Chapter 79

"When Sharon mentions 'Sparta,' I can't help but tremble at the thought of what kind of hell awaits us..."

"Am I some kind of demon?"

While Tia shivered, I calmly pointed out the absurdity and assured her that I wouldn't do anything reckless, but Roy looked at me with suspicion. I couldn't understand why.

Meanwhile, Tarte was showing an incredible amount of enthusiasm.

"I'll level up a lot and work hard for Tia, nya!"

"Tarte...! Thank you. I shouldn't be complaining about my weakness. I'll push through even if I have to spit blood...!"

"I don't plan on spitting blood, though?"

What exactly does he think I am?

I just want to level up efficiently, so I won't be doing anything reckless.

The place I chose for hunting is a T-shaped intersection. There are straight paths on both the left and right, and after walking a bit, they both curve and eventually lead to the same spot, forming a symmetrical layout.

In other words, this is a point where monsters can spawn from the right, left, and both sides. If Blitz can lure monsters from a bit further back, we can all gang up on them.

"I see, so we'll use this as our base for hunting."

"Indeed, that way, it's easier to manage fatigue for those not in the front line, and it's also easier to keep track of the surroundings."

Blitz and Mimosa immediately nodded, understanding their roles. They are reliable.

"I'll provide basic support and back up Blitz if anything happens. Roy, please stay here and provide support, and use attack skills if you have the chance."

"Understood."

For fixed-point hunting support, I alone am sufficient, so I want Roy to contribute to the damage output as much as possible. Fortunately, we have plenty of potions prepared.

"We'll attack here, nya!"

"I've also learned attack skills, so I'll do my best...!"

Seeing Tarte and Tia get pumped up, Blitz started moving.

Blitz headed down the right path, and Mimosa took up a position on the left path. This way, Mimosa can quickly respond as the front-line fighter when monsters come from the left path.

...But once she gets used to it, she can also lure monsters, right?

I didn't say that, though.

After a short wait, Blitz brought back one 'Wailing Witch' and one 'Ghost.' Seeing this, Mimosa immediately attacked with 'Goddess's Flash,' and Tarte threw a potion. Roy and Tia followed up, attacking the enemies.

"‘Goddess's Protection’ ‘Body Strengthening’! Blitz, keep luring enemies from the left path."

"O-Okay!"

Blitz's role is to bring enemies, not to attack them. Therefore, we handle the enemies Blitz brings back. While doing this, we also have Blitz lure enemies from the other path.

Let's try this for about an hour and then have a debrief...?

"‘Mana Regeneration’! ...And let's drink some potions too."

Natural recovery isn't enough to replenish mana, so I drink potions without hesitation while providing support.

Just then, Blitz brought back three enemies: a witch, a dog, and a monk. Yeah, he's getting pretty good at luring them.

However, the monk attacked Blitz before he could reach us, almost knocking him down. I won't let that happen! I ran to Blitz, who was about ten meters away, and used a skill.

"‘Goddess's Protection’!"

After I reapplied the protection, Blitz managed to hold on.

"Thanks, Sharon!"

"I said I'd back you up."

I continued to provide support to Blitz. Seeing Mimosa attack, I reapplied the protection and sent Blitz to the other path.

The monk is the strongest among the monsters here, so we're having a bit of a struggle, but overall, the hunting is going smoothly.

When my level reached 57, about an hour had passed.

...I thought about having a debrief, but everyone's movements have improved, so maybe we should continue?

If anyone has any concerns, they can ask, and I'm also giving them feedback. This has led to significant improvements, and everyone is fighting with their own strategies.

Yeah, let's keep going!

A few more hours later—

Blitz brought back about twice as many enemies as before. I wanted to praise him for doing well, but everyone else was taken aback, and Blitz's expression was more serious than usual.

"Sorry, there are too many enemies!!"

"Okay! ‘Goddess's Protection’ ‘Regeneration’!"

"‘High Heel’"

I immediately provided support, and Roy quickly followed up. Our support coordination is getting better, making it easier to handle.

"‘Potion Throw’!"

"‘Goddess's Flash’!"

When Tarte and Mimosa attacked, the 'Ghost' was defeated. The other enemies, except for the monk, could be defeated with another 'Potion Throw' from Tarte. The monk required one more hit from Mimosa to be defeated.

"One more time, nya! ‘Potion Throw’!!"

"I'm going too. —‘Merciless Judgment’!!"

As Tarte's attack turned the enemies except the monk into particles of light, a sword of light descended from the sky, piercing the remaining monk and turning it into particles of light.

Wow...

Everyone's gaze turned to the person who used the skill—Tia. Even Blitz, who was supposed to go lure the next group of enemies, was staring at Tia.

"That's so divine, Lady Tia."

"Thank you, Roy."

Some people were just doing their usual thing.

"By the way, Tia said she wanted to try various skills, but I didn't ask for details. I didn't expect her to have so many attack skills."

Of course, having some attack skills is good, but I thought Tia would have more defensive and healing skills.

"...I received several ‘Skill Reset Potions’ from Tarte. I need the strength to fight now."

"You've thought it through. You're strong, Tia."

When I praised her, Tia showed a shy smile, but it seemed a bit painful. I want to finish this quickly and let her relearn peaceful skills.

"Master, let's take a break, nya."

"Sure. I'm hungry too, so let's take it easy."

Agreeing with Tarte, everyone cheered with a "Yay!" I wish they had spoken up earlier if they wanted a break...

When we arrived at a spot where fewer enemies spawned, I took out the bento I had bought and put in my bag. It's nice to have such easy-to-eat food when you're tired.

Tarte was brewing tea and looked at Tia.

"What kind of skill setup did you choose, nya?"

"My skills are..."

Tia told us about the skills she had learned.

Tia

Level: 63

Class: Pope

Skills

‘Soul Prayer’: Can create ‘Pope's Will’.

‘Divine Favor’ Level 10: Enhances base stats.

‘Mercy’ Level 5: Heals allies and enemies around you.

‘Goddess's Sanctuary’ Level 5: Purifies and creates a barrier around you.

‘Final Judgment’: 50% chance to instantly kill, 50% chance to fully heal.

‘Goddess's Favor’ Level 10: Absorbs and heals damage from enemies.

‘Judgment Lightning’ Level 5: Drops lightning on one enemy.

‘Impermanence Judgment’ Level 10: Drops lightning on multiple enemies.

‘Merciless Judgment’ Level 10: One enemy is pierced by the sword of the goddess Flodia.

‘Miracle Prayer’: Random divine miracle occurs.

‘Peace Prayer’ Level 5: Resets hate directed at you.

...This is more offensive than I thought.

It's a skill setup that reflects Tia's determination to fight and not forgive Rodney. But at the same time, she cares for herself. With hate reset, it's easier to escape from monsters, and she has healing and barriers.

...Yeah. Tia can definitely be counted as a solid part of our team.