Chapter 67

"Alright, let's have a strategy meeting."

"You sure do switch gears quickly..."

After the gacha session ended in a complete failure, I calmed down, sat back in my chair, and rested my elbows on the desk, clasping my hands in front of my face. I then looked at the girls, ready to discuss our plan for collecting mana stones.

"Lord Oogura, this time, let's just give up! You've already pulled so many times, you should be satisfied, right?"

"No way! We've used so many mana stones already! We can't back down now!"

"I'm telling you, give up! I absolutely refuse to have this meeting!"

Nour slammed her hand on the desk, desperately trying to convince me to give up. But I wasn't the type to back down so easily.

We've used so many mana stones... We're just one short. There's no way I can give up now. Giving up now would be like giving up on a prize that's about to fall in a crane game. There's no way I can do that.

"What's the matter, Nour?"

"I guess Cisaha didn't know about this... I haven't actually experienced it myself, but..."

"Ugh... This has happened before..."

Cisaha didn't seem to know why Nour was reacting so strongly. Nour then began to recount what had happened in the past.

Mmm... Usually, Nour accepted my mana stone collecting, but this time she wasn't budging. This is a special situation... It's clear that this will turn into a repeat of what happened before. Given that, it makes sense why Nour is reacting this way.

"That sounds... quite fun, doesn't it?"

"It wasn't fun at all..."

I braced myself for the same reaction Estelle had when she found out, but Cisaha said something completely different. After hearing Nour's story, her comment was that it sounded fun... Cisaha really doesn't think like a normal person. But from my perspective, this is actually a good thing. She seems like she can handle working with me.

"So, big brother? What's the plan?"

"Hey, Estelle! You shouldn't listen! We can still turn back now!"

"Come on. I'm honestly frustrated with stopping now. We can always think about it after hearing big brother's plan, right?"

"Ugh, but..."

"Nour, at least hear him out."

"...Alright."

Nour, who had been stubbornly refusing to listen to me, reluctantly gave in after hearing Estelle and Cisaha's opinions. There's a difference between someone who has experienced it and someone who has only heard about it. Maybe I should avoid going all out like last time? If both of them end up like Nour, we won't be able to collect mana stones anymore.

"Hmm, cough. So, let me restate this."

Based on what I've thought about, let's come up with a plan for hunting. If we act recklessly without thinking ahead, it could be as destructive as paying real money. I don't want to have another experience like when I cried into my pillow after seeing the bill.

This gacha will last for 6 more days, including today. The period might reset at the start of a new day, so let's assume it's 5 more days. It's better to plan for the longer period in case it's shorter.

First, we won't look for a new hunting ground. It's better to hunt in a place we know than to waste time searching for a more efficient spot. So, our options are the Northern Cave, the Goblin and Orc Forest, and Mount Lemur.

Mount Lemur is out of the question in terms of mana stone efficiency. It takes longer to defeat enemies there compared to the other places. So, we're left with the Northern Cave and the Orc Forest.

In the Northern Cave, I can get about 7 mana stones per hour. In the Orc Forest, I can get about 5 per hour based on my previous experience. The Northern Cave is the better choice. However, even if we hunt for 10 hours, we'll only get 70 mana stones.

It's already at the highest efficiency, so there's no way to improve it further. The area isn't that large, so even if we try to lure more enemies, there won't be enough scorpions, and it would put too much strain on Estelle.

So, I thought about this. Why not hunt in both places?

In the Northern Cave, we only need Estelle and a lure. That leaves two of us free. So, the remaining two can go to the Orc Forest. This should significantly improve our mana stone efficiency. We already know from the previous dungeon that we can still collect mana stones even if we're in different areas.

I explained all of this to the girls with great enthusiasm.

"So, that's the plan. Any thoughts?"

"Yes!"

"Is that you, Nour?"

"Shouldn't we give up?"

"Rejected. Please understand."

"But, but..."

Nour still seems to be against it and is trying to argue.

Hmm, is there anything I can use to persuade her?

"Nour, you're being quite negative. Is it really that bad?"

"Well, think about it. We've already pulled 18 times, and we still haven't completed it. How many more will we need?"

"It might come out next time."

"By saying that, you'll just keep hunting until the last minute..."

You're right, that's a possibility... But after pulling so many times, I can't back down now. I have to get Luna at all costs!

"I understand why Nour is against it. But can you please help me somehow? I'll do anything for you after this is over."

Since I need their cooperation, I clasped my hands together and begged.

Nour's body twitched in response to my words.

"Anything...?"

"Big brother, does that include us too?"

"Ah, yes, of course."

"Hehe, then I'm in. I'll help you."

Nour put her hand on her chin and started to think. Estelle, who had been listening, leaned forward with interest, resting her hands on the desk.

She agreed with a cute smile, but... I might have made a mistake. I have no idea what they'll ask for, and I'm a bit scared of the consequences.

"Anything sounds good, doesn't it? I'll help you too, Lord Oogura."

"O-Okay, thanks."

Cisaha agreed with a creepy smile. This is bad... She's even scarier than Estelle. What will she ask for... But I need to complete the gacha, so I have to commit.

"So, what about you, Nour?"

"Mmm... Fine. I'll help."

"Great! Thanks!"

Thanks to the other two agreeing, Nour reluctantly gave in.

Phew... At least we can start hunting. I'm a bit worried about the aftermath, but I'll just have to accept it as a necessary evil. I need to do something to thank them for their help.

●

Day 1.

The next morning, around the time the sun started to rise, we began our move from home to start hunting. Since we can use the beacon freely from home, I started by sending Estelle and the others to the Northern Cave. Having a home is really convenient.

