Translator: ノンぶりyuu
If you spot any mistakes, feel free to point it out ~
Enjoy ^^
[Muir]
"Uncle&h.e.l.lip; Are you okay?"
Muir worried about Arnold, who had disappeared into the spring and turned her eyes towards the centre of it.
"Well, even beginners can defeat the monsters here, so if it"s the Old Man, he should be fine."
Muir: "Y-yes&h.e.l.lip;"
Muir"s was still uncertain so her uneasy expression didn"t change. Then in Muir"s eyes reflected Winka"s motionless gaze. Muir, who thought that it wasn"t unreasonable to be worried, turned to see what Winka was doing.
"What are you doing, Wi-san?"
Muir asked and Winka pointed at the ground. There ―――
"Hya!"
were insects walking in a zigzag. Its appearance was a caterpillar. When Muir saw that, chills ran down her back and she raised her voice.
Muir: "W-w-w-why are you looking at bugs, Wi-san?!"
Wi: "Mhm&h.e.l.lip; Their movement is interesting."
Muir: "I&h.e.l.lip; Is that so&h.e.l.lip;?"
After realizing Winka had been staring at insects for a while, Muir concluded that she was someone with a unique presence.
(Wh-what a mysterious person&h.e.l.lip;)
As Muir thought that, the antenna on Winka"s head picked up something and started quivering then Winka, herself, lifted her face from the ground and looked at the spring. Of course Muir noticed her appearance and asked her what was wrong then Winka slowly pointed her finger at the spring.
Wi: "&h.e.l.lip; It"s coming."
Muir: "Eh? It"s coming? What"s coming&h.e.l.lip;?!"
When Muir looked at where Winka was pointing,
"Woaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
There, was Arnold who was desperately moving his arms and swimming towards Muir. Behind him were ――― a countless number of crustaceans.
[Hiiro]
"Hi-hiiiiiiiiiro!"
Hiiro understood the situation by Arnold"s cry.
"Hoh, haven"t you become good bait, Old Man."
The creatures squirming behind Arnold must be Cow Crabs. Each one was certainly very big. They were as big as a person and covered in black and white spots like a cow.
Hiiro slowly stood up and his face slackened. That was the crab that Arnold had been raving about; when Hiiro had thought about the taste his mouth salivated even more. Arnold had already seen what was behind him and distorted his face. He swam at full force thinking that if he stopped now, he"d become the prey for the crabs.
Muir: "Hi-hiiro-san!"
"Step back, Chibi. It"s hunting time."
"&h.e.l.lip; I"ll help."
Winka held her spear as she came up next to him.
"Naturally. If you want to eat, then work."
Wi: "Mm&h.e.l.lip;"
Arnold gradually approached.
Arnold: "Puaaaaaah! I, I made ittttttttttttt!"
Arnold crawled out of the spring and breathed heavily while staggering towards Hiiro and co.
"Troublesome, Old Man. I want to confirm something, are those Cow Crabs?"
"Haahaahaahaa&h.e.l.lip; Ah&h.e.l.lip; Only&h.e.l.lip; Me&h.e.l.lip;"
Hiiro didn"t understand what Arnold was saying. Arnold seemed to be desperately trying to tell him something but he couldn"t say it well because of his excessive breathing. Hiiro tried to guess what he was trying to convey and faced him while frowning. However at that time the Cow Crabs were approaching. Surprisingly the cl.u.s.ter of crabs started gathering at the centre.
Hiiro was stunned by what was happening before him. The Cow Crabs that touched the other crabs in the centre had been absorbed and a giant crab was forming.
(What the&h.e.l.lip; did they unite?)
Yes, it was just like a union&h.e.l.lip; It was fusion. The Cow Crabs were fusing together one by one.
(Oi, what should we do, Old Man?"
Arnold: "Haahaahaahaa&h.e.l.lip; Fuh ~."
In order to catch his breath, Arnold repeatedly took deep breaths. When his breathing finally settled, he pointed his forefinger at the Cow Crab.
