Chapter 8: Rookie Explorer Training
“Yawn… So sleepy…” Rin muttered.
The meeting with the party of Rin Akagi, the red-haired girl; Rina Kinasaki, the blonde; and Anju Takanotsume, the brunette, was set for 9:00 a.m. today.
So, I left the house around 8:30 and am now waiting in front of the E-rank Cavern Dungeon. I stocked up on potions, including MP potions, so recovery shouldn’t be an issue.
“Status,” I said aloud.
＊ ＊ ＊
Kaede Amamiya
Level: 605
HP: 6,070/6,070
MP: 4,045/4,045
Attack: 677 (+52)
Defense: 627 (+12)
Agility: 1,942 (+1,322)
Dexterity: 782 (+152)
Mental Strength: 2,097 (+1,487)
Luck: 50
BP: 0
SP: 15
Skills: [Magic Arrow Lv. 20], [Archery Lv. 10], [Hawk Eye Lv. 10], [Item Box Lv. 7], [Lock-On Lv. 10], [Appraisal Lv. 5], [MP Boost Lv. 10], [MP Recovery Speed Boost Lv. 10], [Dagger Arts Lv. 7], [Enemy Detection Lv. 9], [Stealth Lv. 5]
＊ ＊ ＊
Dragonwood Bow Lv. 278
- A bow crafted from the body of a dragonwood tree.
- Attack +777
- Grows alongside the user, adapting with dragon-like traits.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Plus, I’ve maxed out my stats and skills as much as I could. Weapons are prepped… Alright! I’m ready to go!!” I said, pumping myself up.
I dumped all my BP into Agility and Mental Strength. For skills, I raised [Hawk Eye], [MP Boost], and [MP Recovery Speed Boost] to level 10, and [Enemy Detection] to level 9. I also picked up a new skill: [Stealth].
This [Stealth] skill lets me blend into my surroundings by thinning my presence, almost like turning invisible, making it harder for others to detect me.
“This way, they won’t rely on me too much, and it’s a skill that won’t go to waste for a solo diver like me,” I thought.
With a ton of SP left, I bumped [Magic Arrow] up to level 20. Its attack multiplier hit 1.0, and MP consumption dropped to 15. Since it’s a unique skill and reached a multiple of 10, it gained a new effect.
That effect is—
“Hey! There you are, Amamiya-san!!” a voice called out.
Lost in thought, I realized it was time. Rin and the others had arrived.
I turned toward the voice and saw them, fully geared up, unlike the other day. Rin had a breastplate and a one-handed sword. Rina wielded a mace. Anju carried a dagger.
“Morning, Rin, Rina, Anju,” I greeted.
“Yo! Morning!” Rin replied energetically.
“G-Good morning!” Rina stammered, clearly nervous.
“Morning, Amamii,” Anju said casually.
By the way, Anju’s the one calling me “Amamii.” She started with “Amamiya-san,” but for some reason, she switched to this nickname.
“Here’s to a good day,” I said.
“You bet!!” Rin exclaimed.
“P-Please take care of us!” Rina said, still shaky.
“Sure thing,” Anju said.
“Alright, let’s head in,” I said.
We’d gone over combat roles yesterday. Rin’s on close-combat with her one-handed sword. Rina’s got a mace for defense but focuses on healing magic. Anju’s the hit-and-run type with her dagger. My only concern is that none of them have ranged attacks, so they’ll need to adapt on the fly.
“Okay! Let’s move out!!” Rin shouted, taking the lead.
Rin walked first, followed by Rina, Anju, and me at the rear as we entered the dungeon.
The Cavern Dungeon spawns orcs with high attack and defense but low agility, so as long as you’re careful, even new E-rank explorers can handle them.
So—
“I’ll be nearby, but unless it’s a dire situation, I won’t step in. Do your best!” I said, activating [Stealth] and vanishing from their sight.
“Huh?! Where’d Amamiya-san go?!” Rin exclaimed, looking around.
“I-I don’t know!” Rina said, panicking.
“Probably a stealth skill. I can’t even sense his presence,” Anju said calmly.
Seems like Anju figured it out while Rin and Rina scrambled to find me. Good to know [Stealth] is working as intended.
Man, [Stealth] is impressive. No wonder countries prioritized creating sensors with [Magic Tool Creation] to counter invisibility when stats first appeared.
“Got it! He’s nearby, so let’s keep going!” Rin said, rallying the group.
They moved forward, clearly having researched the shortest route to the boss room. Impressive prep work.
