to have some fun.
"Say… Wanna stop by a love hotel after this?"
And there it is.
If this was me from before, I would have panicked.
But now, I could think things through with a clear head.
It wasn't like I was desperate for sex like I was before. I could go home right now and do something lewd with Aqua, Rin or Darkness. If times got desperate, there was also the dream service.
With that said, a part of me was strangely curious. I had casual sex before with Aqua, but there were a bunch of circumstances that led up to that. But what would it feel like to hook up with a girl out of nowhere?
Besides, DarkAngel and I weren't exactly strangers. We had a lot of history, and like I said, we got along well. The fact that she was fairly promiscuous meant that I didn't have to worry about things getting weird between us, since she was likely used to having noncommittal sex like this.
And, need I repeat myself?
Satou Kazuma isn't a man who will back down when an opportunity to do lewd things with a cute girl comes my way.
"Sure, why not?"
She was surprised that I easily agreed.
"...Hah? Why are you so calm? Aren't you a virgin?"
I guess she still couldn't completely reconcile my past image to my current one.
"Do you really think a soccer star like me would still be a virgin at this point?"
Even if she would never assume that I had multiple girlfriends, it would be a miracle if I didn't have any experience whatsoever at this point.
"Yeah, my bad. I guess I still can't believe that this is really you."
After apologizing, she grinned flirtatiously once more.
"So… Love hotel, then?"
This girl…
She was in dire need of fixing.
Part 3
"Ehh… You sure you wanna pay for a place like this? We can split the bill, yanno?"
DarkAngel said, when we entered the rather pricey love hotel. This was my first time at a love hotel, so I found myself a bit nervous. At the same time, I also felt like I hit an important milestone in life.
I really have become a normie now, huh?
"It's fine. I can afford it."
"Eh? You got a part-time job, or something?"
I actually had one, but I hadn't shown up to it in weeks. The manager probably thought I quit by now.
"Ah, well, something like that…"
She chuckled and sat on the bed. She said,
"What's your name, anyhow? I only know you by your IGN and your LINE ID. You don't know my name either, right?"
"I'm Kazuma. And you are?"
"Kuroko! Nice to meet ya."
She grinned, then gave me a seductive look.
"So… You just gonna stand there?"
It felt a bit weird, doing this kinda thing with a girl I just met in person. Then again, I found out through my previous encounters with girls that the worst thing you can do is overthink things. While she was sitting on the bed, I stood over her.
She looked up at me. She was quite smaller than me, which was strange, considering the image I had of her of a boisterous, confident girl.
I leaned down and held her cheeks, drawing in for a kiss. She smiled after I pulled away to look at her, just making that last step to see if she was fine to keep going. Every girl I had been with so far was a virgin, so it took a moment acclimating to the fact that I was with a girl who was probably more experienced than me.
There was no need to go slow. She reached up to gently pull the lapel of my shirt, pulling me into a deep kiss. I got dragged along with her pace, and soon, I was on top of her on the bed, as we were eagerly making out.
Aside from Aqua, Rin and Darkness still didn't really know how to kiss yet. It was a nice change of pace, finding someone who could match me. I felt her hands go through my hair, then down my neck, until I felt her pulling my shirt up. She moaned into my mouth as she felt my abs, then pulled away to look at them. She bit her lip.
"God, you're so hot."
I let Kuroko admire my form even more, pulling my shirt off over my head. She squirmed, a flush of arousal filling her cheeks as she eyed my muscular form.
I smiled and flexed for her a little, which made her eyes flutter.
She took off her hoodie, showing me her body in turn. I eyed her petite form, admiring her perky breasts underneath the rather pricey-looking bra she was wearing.
"Did you wear this for me?"
I said, feeling the fabric of the bra and giving her chest a squeeze.
"Well, if you really were a hot, soccer stud like in your LINE profile, I didn't want to miss the opportunity."
I laughed at her honesty. I had been a loser for most of my life, so having a girl see me as a jock was very amusing.
"Hey, lie down for me."
She said, which I obeyed, wondering what she was planning.
She took my pants off, getting me completely naked. She held my cock and started stroking me, gentle at first, but gripping me harder, making me as erect as possible. I moaned with her touch, and just when I was going to let myself relax…
She leaned down and licked the tip.
"Mnn…!"
