Chapter 69

The "Swift Wind and Thunder" known as the "Holy Maiden" and princess, "Seina Kanzaki," and the world's cutest girl, "Miharu Takano," ran towards the King Mantis.

Well, sorry, there are too many nicknames, right? But I can remove one of them. The removed nickname? I have a strong and cool soul from my previous life.

It's fine if people think I'm Seina. It's also fine if they think I'm Miharu. It's an obvious story. I won't claim to be someone else by using healing magic all the time, but to save people from the stampede, healing magic is essential.

I couldn't hide the healing magic. I expected that there would be people on the verge of death, and I couldn't ignore them, right?

So, I have a plan to deal with it. I'll change to a new nickname soon. ...Mostly, it's going according to the plan I discussed with Frigg.

All I need to do is show my strength. The appearance of the King Mantis was a bit unexpected, but I expected that a boss-like creature would definitely appear. It's a much stronger boss than anticipated, but if I defeat it and show the inhuman power to those around me, the plan will proceed. I'll show the "Swift Wind and Thunder" in action.

What will everyone think when they see a 10-year-old girl defeat the King Mantis?

"Stampede occurring!"

I quickly turned off the flashing monitor and ran through the lawn, which had been trampled and destroyed by iron spiders and scissor mantises, swinging my short arms and legs. In her tiny hand, she held a short sword that dropped from the Queen Ant.

"Queen Dagger: Level 55. +10% to all stats when equipped. Special effect against insects. Has a unique skill."

It's a level 55 weapon, but it's an ultra-rare one. It's one of the weapons that drop when the Queen Ant is defeated. According to the game guide, the drop rate is only 3%. It's a result of Miharu's good behavior. Good job, Miharu.

Usually, the "Insect Killer" sword, which has a special effect against insects, drops. It's a level 45 weapon with a unique skill that instantly kills insects. It's a decent weapon.

However, as you can see from the level, the Queen Dagger is much rarer. Plus, it has a stat boost, and the unique skill is easier to use. It has high attack power among daggers and can be used up to level 70, making it an excellent weapon.

When I confirmed that it had dropped, I did the Miharu dance and a backflip to show my parents. It was hard to get in the game, so I had to defeat the Queen Ant many times.

When I did the dance, swaying my body and waving my hands, my mother baked cookies as a reward, which made me want to practice more.

She also has another guaranteed drop, a silver ring with a small ruby embedded, which looks like a cheap toy.

"Queen Ring: Level 52. +100 HP, +100 MP. Has a unique skill."

It has simple stats, but I like the unique skill, so I used it quite a bit in the game. With these two pieces of equipment, Miharu is also equipped with the "Thief's Evasion Suit," "Blindness-Proof Sunglasses," and "Thief's Boots." The Thief series is only level 10, so it's quite weak. I need to level up the "Machinist" skill next.

The King Mantis is fighting the remaining iron spiders. There are only about 2000 larvae and 100 adults left around the King Mantis.

I'll check them out.

"Scissor Mantis: Level 14. Weakness: Fire"

"Greater Mantis: Level 31. Weakness: Fire"

The larvae are Scissor Mantises, and the adults are Greater Mantises. You get it, right? They're just grunts. I only gained one level after defeating 1000 larvae. I didn't gain anything from killing a few adults. So, I quickly took care of them.

With the "Thief III" short sword skill, "Tornado Sword."

On the tank, which has been reduced to scrap, a tank soldier is fighting alone. I charge into the swarm.

"Tornado Sword"

I plant my feet on the grass and spin, swinging the short sword. The red blade glows, and a tornado forms around me, sending the sword blades flying.

The cutting sounds of the Scissor Mantises being sliced can be heard. "Tornado Sword" is a ranged attack skill. To be honest, ranged attack skills are weak. This is probably to create a difference from magic. Thief's ranged attacks are even weaker. Even with the Queen Dagger, which has a special effect against insects, some enemies survive.

In the game, we used it as a morale booster when everyone did a ranged attack. For grinding grunts, we hunted weaker enemies. I never used it in the game, but in reality, it's different.

The enemies, whose HP is almost depleted, can't move for some reason. They're weak. If I had 1 HP left, I could still move.

So, I ignore the enemies on the verge of death. They can't move after being cut in half, so I leave them to the girls chasing me from behind.

The enemies become slower as they take damage. It's a great discovery. The Queen Ant became stronger, so it's not always the case, but be careful.

"Thief III proficiency increased to 4!"

A pleasant sound rang out. My proficiency increased again. Wonderful. I happily cut down the Scissor Mantises. The stampede event is a stage for gaining proficiency. I'll take it as a reward for protecting everyone. It's priceless, so it's fine, right?

In the game, the monster stampede event was just about additional monsters appearing during battles. You know, it's a turn-based game. Three to five monsters per battle. "Called for backup" effect. When you defeat them all, more enemies appear from behind.

After 15 consecutive battles, all monsters were defeated, and the stampede event was cleared. The reason it was profitable is that it counted as 15 battles. So, it was convenient for gaining proficiency.

