Chapter 32

"Hey? I heard my name just now, didn't I?"

"Yeah. So I said it would be fine if you brought Hanahashi and Hagizawa along."

"That's why you were shouting just now."

Meguru nodded.

Well, I could guess from the flow of the conversation.

By the way, the reason why Sakaguchi, also known as Koshin, wasn't called is probably because he has blacksmithing skills and is somewhat favored even among the base group, so Meguru didn't include his name.

"It's not that he's thinking about everyone like Sakaguchi, but that he says it has to be a girl. Moreover, refusing Minagawa is the worst."

Minagawa... I can't really say much, but she's one of the girls in the class who has a complex about her appearance.

Meguru suggested inviting her, but Ono refused as if mocking her.

In other words, he's saying he's not interested in anyone who isn't cute... Ono is a fool.

If he had nodded and included us, Meguru's evaluation would have improved...

At the very least, Meguru is that kind of person.

By the way, Minagawa also has some character flaws... She likes to talk and can't keep secrets, and she has a habit of being jealous, so Koshin couldn't invite her to the secret hunt.

If he did, the combat group would find out immediately.

I heard she was caught shoplifting and was reprimanded.

Now she's as reclusive as the teachers.

She won't accept anything except for minimal meals.

When I tried to bring her some snacks, she cursed at me.

Koshin was also concerned.

He said he planned to invite her once she became strong enough and it was okay for everyone to know.

"Shouldn't we go to Koshin's place soon?"

"I was just checking to see if anyone was feeling unwell..."

"Oh, I've already checked the other side, so it's fine."

"Got it. Then let's go back... and wait for time to pass."

We also have a night hunt, so we need to get some sleep.

So, together with Meguru, we went to Koshin's place, helped out, and took a nap until the time passed.

After the valley spring group returned and did their service work, it became night.

I also returned to Japan, took a bath, had a meal, and then went back to the other world with a crossbow and a lantern.

The lantern is a wide-range illuminating electric lantern, which was quite expensive.

By the way, is Miki okay?

She has to keep restoring the valley spring group's magic power during the day and treat our injuries at night.

She says she's fine, but is she really not overworking herself?

Depending on the situation, we might need to interrupt our hunt...

"See you later."

Miki, sitting on the bed in the workshop, saw us off.

She plans to join us after taking a nap and judging that she's in good condition.

We all decided this, so Miki reluctantly nodded.

She will sleep for at least three hours.

Since the door is locked at night, there's no need to worry about visitors.

If something happens, Miki will respond, and Koshin and I will pretend to be sleeping.

If it gets too difficult, Meguru will check and try to bluff her way through.

"See you."

"Then let's head out for the night combat."

"Be careful not to go to dangerous places. If an enemy you can't handle appears, retreat immediately. Meguru, only you can escape, so it's up to you."

Meguru nodded at Koshin's words.

"I'll take the lead, prioritizing survival."

I can escape using a transfer if the worst comes to it.

That's why it's better to prioritize Meguru's life.

"Koshin..."

"Come on, let's go! I'm looking forward to what abilities we'll gain tonight."

Saying this, Hagizawa stomped into the portal Meguru had opened.

"Let's go."

Nodding at Koshin's signal, we set off, each carrying a lantern.

"The night forest... It feels different from before."

Hagizawa said this while shining the lantern.

Indeed, it's a place we've been to many times during the day, but it has a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

The fact that we are the only ones with light sources is also increasing our unease.

"I've been using clairvoyance to see at night, so I don't feel much of a difference..."

"Is there a big difference?"

"Since I'm not directly fighting, I can't really tell."

That's true.

If we could observe conflicts between monsters, we could analyze them, but it seems Meguru hasn't seen any in the area she's observed.

"Let's proceed cautiously. We need to check if we can fight in areas we haven't been to yet."

"Right. And since Miki isn't here, we need to retreat immediately if something happens."

"It's like we have no time limit. We need to go all out."

Hagizawa seems eager to gain experience as his ability is about to expand.

He's a bit too eager.

"Right. Let's do our best not to disturb Miki's sleep... Let's go."

Everyone nodded at my words.

"Of course. Shall we go?"

"If we can get Hagizawa to gather herbs with mysterious effects, we should aim for that."

"Of course. I'll prioritize gathering over combat."

Hagizawa is still the same as always, and that's good.

With that, we entered the night combat, each holding a lantern.

"There seem to be a lot of nocturnal monsters, don't you think?"

After battling Oaker Cats, Blue Seed Owls, Holy Green Frogs, and Pumpkin Bats, I muttered.

Indeed, they are slightly stronger than the monsters we fight during the day.

Especially the Pumpkin Bats, which sound like they belong in a Halloween story.

The bat part also seems fitting.

The battles themselves weren't that difficult.

We've all leveled up quite a bit.

However, the crossbow didn't work well against the Pumpkin Bats and Blue Seed Owls.

Even with Miki's magic power boost, it didn't cause fatal damage.

Checking the status, the attack power wasn't that high.

It's about the same as the bow Koshin made just in case.

By the way, the arrows are produced by Koshin's blacksmithing.

Since he can make bows, it's natural that he can make arrows.

However, since arrows are consumables, they aren't highly valued by the combat group.

"Thinking about it, this is a world with stats like an RPG. It would have been nice if we could have easily won with firearms."

I even considered getting a passport and buying a gun overseas, but given this result, it seems we can't dominate with firearms.

Sure, guns might have better performance than bows, but...

"Attack power might be calculated based on level or some other factor. A knife, being a metal weapon, might have more power..."

"Bows and arrows are excellent in their own right, but they might be harder to use in Japan."

Considering factors like rapid fire and field of view might be better... But thinking about it, firearms in RPGs and online games aren't often described as revolutionary.

After all, you can use fire and long-range magic.

Returning to my thoughts.

Koshin had a reason for producing arrows.

The attached arrows are too modern, and if found, it could be problematic.

Even if they aren't in the base... If one day the valley spring group changes direction and heads in the direction we're leveling up, they might find them.

If the arrows are from this world, it can be assumed that humans or intelligent monsters use them.

So, Koshin made them.

Besides, the attached arrows don't have much killing power.

So, the crossbow didn't make us that strong, but there are other reasons.

Even though we're talking about cats, frogs, owls, and bats, their sizes are different.

A small arrow won't cause fatal damage.

It would be faster to cut them with a sword and immobilize them.

It seems the dream of dominating with firearms in a fantasy world has faded.

"Oh?"

At that moment, my level reached 10.

Level Up!

Ability Expansion! You can now use Visual Transfer!

Visual Transfer?

What is it? Does my expanded ability always include transfer?