ch241-ch260 · 250-ch250

Chapter 250: That's Long!

"Oh, there it is. Hmm, so this is 'Prima'? Well, my own stats went up too, so I honestly can't tell how much effect it's having."

"Huh? Isn't it about the same as before? Did you use the regular dance skill too?"

Still in the Floor 1 warehouse, testing skills.

Aikawa's 'Prima' dance skill—I can't tell the difference from the buffs the 【Dancer】 learns......

"Ah—Haru-kun, only the regular one's on you. You must have slipped out of sync somewhere."

Ugh.

There it is.

You have to dance TWICE as long before it activates, after all.

I can do the box step fine, but keeping in step with Aikawa the whole way through is the hard part......

"Once more, please."

"Jeez—here we go? 【Prima Dance】【Weapon Enhancement・Prima】【Strength Up・Prima】【Endurance Up・Prima】【Agility Up・Prima】【Magic Up・Prima】! Aaand—! 【Weapon Enhancement・Dance】【Strength Up・Dance】【Endurance Up・Dance】【Agility Up・Dance】【Magic Up・Dance】! Aaand THEN! 【Dance・Let's】!"

That's LONG!

No—focus.

One, two, three, four, and re-verse, one, two, three, four.

Once more—one, two, three, four, and re-verse, one, two......

"Oh? Ohh? Ohhhh? Pretty good, isn't it, this?"

With both sets applied, it looks like it beats even super mode.

"Hey, don't stop halfway! Take the final POSE properly! The dance isn't over until the pose!"

Scolded by Aikawa, who's gotten a bit strict about dancing lately.

When I stepped out on the second set's reverse foot, the 'Prima' buffs landed, so I quit the step right there, you see.

I mean, once the first set's buffs kick in, your body moves better, so matching the same pace for the second set is genuinely hard.

The moment the effects land, controlling your strength is difficult.

In super mode, time feels like it slows down, so there's no such worry—but the dance skills apparently don't work that way......

"Sorry, sorry. But the weapon enhancement landed properly too. This is amazing. With this, I wouldn't even need 【Charge・Spear】 if a metal golem came!"

With Aikawa around, we could push through the 30s floors with zero MP cost.

"Ah! Duration!"

Soushi says, swinging his long-handled kitchen knife around......

Th-that movement—is that the Hiramatsu-ryu Windmill!?

"I've been timing it, so it's fine. One minute's up. How is it?"

【Prima Dance】 supposedly doubles the duration along with the doubled dance time.

Dance buffs used to last one minute, so they should now last two.

"Effects are still active. The regular dance buffs should still be going too."

I move a little left and right—same responsiveness as before.

The 【Dancer】-side enhancement skills' durations have doubled as well, I'd say.

By the way, Soushi's 【Enchanter】 skills last five minutes.

"Phew—so it's not a 'dance once a minute or you can never go full power' situation after all."

Right?

Stretching the duration to two minutes is big, tactically speaking.

Until now we fought positioned to get back to Aikawa once a minute; now it's once every two minutes.

The number of mid-battle re-casts is halved, in other words.

"Testing done, then? I'll move the 'Left Hand Gate'—Floor 31, really?"

As a shakedown, I'd asked whether they'd rather face Forest Ogres on Floor 29 or Sand Golems on Floor 30, and both of them answered Floor 31.

Stacked with enhancement buffs, Aikawa should be all right, but......

︙

︙

"Ugh, DAMMIT!"

"Golems are THIS strong?"

Even with the two of them together, they're struggling more than expected against Sand Golems.

We moved to Floor 31, and first I fought one alone to show them how the golems move, mind you.

They know the golem's movements, and they're not taking hits.

They just can't land effective blows on a moving golem.

Aikawa's attack reach falls short.

One more step in, and......

Soushi's problem is plain lack of strength.

The Sand Golem is covered in wounds, so it's only a matter of time.

Oh—it's about to hit two minutes......

"Time! Switch!"

I step in and target the Sand Golem's knees.

I did the box step with them beforehand and got the buffs, so both legs come off with a Span!

Weapon enhancement is something else, huh.

Then I chop up the arms of the toppled golem, Span-span, and seal its movements.

"So close, huh."

"From the start, if you'd both aimed for the same leg, I bet it'd have gone down in under a minute."

They've got the experience for this, after all.

Golem attacks are monotonous, so memorize the pattern and dive in, and......

Wait, diving in is banned, right?

"Hmm. Ah—Aikawa, dance, please."

"Ah—yeah......"

Both of them, looking thoroughly deflated, dance, and I extract the Sand Golem's magic stone.

Find the next golem fast, or the mood's going to curdle.

Nearby...... there's one.

"Next one's that, right?"

A little way up the slope.

"Hold it—I'm going first this time, so you two watch. Soushi, buff, please."

Two sets of box step, and the moment Aikawa strikes the Mia-san pose, she says it.

"Eh? Oh—uh. 【Strength Up・High・Bestowal】【Endurance Up・High・Bestowal】【Agility Up・High・Bestowal】【Magic Up・High・Bestowal】."

"【Partial Beast Transformation】! And 【Body Enhancement】!"

Sheathing her sword, Aikawa beast-transforms both arms and closes in on the Sand Golem.

Before the risen golem can swing its fist, she dives in low at its feet—and lands a single blow with her left hand.

Less a claw strike than a slap—a open-palm hit.

And it shatters the Sand Golem's left leg, clean.

Unable to support its own weight, the golem pitches forward.

(Magnificent.)

I applaud in my heart.

Aikawa smashes the fallen golem's other leg too, then comes back.

"With 【Partial Beast Transformation】, I can do it solo."

"Alright! Then I'm next! Haruki—line up the next one!"

Oh? Soushi's doing one solo too?

But FIRST, please finish off that downed golem......