Arnold: "They usually behave alone, but when they get agitated they call the other Cow Crabs to get the prey in front of them! Once agitated the cow crabs will camouflage themselves like that!"
"Camouflage? That"s camouflaging?"
No matter how you looked at it, it only looked like they were fusing together. But Arnold had said that Cow Crabs are good at camouflaging so they overlap their bodies to make it look bigger.
Originally one of the purposes of camouflaging was to scare away their enemies but the Cow Crabs were so agitated that they tried to defeat Hiiro and co by combining their strength.
Arnold: "Well ~, I didn"t know where they were. So I went around rampaging and it turned out like this!"
Arnold probably rampaged a lot. Arnold must have made an explosion in the water to stir this many Cow Crabs.
"I see, well, it doesn"t change the fact that we have to kill them, so it"s fine."
Wi: "Yeah&h.e.l.lip; Defeat them then eat."
Winka was also motivated. The Cow Crab transformed into a creature that was larger than a two-story house. The Cow Crabs blew a terrific torrent of water from its mouth like a laser. Moreover, there were several beams of water coming Hiiro and co"s way.
"Muir!"
Arnold carried Muir and left. But Hiiro and Winka didn"t move from the spot and stared at the beam of water. It was quite a powerful attack.
"Is it fine for you not to escape?"
Wi: "&h.e.l.lip; No need."
Hiiro glanced at Winka and his eyes widened. Hiiro thought that she wanted to be far away from the battle before but her atmosphere had suddenly changed. He wasn"t sure if she had an intimidating or ambitious air about her. Anyway he felt that she had a unique powerful aura like those that warriors had.
(That spear"s not for show.)
Hiiro concluded that he could leave her as she was and quickly concentrated magic power onto his fingertip. He then pointed it towards the jet stream of water approaching him. He had written 『Ward防』. When he activated it, a bluish-white magic wall covered him. When the water hit the wall it repelled and dissipated.
Winka grabbed the handle of the spear, 《Bone Maiden of Victory》and waved it. The short handle grew loudly with a clatter and changed into the long spear that Hiiro had first seen. She then rotated it with a swish through the air. The tremendous sound of the wind could be heard and Hiiro understood the intensity of its power.
Winka threw the rotated 《Bone Maiden of Victory》towards the water. The spear didn"t lose to the power of the water instead its rotation increased more and more and repelled the water while heading straight towards the Cow Crab.
Winka flew after the spear and picked up the rotating spear in a flash. She moved the spear faster than Hiiro could see.
"SWWOOOSHH?!"
She splendidly slashed off all the legs on the Cow Crab"s right side. Of course since they were camouflaged, the Cow Crabs in that portion screamed while their bodies were slashed apart and fell downwards into the water.
Her ability to counter the water gun and cut down the crabs in one slash surprised not only Hiiro, but also Arnold and Muir.
(I"m surprised&h.e.l.lip; To think she could do something like this&h.e.l.lip;!)
Moreover she didn"t waste a single movement, her ability was enough to fascinate the people watching her. Her elegant moves even captured Hiiro"s eyes. She had to be skilled to be able to make such movements with a small body like hers.
[Muir]
Arnold: "She"s doing pretty well&h.e.l.lip; That Wi!"
Muir: "Y-yes&h.e.l.lip; It"s amazing!"
Arnold and Muir gazed at Winka and forgot to blink. Winka landed on the ground and slashed at the falling Cow Crabs.
《Bone Maiden of Victory》"s blade was more than 40 centimetres long. It was shaped like a diamond, the blade was sharp and beautiful and had no chips on it.
Arnold: "Alright! I"ll go hunt them too, so wait here, Muir."
Muir: "Eh? Ah&h.e.l.lip; Yes."
It was what they usually did but for some reason Muir felt a p.r.i.c.k of pain in her heart. Arnold defeated the Cow Crabs while wielding his broad sword.
While Muir was watching Hiiro and Winka do all they can, she felt regret since all she could do was watch.
The thought became more prominent especially when she saw Winka"s strength because Winka had the same beastman blood and stature as her.