“Hm… good info-gathering skills,” I noted silently. “Now, can they fight?”
“Hey, you two, stop. Something’s coming,” Anju said, alerting the others.
I’d noticed it a moment earlier, but Anju was quick. An orc appeared ahead, spotting us and shifting into combat mode.
“Battle stations!” Rin shouted.
The girls reacted to Rin’s command, readying their weapons.
“Buooaaah!” the orc roared.
It swung its club upward, charging at Rin.
Rin dodged at the last second and slashed with her one-handed sword.
“Hah!” she cried.
She must have [Swordsmanship], but orcs are E-rank with high defense and HP. Her strike didn’t land a fatal blow, and the orc countered with a sideways club swing.
Rin, expecting it, ducked and kept attacking relentlessly.
“Don’t let your guard down,” Anju said.
While the orc focused on Rin, Anju crept behind it, aiming her dagger at its neck.
“Gugii?!” the orc yelped.
“Keep it coming!” Rin shouted.
Startled, the orc tried to turn, but it was too late. Rin’s attacks had thrown it off balance, and Anju’s dagger pierced its neck.
“Here I go!” Rina yelled.
Rina rushed in, swinging her mace with all her might. It wasn’t a skilled strike, but the raw force landed a direct hit on the orc’s head, staggering it.
“Nice one, Rina! Anju! Time to finish it!” Rin called.
“Got it,” Anju replied.
Anju darted behind the orc again, slicing its Achilles tendon with her dagger.
“Buoo!” the orc groaned.
As Anju finished, Rin charged the immobilized orc.
“This is it!” Rin shouted.
Switching to a two-handed grip, Rin swung her sword upward, cleaving the orc’s head.
“Bu… oo…” the orc groaned, collapsing lifelessly.
“Got it! We did it!” Rin cheered.
Solid fight. Rin focused on evasion rather than blocking, Rina seized an opening for a heavy mace hit, and Anju’s swift backstabs and tendon cut immobilized the orc. They knew their roles and coordinated well.
Parties like this can handle stronger monsters, making leveling safer and more efficient than solo diving. Unless you’ve got stats like mine, parties are the way to go.
They should be fine unless something crazy happens.
“Woohoo! Rina! Anju!” Rin cheered.
“I-I did it! I actually fought!” Rina said, thrilled.
“Yeah, we won. You did great, Rina,” Anju said.
The three high-fived, basking in their victory. It’s a wholesome sight… if you ignore the orc corpse behind them.
Feeling mischievous, I crept closer and deactivated [Stealth].
“Good job. Not bad for your first fight,” I said.
The girls jumped, then turned to me in unison. Yeah, popping up out of nowhere would startle anyone. That was the plan.
“Amamiya-san?! Where’d you come from?!” Rin exclaimed.
“I told you I’d be nearby,” I reminded her.
“Y-Yeah, Rin-chan, Anju-chan said it was a stealth skill,” Rina added.
“Yup, I did,” Anju confirmed.
“Huh? Oh, right…” Rin said, scratching her head.
Seems Rin forgot, but the other two remembered. Good enough.
“As for the fight, I’ve got no complaints. Good individual judgment and teamwork. Keep it up,” I said.
“Yes!” Rin replied enthusiastically.
“I-I’ll do my best!” Rina said.
“Got it,” Anju said casually.
They continued through the dungeon, encountering more monsters but handling them smoothly, reaching the boss room without issue.
“We made it to the boss room!” Rin shouted.
“Yay, Rin-chan, Anju-chan!” Rina cheered.
“Yeah, we did it,” Anju said.
They’d plowed through orcs along the way, growing stronger as they allocated BP and SP from level-ups. Anju’s dagger strikes were so fast she slashed orc necks before they could react. Rina’s mace swings gained serious power. Rin’s precise sword strikes to vital points dealt heavy damage. They reached the boss room in no time.
“But you’re not fighting the boss,” I said.
“Amamiya-san?” Rin said, turning.
“Amamii,” Anju corrected.
“Uh, what do you mean?” Rina asked.
I deactivated [Stealth], but they didn’t flinch this time. Kinda disappointing.
“Simple. Your levels aren’t high enough. It’s too soon,” I explained.
“Yeah, maybe a bit early for us,” Anju agreed.
“Oh…” Rina said, disappointed.
“I see…” Rin added.
The three slumped, clearly bummed. They were probably hyped to take on the boss.
“So, what now? Head back to the surface or hunt more orcs?” I asked.
They exchanged glances and started discussing. After a moment, Rin spoke up.
