Chapter 60

40,000 points achieved!

This is all thanks to everyone. Thank you so much!

Seiki stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

"......An earthworm?"

The monster that appeared looked like an earthworm.

It was similar in color but about two meters long.

Its body was thicker and shorter than an earthworm.

"Kyaaa!"

"Ngyaaa!!"

As the monster appeared, cries of horror rose from the back, where Kuren and Shion were standing.

It seemed they were not fond of the monster's appearance.

But was it really that repulsive?

Seiki tilted his head.

Upon closer inspection, it was rather cute...

Seiki swung his sword at the earthworm-like monster.

His attack, having overcome the battle with Monpare and the lizardman, easily cut through the monster's skin.

The skin was not hard but had a high elasticity.

Blunt attacks would reduce damage.

Sharp attacks would be deflected if not executed with sufficient skill.

Seiki continued to observe the monster as he attacked.

The monster raised its tail.

Was it preparing to counterattack?

Just as he tried to dodge,

"---Whoa!"

The monster spat out a transparent liquid from its mouth.

The liquid stuck to his body, hindering his movements.

It was sticky and slimy.

Seiki grimaced but his nostrils flared.

"......Hmm, hmm!?"

It smelled like the sea.

Why...?

The smell of the sea stimulated Seiki's hippocampus.

His nerves connected, and memories instantly resurfaced.

"---!!"

Realizing the true identity of the monster, Seiki moved with all his might.

He quickly wielded his two daggers, slicing the monster into rings.

The liquid and innards spewed out, making a loud noise on the ground.

"Kyaaa!"

"Ngyaaa!!"

As Seiki finished off the monster, the cries of the two women behind him reached his ears.

Seiki's detection picked up the two women in distress and another presence.

A new enemy!?

"---!"

He immediately turned around and leaped.

However,

"Hey, you need to step forward!"

"Why me? Shion is the frontliner, right!?"

"Well, I can't hit something so disgusting... I mean, this is all for your future, I'll be heartless---"

"You're showing your true feelings!"

"Ah, I won't level up if I fight! Step forward!!"

"......"

In front of the newly appeared monster, Kuren and Shion were pushing each other.

Shion, using her strength, forcibly pushed Kuren to the front.

Seeing this, Seiki's mood plummeted.

His foot, which had taken a step forward, stopped after the second step.

What are they doing in front of a monster...?

Seiki had grown significantly after defeating a large number of monsters and lizardmen on the 10th floor of 'Chikaho'.

Thus, he was no longer at a disadvantage against the monsters in the garage dungeon.

However, Kuren was different.

It was unlikely that she had reached the same level as Seiki, who had accelerated growth.

There was no time for this nonsense...

While Kuren and Shion were bickering, the earthworm-like monster steadily approached them.

"Kyaaa!"

"Ngyaaa!!"

"......There's no choice."

He had to save them.

Seiki sighed and took a step forward.

At that moment,

---Bang!!

The sound of the air breaking echoed.

"Wha..."

Seiki, who had seen Kuren's magic directly, was frozen in place by the unexpected event.

The monster, hit by Kuren's magic, was convulsing on the ground.

A thin white smoke rose from its body.

Seiki clearly saw Kuren's magic.

But it was completely different from before.

Before Seiki went to Sapporo at Kagemitsu's request, Kuren's magic, no matter how much it was charged, only formed a white mass.

But this time, it was different.

Kuren's magic was like lightning.

Fine threads of lightning traveled through the air and struck the monster directly.

The difference was not just in form.

The speed had also increased dramatically.

It was a true lightning strike.

Could it be that her attribute had manifested?

A sweet tingling sensation spread from the core of Seiki's body to his extremities.

"Kuren, that was amazing!"

Seiki approached, trembling with excitement.

As for Kuren, who had cast the spell,

"Fnii..."

She fainted at the sight of the monster, which was smoking and twitching.

Shion, seeing this, smiled wryly.

"......"

There were many things he wanted to ask...

But there was no choice.

Putting his questions aside, Seiki dealt with the monster that was not yet completely dead.

"Kuren, it's over now."

Turning around after the battle, he saw Kuren squatting on the ground, her face pale.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm... fine... ugh, p"

She was clearly not fine.

Her inner voice was clear.

"Kazuhoshi, you can fight these things so well."

"These are food, you know?"

"Are you eating earthworms? That's disgusting."

Shion gave him a cold stare.

Seiki shook his head in denial.

"There are edible earthworms in the world---"

"What's the point of saying that now?"

Shion's eyes narrowed.

It was dangerous to say more.

Seiki, sensing the danger, hastily swallowed his words.

"---This isn't an earthworm. It's a Lutz."

"Lutz?"

"Yes. It's supposed to be delicious."

Lutz is a sea creature that washes up on the beach after storms.

It is a rare delicacy found in places like Hamamatsu.

Despite its appearance, it is said to have an excellent taste.

However, it is not widely available, and Seiki had never tasted it.

I've always wanted to try it.

Seiki, excited, lifted the skin of the Lutz he had defeated.

It looked like a thick earthworm, but inside was only water and innards.

