ch181-ch200 · 200-ch200

Chapter 200: Adventurers

"【Dance・Stage】!... Ah."

Aikawa tries to refresh the buffs, but a spear-wielding Orc Knight gets in her way.

She leaps back a large step, and the Bronx step—jumping side to side as she dances—is interrupted.

Soushi and Aikawa had each already taken one down and were working them one-on-one, but the minute ran out right here.

Their movement deteriorating is plain to see.

Same as super mode—once a buff wears off, even movements you could make without any buff become hard.

That sudden sense of your body turning heavy—there's just no describing it.

"Gh—Aikawa! You okay?"

"Um, one more time... 【Dan... ah】"

Even Soushi, who was dominating the two-on-one, is struggling now.

Aikawa has fixated on casting the buffs again, and the Orc Knight in front of her isn't reading clearly.

Is it dangerous?

I decide to go help.

I'd finished off my two shield bearers early on, so I'd been in spectator mode, you see.

No, I mean—while the dance buffs were active, both of them were moving well, so I thought it was fine...

(【Charge・Spear・Weapon Enhancement・Spear】)

One thrust from behind.

It pierces the armor of the Orc Knight fighting Aikawa.

I aimed for the heart while avoiding the body's center, so the magic stone should be fine, right?

"Ah... Sorry..."

Aikawa slumps.

"Refresh your buffs now, or Soushi's in serious trouble."

"Ehh? Go help HIM too. Um, 【Strength Up・Dance】【Endurance Up・Dance】【Agility Up・Dance】【Magic Up・Dance】【Weapon Enhancement・Dance】! Soushi, look this way! 【Dance・Stage】!"

Part of it was that Soushi kept worrying about Aikawa and couldn't fight properly, so I think he'll be fine once she recovers.

Besides, 【Staff User】 buffs seem to last over five minutes, and recasting them is just chanting the skill names in your head, so it's easy.

"OK! Buffs incoming! TOryaaa!"

Soushi's kitchen knife plunges into the belly armor of an Orc Knight.

It was the same when he took down his first Orc Knight—Soushi's attack power, or rather the knife's cutting power, is incredible.

【Dance・Stage】's buffs should only be half as effective as 【Dance・Let's】, yet it still punches through Orc Knight armor with ease.

If he's choosing 【Water Mage】 on Floor 20, is he planning a magic-line buffer for the high-rank job?

This attack power would go to waste—is that really okay?

Mia-san says don't butt in on other people's job choices, but where am I supposed to vent this worry?

"TORYAAAA!"

Aikawa also charges in at the Orc Knight Soushi is fighting.

I'd like to tell her not to shout during a surprise attack, but at close range there's time for the enemy to react and turn around, so it should be fine?

The strike lands along the neck, but the angle must be off—it's not deep.

Honestly, watching would have been fine too, but Aikawa jumping in is admirable.

They're fighting with proper coordination—that's what a party should be.

Eh? Me?

Come to think of it, back at the buff refresh earlier—if I'd been drawing the Orc Knights' attention, couldn't they have done their steps without a hitch?

No no, this is not my fault...

The problem is Soushi and Aikawa trying to fight as just the two of them.

Today's harvest: two people are not enough to function as a party, apparently.

Should we increase our numbers?

But Kasumi-san and Mia-san both have work, after all...

And once school starts, we won't be able to come to the dungeon at any better pace than just the two of them either...

And with Soushi's umpteenth attack, the last Orc Knight falls.

It was a bit of a struggle, but there seem to be no injuries, so that's a relief.

"Oh, here they come!... Not much new, huh. Ah, 【Naginata User】. Wasn't that here before? Um, 【Miner】?... A job like a pit worker? It's at the bottom, so probably a general-class job?"

"I've got it too. Maybe because we dug up all those golems? The rest... the only additions are 【Light Warrior】 and 【Short Sword User】, and nothing else really. Haah, no 【Knight】 either, huh. Maybe I should switch to spears to make 【Staff User】 show up after all?"

【Light Warrior】 is the job with a fencing-style sword, isn't it.

【Short Sword User】 has throwing-knife skills, so it's excellent as a sub.

If you insist hard enough that a short sword counts as a dagger, weapon enhancement works, or so the story goes...

And 【Miner】.

It might be useful for power leveling, so you could pick it, you know?

Maybe you'd split copper golems in two like Mia-san does.

"It hasn't even been a week since we took our jobs on Floor 10, so of course there's not much."

"We're looping plenty more today, right? Then I don't need to choose yet. I'll hold off until Aikawa's job is decided."

Good call, I think.

I don't get a job selection screen even when I beat the boss, so honestly, I'm a little jealous they get a result screen every time.

"Then let's gather the magic stones. The only things we're bringing back are the Orc General's armor?"

"And the halberd. Oh, and the spear—I use it for throwing, so I'm taking it back."

"The one you threw first, Haru-kun, went flying forever, so go pick that one up yourself."

"Ughh.... Oh right, THAT one. It's far—skip it."

It pierced through and reached all the way out there, huh...

Climbing up and down the hill to fetch it would waste energy and time, so I'll give up on collecting it.

We're gathering these as disposables anyway...

"So how do we get this armor off? Wait, can we even get the magic stones out without stripping the others too?"

The armor we're wearing is Orc General armor too, but Mia-san properly modified it for easy on-off.

If we haul a ton of General armor home, isn't Mia-san going to have a rough time of it...?

"Let's take our time doing it while we review today's fight. Next time, how about we enter from Floor 19 and fight head-on?"

"Ah, sorry about earlier. I couldn't dance right..."

"No, don't worry about—"

"No, that was my fault. From now on I'll be the wall, so..."

Somehow this feels like real partying, doesn't it.

Yes, yes—THIS is what adventurers are.