Thank you, Daniela . Im fine now .
So saying, I slowly draw away from her long embrace .
I wanted to hold you a little longer
We can save that for when we get out of here .
I patted her on the head as she pouted with annoyance . I had found a single path inside of me . Fighting to protect people . That was what we were currently doing . It was not possible to mourn the death of every life that was snuffed out, and I would not blame myself for that anymore . I wasnt a Hero or a saint . I didnt want to kill to save lives, but it was not possible to save everyone either . I could not be a pacifist here . The only thing I could do was fully dedicate myself to what stood in front of us in the present .
For now, we would kill these monsters and prevent a stampede .
That was all . That was all that I could do .
d.a.m.n, I think we rested for too long, when there is no time to lose .
No, it was necessary . Do not worry . We will just move at twice the speed .
Daniela says with a laugh . I nod and take off my bag . The hollow bag . I open it and take hold of the supreme weapon, the ancient elven sword, and attach it to my belt . The elven shortsword quickly follows .
So you are quite serious this time?
I smile mischievously and nod . I was above serious now . We would trample them . I was prepared for this fight more than ever now . There was no hesitation, and I had the most reliable partner by my side .
Ive been thinking about it for a while . About what I can accomplish with these weapons . And Ive now found the answer .
Hehe . I see . That is good .
For an instant, we seem to be wrapped in a warm and calm air . But that quickly dissipates and we find ourselves on a battlefield . It was because Presence Detection caught something . It wasnt the dragon vein, but something big .
Daniela, this
Hmm, something that was hiding in the depths, it has started to move Up ahead .
I stare hard into the shadows . We were prepared for this, there was no problem . I glance over to Daniela who stood next to me, and she nodded with a smile that showed she was ready to fight . She really was reliable . She always helped me . I needed to become stronger to be able to support her equally . But first, we would kill what was up ahead . I would not allow the beautiful plains to be trodden over and destroyed . Never .
We walk down the tunnel . Presence Detection picks up several forms, but they disappear whenever my sword is swung in their direction . And then everything becomes quiet .
Once we were out of the tunnel, the scenery changed . The cave ceiling had been little more than two meters high, but now it was altogether gone . But it was still too dark to see how high it went . But it must be quite high if the lanterns light could not reach it . We could also not see the walls . This was a wide area . What could be down here? So deep underground?
Be careful, Asagi . The large presence should be somewhere around here .
Yeah, I can sense it . If only we knew the direction it would come, I could attack it .
There was something huge in this wide area that was still far from us . And as it didnt move, we had no choice but to go forward . But, since it had appeared so suddenly, does that mean it came to us? Why wasnt it moving now?
There were a lot of questions that wouldnt be answered unless we moved . We just needed to be cautious and we could get through this . Daniela knocked an arrow to her bowstring . I unsheathed my one-handed sword and short sword . The pale, silvery green glow gave me a kind of strength . I created a small ball of fire above our heads to replace the lantern .
According to Danielas findings, I was not very good with fire magic . And even when I did use it, I could tell that the magic consumption was higher than with ice magic, and yet the ball of fire was still only the size of a tennis ball . There wasnt much to say about its inefficiency, but I wondered if it could be more than just a power used as a bridge between ice and water magic . However, our hands were full now, so this was the only thing we could use to light our way . Thankfully, all the monster slaying had helped me increase my MPI think . I havent actually checked my status recently, but I was confident that it had gone up after so much hunting .
My MP had been going up gradually since I started using magic, so I was hopeful . I felt like I hadnt reached my limits yet . Who knew how many ice swords I could make in succession? Of course, the new equipment also helped . Jack of all Trades, Master of None even showed me that I could create a light rain .
We were slowly making our way forward and should be within shooting range soon . Even fire magic should reach it . I put on the hood of my poncho and take in deep breaths . Once I felt calm again, the only thing left to do was kill it .
We were slowly making our way forward and should be within shooting range soon . Even fire magic should reach it . I put on the hood of my poncho and take in deep breaths . Once I felt calm again, the only thing left to do was kill it .
Ill shoot at it with fire magic . Unleash your arrows as soon as you catch sight of it .
