Chapter 24

"Haa..."

"Why are you sighing so much?"

"It's not like you, big brother. Is there something troubling you? If you want, we can listen to your problems?"

After delivering the proof, Estelle successfully advanced to E-rank. Now everyone is E-rank.

The sun was starting to set, and since we had completed all our plans for today, we decided to stay at the inn.

After finishing dinner and taking a bath, I was lying on the bed, lost in thought.

"It's just that I feel inadequate. Even with the new equipment, we struggled, didn't we?"

"That's only because you lack experience, Mr. Ohtsuka."

"That's true. We were called to fight, but you were originally a civilian, big brother."

During the battle with the Eagle Warrior, I was acutely aware of my lack of strength. Even though the equipment should have doubled my speed, I couldn't land a single attack.

If the Skull Ring's effect hadn't activated, we would have struggled even more. They say it's because of my lack of experience, but I still feel frustrated.

Anyway, that's not the only reason for my sighs.

"I've also been thinking that we haven't done that in a while."

"Done what?"

"Gacha, Gacha."

Yes, Gacha. The last time I did it was before summoning Estelle. It's been quite a while. Since we haven't hunted many monsters since then, I only have four magic stones now. This is bad.

If we don't do something, we'll end up in another death march when the campaign period starts.

"Estelle! Run!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Perhaps sensing the danger in my words, Noelle grabbed Estelle and ran towards the door.

She was probably planning to run and buy some time.

Just as she was about to touch the doorknob, she and Estelle turned into particles of light and disappeared. Then, the light gathered in front of me, and the two of them reappeared.

"Kyaa!? Why is Mr. Ohtsuka right in front of me!?"

"I anticipated this and set up a beacon beforehand."

Noelle screamed in surprise at my sudden appearance.

I had expected her to run, so I had set up a beacon under the bed, covered with a cloth.

The moment she ran, I operated my smartphone and used the pre-set beacon to teleport Estelle and Noelle back here.

"So, it's time to start collecting magic stones again."

I pinned Noelle down, making sure she couldn't move. Estelle had somehow slipped out of my grasp and was now standing next to me.

With Noelle restrained, I sat on the bed. I then forced Noelle to sit on my lap and entangled her legs to keep her from moving.

"Wh-What are you doing!? Let me go! No, I don't want to! I don't want to do that kind of hunting again!"

"Cal down, Noelle. Why are you so panicked?"

"Because, because... I don't want to... I want to go home..."

She struggled to break free from my grip, but after a while, she calmed down when she realized it was futile.

Normally, I wouldn't stand a chance against Noelle, but since she was unarmed and in her casual nightwear, the situation was different.

I was wearing a Power Bracelet, which gave me an advantage.

This was all part of my plan. I knew she would run if I mentioned Gacha, so I set everything up in advance.

When Noelle told Estelle about the last hunt, Estelle gave me a disapproving look.

Ugh, stop it, don't look at me like that. It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong.

"Big brother, that was too much. I'm glad you saved me, but Noelle is suffering too."

"Ugh, that was just because we were short on time. This time, I'll be more careful, I promise."

"I can't trust you... I wish you would put more effort into getting stronger normally."

I do plan to get stronger, but pulling the Gacha is also important.

I'm not a monster, and I don't intend to make the hunting as harsh as last time.

I only set this up to have a proper discussion. I knew she would run if I mentioned Gacha.

"Think about it. Isn't it wonderful to level up while collecting magic stones? And Noelle, how do you think we can improve the party's strength?"

"Wonderful...? Well, I would level up and increase my stats."

"Hmm, that's a valid choice. What about you, Estelle?"

"I would add more members to strengthen the party."

"That's also correct. However, in the game GC, there's another option. Do you know what it is?"

Noelle and Estelle looked at each other, tilting their heads in confusion.

Indeed, the most common approach to strengthening the party is to level up and increase stats.

While adding new members is also a normal choice, in our case, the Gacha has too many secrets, so we can't do that right now.

"That option is Gacha. The best answer to 'How do you get stronger?' is 'Pull the Gacha and get strong weapons.'"

"That's wrong! That's definitely wrong!"

In GC, the quickest way to get stronger is to pull the Gacha and get strong weapons.

Many players also level up their characters, but that requires magic stones for stamina recovery.

If you're going to spend magic stones, the game's community agrees that you should use them all on the Gacha. Fortunately, the developers distribute magic stones generously, so many free players can enjoy the game.

"Think about it. With strong weapons, you can defeat enemies more efficiently and level up faster. Plus, you might even get a UR unit as a bonus. How can anything be more efficient than that? You level up, get better equipment, and gain more members. Isn't that great?"

"Hmm... I guess it does make sense."

"Estelle! Stay strong! Mr. Ohtsuka's efficiency-driven thinking is extreme! You need to stop him now!"

In this world, unlike in GC, we can get magic stones by defeating monsters. Leveling up also means accumulating magic stones.

So, collecting magic stones is very reasonable. How can anything be more wonderful than that?

"We know there's a campaign period for the Gacha. If we're going to explore the dungeon, we need to be well-equipped. We can't afford to struggle like we did with the Eagle Warrior."

"That's true. Our equipment is UR, but you're only at SSR. It's a bit unfair."

Oh, Estelle is on board. This might be my chance to push further.

Actually, it's concerning that we might struggle in higher-ranked dungeons. There could be many more enemies like the Eagle Warrior.

Plus, our levels are still low. We need to find a good spot for efficient experience and magic stone collection.

"If we don't have enough magic stones when the campaign period starts, it will be a disaster."

"That's your fault..."

"Listen, Noelle. If we don't act now, we'll have to do even more grueling magic stone hunting next time. That would be tough for both of us."

"Ugh... I don't want that. But it feels like I'm being tricked..."

I don't want to do that kind of hunting again either. I don't plan to go that far this time.

While the Gacha is the main goal, leveling up is also an important objective.

In fact, everything we do to pull the Gacha leads to all our goals.

"So, let's find the most efficient spot for magic stone hunting and level up while collecting magic stones. With Estelle here, we can do area fishing."

"That sounds like a very unpleasant name..."

The capital has four main hunting grounds in the east, west, south, and north. The forest where we fought the Eagle Warrior is one of them.

Starting tomorrow, we'll visit these hunting grounds to check the efficiency of the hunts.

However, Noelle looks very anxious. If she stays like this, she might not be able to sleep, which could affect her tomorrow.

"Noelle, you're tired. Estelle, help her sleep."

"Sure, I will."

"Wait, what!? Are you both serious... s-such..."

Estelle waved her finger, and the same black mist appeared, enveloping Noelle's face. Unable to move because of my grip, Noelle fell asleep on top of me. I then carried her to the bed next to mine.

She was heavy when I carried her before, but without her armor, she's much lighter. It's a bit pitiful, but I'll make her sleep.

"You must be really traumatized."

"Ugh, I didn't expect her to be this scared. Well, this time I'll be more careful... maybe 25 stones a day, and we'll hunt about 600 monsters, based on last time."

"...Eh?"

"...Huh?"

When I shared my thoughts, Estelle looked at me in disbelief, her face showing shock.

Huh? I thought I was being quite conservative, aiming for half of last time... Is it too much?

"Hey, big brother... Let's talk, okay?"

"Wait, Estelle? My body... I can't move..."

"Hehe, don't worry. You'll get used to it, and it will feel good."

She waved her finger, and my body felt paralyzed. Then, she pushed me down on the bed and straddled my stomach.

Wait, stop! This is bad! What are you planning to do, huh, aahhh!?