(I want to become stronger&h.e.l.lip;)
Unfortunately Muir didn"t have any fighting Arts. She didn"t have any experience either. Muir felt that she was the only one that was an outsider here. Still neither Hiiro nor Arnold thought of her as a hindrance.
However Muir thought that she couldn"t remain useless forever. She clenched her fist while looking at the three"s back. She earnestly thought that she would like to join them someday.
The huge Cow Crab"s body was severed as a result of Winka"s attack. The Cow Crabs that were cut off were now falling and scattering on the ground.
The falling Cow Crabs was defeated at the flash of light by Winka"s spear which seemed to have terrified the huge Cow Crab. Winka"s movement was too unpredictable and threw the Cow Crab for a loop. Midway the Cow Crabs fired a water attack at Winka but she easily repelled it with her spear.
Looking at her appearance Hiiro was also amazed but he wanted to deal the finis.h.i.+ng blow on this important prey, the Cow Crab. That way it"d be added to his experience points and he would also feel satisfied in eating something that he"d killed.
"&h.e.l.lip; We"ll be eating it anyhow. Should I cook it as it is? Which reminds me, there"s something I want to try."
When Hiiro"s face slackened the magic wall made from 『Ward防』that was covering him, disappeared. It seemed that the effects disappeared after a minute. He concentrated magic power into his fingertip and wrote a new character. Then just like that he ran straight towards the huge Cow Crab.
"Oi, Antenna Girl, get away from there if you don"t want to be dragged in!"
When Hiiro said that to Winka, he jumped using the Cow Crab as a platform then he turned his fingertip towards the huge creature and released the character. The flying character activated before hitting it and suddenly changed into a sticky liquid that rained down. Hiiro then descended to the ground and wrote another new character.
"Alright! I"ll finish with this! Burn! 《Word Magic》!"
Hiiro released a character again, this time it hit the huge Cow Crab.
*BWOOM!*
A small fire was produced when it hit.
*BWWOOOOOOM!*
The huge Cow Crab was instantly engulfed in the h.e.l.l fire. The flames burnt as if an explosion had occurred and Arnold and co were dumbfounded.
"STAAAAAREE?!"
The huge Cow Crab crumbled and the flames also engulfed the falling cow crabs. The water had not extinguished the flames so the remaining Cow Crabs died while writhing around noisily. After a while the Cow Crabs scattered next to the spring began emitting a fragrant smell.
"Alright, complete annihilation!"
Although Hiiro was nodding alone, Arnold and co naturally wanted an explanation and were befuddled.
The remaining Cow Crabs ran away back into the spring. It was unnecessary to chase after them since they"d already hunted plenty of Cow Crabs.
Hiiro had a satisfied expression on his face because he"d heard the level up sound ring in his head.
Arnold: "Ah, your magic"s as absurd as ever, seriously&h.e.l.lip;"
Arnold"s face stiffened but Winka, who didn"t know about Hiiro"s magic became interested in it and stared at Hiiro.
"Hiiro&h.e.l.lip; You can use fire attribute magic?"
Winka asked Arnold but he made a complicated face.
Arnold: "Well ~, I don"t actually know ~. Hiiro doesn"t say any magic words. But well, there"s no mistake about it, his magic is omnipotent. It"s unique magic, so I can understand why he doesn"t want to talk about it."
Unique magic was considerably powerful magic so if it caught the eye of a person with authority, it was highly likely that they"d confine the unique magician in order to make use of their power. That"s why a lot of unique magicians do not openly display their magic.
Wi: "Hiiro"s&h.e.l.lip; Amazing."
For Winka who could not use magic, it was a mysterious and interesting thing. Moreover amongst magic users, Hiiro was a rare unique magician. Perhaps it was only natural that she was interested.
Arnold: "Hey Hiiro, what"re you doing now?"
"I"m under no obligation to answer."
Arnold: "Hah, there it is."
While shrugging his shoulders, Arnold turned to face Winka and she looked as if she was thinking about something,
"Hiiro&h.e.l.lip; Did you use oil?"
