Chapter 53

The next day, Seiki also conducted a Belo Belo hunt on the 10th floor, under the watchful eyes of Kagemitsu and the others.

Still, it was just for adjustment.

Have you forgotten the way you fought yesterday?

Will the light float up again?

Once the confirmation was over, Seiki immediately withdrew.

Tomorrow, the first Monster Parade extermination operation will be carried out.

After parting ways with the Aerial members, Seiki headed to the dungeon again.

He visited the 10th floor and lightly activated Stealth.

After confirming that there were no other adventurers around, he took out the Skill Board.

"I want to take out some insurance just in case, but if I raise my base skills, I might be found out right away..."

Seiki wanted to boost his base abilities before fighting the MonPaLe.

However, his fighting style had been observed by the Aerial members.

If he raised his physical ability skills, Kagemitsu and the others would notice.

Raising skills would result in changes that couldn't be explained away with "I wasn't serious until yesterday!"

The eyes of Aerial, who were at the forefront of "Chikaho," could not be fooled.

If he wanted to avoid being found out with the Skill Board, he should have raised his base skills before meeting Aerial.

But without knowing the details of the monsters, he couldn't raise skills recklessly.

For example, raising Agility against a hard enemy,

or raising Strength against a soft enemy.

Without knowing the enemy, he might end up with inefficient skill raises.

Points are limited.

He couldn't afford to waste a single point.

Seiki displayed Rara's tree instead of his own.

Rara had never attacked a monster with full force before.

At most, she had only deflected dangerous attacks aimed at Seiki.

So, if she suddenly powered up, "Rara is serious today!" would be a plausible excuse.

To use this as an excuse, Seiki deliberately did not let Rara participate in the attack.

Rara (1) Gender: Female

Skill Points: 4 → 2

Evaluation: Dual Leaf Striker

Blessing: Earth User <???>

- Vitality

Stamina 1

Natural Recovery 0

- Strength

Strength 2 → 3

- Agility

Burst 1

Dexterity 2

- Technique

Weapon Proficiency

Throwing 3

Dual Throwing 0 → 1

- Intuition

Detection 1

- Special

Treasure House 2

Blessing 1

Belo Belos are somewhat hard, so one point in Strength.

And to increase the number of attacks, one point in a derived skill.

The remaining points,

"Still, it should be Blessing, right..."

Seiki understood the benefits of Blessing from the battle the day before yesterday.

Breaking the limit. Or a general boost to base abilities.

It might be different in reality.

But intuitively, those words fit.

If that's the case, he couldn't afford not to raise it.

"Rara, can I put the remaining 2 points into Blessing?"

Seiki asked Rara just in case.

The effects of Blessing were unknown.

Seiki was just guessing that raising Blessing would add to all physical abilities.

It might open up a completely different ability.

That's why he asked.

Is it okay to use points on something he doesn't understand well, rather than on base abilities?

Rara thought for a moment, then shook her leaves up and down.

"Thank you. Let's start with 1 point—"

Skill Points: 2 → 1

Blessing: Earth User <???> → Earth Treasure User <???>

Blessing 1 → 2

"Oh?"

The name changed.

Great.

This means I can finally part ways with "Cloth"—ah, no, will "Cloth" be used in the next character?

Seiki's heart, which had soared, suddenly sank to the bottom.

Feeling down, Seiki allocated the last point.

Skill Points: 1 → 0

Blessing: Earth Treasure User <???> → Underground Treasure Guardian <Ptah>

Blessing 2 → MAX

"…I see."

It's so minor that I can't even tell how awesome the Blessing is.

Ptah is the name of a creation god worshipped in the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis.

He is also known as the guardian of underground resources.

In illustrations, his body is often depicted in green, leading to the belief that he is a plant god.

Over time, Ptah became associated with the god of the underworld, Osiris. (This is why Osiris' body is also green.)

Treasure House is related to underground resources.

Plants and plant gods.

The toy-loving boss and the god of craftsmen.

...The connections are not hard to see.

In other words, does Blessing come from a god related to one's characteristics?

"...This is bad."

If that's the case, it's quite dangerous.

If Seiki's "Cloth" were to receive a Blessing from a god that makes one invisible...

He might never be recognized by anyone again.

No, no.

Seiki shook his head.

The gods can't be that cruel.

"---And, Rara, how does it feel to have raised your skills?"

"(Furifuri)"

She moved her body and fired a test shot at a Potato Stone—

—Boom!

No, is that a full-power shot?

The sound alone was dangerous, and the Potato Stone flew away and disappeared.

"(Furufuru...)"

Rara was a bit taken aback by the leap in her abilities.

It seems her abilities had increased more than she had imagined.

Without a doubt, Blessing was boosting her base abilities.

She fought with her owner on the 9th floor to get used to the heightened senses.

Rara's firing speed had increased slightly.

But the power was on a different level.

The owner, the strongest of the upper floor grunts, was incapacitated with just one hit.

One hit, and that's it.

With a double throw, the owner was almost dead.

Still, Rara seemed to have a bit of room to spare.

It was terrifying.

However, this greatly increased the chances of survival in the MonPaLe battle.

Now, all that was left was to pray for no mistakes in the real thing.

* * *

On the morning of the day the Monster Parade extermination operation was to be carried out.

Seiki, who had prepared himself, headed to "Chikaho" from the hotel and discovered Kagemitsu and the others passing through the gate with large luggage.

"Good morning, Kagemitsu-san."

"Hey."

"What's that luggage?"

The luggage that Kagemitsu and the Aerial members were carrying was a wooden box about one meter in diameter.

