ch121-ch140 · 123-ch123

Chapter 123: Haruki's Full Power and Kasumi-san's Idea of a Serious Fight

After that, I handled the watchman orcs with thrown spears while Kasumi-san took charge of clearing any orcs that came close and collecting spear stock, so we made smooth progress.

Right now we're walking along the rim of the last hill on Floor 19, headed for the 'Gate to Floor 20'.

The video matter?

On hold.

I know it's dangerous, but being praised while surrounded by three beautiful women...

"Special skill aside, there is simply something wrong with you, Haruki-san."

Maybe she means I'm enjoying myself too much?

Well, I'm having plenty of fun on this dungeon date with Kasumi-san too.

"That is clearly not the strength of a high schooler."

Well, I am a Level 30 high-rank job holder...

But honestly, all of that—every last bit of it—is thanks to 【Gate】.

I can always come home and pick up where I left off the next day. That's why my level keeps climbing.

This trip alone will take two days just to reach Floor 30. Without the special skill, I'd probably still be down around Floor 10.

"It is not only a matter of your level and job. As I said before, adventurers who can take down a watchman orc without letting it blow its horn are few and far between. As far as I know, you could count them on one hand. Only the very cream of bow-job adventurers. Even Blue Ocean's Uehara Asuka and Furuta Yukiya cannot do it."

Well, funny thing about that—our dear 'Queen of the Sky' once tried approaching a watchman orc from the air, and there's footage of her getting the horn blown right in her face.

The orcs swarming directly beneath the flying Queen looked to be oinking away and peering up her skirt—the video went mega-viral.

There's probably no magic job out there above Uehara-san, so a mage landing an accurate spell from that distance is hopeless. Rapid fire might connect, but wouldn't the horn get blown before then?

(Would waste MP, so nobody does it, but I bet there are people out there who could pull it off once every two tries or so...)

The bow job Furuta-san holds, on the other hand, should be the scout-type 【Hunter】, not the combat-type 【Bow User】.

【Hunter】 can learn the basic bow skills but none of the powerful attack skills, so it really can't be helped...

His job history runs 【Swordsman】→【Hunter】→【Samurai】→【Battering Ram User】, with 【Samurai】 as his main—though these days, the image that sticks is him swinging a hammer at skeletons and fortress gates up in the 40s floors.

(They call him the 'all-rounder job' for exactly this sort of versatility, though whether you can still call the man a bow user is beyond me...)

Sword Saint-chan's 【Flying Slash】 also seems to fall short of range from below.

Even a Quadruple can't manage it, then...

No, wait—flip it around, and 【Charge・Bow】 from the lower-rank 【Heavy Bow User】 could probably manage it easily.

It works on the same principle as my 【Charge・Spear】, after all.

Plenty of people take that as a lower-rank job and nothing more, so there might well be adventurers at Double-Rank or below—ones even Kasumi-san has never heard of—already doing it.

"You sell yourself short, Haruki-san, but you are strong."

Hmm, she's laying the praise on thick.

Oh, this is the continuation of earlier, isn't it? She's complimenting me to cheer me up after I got all mopey...

It was the same when we first met—she gave a push to the back of a certain someone who'd gone pale fighting his very first monster on Floor 2.

Without 【Gate】 I'd be on Floor 10, but without Kasumi-san, I might still be parked on Floor 2 waiting for Soushi's birthday.

Being praised feels good, so I'll take it at face value.

"You've used super mode any number of times today—how is your condition?"

"I'm fine. Since becoming 【Charge Shielder】, I hardly ever get nosebleeds anymore. Condition is perfect. The 'rapid level-up side effects' on the surface have faded too, so for short bursts, running both super modes at once should be no problem."

Ever since I got the high-rank job—maybe because my Endurance stat went up—nosebleeds have all but stopped.

The only times since were my first day after the job change, when I bled nonstop from the start, and the fight with Umemoto, when I ran shield and spear super modes together.

"Would you show me your serious fight, Haruki-san?"

Arriving at the 'Gate to Floor 20', Kasumi-san came out with that.

I fully expected another 'my turn here, isn't it', but apparently this one's mine.

"My serious fight, you say?"

This is a pickle, though.

What Kasumi-san means by 'serious' and what I'd call 'full power' are probably different beasts entirely.

No—what she wants to see is probably both super modes at once, right?

I can manage that.

My opponents will be the Orc Knight entourage rather than the Orc General, but still.

"Um, does that include the special skill as well?"

"Yes. A true, full-power fight, if you would."

So full power is on the table too.

"Understood. Then let me explain the opening flow. Once we're inside Floor 20, I'll crest the hill and use 【Gate】 within the minute, so we'll head back to the warehouse first. From there, I'll show you the full-power fight."

"Huh? I will sweep everything but the General out of your way, so you need only concentrate on the Orc General..."

"Then I couldn't go all out... Just watch. I'll handle every bit of it myself."

While she's watching the serious fight she asked for, she can take in my full power as a bonus.

"Let's go."

I charge into the 'Gate to Floor 20' first.

A step, two steps into my run, 【Presence Detection】 picks up Kasumi-san entering Floor 20 behind me.

Not needing to glance back and check at moments like this is the whole beauty of 【Presence Detection】.

"【Gate】. Kasumi-san, after you."

In one breath I crest the hill ahead, and at the spot where the Orc General should pop, I mark my target and open the 'Left Gate'.

Not full power yet, but I was moving at a fair clip.

And Kasumi-san kept up without missing a step.

As expected of the 【Spear King】.

Once I've confirmed she's inside the warehouse, I follow through myself, and from the warehouse side, dismiss the 'Right Gate'.

(The me of now doesn't need 【Charge・Spear】's MP attack against an Orc General. Once the minute's up, I charge in with super mode... huh?)

Come to think of it, there was one more 'full power' left.

"Kasumi-san. Just to confirm—you're not looking to see 【Charge・Spear】's full-charge release attack, are you?"

"Please refrain from anything that might put a hole in the dungeon wall."

"Roger that. For starters—【Charge・Spear】【Charge・Spear・Agility Up】【Charge・Spear・Endurance Up】【Charge・Spear・Strength Up】【Charge・Spear・Weapon Enhancement・Spear】"

Should be just about the one-minute mark now.

"【Gate】. 【Scouting】."

There it is.

(Aaand—go.)

"Huh?"

I thrust the jumonji spear through the 'Right Gate'.

"General's down, so I'll head over now. Kasumi-san, please wait right here."

"Huh?"