Understood .
She nods, I launch the ball of fire forward and slightly at an upwards angle . All it took was to concentrate on the magic like Jack of all Trades, Master of None showed, and the fireball launched like a flare and slowly descended . What appeared beneath it was a large, large mole . It must be an elite type of hole mole . The thing was densely covered in hair as its head raised towards the ball of fire above its head .
It is a mega mole! Let us go, Asagi!
Yeah, I can do this!!
Daniela shoots . And at the same time, I sprint forward . Her arrow reaches its target first, piercing into the mega moles body and causing a shriek that echoed in the chamber . It used its long nails to carefully grab the arrow and pull it out . I did not miss this opportunity .
HAHH!
My foot digs into the dirt as my one-handed sword swings down . And then the ground beneath me disappeared .
Wha!?
The b.a.s.t.a.r.d! He made a pitfall!! Thats why it didnt move!
KGIIIII!!!
I had let my guard down . And just as I looked up in surprise, the mega moles claws came swiping down . I frantically blocked them with my sword . As I gritted my teeth against the weight of it pressing down, another arrow shot into the mega moles body . It let out another piercing cry . Now that it was weakened, I use Legs of the Forest Wolf to kick the air and jump out from the hole . As I launched myself up high, I send out b.a.l.l.s of fire in all four directions . The chamber was now illuminated, and I could see for a moment that the place was in the shape of a dome . The ceiling was likely around ten meters high . This guy must have dug it uphe had even made a pitfall .
Daniela, there are pitfalls around it!
Then I will only use ranged attacks!
With great skill, she continued to successively let loose her arrows . Indeed, if close-range combat was too dangerous, you just needed to attack with some distance .
I put the swords back in my sheaths and thrust my hands in front of me . I would visualize an arrow much like the arrows Daniela was using . Jack of all Trades, Master of None made this easier, and I quickly generated a whole row of over a dozen arrows . They were all pointing at the mega mole . I would call this spell, ice arrows . I never claimed to be good at naming things . But its good to keep these things simple!
Hah!
With a shout, I launch the arrows towards their target . They start firing from the right side and savagely break into the mega moles skin . The echoing cries make me cringe, but I send every last arrow at it .
Now the mega mole was still . I control the wind around my feet and slowly descend while unsheathing my sword . I can hear the sound of a string being pulled behind me . My backup was perfect . Making sure to not fall into the hole again, I try to confirm if the mega mole is dead .
I move between the holes and finally reach striking distance . And then I stab the sword right into its body . There is no reaction . I try again, and again, but there is no sound, no movement .
It had gone completely silent . We had won .
Pheww
Good job, Asagi .
Ah, you too .
As always, we made fists and b.u.mpedand at the same instant, Presence Detection caught something large .
What, what is this all of a sudden!
I dont knowbut, doesnt this
What, what is this all of a sudden!
I dont knowbut, doesnt this
Yes, this size was reminiscent of something . It reminded me of the time when we met Beowulf . It was the same feeling I had when we fought him in the ruins .
But then again, Presence Detection didnt react during his ambush
It is likely thathe had a high skill level for blocking detection . And the ambush was during the night . This monster clearly doesnt have the same skills with blocking detection . But where could it have come from
Indeedperhaps it is a mutated elite monster from some magical pool
I recalled Macbels words, As a monster, he is one level above the rest . He hadnt evolved like this mega mole right here . He was something much more abnormal . Thinking about those words, I scan through our surroundings . I can sense the thin presence of kobolds on the outskirts .
I think that its some kind of abnormally evolved kobold .
Aye, kobolds usually evolve into kobold warriors or kobold mages, specializing in attacking and magic . But this one is clearly different .
Has that happened before?
Aye . They are called a.s.sault kobolds . They are said to be very shrewd and aggressive .
Shrewd, eh? And there was something awe-inspiring about the speed at which it was approaching us . It would reach this hall within a dozen or more seconds . This would be the second abnormally evolved monster we have met after Beowulf .
Now, which of us would be the faster? I could hardly wait .
This is my favorite chapter t.i.tle .
Sorry about the chapter mixup earlier .