I wasn't expecting that at all and let out a little yelp as her tongue touched my glans.
"Hm? What's with that reaction?"
She said, looking up with a brow raised, as she let her tongue circle around my tip.
"I've never… had a girl do that to me before."
"Seriously? A guy as hot as you never got head from a girl? That's a crime, I tell you."
She brought my cock back to lick under my shaft, from the root to the top. I groaned, my toes curling as I felt all these new sensations I had never felt before. I was no stranger to pleasure, but the arousal from seeing her licking my cock, and feeling her warm, wet tongue was honestly overwhelming. I already felt precum coming out.
"You're so cute, Kazuma-kun…"
She giggled, before opening her mouth and letting my cockhead slip inside.
I gasped as I felt her lips wrapping around me, then felt her gently suckling it. I thought that my sex life was already complete at this point. I mean, who could complain about all the experiences I've had until now? It turns out that I still had a lot of experimenting to do.
She maintained eye contact with me as she kept my tip in her mouth, sucking and licking it. She used her hand to jerk off the rest of my shaft, slow and steady.
"Tell me when you're gonna cum, OK? I don't like swallowing."
She said, after she popped out, only to quickly take me in again.
I nodded, doing my best not to just empty my load down her throat.
No matter how much I struggled, the pleasure was too much, and the sight of her sucking my dick was also way too exciting. It only took another minute until I was ready to blow.
"I'm gonna cum!"
She quickly backed away. I thought she'd completely move out of the way, but she closed her eyes and pointed my tip to her face.
"Hnnnngh!"
I watched in disbelief as she let me cum all over her face, giggling as she accepted my facial.
"Wow… It felt that good, huh? That's a lot."
"...I can't believe you let me do that."
I said, finding a strange thrill in seeing her marked by my seed.
"I don't like swallowing, but I don't mind facials. I find it cute how guys get all territorial and feel like they marked me when I let them do that."
She completely read my mind.
"...Sorry. It's not like I think I own you, or anything."
"It's fine. It's all just play, isn't it?"
I felt a bit silly, worrying about these kinda things when she was so casual about it.
She told me to put a condom on, while she took off the rest of her clothes. I took out a condom from a box within the nightstand, carefully putting it on. I let Kuroko handle everything on her own so far, but I didn't want to seem too passive.
I had her lay down, while I climbed on top of her. She was all smiles, clearly excited for me to take over.
Since she gave me a blowjob, I felt it was only right to return the favor. However, she seemed surprised when I put my face between her legs.
"Eh? You don't have to do that."
She said, when I stuck my tongue out and started licking her entrance. She moaned at the contact.
"...It's natural to return the favor, right?"
She glanced away while letting out a small chuckle.
"Most guys don't really return the favor, though."
"Well, those guys are stupid."
"Aw~! What a gentleman!"
"I mean, if they want more blowjobs in the future, they gotta give something in return, right?"
The admiration she had for me disappeared from her eyes.
"...So you just want me to suck you off again in the future, that's why you're doing this? Kazuma-kun… You're a lot more calculative than I thought."
"Well… You already knew that."
"That's right. You've always been like that, even during our guild days! I can't believe I let your ikemen appearance fool me!"
Before she was completely disillusioned, I started licking her. She moaned, the words she was going to say next dying in her mouth. I licked her a couple more times, before I let my tongue enter, gently lapping up her walls.
Just like how I was sensitive to the blowjob she gave me, it seems she was telling the truth and she wasn't used to this as well. She was moaning with every little move I made, getting wetter each time I licked her walls, letting the tip of my tongue caress her folds.
It didn't take long until she started shaking. I watched her as she came for me, enjoying the way she was shaking and looking at me with an affectionate gaze.
"Wow… You're good at that. You know, you're already miles better than my previous hookups. Maybe I should just stick with you instead of going to those selfish guys? You're a generous lover, after all."
How bad were those guys she was with before that she considered me of all people generous in any way?
"...Well, you should know now that I also have other girls…"
I didn't know how else to put it, so I just came out and said it.
"I already kinda assumed that. I mean, it's a given that a guy as hot as you has a couple girls around, right?"
…What kinda world did she live in that she could accept that I was with multiple girls without even batting an eye?