“Amamiya-san! I’ve got a proposal!” she said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Before Rin could elaborate, Rina piped up.
“I don’t wanna go back after coming this far…” she said.
“Yeah, I don’t either. I wanna keep fighting,” Anju added.
“But our levels aren’t enough! So…” Rin continued.
“So?” I prompted.
“We want to see you fight the boss!” Rin declared.
“Hm. It’d be a waste to leave without doing anything,” I conceded. “But you sure? It probably won’t be that helpful. I’d likely one-shot it with my stats.”
“That’s fine!” Rin said.
“Please!” Rina added.
“I kinda wanna see it too…” Anju said.
“Alright, if you insist, I’ll give it a go!” I said.
If they’re this eager, might as well. My stats might make it a quick show, but I’ll try to let them observe the High Orc’s movements. That means using the Swiftstrike Dagger instead of the Dragonwood Bow—can’t hold back with the bow, and it’d end in one hit.
“Just don’t move past me, got it?” I warned.
“Yes!” Rin and Rina replied in unison.
“Roger,” Anju said.
I instructed them to stay back from the boss room, then stepped in with the Swiftstrike Dagger ready. As Rina, the last one, entered, the door slammed shut behind us, as usual.
In the center of the room stood the High Orc, club in hand, just like last time.
“Buooo!” it roared.
Spotting us, it let out a battle cry and charged.
“So fast!” Rin exclaimed.
“—!” Rina gasped.
“I can barely follow it…” Anju muttered.
They stayed put behind me, shouting in surprise. Good.
As I confirmed their positions, the High Orc swung its club down at me.
“Buoo?!” it grunted.
I parried the club with the flat of the Swiftstrike Dagger.
Honestly, that exchange confirmed it—I could end this in a second if I got serious. But this is perfect. It’s my first time fighting a weapon-wielding opponent with the dagger. I’ll use this to show Rin’s group how it’s done and get some practice myself.
“Guess I’ll have to take some hits!” I said.
“Buooa!” the High Orc roared.
First, I focused on observing its movements—its tells, attack patterns, everything. I let it hit me a few times, but none of its attacks were a big deal. Club swings, side sweeps, body slams from its massive frame—all easily manageable with my stats.
Toying with the High Orc like this really drove home how much I’ve grown.
But this should be enough. Rin’s group has seen plenty of its movements by now.
“Time to end it!” I shouted.
“Buoo…” the High Orc groaned.
As it swung its club down again, I used the Swiftstrike Dagger to slice through its neck, ending the fight. The High Orc collapsed to its knees and fell motionless.
I turned to the girls, who were staring, mouths agape.
“That’s it. So, was that helpful?” I asked.
They snapped out of it, and Rin spoke first.
“Uh, uh, uh, that was amazing! Taking down a High Orc in one hit! And you moved so fast without even flinching! It was like—zoom! Slash! Like that!” she said, flailing her arms.
“Amamiya-san, that was so cool!” Rina added.
“Yeah, the dagger work was really educational,” Anju said.
Then came a flood of praise. I’m not used to this, so it’s kinda embarrassing…
“Tch, thanks. Glad it helped. So, what’s next?” I asked, trying to move on.
They exchanged looks and nodded. Rin answered for them.
“Let’s go hunt more orcs! Watching that made me wanna fight more!” she declared.
“I’m with Rin-chan!” Rina said.
“Me too. Let’s go,” Anju added.
“Alright, let’s do it!” I said.
I stored the High Orc in my [Item Box], and we left the boss room.
“Huh? Someone’s here,” Rin said, looking ahead.
Two men stood there. One, a burly guy, held what looked like a sawed-off shotgun. The other, a lanky man, carried a sniper rifle-like weapon. Both were dressed in all black, wearing black masks—pretty suspicious.
“…Hey,” the burly one said, nodding slightly.
The lanky one followed suit silently.
Since they greeted us, I figured I’d return the courtesy. Unspoken explorer etiquette and all.
“Hey, sorry for the wait. We’re done with the boss, so it’s your turn,” I said.
They stood and moved to the boss room door, which was closed as it reset for the next spawn.
“Amamiya-san, who were they?” Rin asked.
“They were probably waiting their turn for the boss. Since we were fighting the High Orc, they hung back,” I explained.
I still think their outfits are shady, but they followed basic manners, so no issue for now.
“Well, we’ll get out of your way,” I said.
Best to leave quickly. Could just be socially awkward types.
With that, we left the boss room floor and roamed the dungeon to hunt more orcs.
Post a Comment