Hiiro unintentionally twitched his eyebrows upon hearing Winka"s words.
Hiiro"s strategy was very simple this time. First he covered the huge Cow Crab"s body with 『Oil 油』. Then he used 『Fire 火』to light up a flame. By doing so he could attack everything, even if they scattered the flames wouldn"t disappear. Or so Hiiro had thought and it succeeded.
Also previous if he used 『Oil 油』then he wouldn"t be able to write a new character until the effects ended. But thanks to 《Multiple Chain Release》he didn"t have to wait for the effects of 『Oil 油』to end and could finish off his attack with 『Fire 火』. This was what he wanted to try earlier.
He didn"t prepare for the battle but he was fortunate to be able to ascertain the meaning of synergistic effect. But he was worried about Winka"s remark. In this world even if he wrote the word 『Oil 油』, Winka couldn"t read it. But Hiiro was shocked that she knew it was oil without hesitation.
Wi: "It smells like oil."
Hiiro understood her words when he saw her nose twitching.
Arnold: "Now that you mention it, this smells like oil."
Arnold also smelt the oil. If they could smell oil then they could guess that Hiiro produced oil.
Arnold: "Actually Wi, nice job noticing it. Even though I didn"t notice at all&h.e.l.lip;"
It"s no surprise that Arnold would feel strange. This place was overflowing with an intense smell of burnt crabs. Winka was able to smell it before Arnold, a chef and a beastman with sharp sense. Arnold, the pure beastman had lost face.
Winka was pleased that she was praised and with a, "Ehhee!" her chest swelled with pride. It"s a pity that she was expressionless. But her large chest was swaying with pride.
Even more than his admiration for Hiiro, Arnold dropped his shoulders in amazement when he saw that.
Arnold: "Mhm? Oil? There"s no mistake that it"s oil, right Hiiro? Oi, oi, you can even produce oil&h.e.l.lip; Seriously unbelievable."
It was natural for Arnold to be surprised.
Arnold: "Ah, hold on, oil&h.e.l.lip; Oil&h.e.l.lip; Fumufumu."
Hiiro could tell what Arnold was thinking while chuckling.
"You"re not going to tell me to make cooking oil or anything, right?"
Arnold: "Hah? Wh-what!"
"My magic is indeed omnipotent, but it has restrictions."
Arnold: "Re-restrictions?"
"The oil that I produce will disappear after a minute."
Arnold: "&h.e.l.lip; Is that so?"
"Even if you use the oil for cooking, the oil itself will disappear after a minute, so I wouldn"t recommend it."
In other words even if you use the oil for cooking, it and the flavour it adds would disappear so it isn"t suitable for cooking.
Arnold: "I see&h.e.l.lip; I thought we could save on oil expenses."
"Well, its fine if you just use to the oil to light up a fire, but you can"t use it to cook."
Arnold dropped his shoulders, it was obvious that he was dejected.
*GRUUUMBLE&h.e.l.lip;*
A cute grumbling sound resounded from Winka"s stomach and everyone turned to look at her.
Wi: "I"m hungry&h.e.l.lip;"
Wi was affected by the smell and stared greedily at Arnold.
Arnold: "Oh? Al-alright! Anyhow we got the prey! I"ll prepare the Cow Crabs now."
"Ooh ~."
Winka happily thrust her fist up into the air.
Arnold: "Muir! Help me out!"
Muir: "Y-yes!"
Arnold called out to Muir, who was approaching them and walked towards the Cow Crabs scattered about. Winka also helped out, she exhibited extraordinary strength for someone with slender arms. She picked up a number of Cow Crabs and carried them to where Arnold was. As for Hiiro, he just sat down on the spot while quietly waiting for the dish to be cooked.
"No, no, help out!"
Arnold shouted but Hiiro ignored him while intending to nap. He leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. His behaviour seemed to show that he"d work enough and the rest was up to them.
Arnold who"d got used to Hiiro"s att.i.tude, grumbled and continued cooking while being consoled by Muir.