She was unlike any girl I had been with before, but I honestly still liked her. She was fun to be with, even back then. The sex was just something like a bonus reward.
Well, I guess that's what it means to be friends with benefits, huh?
"Or rather, Kazuma-kun, you seem like the kind of NEET who goes sex crazy when you finally turn your life around, to make up for lost time."
"...Is that really how I come across?!"
Not like I could deny it.
"Well, it's fine. I like confident guys. It doesn't matter where that confidence comes from, really."
"It should matter a little bit."
"Hey, shouldn't you put it in now? I'm waiting for you…"
She said, her eyes conveying her pure want for me.
I nodded, holding my member and carefully placing it against her entrance. We both let out our own moans as I pushed myself in, connecting ourselves. Even through the condom, I could feel how tight she was, how her folds and creases welcomed me inside.
"Wow, you feel great… Maybe we're really compatible?"
She said, once I was completely rooted inside her.
I smiled and gave her another kiss.
"Yeah, maybe. All those high-level equipment I gave you paid off, huh?"
She gave me a playful pout, knowing I was just joking.
"I knew it! All guys are the same, just using me for my body. Well, if it's you, I'm fine with that~!"
The fact that we could exchange banter like this, even during sex, made me laugh for a while.
Eventually, the laughter subsided and I started to move inside her.
She started moving along with my thrusts, perfectly timing it each time. If there was any doubt in my mind that I had a really good chemistry with this girl, it was expelled at that moment. She didn't miss a beat, meeting each charge of my member with a hip thrust of her own. Sometimes, she'd let me dictate the pace and just let me thrust inside her, squeezing her core with each thrust I gave her.
"Damn, you're good."
I said, earning a chuckle from her as I struggled to hold in my orgasm. If it wasn't for the condom, I would have shot my load way too fast again.
"I know I'm good. So don't hold back, alright? Anytime you wanna do this, just give me a call. We both live around Tokyo, anyway. I'm down to do this whenever you want."
I looked down at this girl, this girl who I've spent so many dungeon raids with, joking around on voice call. I had spent literally hundreds of hours with her, and now I was deep inside her, sharing this intimate moment.
Thinking about that made me lose control, filling up the condom with my seed.
I breathed against her chest, laying the side of my face on it. She patted my head.
"I'm gonna hold you to that promise."
I said, holding her as I caught my breath.
There was no way I wouldn't come back for more.
Part 4
"Wait, what? I should go to the dungeon by myself?"
Darkness asked, surprised when I brought it up after we finished our naginata club activities after school.
"You should clear the first floor by yourself, at least, not including the Giant Toad area."
"I'm not sure if I can do that… I've never gone to the dungeon alone."
I suppose she always had Chris helping her.
"It's not like anything on the first floor can harm you. You just need to work on your spear skills."
"B-But I can't hit anything without you disabling it!"
"Remember our strategy when we were playing Myriad Swords?"
We kept playing together as a group. Aside from teaching purposes, they were also having fun with the game, so it just became something we did as friends.
Last time, I taught Darkness about getting enemies to use their stamina and ability cooldowns on her, so the DPS members of the group could come in and safely deal their damage.
"So… I guess you want me to tire out the monsters first before I attack?"
I nodded.
"Pretty much. Once they run out of stamina, their mobility will be severely limited and you'll have a higher chance of hitting them."
More than anything, I just wanted to give Darkness some confidence. Once she got used to the feeling of her attacks landing, she'd see massive improvements.
"And what will you do, Kazuma?"
"I gotta talk to Mary."
I separated from Darkness and used the teleporter to go to the fourth floor. After a short walk, I found Mary.
"If it isn't my least despised human. Aside from my beloved, of course!"
Was that her idea of a compliment?
"Speaking of your beloved, Mary, I got some news about him."
Sena gave me some information after I told her about Mary's 'beloved'.
He claimed that he got a girlfriend, but when the police found that woman, they discovered that she was just a hostess.
She told him that this guy was a frequent customer, but that she wasn't involved in any relationships with him. Once the police questioned her more, she confessed that she slept with him a couple times, since he was one of her top spenders.
Hostesses and hosts weren't technically allowed to sell their bodies, but it was a legal gray area if they slept with clients when they weren't working. I guess he thought that they were together, since they went on a date when she was off the clock and slept with him. He didn't realize that this was a pretty common practice for people of that profession, sleeping with their top customers to keep them loyal.
