Chapter 2-2: Heading to the Second Floor with Akane-san

There were no significant events as we descended to the second floor. Akane-san, looking around after coming down the stairs, didn’t seem as impressed as she was at first.

“Hmm, so this is the second floor. The atmosphere hasn’t changed much.”

“The variety of enemies increases, though.”

Horn Rabbits, Black Bats, and even Lucky Butterflies. It’s natural to look up to try to find the Lucky Butterflies when you think potions might be flying overhead, though they’re probably stealthy enough to avoid being seen.

“Looks like we have a monster welcoming party.”

“Giiii!”

“What’s that…?”

Similar to yesterday, we encountered a Horn Rabbit right after descending the stairs. Whether it was a coincidence or intentional, I wondered if they spawned in fixed locations.

“A monster with a sharp horn and agility, the Horn Rabbit. Let me handle it first.”

“But, aren’t you a magic-type, Onda-san…?”

“Well, yeah. But I’ve defeated a Horn Rabbit before, and Akane-san isn’t used to her gift yet, right? It’s better to get used to their speed first before engaging in a fight.”

“I understand.”

Taking a step forward, I readied my shield. If my predictions were correct, then…

“Gii!”

As expected, the Horn Rabbit, tired of our lack of movement, leaped towards me with great force. Still as fast as ever, but…

“Its movements are straightforward. Here we go!”

—Clang!

I held up my glowing shield as the Horn Rabbit charged. A resounding impact ran through my body, but the damage was minimal. After finishing its attack, the Horn Rabbit was left airborne.

“【Light Shotgun】!”

Immediately after deflecting the attack, I unleashed a barrage of light bullets. Yesterday, I was a bit unsettled by the Horn Rabbit’s speed, causing a slight delay in my casting. Today, I activated it almost instantly, shooting down the Horn Rabbit while it was still mid-air.

Unable to evade the light bullets, the Horn Rabbit, unable to even let out a death scream, turned into particles of light and disappeared. All that remained was a single magic stone on the ground.

“…Phew.”

I exhaled and relaxed my stance. After picking up the magic stone and putting it in my backpack, I turned to Akane-san.

“That’s how it’s done.”

“I see.”

“If another Horn Rabbit shows up, it’s your turn, Akane-san.”

“Alright, I understand.”

In Akane-san’s case, her gift’s effects would likely enhance her physical abilities. If she could exhibit the speed she showed when defeating the Blue Slime, she should be able to pierce an airborne Horn Rabbit like I did.

“Oh, it’s coming again.”

Seemingly reading our intentions, the dungeon sent another Horn Rabbit towards us. Akane-san noticed and, with a hint of tension, stepped forward to confront the Horn Rabbit.

“Gii!?”

The Horn Rabbit, noticing Akane-san, began to threaten us aggressively. Undeterred, Akane-san calmly blocked its intimidation and crouched down with her shield and spear at the ready.

“Gii!”

After lowering its posture, the Horn Rabbit charged forward like a bullet. Akane-san, without moving an inch, focused on the Horn Rabbit, extending her shield in front of her.

“Gii!”

Once the Horn Rabbit leaped towards her, Akane-san swiftly thrust her spear. The spear cleanly pierced through its body, stopping its momentum.

“Gii!?”

Whether it was in pain or in shock, the Horn Rabbit struggled while impaled on the spear. However, it quickly succumbed, and Akane-san, maintaining her composure, stood there as the Horn Rabbit turned into particles of light.

The spoils of war were a magic stone and a weapon bead.

“Oh, a weapon bead.”

Checking that there were no other enemies, I went to collect the loot. After putting the magic stone into my backpack, I peeked at the weapon bead, where the number “1” was dancing inside.

“Weapon bead?”

“Yeah, that’s just a nickname I gave it for simplicity. The official term is Equipment Bead – Red. This one’s rank 1. Want to use it?”

Considering her spear got melted slightly by the Blue Slime earlier, using it now might be a good idea. Replacing the slightly damaged spear as soon as possible would likely be the safe option to take. 

“I think I’m good for now. My spear doesn’t seem like it’s on the verge of breaking yet.”

“Got it. But if your weapon breaks let me know as soon as possible so I can back you up.”

“Sure thing.”

I put the Rank 1 weapon bead into my backpack. Confirming there were no enemies ahead, I turned to Akane-san.

“Well, that’s about it.”

“Understood.”

“From here on, it’s uncharted territory for the both of us.”

“If that’s the case, can I take the lead, Onda-san?”

“Akane-san leading? Well, I’m hesitant…”

“I’ll be fine. I’m better equipped anyway.”

“Hmm…”

“Onda-san.”

“…Alright, fine. In that case, I’ll leave the front to you, Akane-san.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

I was quite indecisive, but I decided to let Akane-san take the lead. From this point on, it’s an unexplored area without a map. Let’s make sure to proceed with caution.