What happens in reality? It's a continuous battle mode, and enemies keep appearing.

The correct answer is that every three enemies defeated count as one battle. That's it. My proficiency increased rapidly, so I checked it during the battle. It turned out that every three enemies counted as one battle. ...The calculation might be a bit off, but I hope you'll forgive me with a Miharu smile.

Moreover, I know that the range attack can target up to 36 enemies of the same species. So, it counts as 12 battles. I need to take advantage of this opportunity given by God.

"Chichichi"

The Scissor Mantises can't even touch me and are torn apart. Seeing this, the Greater Mantis spreads its wings.

Wind mana gathers on the wings, preparing for a "Vibration Wave."

"Ouch!"

I lightly step on the ground and thrust my short sword, activating the skill.

"Swift Wind Thrust"

Wind envelops my small body, making me lighter. In an instant, I close the 8-meter distance and stab the Greater Mantis, which was about to release a "Vibration Wave." "Swift Wind Thrust" is a skill that always attacks first. In reality, it's a super-fast attack wrapped in wind.

"Chichichi"

The surprised Greater Mantis frantically swings its scythe. I calmly watch the scythe trying to cut me horizontally and perform a backflip to dodge it.

New discovery: When you damage an enemy, it sometimes interrupts its skills or magic. Unbelievable. It didn't happen in the game. I would still activate my skills even if my stomach was torn open.

"Ta, ya!"

I dodge the scythe and swing my short sword at the Greater Mantis, which has lost its balance. Horizontal cut, upward slash, and a flying diagonal cut. The insect-specialized short sword cuts through effortlessly, dealing double damage.

The Greater Mantis, bleeding green, falls weakly. Without looking at it, I move on to the next enemy.

"Ta!"

"Tornado Sword"

The Scissor Mantises surround me again, so I perform a grunt-clearing attack. The experience is low, but it counts as a battle, so it's great.

"I was going to leave the grunts to the others..."

Looking at the King Mantis, it's fighting the iron spider tank soldiers. A fat man has emerged from the hatch of a non-functional iron spider, casting spells from the roof. It seems he has taken refuge in the tank and continues to fight.

His "Magic Barrier" has been broken. Parts of his "Mystic Armor" are damaged, and he is bleeding. The King Mantis seems frustrated, striking the tank with its scythe.

"I, the hero, will take you on! 'Fire!'"

The fat man creates palm-sized flames and throws them, increasing the King Mantis's hate. Each time, the King Mantis tries to destroy the tank with its scythe, and the man retreats into the tank.

...Yeah, he seems energetic and can still hold out. His HP still seems to be high. He's probably a stopper to buy time until the player talks to the boss, as in many events.

I think about the upcoming King Mantis battle. Fighting the King Mantis as it is would be quite tough. Ideally, I wanted to be at least "Thief IV." That way, I might have a bit more safety margin.

"Change of plan. Let's take out the grunts!"

I feel bad, but I'll change the plan to take out as many grunts as possible while the fat man holds out. I think I can achieve a perfect checkmate with "Thief IV" when facing the King Mantis.

The fat man will be fine until I fight the boss. After all, he only sticks his hand out of the hatch. He can't die. Plus, he's a soldier, so fighting monsters is part of his job.

There are still many Scissor Mantises. 2000 divided by 3... That's about 600 battles. The basic job levels up after 300 battles, so this is a chance to max out "Thief IV."

"Yah!"

"Tornado Sword"

"Tornado Sword"

"Tornado Sword"

I can do this because it's a skill that doesn't consume MP. I run around and eliminate them! Weak skills that don't consume MP are common, and "Tornado Sword" is one of them.

Multiple tornados form on the ground and disappear before another tornado forms. It's just a visual effect, so it's just a strong wind, but I look like a troublesome girl creating tornados.

"Wh-What is this..."

"Hey, control that skill!"

"Uoh, uoh!"

I ignore the noise. If you can't get close, just stay there. They're all mine.

As I cut through the Scissor Mantises, new Greater Mantises stand in my way. They spread their wings, ready to use "Vibration Wave."

The 30 Greater Mantises line up. The others don't fight me but fly to attack the rear.

"Chichichi"

They're trying to stop me from killing more Scissor Mantises. They're smart for insects. If I get hit by the fan-shaped "Vibration Wave," it would be bad.

But it's no problem. I raise the Queen Dagger, which has a clean blade, and grin.

"Before the queen, bow your head!"

"Heavy Pressure"

The short sword glows strangely, and a ripple spreads from me. The ground where the ripple passes becomes a crater, crushing the Greater Mantises.

The Greater Mantises surrounding me are all flattened and buried in the crater.

"Heavy Pressure: Circular attack centered on the target. Deals non-elemental gravity damage and status debuffs to enemies."

"Hehe, it's the Queen Dagger's unique skill. Before the queen, bow your head. Did you see that, insect scum?"

Miharu puffs out her flat chest and feels proud. The Queen