When sliced, it looked like a piece of hormone meat.

What kind of taste will it have?

Imagining the taste, Seiki spread the Lutz, held it up, and turned it over.

"Ugh, p"

Seiki quickly hid the Lutz behind his back when Kuren glared at him.

If Kuren saw it, the precious treat might be ruined.

Seiki took the magic bag from Kuren and started putting the Lutz inside.

It turned out that the 10th floor was a food floor.

Seiki sighed in relief and happily harvested the Lutz.

* * *

"Hey, can you really eat that?"

"Yes, but..."

Seiki decided to grill the Lutz over a hibachi using the hot stone he had obtained earlier.

Shion was nearby to learn how to use the hot magic item, not to share the Lutz.

However, she had a pair of chopsticks in her hand, ready to eat.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to."

"Well, there's so much, I can have a bite, right?"

"Have you heard the saying, 'Those who do not work shall not eat'?"

Only Seiki and Kuren had defeated the Lutz.

Shion had not defeated any Lutz at all.

It wasn't because she hadn't fought.

She had fought, but couldn't defeat the Lutz.

Shion was not weak.

Despite fighting while crying and trembling, her movements were quick and powerful. Seiki was impressed.

However, while she was hitting the Lutz, she was attacked from behind by a new Lutz.

She was swallowed whole by the Lutz.

This happened several times.

According to Kuren, Shion had been swallowed by Lutz before.

Shion couldn't defeat the Lutz.

---Or rather, she didn't defeat them.

To Seiki, it seemed that Shion was intentionally moving to let the Lutz get behind her.

It was an odd move for a frontliner.

Seiki, who was about to ask, noticed Shion putting her finger to her lips.

Her eyes had a strong light he had never seen before.

(......I see)

There must be some purpose behind the clearly unbalanced battle.

Seiki decided to leave it to Shion.

It must be necessary to raise Kuren.

He didn't know why, but...

"There, it's done."

"Hey"

"Turn it over, it's burning!"

This girl...

Despite his annoyance, Seiki kept flipping the Lutz as it grilled.

The Lutz, placed on the grill, curled up from the heat.

The smell of the sea wafted through the air, making his mouth water.

The smell of the sea was wonderful.

Seiki's stomach was demanding food.

"Kuren, you can eat this now."

"Thank you."

"Hey, that's mine, right?"

"......"

Do you think someone who isn't part of the team and didn't help with the harvest can eat the food?

"If you want to eat, go hunt some Lutz. I'll let you eat as much as you want."

"Whaaat! Don't say that. Come on, it's fine, right? Come on, come on!"

Seiki ignored Shion and kept grilling the Lutz.

During the meal, Seiki had taken off his mask and placed it to the side.

Shion, poking the mask, spoke to it.

"Kazuhoshi, you have more presence than I thought!"

"Are you looking for a fight?"

Cut it out.

That's not Seiki, it's the mask!

Seiki completely ignored Shion.

"Excuse me, I'll eat first..."

Kuren put the grilled Lutz in her mouth.

Her tense face relaxed instantly.

"Ah..."

Even after swallowing the Lutz, Kuren remained in a daze.

It seemed the Lutz was the pinnacle of her culinary experience.

When people eat something truly delicious, they don't shout "It's delicious!" or "Amazing!" but simply remain in a state of awe.

Seiki, watching Kuren's blissful expression, put a grilled Lutz in his mouth.

"......"

No words came out.

Seiki couldn't say anything.

The texture was chewy, and with one bite, a rich shellfish flavor spread in his mouth.

The taste was similar to a razor clam.

However, the texture was completely different.

This texture was what made the Lutz so delicious.

The people of Hamamatsu had been monopolizing such a delicious food!

Unfair!!

Seiki and Kuren kept putting Lutz in their mouths one after another.

They couldn't stop, even if they wanted to.

They just wanted to savor the taste for as long as possible.

That was all they could think about.

The stars began to appear in the sky, and the wind, deprived of the sun, brought a coolness.

In the midst of this,

"My share, my share... Ahahaha!"

The cries of the one who couldn't get any Lutz echoed through the vast, unused farmland.

* * *

【Muscles are Power!】

"Returned safely★"

Hey everyone, it's been a while.

Your muscles are bacon!

Thanks to Masatsugu, we managed to escape the maze of Shinjuku Station★

Thank you all for your concern.

Thanks to my constant pumping, I only lost a bit of body fat.

Now my muscles are super defined!

Everyone, keep pumping too!

Muscles never let you down in a pinch!

So far, we've been at the mercy of the monsters.

It's time to turn the tables!

Everyone, clench your fists!

How does it feel?

Does it make you feel pumped?

The flexor carpi radialis!!

That's the spirit.

Let's take back Shinjuku with that spirit!

Hustle and muscle!

Seiki seems to be taking inspiration from Bacon's writing, which is infused with his unique skill.

Lutz: Also known as Yumushi. Famous as bait for black porgy.

It can be quite stimulating for the squeamish. (Be careful when searching for images)

The ladies of Hamamatsu grab the Lutz with excitement (They are strong)