◇

While walking down a straight path, I whispered the incantation for【View Mapping】in an ultra-low voice, creating a map. The path seemed to gradually curve to the right, and I used【View Mapping】twice before reaching the next intersection—a crossroads. For future reference, If I use【View Mapping】midway through the path, I should be able to fill the map seamlessly without wasting any extra uses of【View Mapping】.

By the way, we encountered two Horn Rabbits along the way, both of which were instantly defeated by Akane-san walking in front of me. The first one she blocked its charge with her shield and countered, but it seemed uncomfortable for her, so she used a counterattack for the second one as usual. None of them dropped anything other than magic stones.

“…”

Come to think of it, I feel like the number of times I can use【View Mapping】has increased somehow. It’s increased by about two uses, and I should be able to use it consecutively twelve times now. Did I grow from defeating monsters?

In an RPG game, defeating monsters would lead to experience gain and leveling up. Unfortunately, there’s no way to confirm that in a modern dungeon setting as there’s no status window. I don’t know if it’s a Dragon Quest-type growth pattern or a Sa**-series type, but somehow, I feel like it’s the latter. (T.L. Note: Can’t exactly figure out what the author was referencing for the second series, so I’ll leave it censored just like in the WN)

Apart from mana, there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable change. I barely used anything other than magic during yesterday’s exploration, and I didn’t take any damage from enemy attacks. If it follows a growth pattern like using magic to grow mana and taking damage to increase HP and defense, then it would make sense that there’s hardly any change other than my mana.

…Should I stick my hands into a Blue Slime for some durability training? It’s a bit scary to go down to the lower floors while I’m still weak. I don’t like pain, but if it’s necessary for growth, I can’t avoid it.

“Ge…!?”

Perhaps thinking too much about it was a bad idea. I suddenly felt something strike my back.

The air in my lungs was forcefully expelled, and I stumbled forward. Managing to turn slightly, I looked back and found a black creature flying in the sky.

“Black… Bat…!”

I let my guard down, and I got hit from behind unexpectedly. Fortunately, the damage wasn’t too severe, but I couldn’t breathe properly, making it impossible to chant.

And, things went from bad to worse.

“!”

There were three Black Bats. While one of them charged at us, the other two were flying towards us. At this timing and posture, I couldn’t evade or use my shield in time.

“Ha!!”

“Kii!?”

Trying to prepare for impact, I stiffened my body.

Akane-san stepped in between us and forcefully blocked the two bats with her shield. The two Black Bats hit by the shield bash were left dazed, flying in the air.

“Sei!”

Without missing the chance, Akane-san extended her spear and impaled one of them. The Black Bat hit directly by the attack turned into particles of light in an instant, transforming into a magic stone.

Finally, I caught my breath. Standing next to Akane-san, I used my magic.

“【Light Shotgun Double】!”

Since chanting twice was bothersome, I imagined casting a double amount of light bullets from the get go. The vast number of scattered light bullets shot down the still-dazed Black Bat, turning it into particles of light.

The Black Bat that had charged at me couldn’t avoid the storm of light bullets either. Its wings were hit, and it fell to the ground. The fall damage seemed to be the finishing blow, as it turned into particles of light and disappeared.

“Phew. Thank you, Akane-san. You saved me.”

“Is… is your back okay!? You’re not injured, right!?”

Akane-san anxiously checked my back, repeatedly confirming that there were no severe injuries. There was no damage to my robe, and while there was some pain, it wouldn’t hinder the exploration… Oh, right. Now that things have gotten to this point, let’s go ahead and try it.

“It hurts a bit, but…【Heal】.”

I tried using my magic with the arbitrary image of “healing magic being associated with light attributes” in mind, and surprisingly, it activated smoothly.

With a slight sensation of my mana decreasing, my body was enveloped in light. It felt similar to when I used the Equipment Bead, but of course, the light didn’t change into equipment this time… Instead, the pain in my body quickly subsided.

“Healing magic… It’s the first time I’ve used it, but it activates well.”

“Are you really alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good now.”

Finally reassured, Akane-san showed a relieved expression.

“Whew, that’s a relief. But be more careful next time.”

“Yeah, I should have had the awareness that this is a dangerous zone in which fatal accidents could occur… It was definitely a valuable lesson.”

Now, let’s regain our focus and check our loot… but before that, let’s ensure the surroundings are clear.

Although I didn’t see any enemies, I remained vigilant.

While remaining conscious of my surroundings, I confirmed the loot from the three Black Bats. One dropped only a magic stone, but what about the other two… Oh.

“Huh, is this…?”

Akane-san unintentionally let out those words as she saw the loot.

Three magic stones and one equipment bead. I don’t know the rank of the equipment bead, but whether it’s rank 1 or 2, it doesn’t matter.

“A Skill Scroll!?”

---

Author’s Note:

◇□◇□◇ To all readers ◇□◇□◇

Thank you very much for reading my novel among the numerous works on Narou.

To all my readers, I have a request.

I would like to receive your honest evaluations, so please give your rating on the bottom of the page.

Even one star is fine, so please do so. Thank you very much.

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