Chapter 42

After we defeated the Blade Lizard, the battle continued.

A large number of rats and birds. Luka and the others joined in to deal with the troublesome five Big Boars.

We split the party into two, so if we attacked carelessly, a cooperative penalty would occur. To avoid this, I used enchantments and curses, while Miu cast healing spells.

Healing, support spells, and the like are frequently performed in other games as well. In this game, these actions do not incur a cooperative penalty.

"【Curse】—Defense!"

"…【Backstab】!"

My curse reduced the last Big Boar's defense, and Toutobi's dagger strike hit a critical point, dealing massive damage and defeating it.

"It's over! I'm so tired. I won't forgive the Trainer Man!"

Kohaku shouted loudly. Kohaku's anger seemed to be shared by everyone, but there were also objective facts.

"I'm done with this. Such high-risk, high-reward battles. If I hadn't received items from Yun, I would have died three times. But thanks to that, my battle sense levels have all increased."

"That's right. The Enchantment Stones surprised me. With buffs, our defenses became so strong, and our attacks became so effective."

Hino and Luka said this. They actively stood in front of the Big Boars to draw attention, and as a result, they could feel the effects of the attack and defense Enchantment Stones.

"Well, it was good. Prepare yourself. I didn't expect to use so many potions."

I squatted down from exhaustion. I used MP potions generously to recover my enchantments and the MP of the other rear guards, Kohaku and Rere. There are almost no items left to use.

"You guys are lucky. Your battle sense levels have increased, but mine only increased for healing and action restriction removal. Let's level up the same way next time."

"…The risk is too high. Besides, this time, we could do it because we had items given to us by Yun. If we had to buy them—"

Toutobi responded realistically to Miu's thoughtless level-up supremacy. It's a valid point, but everyone seemed to be smiling wryly, as if they were saying, "Spare us."

"This time's expenses. A hundred Blue Potions. Twenty of each of the five types of Enchantment Stones. I can't believe we used all of them. Plus, I used MP Potions.

A hundred Blue Potions at 500G each is 50,000G.

Enchantment Stones sell for about 7,500G each, so a hundred would be 750,000G.

I used about twenty MP Potions at 1,500G each, which is 30,000G.

"…So, we spent around 1M this time."

At that moment, the atmosphere in the room froze. In my case, all the items were self-made, so I could gather materials and make them over time. But the atmosphere around me was completely different.

Their eyes were gleaming. Honestly, it was scary.

"Wh-What? If we had sold all the items we used this time at my shop…"

"Are you serious? What you just said—"

Luka's eyes were fixed. Everyone had the same look, even Rere, who usually had a feverish gaze.

"Is 1M too high? I'm sorry. I can't lower the price any further…"

"No, it's not! On the contrary, it's too fair!"

Is that so? I'm short on money. 1M is a huge amount.

"If everyone in the party contributes, we can gather enough to buy those items and level up efficiently in a difficult battle. I would spend the money without hesitation."

Luka emphasized this.

That's right. If each person contributed about 160,000 to 170,000G, it would be a reasonable price to pay for a significant level-up, considering the cost of repairing my weapons and armor.

"…By the way, I'm curious about that explosion. What was the attack you used on the Blade Lizard? It looked like magic or an item. Was it a mine?"

Toutobi asked.

It was such a flashy effect; it's impossible that the Magic Gem wasn't seen. Hmm. It's an item, but I don't intend to sell it. If I did, I'd sell it for 50,000G each. This time, I used nine bomb attacks from the leftover experiments.

"Corporate secret."

Somehow, I managed to say that, and Toutobi backed off.

"Hehehe, by the way, how much does it cost to use that mine cheat?"

"About 450,000G."

"450,000G! That's ridiculous! It's impossible. And Rere, using the mine cheat has other implications too."

Rere's question and Kohaku's comment. It seems this is not feasible.

That's right. Spending over 400,000G to reduce the Blade Lizard's HP by 20% to 30% is absurd. I think so too.

Moreover, I don't have any gems left. I can't make gem-embedded accessories. I need to gather materials, and the price is not favorable for me.

"Well, you probably have a lot of questions, but spare me. And what's this 'mine cheat'?"

"…The 'mine cheat' is a concept from web novels where you use something like a 'trap' to overwhelm the enemy, right?"

Thank you, Toutobi, for the detailed explanation. It's exactly like me, an unlucky fool. I understand now.