They were carrying it easily, but it was unclear whether it was actually light given their strength.

"It's a surprise when we get there."

"Hmm."

It was probably something to be used in the "plan to separate the boss from the MonPaLe" that they had heard about on the day they arrived in Sapporo.

But he couldn't imagine what it was.

He was curious about the contents, but he would inevitably see them once they reached the 10th floor.

Until then, Seiki would imagine and build up his expectations.

The members were Kagemitsu, Yoshi, Van, and Becky, who had not participated in Seiki's practice, and the cat.

"Cat, are you okay with your injuries?"

"Yes, I'm fine... Hmm? Why do you look surprised?"

"No..."

Seiki hurriedly shook his head.

He hadn't realized the cat was a woman...

She hadn't talked much before, and with her short hair and slim figure, Seiki had mistaken her for a man.

But he couldn't just say, "I thought you were a man."

Seiki mumbled.

Kagemitsu, noticing Seiki's mistake, smiled slyly.

Yoshi and Van chuckled.

From their reactions, it seemed the cat was often mistaken for the opposite gender.

Kagemitsu put a finger to his lips with a serious expression.

...Yeah.

Seiki could imagine the fate of those who made the mistake.

The six, including Seiki, boarded the gate and arrived at the 10th floor.

Kagemitsu and the others set down the box and opened the lid.

"Oh, it's Slime Eels."

The box was filled with a large number of Slime Eels.

Nostalgic.

Seiki remembered the time he searched for Ooi So.

Back then, just defeating the owner was a struggle.

He never imagined he would be able to instantly kill the owner so quickly.

Rapid growth had its benefits.

Kagemitsu and the others first laid the Slime Eels at the gate entrance.

If they had to escape, they would use the gate.

But if the gate was occupied by monsters when they tried to escape, it would be game over.

So they blocked the entrance with Slime Eels.

This was to prevent the MonPaLe from rushing into the gate.

Next, they placed the Slime Eels on the ground in a pattern that resembled a funnel lying on its side.

The Slime Eels would guide the MonPaLe to the narrow part of the funnel.

This way, Seiki could approach the MonPaLe without being surrounded.

But would it really work that smoothly?

"How do you plan to lure the MonPaLe here?"

Seiki wasn't good at drawing hate.

He could earn hate by attacking, but if he hadn't attacked the monsters yet, they might not notice him and scatter in all directions.

"Use this."

"Huh... Is this a chick?"

I see.

Seiki almost wanted to clap his hands.

When you press the chick's belly, it makes a cute "Piyoo" sound.

This sound is said to "lure monsters."

It's a question, but it's a product sold at a high price in Sapporo's item shop.

It must be effective.

With this, even if Seiki was like air, he could pin down the monsters' hate.

"I understand how to lure them, but what about the boss?"

"I'll draw him in."

Kagemitsu confidently thumped his chest.

How will he draw him in?

Seiki waited for an explanation, but the atmosphere didn't suggest he would share.

There was no doubt in the faces of his comrades.

There must be some method.

And it was something that couldn't be shared with outsiders like Seiki.

Seiki had no complaints about not being told.

Naturally, there were things Seiki couldn't share as well.

There was some unease.

But as long as the plan worked, that was all that mattered.

After placing the Slime Eels, the members gathered near the gate and began checking their equipment.

"Kagemitsu-san."

"What is it?"

"How long do you think it will take for the Slime Eels to be absorbed by the dungeon?"

"Hmm..."

Slime Eels are monsters that appear in the Kushiro dungeon.

If left alone, they will eventually be absorbed.

"Probably around 3 hours."

"Hmm..."

Can we defeat the MonPaLe in 3 hours?

Seiki thought in silence.

Assuming there are 500 MonPaLe, in 3 hours.

We need to defeat 2 to 3 per minute.

If the extermination speed is too slow, it will take too long, and the Slime Eels will be lost.

The MonPaLe will scatter.

"Can we separate the boss as far as possible?"

"We can if we try..."

"Then I ask you. Today, Rara will go all out. It would be helpful if you could move to a place where Rara's throws won't hit you."

To eliminate the MonPaLe before the Slime Eels disappear, Seiki and Rara need to go all out from the start.

If Kagemitsu and the others start fighting the boss nearby, Rara's Potato Stones might interfere with their battle.

"Understood."

Kagemitsu nodded solemnly in response to Seiki's request.

"...Are you all ready?"

In the tense atmosphere, Kagemitsu asked everyone in a low voice.

Seiki and the Aerial members nodded silently.

There are too few of us to defeat the MonPaLe. Plus, there's the boss. Ideally, we would have more people. But as I said before, adding more people would just increase the casualties.

That's why I'm going with six people.

Stand tall. The elite gathered here are those I, a "Narou" ranker, recognize.

Even if it doesn't go well, it's okay. Even if we fail, we can challenge again. As long as we return alive, we can try again.

So don't die.

If you die, you can't fight again.

Survive. Survive and carry out this operation.

We will protect the hometown of the adventurers who returned from the New宿 recovery mission!

"Ooooh!!"

Kagemitsu's speech heated up their bodies.

There are only six of us.

But these six can do it.

His voice was filled with the reliability to make them believe it.

With his spirit high, Seiki reached his position and waited, looking at Kagemitsu.

"…!"

Kagemitsu nodded.

Seeing this, Seiki pressed the belly of the chick in his hand.

Piyoo.

Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo.

Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo.

He pressed the chick's belly over and over again.

If the Belo Belos are released, Kagemitsu and the others will be in danger.

So he did it thoroughly, persistently.

To ensure the target never strayed from Seiki.

Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo Piyoo