arc3 · 168-ch168

Chapter 168: Hyakka Ryouran and Leveling Up ③

"Alright — today we push past floor twenty and gather Mana Potions beyond it!"

"Yeah!"

Himehana answered Toomi-san's words with plenty of energy. Kureha-san watched the exchange with a warm smile. Rin-san, meanwhile, was already sizing up the mood of the deeper floors, it seemed.

I'd finished mapping floor eighteen the night before, so today it was my turn to lead the way. I flew Hayate out at once and guided everyone along the shortest route. As I passed in front of Rin-san, a brief glance came my way.

(After yesterday's talk, I feel more and more like I've actually gone and become a member of Hyakka Ryouran.)

Feeling great, I led the way. The spirits that appeared along the route were all taken down by Hyakka Ryouran, without a single one slipping past.

By this depth, the other explorers had all but vanished from sight. Thanks to that, we beat plenty of spirits, and by the time we reached floor twenty, we'd picked up another two low-grade Mana Potions. Higher-level monsters really do have better drop rates, apparently.

"We're heeere!"

Himehana, spotting the boss room, came trotting up to the door. Chasing after her: the other three, plus three drones. They took a break in front of the boss room and began drawing up their plan.

"The boss here is an intermediate spirit. Which attributes, and how many, we won't know until we're inside."

As leader Toomi-san began her explanation, even the giddy Himehana put on a serious face and started listening. According to Toomi-san, the intermediate spirits that might appear here were: the fire spirit Salamander, the water spirit Undine, the lightning spirit Sprite, the earth spirit Gnome, and the wind spirit Sylph.

Every one of them is supposedly in a completely different league from the lesser spirits. Depending on how many show up, even Hyakka Ryouran can't afford to be careless. All things considered, I'd better go check.

"I'll go take a look."

No time for holding back — that's what I offered.

"Please do."

Toomi-san surely knew there was no need for her to take that risk herself, and bowed her head without a hint of resistance.

Himehana opened the door, and I slipped Hayate inside. The room was a forest, but at its center a spring bubbled up. A truly lovely sight — except that on the spring floated an Undine, on a nearby rock sat a Gnome, on a branch on the far side perched a Sylph, in front of the spring stood a Salamander, and behind the spring floated a Sprite. An all-star lineup!?

I made Hayate vanish and resummoned it at Asahi's side.

"Toomi-san — the intermediate spirits were all gathered in there. One of every attribute. What do we do?"

I reported exactly what I'd seen, and Toomi-san thought for a moment before relaying her plan to everyone.

"Himehana, take out the Undine. Kureha, the Sylph — as fast as you can. Rin and I will keep the other three pinned down so they can't interfere."

I see — the two with attribute attacks instantly kill their favorable matchups, turning it into a four-on-three.

"SS-san, if you think it's dangerous, don't hesitate to join in."

Hmm. The way she put it — does that mean stay out of it until they're in trouble? Well, the opponents are C-rank monsters, same as them. No — if these four are about to be promoted to B-rank, you could even call the spirits beneath them. So my help is unnecessary, is it?

"Understood. I'll keep my hands off as much as I can until you're in trouble."

My reading must have been right, because Toomi-san gave a soft smile.

"Then — we're going!"

With Toomi-san's spirited battle cry, the four of them poured into the boss room. I'd told them beforehand where everything was, so Himehana made a beeline for the Undine. The Salamander that moved to block her path got one of Rin-san's knives thrown its way to keep it in check.

Leaping over the Salamander's head as it flinched from the mithril knife, Himehana slashed at the Undine. Her lightning-clad twin swords tore straight through the Water Wall the Undine had chanted — and the Undine along with it.

Meanwhile, Kureha-san had begun her chant the very moment she entered the room. At the same instant Himehana cut down the Undine, several fire arrows lunged at the Sylph. The Gnome moved to block them with magic, but Toomi-san's spear thrust forced it to cut its chant short.

The Sylph took the fire arrows head-on and burned away to nothing. So far, everything had gone exactly to Toomi-san's plan. But the bosses weren't about to sit quietly either. The Sprite — the lightning intermediate spirit, the only one no one had targeted — unleashed its Thunder Web magic.

From the Sprite's center, a wave of lightning spread outward. Anyone touched by that wave risked going numb and losing the ability to move — but...

"Take this!"

Himehana, wielding twin swords of the very same lightning attribute, brushed the wave aside flawlessly and came out untouched.

"Hah!"

Toomi-san, with her long spear, planted it into the ground and pole-vaulted clean over the wave.

"Too slow."

Rin-san, confident in her speed, hugged the ground and slithered along it, dodging with room to spare.

"Wall of flame, protect us — Fire Wall!"

Kureha-san, it seemed, had anticipated a magic attack, and caught it with the Fire Wall she'd chanted in advance.

Hmm — all four of them handled that beautifully. Looks like I won't be needed at all.

Having finished off the Undine, Himehana carried her momentum straight to the Salamander and carved it apart with her dance-like swordwork. Toomi-san skewered the hard-bodied Gnome with her spear like it was nothing at all, and the last one remaining, the Sprite, was erased by Rin-san's blindingly fast dagger work.

"Great work, everyone. A splendid battle."

When I praised the four of them as they gathered after felling the spirits, they all looked at one another and smiled with delight.

"With your help, SS-san, we might have finished them even faster, but thank you for leaving it to us."

I'd done nothing but praise them, and Toomi-san went out of her way to thank me and bow her head. She really is a humble one.

"Ah — a Mid-grade Mana Potion dropped!"

Where Himehana pointed, there was indeed a potion lying on the ground, a deeper color than the low-grade ones. A lucky find right off the bat. There was still plenty of time, so we'd have to earn even more on floor twenty-one and beyond.

We picked up the drop items, registered mana to the twentieth floor's Transfer Stone, took a short break — and then, in pursuit of Mid-grade Mana Potions, we set foot on the twenty-first floor.