ch441-ch460 · 448-ch448
Chapter 448: The Defective Box
"Four really IS cramped."
Aikawa grumbles.
We've come to Floor 46 and just slipped inside the invincible box.
We traveled over by 【Gate】 from the new place, but Mia-san refused to budge from her shop.
She's wary of us, you see.
Bringing Mia-san along is strictly for AFTER its safety is confirmed—please don't misunderstand that part.
"Then we advance to around 300 meters short of the fortress."
"Understood. Aikawa-san, please."
Same as last time: advance to just within bow range, then the Flirting Strategy. And this time, the plan is to switch to the fighting-withdrawal strategy the moment the skeletons come out of the gate.
"Ah, it's light, it's light. At this rate we could put some real speed on even going backward."
That's because I'm not applying any enhancement right now.
This run is also a test of the bare invincible box's durability, so I won't activate enhancement until the skeletons make contact.
We want to see how much defense it offers against arrows.
And anyway, she says "going backward," but you'd be facing that way and moving when you retreat, so the exit speed is the same, isn't it?
"Arrows, incoming. 【Gate】! Yes! Soushi, hurry—【Gate】!"
I spotted the skeletons posted on the fortress letting arrows fly, so first I block them with the 'Right Eye Gate.'
Then, while moving that 'Right Eye Gate' onto the fortress's castle gate, I summon the 'Left Eye Gate' inside the invincible box.
That's so Soushi can set his trap in front of the gate.
The further Soushi gets, the weaker his 【Charm・Manipulation】 becomes.
The range where he can freely steer even a thousand-yen-bill-sized charm is about 20 meters.
The charm being set this time is a 3-meter one sized to the gate, so its steerable range is even shorter—flying it 300 meters to the castle gate is impossible.
Activating it seems fine at any distance within the same floor, so once it's set, he can trigger it whenever.
The same goes for my 【Armor Manipulation】—the range where it works at full strength isn't even 10 meters.
Well, if I release 'Charge・Armor's' MP, then straight-line propulsion alone keeps going for the MP charged into it......
"Good to go!"
Soushi pulls his upper body back out of the 'Left Eye Gate' and signals the setup is complete.
Will it be in time?
"【Gate】! Yes! Next attack, we take it on the invincible box. Please brace for shock, just in case."
The incoming arrows were blocked by the 'Right Eye Gate' again.
It IS 300 meters, after all.
Arrows that just fly straight can be dealt with.
But since this is a durability test too, from here on I won't block them.
"Understood!"
Kasumi-san answers crisply.
I said "brace for shock," but even I didn't know what that concretely meant.
Kasumi-san's choice: the haunted-house couple style.
Clutching tight against my arm so neither of us can move—that one.
Well, from how the 'Gate' blocking looked earlier, the invincible box's armor probably won't be pierced, so it's fine......
"Soushi, the gate's opening! Don't miss the timing!"
Just as Aikawa warned, this DOES trip the flirting judgment.
The instant the arrows land and the front armor rings with a dull sound, the castle gate's doors swing open too.
"Steady, steady, don't rush. Draw them in, draw them in...... 'Activate!'"
The moment the gate is fully open, Soushi fires his fujutsu.
A giant water ball, gushing up from the charm laid on the ground, rockets sideways at high speed.
The skeletons braced to burst out of the gate are swallowed and shoved back.
Skeletons are light with loose joints—they're weak against strikes with real mass behind them.
That one must have downed quite a few.
The only flaw is that the EXP goes to Soushi alone, though.
"Wasn't that a bit TOO strong? Maybe half the power and fire it twice?"
Aikawa's right, there.
That last water ball was bigger than the gate itself.
That fujutsu used about half his MP, but even the other half alone would carry plenty of power.
The skeletons that got blown away and thinned out in numbers still look numerous......
"Eek. Ah—pardon me. The window's cracked."
Kasumi-san, clinging to my arm, lets out a cute yelp.
It's not just the skeletons in front of the gate—there are a lot of them.
The bow-wielding skeletons on the fortress walls have gathered on OUR side too, and are loosing volleys all at once.
One of those shots hit the window dead-on.
The armored sections can take arrow attacks, but the window is hopeless even in reinforced glass, apparently.
From here on they might target the window with pinpoint precision—so 'Shield Enhancement' really will be mandatory.
"【Gate】! Skeletons coming out. Let's fall back. 【Gate】!"
Using the 'Right Eye Gate' to send the skeletons coming out of the castle gate skyward, the invincible box pulls back.
"We'd like windows on this side too. An Ogre skeleton might come from behind."
On the 40s floors, adventurer skeletons come out INSIDE the fortress and monster skeletons roam OUTSIDE—and this floor's outside monster is the Forest Ogre skeleton.
"I have 【Presence Detection】 and 【Scouting】 for that—not visible, but seen—so it's fine. For any Ogre skeleton coming from behind, Soushi's fujutsu will breathe fire."
Well, what actually comes out is 【Water Magic】.
"No, hold on. If I can't see either, I can't do a thing, you know? The only enemies I can hit with pinpoint 【Charm・Manipulation】 are ones in front of a window."
"Huh? W-well, we just fall back out of bow range and then sally out, so......"
Oh dear.
The invincible box is riddled with defects, isn't it......
Today there's MP to spare, so if I go Hyper Mode, even this floor's skeletons should be manageable.
"Why not just make the whole thing glass and tough it out with enhancement?"
Aikawa says something utterly merciless.
At that point it's not a shield, so rejected.
"Right, right—money's no object now, so isn't it fine to just use it as a throwaway every time? Even if we head home partway through, the efficiency's way better than before, right?"
You two understand nothing.
The whole POINT is that this box is invincible, you know?
A throwaway isn't very invincible, so NO!
Besides, Mia-san would never allow throwaways. Mia-san, of all people!