Chapter 41

Skuna: "A friend's ball"

"Well, that's why we're going to the Demon Forest."

*Wako*

*Wakotsu*

*Wakotsu, what does that mean?*

*Wakoko*

*First time*

*Been waiting*

Standing at the main gate of Dyalis, my incomprehensible statement drew a tepid response from the listeners.

Well, yeah, it was my fault for saying something like that at the start of the broadcast.

"Before that, I'm sorry I couldn't stream yesterday. I got caught up in the magic from that video and was penalized by the system around noon..."

*Oh, that*

*You were there?*

*That's what I thought*

*Figured as much*

*What video?*

*↑Check the official board*

*↑Thanks*

A complete lie... No, it's a complete lie, yes.

If I think about it carefully, I died because I was killed by Shokutin, not because of magic.

Still, the listeners' reactions were sympathetic. I guess it was quite a serious incident...

I hope those who were caught up in it also received some kind of benefit.

"Still, I've upgraded my equipment a bit and managed to level up a little over the past couple of days. Today, I'm going to fight with my fists!"

I show the heavy metal gauntlets covering my arms. I'm gradually getting used to their weight.

*Grappler Skuna*

*As a man, you have to!*

*Hmm... Knuckles?*

*They look too bulky*

I really agree with the comment about them looking too bulky. It's like they're about to launch a rocket punch or something.

They look like the arms of a powered suit made entirely of solid metal, and the pitch-black color makes them look incredibly heavy.

"Heavy Metal is the material. And I'm a proper maiden, you know."

*Maiden*

*Maiden?*

*Yeah, a manly woman*

*Manly woman*

*Manly women laugh, so stop it, lol*

"That's manipulation of my image, no doubt."

If you keep saying things like that, my anger will reach its peak...!

"So, let's head to the Demon Forest. I'm tired of frogs..."

*They have resistance to physical attacks*

*Skuna only uses physical attacks*

*It's a physical attack type*

*Want to see two-handed weapons*

*Throwing, please*

Right, those frogs have resistance to physical attacks, so hitting them isn't satisfying.

Even though they're not very agile and are easy to take down, I'm a bit tired of that squishy feeling after two days.

"I'll use two-handed weapons eventually. Today, I'm testing this. Oh, a goblin."

Spotting a goblin in the distance, I sprint to close the gap.

My agility in this field is so high that I cover the distance of several dozen meters in an instant.

"Huff!"

The goblin, who was trying to hide behind a rock and wasn't facing me, gets a punch to the back.

With a *thud*, the goblin is sent flying and disappears after hitting the ground, looking confused.

I watch it with my fist still raised, feeling a bit pleased by the satisfying sensation, and then quietly lower my fist.

"This feels good."

The impact through the metal bat is intense, but the direct weight resonating through my arm is irresistible.

Closing the distance with the boost from the Red Wolf outfit isn't much of a problem, and the agility reduction effect of the gauntlets doesn't affect my senses as much as I thought.

"I want to test it a bit more... Where are the enemies?"

Using a skill to detect, I see the positions of 2-3 monsters.

There are no magic-using monsters around here, so I can charge in without any issues.

"Let's take them down one by one."

The closest one was a rabbit-type monster.

Rabbit-type monsters generally only attack with charges or jumping charges.

They're small, so it's hard to hit them normally, but if they jump up on their own... here.

With a *bang*, a big right hook lands as a counter.

I confirm that the critical hit has depleted its HP and activate the detection skill again.

The next target is behind a rock to the left front.

I want to flush it out with a throwing item, but the precision of my throws is really bad because my fingers are completely covered by the gauntlets.

"...Oh, I have this."

Looking for a usable item, I find one of the throwing items I bought from Haruru yesterday.

Holding the black cloth-covered sphere, I pull out the stick and gently throw it over the rock.

The sphere flies in an arc and bursts at the top of the rock, scattering white powder around.

"Kyaa!?"

It was a goblin hiding there, and it lets out a surprised cry as the powder falls from above.

I take advantage of the moment to sprint and deliver a three-hit combo of body, liver, and uppercut to the goblin, which is flailing behind the rock.

The goblin, unable to react to the surprise attack, dies quickly.

"This is the flour ball tactic."

According to Haruru, it's a kind of grenade that explodes 10 seconds after the stick is pulled out.

It doesn't have much power, only enough to tear soft cloth, but with some creativity, it can be used like this.

Incidentally, Haruru said she plans to make pepper balls eventually.

*Was that flour?*

*Is there even flour?*

*Thought it was some dangerous drug (whisper)*

*When did you get that?*

"I bought it from the kid who made it. I thought it might be useful, and it seems to be."

Still, it's not something to throw directly at the enemy, so I need to think about when to use it.

Incidentally, the "flour" in the flour ball isn't actually flour in the game. Haruru just calls it flour because it's a white powder.

You can apparently cook in this game.

Meat drops from rabbits, wolves, and frogs, so cooking might not be that difficult if you have the right skills.

"Hmm, but these gauntlets feel good, but I don't think I'm hitting efficiently."

*Huh?*

*Huh?*

*Huh?*

*What do you mean...?*

"No, it's just... I feel like I can be more efficient. No, I'm not talking about killing, that's not what I mean."

When fighting with just myself, I need to adjust my attacks based on the size of the enemy.

This is a combination of reach and how to take hits.

The reach issue is evident in the fight with the rabbit. Essentially, punches can't reach the feet.

Thinking about this, I realized something.

Why not use kicks?

I was distracted by the gauntlets on my hands, but I used kicks even when I had the metal bat.

Forcing acrobatics with the metal bat isn't bad, but using all four limbs is more familiar, and in that sense, it might be easier to move.

I try a soccer kick on a horn rabbit hiding in the grass, avoiding its horns.

To be honest, the impact is far greater than a punch. The level difference is too much.

"Hmm, this works. No, this might be better. Ah, this is good."

*Eek*

*Eek*

*You're slaughtering them with such a peaceful battle cry*

*You're the reincarnation of the beating ghost girl*

*That's scary, that's scary*

The monster dies with a thud. Seeing this, the listeners, who I didn't notice, start to tremble.

For a while, I focused on practicing hand-to-hand combat, ignoring the listeners and the strategy. Later, I had to hold my head in my hands when I saw the comments.