ch181-ch200 · 195-ch195

Chapter 195: The Classic Development of the Banished Forming a Party Together

"It can't be helped—my special skill might get exposed, after all."

"That's part of it, but... you, you'd probably solve the whole thing by sending Bear Ossan flying... Absolutely do not. Just slide around like always and hide behind Kasumi-san."

Slide around like always—just what kind of image does she have of me?

"That bear father is strong, right?"

"Strong, yeah. Strong enough that people say he's the strongest among Triples. His level's probably over 40 too, so he's stronger than Anego or Kasumi-san."

Mmm-mmm-mmm—there exists someone stronger than Kasumi-san?

She's 'Her Majesty the Spear King,' you know?

A power-focused old man who turns into a bear with 【Beast Transformation】 being strong in one-on-one combat doesn't add up... unless it's because his level's over 40.

So the top tier sits at around that level, huh...

I want to say that if he's over Level 40, why not conquer Floor 40—but as of now, the only adventurers who've ever cleared it are the single party 'Blue Ocean.'

You can't leave Floor 40 until the boss is defeated, so a failed attempt equals death.

One parent and one child alone can't make that kind of call.

Did none of the other party members want to clear Floor 40?

Or maybe that skillful line-drawing is exactly what makes a top adventurer?

"Then there's no way Bear Ossan would get defeated by me, right?"

"I'd like to say I agree—but with you, Haruki, who knows. Watching you fight just now made me think it. Kasumi-san talking about getting stronger than 【Sword Saint】, I thought, what an idiot... turns out the idiot was you, Haruki."

Why me?

Shouldn't that be "turns out the idiot was ME"?

"Shaddap. Dummy, big dummy! Anyway, stay away from that Bear Ossan. If he loses to a high schooler in front of his daughter, he'll never be able to show his face again. And that'd be the end of that parent-child pair. Think before you act, got it? Well, once Natsuki learns what it takes to become Triple, there might be a reconciliation anyway. Or else Soushi shows Bear Ossan strength worth recognizing."

I see.

So Bear Ossan disappearing wouldn't solve it after all...

It's not like we want those two cut off from each other, after all.

The best outcome is Aikawa and Bear Ossan both agreeing to reconcile.

"Well then, that'll be soon. At this pace, we might be allowed to take her to Floor 30 right after summer break ends."

She'll likely hit Level 20 once we've smashed all these copper golems, and by tomorrow Kasumi-san's permission to take them to Floor 20 should come down.

And then the sub-job selection begins, doesn't it.

Has she already decided what her sub will be?

"Eh? In one month?... Where'd all the pain of becoming Triple go? It took ME five years... What was all MY suffering for, then?"

"Good thing a resolution's in sight, isn't it?"

"It is NOT good! If they suddenly get that strong, your skill gets exposed, Haruki! It's not just Bear Ossan—the senpai woman's around too! I told you to think it through! Um, do I have to tell Soushi the same thing? Like, hide your strength... But Natsuki's the bigger problem. There's no way she's in any mood to reconcile right now. And giving her a goal is dangerous, but this level-up isn't dangerous at ALL, which is..."

I got scolded.

By "senpai woman," does she mean Makihara-san?

She really does think things through, doesn't she.

With this, I could entrust Aikawa to her without a worry.

Maybe I should just show Bear Ossan this figure of hers?

He'd be all "I could entrust my daughter to someone like you!"

If Soushi gets banished, should I pick him up...?

(The classic development of the banished forming a party together!)

"I give up. I'm going home! Huh? There's no 'Gate'!?"

You're the one who told me to close it, Mia-san...

"Please do the dismantling properly. Going home comes after that."

"Fine! I'll do it, all right?! Honestly, Haruki, help me too!"

"Ah, my MP's getting questionable, so if I help, there's a chance I can't use 【Gate】 anymore. Please do it alone."

Also, copper golems are too heavy to lift, so please handle hauling them out too.

"Pyeeee. Honestly! Haruki, you big dummy! Natsuki, big dummy! Bear Ossan, big dummy! Anego, big dummy!"

Every time Mia-san shouts "big dummy," her hammer comes crashing down with a WHAM onto a limb root.

Wham! Wham! Wham! WHAM!

Right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg—four spots, so four dummies are needed, I see.

Shouldn't the force be a bit uneven, though?

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︙

"Whoa. That was fast."

I had her crush the limbs of every last copper golem, and even carry them in.

They were deep in conversation, so I figured it took quite a while?

"No good, no good. Not making any progress. And I'm out of MP, so I give up."

A copper golem lies at Soushi's feet.

The first one brought in, isn't it?

The armor around the magic stone is pretty badly chewed up, but it needs one more push.

So it was impossible, huh...

"Well, that figures."

She'd called it a teaching aid, so Mia-san knew it would come to this...

Even though Mia-san just smashed them to pieces with her hammer, plain and simple...

"Is there some trick to it?"

"Hm? Nope. I'm just bashing away with my 【Smithing】 skills too, and even a Triple adventurer would struggle, I'd think. 【Samurai】 can't even cut this metal stuff, that's why they fight on the safe Floor 20s. It just means there are monsters like this that you can't beat. When you decide it's impossible, you give up. Good call, Soushi."

Even high-rank jobs struggle, huh...

But 【Sword Master】 can still hunt in the 30s floors, thanks to the attack skill 【Iron Cutter】, right?

The most numerous job of all, and 【Samurai】 is way too starved for love...

Even for Kasumi-san, the metal ones are impossible without skills, and even super mode wasn't quite enough for me, after all.

Is this the forced-loss event after being banished, flagging Soushi's awakening?

"Then please smash all of them, Mia-san. I'm out of MP too."

I used the 'Left Eye Gate' to pin the golems, after all.

I'm already below 10.

"Sorry about this. Well, watch and learn. Here I go—Haruki, you big dummy!"

Shouldn't you be shouting a skill name there?

Soushi and Aikawa are startled too...

"Ooh, amazing! Clean in two!"

"But the magic stone... huh?"

Incredible.

The copper golem didn't shatter—it split in two, right down the middle.

The 【Smithing】 skill's critical hit against metal, huh...

And precisely because it's an anti-metal special effect, it has no effect on the magic stone.

"TAA-DAA!"

The magic stone Mia-san picks up with a smug look on her face seems unharmed.

Golems are slow, so couldn't smithing-line jobs just fight normally in the 30s floors?

After she smashed the tenth copper golem, Mia-san's level went up.

Level 31, apparently.

She kept offering words of thanks, but with Aikawa's situation and all, I'm the one who should be thanking her?

Since I'll be in her care from here on too, maybe I've managed a tiny bit of repayment?