"...So I killed him because he made a misunderstanding?"
She said, once I told her about what happened.
"Well… I guess that's what happened. I mean, he still broke up with you, but…"
I didn't know if I should have shared this with her at all, but I had a goal in mind.
She seemed intent on keeping his corpse, but I wanted to give the guy a proper burial. According to Sena, he had parents who didn't know where he disappeared to. I wanted to give them some peace and allow them to hold a funeral.
"So, knowing that, do you wanna give up the corpse now?"
I said, to which she looked at me distrustfully.
"...Why? I get that my beloved is handsome, but what do you wanna do with his corpse?!"
What was she implying about me?
I guess she wasn't willing to part with that skeleton yet.
"Fine, you can keep it for now."
"Still… I appreciate you for telling me that."
She seemed genuinely grateful, so I didn't pursue the matter of the corpse for now.
Mary (Tranquility Girl), Bond Rank: 2
At Rank 2, Mary will reluctantly go along with your commands, as her survival depends on it. She also seems to tolerate you because you remind her of her beloved, and gave her some information about her beloved's so-called girlfriend. She won't give up her beloved's corpse to you, even if you command her. Giving your nutrients to Mary will deepen your bond.
Bond Reward: You learn the skill [Gardening]!
[Gardening] Skill Rank: 1, Passive Skill
When you plant produce and harvest it, consuming the produce will give you certain benefits depending on your Intuition (72). Produce will also grow 1.5x faster than usual.
After talking to Mary, I decided to do some grinding of my own on the fourth floor. I still had the rest of the archer skill list to unlock.
"Appuri-chan, what are the other archer skills I haven't unlocked yet?"
"Hmm… There's [Create Trap, [Trick Shot] and [Orb Walk]."
"...Orb walk, as in kiting?"
That was interesting, to say the least.
"Something like that!"
"Oi… Can't you be a bit more specific?"
"It's not fair because the other app-users don't get to have me helping them!"
"Who cares about those incompetent background characters?! You saw what they were like in the previous battle! They all have OP weapons, but no brain cells! They're actual NPCs!"
"...I guess you make a fair point."
She had no choice but to agree.
"Alright, for [Create Trap, you just have to make a simple trap, nothing fancy, just tie a trip rope and bait some monsters to trip on it."
"Easy enough…"
I took the rope I used for [Bind] and attached it to the wall with some ice shards I made.
Then, I used [Enemy Detection] to look for some monsters to bait.
Soon, I found some lizardmen.
"Oi… You scaled freaks, want a piece of this?"
I said, giving them the middle finger.
They looked like they were about to attack me, but when they saw my middle finger, they gave me a solemn nod, lowered their weapons and walked away.
"...Hah?"
I said, in utter confusion.
"Hmm… It seems like your Monster Tamer title activated. Also, the middle finger apparently is a peace gesture in some lizardmen tribes."
"What the hell is that?!"
I didn't expect the Monster Tamer title to backfire on me.
Also, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that there were culture differences, even with monsters.
"It seems that the middle finger represents solidarity between tribes."
"...That's cool lore and all, but I just want my freaking skill."
"Kazuma-san, are you the type to skip cutscenes and such in games, just so you can head straight to the action?"
"This isn't a game now is it?! Besides, I don't have time to be stuck in a dungeon all day! I got other things to do!"
"What, like flirt with girls?"
"...Do you really think I'm some unrepentant playboy?"
"Do I really need to answer that? You were fine before when you were sleeping with girls you were close with, but now you even slept with some skank I don't even know!"
"Well, I am close with her, you just haven't met her before."
I probably knew Kuroko longer than the other girls, but all that history was lost on Appuri-chan.
"I still have lots of other things to do. I need to pay Dust his bonus for fighting in the war. I also need to start looking for the other generals that have already snuck in here."
I didn't forget that there were already other generals here, aside from Wiz and Vanir. They would never tell me about them, though.
Aside from that, there was also the matter of defeating the fourth floor boss.
This time, I switched out my monster tamer title temporarily to the general slayer one, just so I wouldn't make a mistake of pacifying those lizardmen.
Then, I went to the same group of lizardmen and shot one of them in the head with an ice arrow.
