Kagura"s swung spear pierced an incoming insect monster. Other monsters that were seemingly waiting for that chance slipped past her toward our back.
"Mitama! They went over there noja!"
"...Done."
Fwoosh fwoosh, thud, thud.
She hopped around with her flexible body, loping a monster"s head off with her dual daggers. Mitama had to learn how to act in vanguard and mid positions while I was away at [Shut-in Lamia]. I was surprised to see her dual-wielding when I joined back.
"Aa, whoopsie!!"
The monster fell down after getting its jaw pulverized by a cane strike to its side. Futsuno-san is also serving in the frontline before I knew it. Just how"d it come to this!? I"m agonizing alone in the back while shooting out ice bullets to help the three rampaging girls ahead of me. Wakamoto-san is helping me with seed bombardment all around.
"Dang, yer youn" mistresses sure are ferocious. Ain"t never seen" anythin" like "em in mine long life as a mandora."
Quit it with mistresses stuff. And you"ve only been alive for a few days. Even I was surprised at how things turned out. Just when did their battle style turned to this. Other changed things would also include Futsuno-san"s newly learned sacred magic and cooking. It"s still level 1 but it"s good to have another healer among us.
I pick up soul gems from the Jet Stag Beetle Mitama cut apart and the Long-legged Ape Futsuno-san beat up. They didn"t drop ingredient nor item it seems.
"You girls have gotten really strong while I was away."
The girls all smiled back at me. But please wipe that blood off your faces first. You"re scaring me a bit.
That was already the fifth scuffle on this floor. The monsters here are far more active and ferocious than any other floor before. Gotta think thoroughly when choosing a place to rest. The map we bought didn"t have locations of caves and such, so we gotta look for them ourselves. Let"s proceed ahead carefully while mapping out potential places for our base.
Once we found a nice looking cave, I made use of magic to make modifications on it. Wary of the frequency of attack, I finished making our dwelling in an hour. And since I"ve gotten quite used to this, I"ve also brought myself materials to make quasi-doors, turning the dwelling into a fully functioning one. Excrements will have to be put with Dry magic and buried though.
Now that we"ve secured a base, time to hunt in the nearby area. There might be monsters that drop food item around here after all.
OFUUUUUUUUUUN
KYAAAAAAAAAAAA
OHOHOHUUUUUUUUUU
From top to bottom, Dandy Boar, Wood Down Monkey, and Jungle Horned Owl. Mitama, Mandorsan and I sniped our prey. The other two are in charge of guarding our base and preparing dinner tonight. I"m so glad that Futsuno-san has learned cooking skill. I"ve been getting similar vibe from Futsuno-san, and it"s proven true after all, she really is a jill of all trade!
My accuracy was bad at first, but it rapidly improved once I recalled about [Hawk"s Eye] skill from Hunter Cla.s.s and started deploying it. The skill has a cooldown period, but I learned Sniping skill after hitting some targets, gradually improving my kill time afterward. I aim for monsters that drop food items and shoot them down one after another. Wakamoto-san also rapidly gained levels as well as skills.
Name: Wakamoto-san - Gender: Man among Men - Gender: Mandagorua
Cla.s.s: Mandgorua Lv18 (up!) - State: Healthy (Supplied mana from n.o.busada)
t.i.tle: 【Refined】 - Bond: Soulmate
HP: 120/120 - MP: 136/304
【Skills】
Plant Control Lv1 - Roar Lv1 - Water Magic Lv1 - Earth Magic Lv1 - Accurate Shoot Lv1 (new!)
【Unique Skills】
Seed Bombardment Lv2 (up!) - Part Strengthening Lv1 (new!)
Part strengthening effect is unknown since we still haven"t tried it. I was wondering how he started hitting more often midway through, so it was thanks to Accurate Shoot huh. He"s not gonna light up some cigar and turn into a sniper before long, will he? The moment Seed Bombardment skill leveled up, the seeds turned into exploding bullets.
Since we got lotsa meat from Dandy Boars and Jungle Horned Owls, guess that"s that for our dinner tonight. And since we"ve still got time, I"d also like to turn them into preserved food. Smoked food and dried meat that can be carried by other members would be a good idea. No guarantee that they won"t ever stray from me after all.
As our hunt proceeded smoothly, suddenly sounds of weapon clashing could be heard. I haven"t encountered a weapon-wielding monster on this floor yet, wonder if they"re adventurers? I checked to the side and she gave me a nod. Guess this means we can get closer and check the situation.
CLANK CLINK
"Dammit, there"s no end to them!"
"Jerindo!! Keep your guard up."
"I know. Clay! How"s Buraran and the other?!"
"No good, it"s a bottomless swamp. Best I can do is preventing them from sinking further."
He"s holding a rope connecting to two people sinking into the swamp as he says that.
"Tch, try and come at me! I"m gonna chop you all real fine!"
Jerindo bluffed to prevent Naina and the others behind him getting attacked. However, that proved fruitless as two Armed Apes went for them.
"Uaa"
Naina"s sword got flung in the sky. An Armed Ape"s weapon was swung down toward her defenseless state as both her arms raised.
She closed her eyes in reflex at the impeding doom, but a loud booming sound saved her.
"...Clay!"
Clay turned around toward the source of that flying thing to see Mitama with her bow at the ready... and n.o.busada piggybacking Wakamato-san. Clay was at a loss for words. Of course he would. After all these people absolutely lack any tension.
"Looks like you need a hand, allow us to help."
n.o.busada moved on the swamp as if he was sliding. He accelerated and pulled the arms of both people who had half of their bodies buried. He then delivered them to where Clay was without minding the groaning voices.
"Sorry but their shoulders might have been dislocated, can"t help it, was an emergency and all."
Clay could only nod at him. He did saw him pulling a wagon before but he never would have thought he could move above a swamp like sliding.
Bwoon bwoon
Arrows were let loose another after another from Mitama"s bow.
Several of the Armed Apes that were a.s.saulting Jerindo and Naina got hit and yelled out in anger. Even while confused at the sudden help, Jerindo raised a battle cry as he swung his sword to feel alive at the prospect of surviving.
n.o.busada was going to brandish his katana but he couldn"t move well with Wakamoto-san on his back, thus he shifted to hand-to-hand combat.
Armed Apes were coming at him with one-handed swords and hand axes, but he drove his gauntlet-furnished fists back into them calmly. These monsters are nothing to one who has gotten used to Matda and Eleanor-san"s speed.
"...n.o.bu, behind you!"
An Armed Ape was coming for n.o.busada"s back. However, that proved fatal to the ape.
"FUNNUAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
On n.o.busada"s back, Wakamoto-san"s arm swelled up into a bulging ma.s.s of forged muscles.
BOGUSHAAAAAAA
The Armed Ape"s head got crushed by a blow of that fist and it went into a spasm.
Mitama and Clay got their breath taken away by the spectacle. n.o.busada glanced at his back and immediately pretended that he never did. What"d he gonna do if it turned into a trauma, geez. Honestly, it looks so grossly unbalanced. This must be Part Strengthening. If this is Lv1, wonder if it would eventually comprise of his whole body. n.o.busada desperately tried to shake off the mental image.
"ROCKHAAAAAAAAAAANDSMAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"
n.o.busada half-frantically shoot out rock stakes at Armed Apes with his Magtial Art (named by Matda). Afterward Armed Apes began exploding one after another. What the heck"s up with this master and servant... Was what everyone here besides Mitama had in mind.
The Armed Apes lured by Jerindo"s party were getting annihilated by n.o.busada group one by one.
The remaining Armed Apes judged that the table had turned and scampered off all at once.