"Whether it's a cheat or not, Miu's final move was much more cheat-like."

Because it was a triangle jump. It seems she might be able to perform 3D movements like wall kicks and running on water or vertical surfaces.

"It's normal. If the action restriction removal level increases, you can jump over two meters."

"Miu is the true cheat. The other day, she jumped over a bear's head and split its skull with a sword."

It's hard to understand, but in simple terms:

1. Jump.

2. Spin in mid-air over the bear.

3. Deliver a powerful sword strike to the defenseless head.

4. Land behind the bear.

It's an inhuman movement. Sister, you've stopped being human.

"Attacking a boss mob alone or using acrobatic attacks, what are you aiming for?"

"Hmm. Paladin!"

"If my imagination is correct, paladins aren't that dynamic."

Everyone agreed. Really, you cause a lot of trouble.

"…Ha, here they come again. What do we do?"

Toutobi, who was on guard, noticed it first.

When we looked, we saw the figure.

A man in red light armor, leading more monsters. The Trainer Man again.

We had been so busy fighting monsters that we had pushed him to the back of our minds, but now the anger resurfaced.

"What do we do, sis? Should we run?"

"Yeah, there are three Big Boars and a lot of others. It's better to run to town."

It's unpleasant, and I want to complain, but dealing with him is a hassle. If we get into a melee with the monsters, we'll have to run again.

I suddenly thought of a method.

Right. The Trainer Man's strategy is to use his speed to gather monsters and push them onto others, then escape using his fast running speed.

In other words, the strength and weakness of this strategy are the same: speed. I whispered as quietly as possible.

(I hope this works. 【Curse】—Speed)

I targeted the Trainer Man. It seemed to work; he emitted a dark yellow aura and his speed dropped dramatically.

"Alright, let's go."

I moved on to the second town with a satisfied smile. I thought I heard a scream behind me, but it was his own fault.

"Hey, sis. What did you do? He got run over by the monsters!"

"He probably sprained his leg or got tired and slowed down. It's his own fault."

"Right, right. A guy like that should be beaten up by the monsters he led."

Hino jumped on my flimsy excuse. She's in a good mood even though she knows everything.

"Hehehe, Yun is quite charming. The cold look you gave him is really thrilling… 'You're going there again. Stop it!' …Hehehe"

Kohaku and Rere have a good relationship.

"That's a shame. Yun, if we form a guild, will you join us?"

"Sure! Sis! Come to our place!"

Miu clung to my arm. Hmm, this is a situation that would make other guys envious, but the silver armor is digging into my arm and it hurts.

"I want to enjoy this world on my own, so I'll have to decline."

"That's a shame."

Luka said it was a shame, but she didn't look disappointed. It seemed she had anticipated my response.

"…That means, we might end up fighting each other someday."

"Really? Is that so?"

"Yes, it hasn't been implemented yet, but there might be guild battles, party battles in specific spaces, or PvP events. I look forward to fighting you, Yun, with your wide range of tactics."

Toutobi smiled with a slight chill. From her sparse expressions and few words, and her movements and weapons, she seemed to be the stealthy type that Taku and the others mentioned.

She, who mainly focuses on PvP, had a moment where she looked at me like prey.

"Well, let's stop the jokes. We're here."

Luka reprimanded Toutobi. She smiled wryly at Toutobi's usual indifferent reaction.

"Thus, the escort mission is complete. I'm sorry for involving you in the battle."

"It's fine. I leveled up, and it was fun."

"I'm glad to hear that. Welcome to the second town."

Beyond the forest, there was a wide pasture and a clean stream.

The town was a rural area with wooden single-story buildings.

Here and there, groups of elderly people were drinking tea in the sun, and children were running around.

"Wow, what a peaceful place."

"If the third town deals with minerals, this one mainly deals with cloth, leather, and wood. We often level up near the forest here."

"But the boss is too strong to defeat. So, we were thinking about starting to explore the north and south of the first town."

Luka explained, and Miu added. I see, the regular mobs are suitable, but the boss is strong to encourage exploration of other areas. Clever.

"Alright, we'll be off. We're going hunting."

"Right. We'll sell the items we got and restock."

"Sis! We'll be back by dinner!"

We parted ways with Luka and the others.

Then, I wandered through the town to meet the quest NPC, the foreman.