This time, they didn't bother with the peaceful approach and all came after me.
I ran to the rope, which I hid with a misty cloud I created using [Create Water] and [Tinder]. They followed me inside and tripped from the rope trap.
"[Rapid Shot]!"
While running away, I shot multiple arrows into the lizardmen that emerged from the mist after they avoided the trap.
As for the trick shot, I didn't really know how to do it at all.
I wasn't an archery expert, by any means.
I got the idea to close my eyes.
"[Snipe]!"
Since snipe guarantees my shot will hit, I closed my eyes while releasing the arrow.
That qualified as a trick shot, right?
After I defeated all the lizardmen…
You learned three archery skills!
[Create Trap] Skill Rank: 1, Passive Skill
You can now make traps of 'Basic' make! The enemy's intuition determines the success rate of them discovering your trap.
[Orb Walk] Skill Rank: 1, Passive Skill
You can now make evasive moments while shooting arrows! Increase your speed when retreating away from an enemy while shooting an arrow by 1.5x. You will no longer suffer an accuracy penalty while shooting with a shortbow while moving.
[Trick Shot] Skill Rank: 1, Active Skill (5 mp)
You are now proficient in archery trick shots! You can curve an arrow, making it change direction in midair, although the arrow will take a 40% decrease in accuracy when doing so.
Once I unlocked all the archer exclusive skills, I decided to switch back to the 'Adventurer' class.
It has been a while since I started dipping into all these other classes. Somehow, it felt good to have this familiar class back, even if I hated it at the beginning.
There was also the temptation of switching to a class like 'Merchant', but I also wanted to see what other skills I could unlock with adventurer that I haven't yet.
There was also the chance I could create my own skills again, like I did with [Magic Archery] and [Combo].
Besides, it wasn't like I needed more money now, so switching to Merchant could wait.
There was also the matter of my 10 unspent skill points.
I looked at the archer skills I unlocked, but there wasn't really anything that I needed to immediately upgrade. Most of them functioned well enough at the base level.
For example, the accuracy decrease in [Trick Shot] didn't really affect me since I had [Snipe].
So, I just looked at the other skills I learned.
"...I guess [Intermediate Magic] will be one of them."
It was the same logic I used when I maxed out [Elementary Magic]. Magic was way too useful.
A lot of my other skills also ended up making use of magic, anyway, so this was the most efficient upgrade.
What improved was that the damage of all the spells increased from 15 magic power modifier to 20 mods. That gave me a total of 27 damage with each spell.
Aside from that, the mana cost went down from 15 to 10, and the ranges and AoE of the spells increased. Freeze Gust's slowed and frozen durations also increased.
Overall, it was a big power spike for me, probably the biggest I've had when it comes to upgrading a skill.
Mages always grow exponentially, after all.
As for the remaining 5 skill points, I put 3 of them into [Medium Armor, since Darkness's bond reward already put it at rank 2. Doing so gave me an additional 4 to my armor score, giving me 16 physical reduction in total.
At this point, I could just let enemies hit me in the lower floors without even suffering a single hit point of damage.
For my last 2 skill points, I decided to upgrade [Ice Magic Increase] to rank 4, since it was already at rank 2 thanks to Wiz's bond reward.
The rank up gave me 2 damage to ice magic, and increased crowd control duration of ice spells like [Freeze Gust] by an extra 2 seconds.
With that, I got all that I came for in the dungeon and teleported back to the first floor to check up on Darkness.
I found her walking to the entrance as well. She had a conflicted look on her face.
"So? How'd it go?"
I asked, to which she sighed.
"...I'd say my success rate was about 20%."
"Oh! That's much higher than I thought it'd be!"
"How bad is your impression of me!"
I wasn't really meaning to insult her, but I guess it did seem condescending.
I blushed and gave her a kiss, which made her blush as well.
"Uh… Good job, Darkness."
"T-Thanks…"
Damn it! This whole opening yourself up to others is never gonna get easier, is it?!
Part 5
Darkness and I were on our way home from the dungeon, when we saw Mitsurugi talking to someone.
This person he was talking to was a blonde foreigner wearing a nun habit.
"...So you're a follower of Aqua-sama!"
He said, smiling delightfully at this foreigner.