When I checked the remaining days of the gacha, it showed 5 days left. It seems the gacha period counts by the day, not by clearing the dungeon. That's intense.

"Alright, let's start hunting today!"

"Lord Oogura... You're wearing that, aren't you?"

"Yeah, it looks pretty cool, right?"

"Cool...?"

"You might start saying 'Hyah-hah!'"

Since I got it from the gacha, I'm using the new equipment. It's a black shoulder guard with several sharp 20cm spikes attached. I thought it looked pretty cool, but the girls' reactions were a bit lukewarm... Why is that?

---

● Spiked Shoulder Pads

Attack +100

Defense +100

---

It seems to boost attack power as well, so it's a pretty good piece of equipment. With this, I can deal some damage with a tackle.

"Ugh... It's finally come to this..."

After leaving Estelle and Cisaha in the Northern Cave, Nour and I moved to the Orc Forest. When we arrived, she seemed to recall the previous incident and let out a sigh.

I could have brought Cisaha, but I decided to alternate between Nour and Cisaha as the lure and the Orc hunter. I lent Cisaha my holy shroud and defense bracelet, so she's well-prepared for the role of the lure.

"Nour is much stronger now, so we should be able to do this faster, right?"

"Black Orcs were already one-hit kills back then, so I don't think it will change much."

Hmm, I thought Nour's stats had improved and the hunting speed would increase... But maybe not?

"Alright, so... Nour, you'll cover these three spots. I'll hunt in a different area."

"Huh? We're not hunting together?"

"What are you talking about? Unlike before, our levels and equipment are much better now, so of course we'll hunt separately."

Back then, it took me multiple attacks to defeat a Black Orc alone, but now I can take them down with one or two hits. So, this time, we'll cover different respawn zones. I plan to do the same with Cisaha.

This way, even if we can't double our efficiency, it should still improve significantly.

"...Lord Oogura, you've really grown. Watching you grow is such a feeling."

"Are you my guardian or something? Don't get all mushy!"

Nour looked at me with her arms crossed, nodding.

It's nice to be told I've grown, but it feels a bit complicated.

We started hunting as we did before. I circled the three respawn spots, killing goblins and black orcs as they appeared. Thanks to Nour's buffs, I could one-shot the Black Orcs. However, compared to when we were hunting together, the time it took to deal with goblins and orcs was slightly longer, so it wasn't quite double the efficiency.

But it was still better than hunting together. We didn't pick up any drop items. If we had the time, we'd get more mana stones instead.

"Lord Oogura, it's getting dark. We should probably call it a day..."

"Damn, what are you talking about? We only have 114 mana stones!"

"It's enough... Compared to before, it's much easier, but this kind of repetitive hunting is still tough..."

We've been hunting for almost 10 hours. The sky was turning orange. I had been relentlessly slashing goblins and orcs with Excalibur and smashing their heads with tackles. Nour approached and suggested we end for the day. Checking the mana stones, we had 128.

We managed to get 114 mana stones today... It's the highest rate of mana stone collection since we cleared the dungeon. But it's not enough to complete the gacha. We need to get more, more mana stones.

As I was thinking this, my phone vibrated. Checking the screen, it was a message from Estelle.

"Big brother, let's call it a day. I'm really tired."

"Huff... huff... I've been running non-stop..."

"Mmm... Alright. Let's call it a day for now."

It seems they're at their limit. I just thought about this yesterday... We should stop here.

"Alright, let's use today's mana stones for the gacha!"

"Please, let's end it here."

"I'm exhausted... I've been running non-stop."

"I still feel like scorpions are chasing me from behind..."

We went to pick up Estelle and the others and returned home. We sat around the table to use the gacha. Nour clasped her hands in prayer, Estelle rested her elbow on the chair and covered her eyes with her hand, and Cisaha hugged herself, shivering. It was their first long hunting session, and Estelle seemed particularly tired. We shouldn't push her too hard.

"Alright, let's use the mana stones we collected today. Nour, you'll pull this time."

"Understood! Come on, come on!"

It was time for today's gacha. We can do two pulls today. If we get the Dimension Room, we can stop hunting. Nour seemed excited, hoping for the best.

With a shout, Nour tapped the 11-pull gacha. The screen showed treasure chests. They stopped at silver, gold, and gold.

[R Food, SR Beacon, R Potion x10, R Greatsword, SR Excalibur, SR Explosion Ticket, R Thin Book, SR Corona Ring, R Hot Ring, R Flash Ball, 'SR Spiked Shoulder Pads']

"Ugh, it's not the right one! Why does this keep coming out?"

"It's part of the complete set, but it's a bit too much, isn't it?"

Nour waved her arms in frustration. The Spiked Shoulder Pads came out again... It's as common as Excalibur. Oh, Excalibur is here too. This weapon is cursed or something... But it's good that it's strong.

Nour, looking disappointed, gathered herself and tapped the 11-pull gacha again. The screen showed treasure chests. They stopped at silver, gold, and gold.

[R Snack, SR Life Gem, R Stuffed Animal, R Junk Ring, SR Escape Device, R Universal Medicine, SR Waist Pouch, R Smoke Ball, R Camp Set, SR Pot Lid]

"Ah! Another gold..."

"Even Nour couldn't get it..."

Damn, did her wish backfire? It seems the greed sensor caught it.

We'll have to rely on Mofutt tomorrow. Mofutt won't be influenced by greed.

"Do we have to do this again tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the Orc Forest, right?"

Estelle, disappointed that we didn't finish today, frowned. Cisaha, on the other hand, seemed less affected and was already thinking about tomorrow. Her positivity might be the best among us...