Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 63
Atten-HUT!
And so! I finally regrouped with Shizuka and the others. We headed for A-Block in what I hoped would be a friendly, harmonious atmosphere.
That's right, slimes! Well... they are slimes, but I have something I want to test out if I get the chance.
Now that my "party" has gone from just me and Kazura-san to a full six people, this whole 'party formation' thing is even more important.
"Alright everyone, we will now... pray to the... Black Rock."
"What kind of ritual is this, exactly?"
(Oh crap, this sounds like a cult.)
Look, Atena, I know I sound like a lunatic. But how else am I supposed to get them to touch the portal without explaining anything? The weirdest part is Akiyoshi. I expected her to bite my head off, but she just touched it without a word. That's creepy.
[A party has been formed with Kashiwagi Yuugiri as leader. Member count has reached six. No more members can be added.]
As expected, the system message changes based on the number of people. Anyway, since they're all "rookie Explorers" and probably nervous about their first real hunt, I decided to make them participate in that one thing I've always wanted to try.
"Ahem, I am your Senior Drill Instructor, Sergeant Yuugiri!!"
"Huh? What's gotten into you?"
"Do not speak unless spoken to!"
"Eek!? S-Sorry..."
"You will say 'Sir' at the beginning and end of every sentence! Do you understand me, you maggots?!"
(He's suddenly a drill sergeant?!)
"U-Um, Yuugiri-kun? I... don't personally mind being verbally abused, in fact I rather welcome it, but..."
"Huh? It's not abuse, it's... Sergeant Hartman. Wait. You guys don't know Sergeant Hartman?"
"Sergeant Hartman? Is he an American or British soldier? I'm afraid I have no knowledge in that area."
Kazura-san was desperately trying not to laugh, with a look on her face that just screamed, "He just started spouting nonsense and completely bombed." Atena, just looking confused and flustered. Shizuka-san, breathing a little heavily. Tiara-chan, looking like that "space cat" meme. Akiyoshi, just... mentally undressing Tiara-chan.
"...Alright, dismissed!!"
"We haven't even done anything yet!"
The lesson here: Don't try things you're not used to. "Um, can I go run outside for a minute?"
"WHY?!"
"Huh. So Yuu kills Mochi with precision, and Kazura-san just obliterates them."
(Tiara's thought: Hitting it with an ax, fine. Making it vanish with an ax? I don't get it.)
"I see. So that's why Yuugiri-kun didn't rent a shield. I wonder if I could fight like that, too?"
"Hmph, don't think you can win Tiara just by killing a single Mochi!"
Anyway, I convinced myself that nothing happened, and the party's Mochi hunt began. And by "party," I don't mean all six of us are ganging up on them. We're taking turns.
I can't shake the feeling one of them is a total idiot, but the rest of the members all have higher stats than me. They handled the Mochi one by one, sticking to the fundamentals: "Block with the shield, crush with the mace."
...Yeah, at this rate, even if a "slightly stronger Mochi" shows up, they'll be fine. Which means it's time to move on to today's other objective. I checked to make sure no one else was hunting nearby. Not that I needed to; I barely saw anyone when it was just me and Kazura-san.
"I am your Senior Drill Instructor, Sergeant Yuugiri!!"
"You're doing it again?!"
"What are you talking about, Atena? This is the first time I've ever done this."
"You're pretending it never happened?!"
Anyway, everyone sat down for a break. While they were distracted, I touched the portal. Yes, the other thing I wanted to test today was Portal Warping. Specifically, warping to a location with a stronger subspecies of monster.
Let's see, how does this work? Ah, here: "A-Block Floor 2," "A-Block Floor 3." ...Warping the party to Floor 2 costs 200 Magic Stones (return trip is free). Two hundred?! That's almost an entire day's haul!
"Hey everyone, come over and touch the Black Rock. And do not let go until I say so. I'm... pretty sure it won't happen, but you might get lost in the void between dimensions forever."
(That's terrifying.)
"What exactly are you trying to make us do!?"
"If it's just the two of us, that wouldn't be so bad."
"I was kidding! Mostly!"
"You... some jokes are not funny."
"Sorry, sorry. It looks like we'll be fine as long as we stay inside this red line. So just... don't step outside the line for a second, okay?"
"What happens if we step out?"
"You just get left behind. No big deal."
"Where are you even taking us?"
I activated the intra-area transfer with the chant "Da Shimeliesu." For a moment, the scenery around us flickered. Not that it made much difference—we were still in a cave.
(Atena, whispering: Um, Kazura-san? I... I'm still not okay with the 'party formation' thing, but I'm dealing. But... are we not allowed to ask about this supernatural event, either?)
(Kazura, whispering back: R-Right. For a true Explorer, this is... this is... AS IF! What the hell was that?!)
Atena and Kazura-san were freaking out, but the other members didn't seem to notice, so I just continued.
"Alright, Akiyoshi, you're up. You're going to have a life-or-death battle with a slightly stronger Mochi."
"WHY JUST ME?!"
"Because I don't want to make the other girls do something so violent."
"If you're going to single me out, at least single me out for something good!"
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