"Yes, yes! To think that the all-powerful, majestic, ultra lovely Aqua-sama also has followers in this world! Or rather, I should say, as expected of Aqua-sama!"
With the way this nun was talking… She was from the other world, right?
Certainly, you wouldn't see a blonde nun walking around in Tokyo, at least, it wasn't a common sight.
She was also talking about Aqua.
The nun went on to say,
"By the way, Kyouya-kun, are you also like me?"
"Like you…? Ah, well, I guess I'm a fan of Aqua-sama as well."
That was an understatement.
"I knew it… And you also like the same thing as me, huh?"
"Well… I guess I do… But it's kind of impossible to pursue it."
I felt kinda bad, since he was most certainly talking about his lingering feelings for Aqua, which he had to give up on.
"I knew it! So, you're a lolicon as well, huh?"
"...Eh?"
"I know how society looks down on us, and how it feels impossible to express your love for lolis these days, but stay strong, my comrade!"
"What are you saying?!"
Just as Mitsurugi was about to cover this woman's mouth, he saw us watching him.
"...We'll be on our way now, Mitsurugi-san."
Darkness said, ducking her head and walking past him.
I followed after her.
"...Take your time, Mitsurugi."
"Hold on! I don't know what this woman is going on about!"
"Oi… That's rather cold, isn't it? I told you my name is Cecily."
The blonde nun who was a self-declared lolicon said, pouting at Mitsurugi.
Cecily followed Mitsurugi's gaze and turned to me. I felt a shiver down my spine and kept walking away from them.
But she was unexpectedly fast and caught up to me, gripping my shoulder.
"Oh! I sense a fellow lolicon in you as well!"
What metric was she going with to decide that?
Rather, I was called a lolicon and such before, with that horrible name 'Lolima', but how in the world was Mitsurugi a lolicon?
Or maybe she was the kind of crazy woman who just imposes her twisted views on others.
"...I don't know what you're talking about, miss. Oi, Darkness, where are you going?"
I noticed that Darkness was walking away from me without looking back.
This traitor ditched me!
I turned to Cecily, trying to escape her grasp.
"Um… I'm not a lolicon or whatever, so please let me go."
"Nonsense! There's no need to hide it! Declare your love for lolis with all your might! Excuse me, everybody! These two men are here to meet a 13 year old girl!"
This crazy bitch!
Mitsurugi and I immediately grabbed her and pulled her to the next alleyway we could find.
"Oi, Mitsurugi! Who the hell is this woman?!"
"I don't know! She said she was from the other world and a follower of Aqua-sama, so I thought she was a sane, rational person!"
"...The fact that she introduced herself like that should have already clued you in!"
I had never met an Aqua follower before, but I couldn't imagine that there was anyone sane among the followers of Aqua, of all people.
"Oh, my… Two handsome young men took me to a dark alleyway… Are we gonna have some fun now?"
"...I thought you said you're a lolicon?"
"Just because you like sweets, it doesn't mean you can eat parfaits all day, right? Sometimes… You need some meat…"
She said, licking her lips as she looked at Mitsurugi in particular.
"...Mitsurugi. You found her. You deal with her."
"Now, just hold on a minute!"
Mitsurugi pulled me back before I could escape.
"Hold on, as the one who won over Aqua-sama's heart, you should be the one to deal with her follower, right?"
"...What kind of stupid logic is that? It's like saying that if you date an idol, you have to deal with their stupid fans."
"Well, you do, that comes with the territory!"
I just realized that I used a terrible analogy.
"...Fine. Cecily-san, you said you came from the other world… How did you get here? Through a portal?"
She smiled and placed a hand on her waist.
"Heh… I was harassing an Eris-cult member as usual. Just as I was pelting them with tokoroten slime, this portal appeared in front of me and I accidentally ran inside."
Dust and the succubi all ended up in this world after the demon king army started messing around with portals. The fact that the demon king army managed to open a bunch of portals at once probably caused more random tears within the boundary of the other world.
As for what to do with Cecily…
"It'll be a disaster if we bring her home, so for now I'll just book a hotel for her to stay in."
I said, making Mitsurugi sigh in relief that I actually had a plan.
"Oh? Going to a hotel already? You sure move fast! But I'm more interested in Kyouya-kun, though~! Is he gonna join us?"
Yeah, this girl was way too crazy.