Chapter 14: Kalua Panics When Monsters Are Found Before the Scout
"Alright, Ester, I’m counting on you to take over. Sorry to stick you with the boring role."
"I don’t mind. Sir Zephyrus, please take good care of Lady Lana."
Leaving things in Ester’s hands, I headed back alone from the <Lesser Wolf’s Shallow Forest Dungeon>.
When I arrived at the ShouDan, the members of <Eden> were just about to head inside.
"Oh, if it isn't Zephyrus! You’re here early for once. Usually, you’re the one trailing behind. What’s going on?"
How rude.
Lana tilted her head, genuinely puzzled, but for the record, I’ve never once been late. They just tend to show up a little earlier than me.
…Well, whatever. The fact remains that they usually end up waiting, so pushing the point would only make me look bad.
Better to change the subject.
"Were you all together today?"
"That’s right. This morning we cleared the <Tsugumo Bamboo Grove Dungeon> without incident."
"It was my first time facing a Beginner Upper-tier Dungeon boss, but thanks to everyone’s support, we managed an easy win."
"Mm. Piece of cake."
Sierra gave the report with a calm smile, Rika nodded with a grin, and Kalua raised a thumb in approval.
"I see! Rika, Kalua—congratulations on your first Beginner Upper-tier dungeon clear!"
"Mm, yay!"
"Thanks. Coming from you, that’s a little embarrassing."
"If you don’t mind, could you tell me how it went along the way?"
"Of course—I’d be glad to."
From the look of it, Rika was practically itching to share. And who wouldn’t be? Your first Beginner Upper-tier dungeon clear, your first real achievement—you want to brag about that. I get it, I really do.
Right now, it was me, Lana, Sierra, Rika, and Kalua—five in total. With this lineup, we’d be tackling the <Isolated Island Flower Garden Dungeon>. We set off immediately.
"By the way, Sierra, I’m glad you could make it after all."
"Yes. Hanna had preparations for school tomorrow and some alchemy work to handle this afternoon. Oh, and she said you gave her a bundle of <Mana Grass> yesterday, didn’t you? She looked absolutely thrilled."
"Ah, so that’s how it is. Maybe I should’ve waited a little longer before handing it over."
This afternoon’s party was fixed with me, Lana, Kalua, and Rika. Whether Sierra or Hanna could come was up in the air, since school was starting tomorrow. If neither could, we’d just have made do. But Sierra was here, and that was a relief.
Hanna, on the other hand, was tied up with her alchemy and apparently had also taken on a request from the Academy, so she couldn’t join.
Well, I suppose it worked out—otherwise we’d be over the member limit anyway.
With those thoughts, we passed through the gates of the <Isolated Island Flower Garden Dungeon>.
This place was notorious for status ailments, especially <Poison>. On top of that, the boss, the <Sabottender>, specialized in long-range rapid attacks, which clashed poorly with Rika’s tanking style. That’s why their group had cleared the <Bamboo Grove Dungeon> first.
But this time, we had me and Lana, who could both cure <Poison>, and Sierra, with her maxed 『Status Ailment Resistance Lv.10』. Perfect conditions to sweep through quickly.
"──And about <Takewari Taro>, the thing’s so slippery. Every time I tried to strike, it would dart backwards at ridiculous speed."
On the way, Rika told me about the battle. Apparently, she had perfectly blocked all its attacks with her defense skills, but every time she parried, the momentum sent its Segway skidding backward at crazy speed—which she found frustrating.
"At that rate, I can’t follow up with 『Swallow Reversal』. The knockback is way too much. Besides, I’m not that strong to send someone flying… or, well—never mind."
Halfway through, she seemed to realize what her STR stat actually was, and quickly turned her gaze away from me.
It might be a little late for that, but it seems she really doesn’t like her "muscle girl" reputation.
…Maybe asking a girl about her STR stat is as rude as asking her weight? I’ll check with Sierra later just to be safe. The last thing I want is to make enemies of the girls.
"Ah! A <Tsuru> has been spotted! Prepare for battle! 『Shining Blade of Holy Light』!"
"Tsurutsurunn!?"
The moment Lana spotted the enemy, she unleashed a massive finisher. With a resounding BOOM, the <Tsuru> vanished in a flash of effects.
"…Wait, wasn’t that fight over before we even finished getting ready?"
So much for battle prep.
"It couldn’t be helped, alright? I just—yes, that’s it—I had a sudden impulse. And it felt kinda good."
"…I see. Well, glad you enjoyed yourself."
Yeah, I get it. Wiping out a bunch of monsters and going full one-man-army mode does give you that rush. Nothing wrong with that.
While I was musing on that, Kalua suddenly popped up beside Lana.
"Next, I’ll do it."
"Sure. If I spot any enemies, I’ll let you know!"
"…That’s my job…"
Apparently, Kalua was flustered that Lana kept sniping all the monsters before she, the scout, could even do her job.
For some reason, Lana was ridiculously good at spotting monsters—always noticing them before anyone else.
Come on, Lana. At least let the scout handle the searching part.
"Hmph, I won’t lose. 『Sonya』!"
Kalua activated her sonic detection skill 『Sonya』, holding a hand behind her ear to pick up sounds and pinpoint enemies.
"Got one. This way."
"Ooh, nice one, Kalua! Leave the support to me!"
"Mm. I’ll be right back."
"I’m coming too!"
The boss was our real objective, so honestly, they didn’t need to chase every mob down…
But, well, they looked like they were having fun, so why not?
"Ah, wait, Kalua! It’s dangerous—hold up, I’m coming too!"
Rika, who’d been talking with me, suddenly dashed off after Kalua, who had veered off the path.
And just like that, only Sierra and I were left behind.
"What about us?"
"For now… let’s follow them. I dunno, it kinda feels like it’ll be fun too."
"…You really are—ah, never mind. You’re right. Knowing those girls, they probably wouldn’t come back on their own anyway. Let’s go."
Sierra shook her head like she’d thought of saying something, but decided against it. Then she broke into a run right after me.
And so, after a bit of detouring fun, we reached the deepest floor by 3 p.m.
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