Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 65

 Ao-Po

A few hours passed between then and lunch. With the party size increasing from two to six, our hunting efficiency tripled! ...Is what I'd like to say, but that's not what happened.

"Dying..."

"This is worse than our first day in the dungeon..."

All four of them—everyone except me and Kazura-san—were completely wiped out.

"You were all talk earlier, saying stuff like 'I won't lose to... mana sickness!' And now you're all 'defeated by pleasure' in less than an hour? What's the deal?"

"I... I didn't say... ugh, sorry, just talking makes me want to puke..."

"O-Oh."

"Ugh... my body is so weak... To stand by his side, I need to be strong like Takatsukasa-san! I need an unshakable, thick skin...!"

"Akashi-chan seems relatively fine, huh?"

(Uuugh... the muscle-training hell is back... just not squats... please, anything but squats...)

"This is... just sniffing Tiara's scent isn't going to fix this... No, wait, if I bury my face directly in her crotch, there might be a chance..." Apparently, Akiyoshi's perversion level increases when she's cornered.

"Is this a side effect of changing floors?"

"Hmm, I wonder? It doesn't look any different, but this isn't the first floor, right? I've never heard of anyone who just got over mana sickness immediately going down a level. I can't say for sure, but I don't think the floor is the issue. They didn't get sick right after we warped, it took a while."

"That's true. But you and I are completely fine. It has to be something mana-related."

"Big Brother, can't your 'Combat Power Viewer' tell you what their symptoms are?"

"Appraisal can't diagnose illnesses or status effects—" I stopped myself. I just remembered that back in the other world, the church would use Appraisal to identify the ailment before using healing magic.

"...I'll give it a try."

I casually reached for Atena's chest—

"Your 'thing' doesn't require touching, does it?"

"...Guess not." I was just fishing for the retort. I wasn't really going to grope her. Anyway, I tried Appraising them.

"...It says, 'Physical distress due to rapid leveling'."

"That's a symptom I've never heard of. This 'Level' is another 'Combat Power' thing, right?"

"Pretty much." ...Seriously, what a bunch of cheaters. On my first day, I only got to Level 1. It took me three whole days to hit Level 2! But these guys hit Level 3 in... what, less than an hour since we got here? That's so unfair.

---

The party (minus Akiyoshi) insisted they'd be fine after a short rest, but they still gain experience even when I kill the slimes. I couldn't push them any further, so we all left the dungeon.

Leaving four people to pass out in the food court would be a problem, not to mention the massive public disturbance it would cause if they started... reacting... like a bunch of drunks. So, I asked Kazura-san to arrange a room.

"Big Brother, a boy, alone in a room with this many women... even if they're too weak to move, they're still Explorers. Don't you think that's a little reckless?"

"It's fine. One of them's a pervert, but a pervert who has zero interest in me... Wait, Shizuka-san, why are you breathing so heavily?" ...Apparently, there were two perverts.

"And when I asked for a room, I meant one of those meeting rooms, not a luxury suite! I only carry 20,000 yen on me... how am I supposed to pay for this? Worst case, I'll have to beg the manager... Rokujou-san... just like at the karaoke place."

"I am a Gold-Class Explorer. I have to keep up appearances. And I'm a Takatsukasa. Besides, Big Brother, you need to stop resting in the food court and start using proper rooms like this." That sounds like a pain.

We ordered room service, and once their symptoms settled down, I checked the results of our "Blue Slime" hunt. "We only killed about 200, so I doubt we got much—" ...Or not. My level had only gone up to 3, just like everyone else, but...

"So, Blue Sli... Mochi... drop 'Ao-Po'?"

"Don't ask me 'right?'. If Kazura doesn't know about it, it's an undiscovered monster in Japan. What is an 'Ao-Po'?"

"Ao-Po... a 'Blue Potion.' Its performance is kinda 'meh'...'Cures status ailments'."

"How wide a range of 'status ailments' are we talking about?" Kazura-san leaned in, her eyes sharp. No, really, it's not that great.

"Its official name is 'Lesser Panacea.' For a grand name like 'Panacea,' its effects are pretty underwhelming." It cures "Poison, Paralysis, and Petrification," but as a "Lesser" version, it's way weaker than dedicated potions. It can also cure "mild illnesses"... what does that even mean? That's too vague.

"Ah, maybe if they drink this, it'll cure their 'level-up sickness'?"

"Don't waste a priceless item on something that will go away on its own! What is that?! That's not 'meh,' that's an incredible discovery!" ...Is it, though? I mean, it only cures "mild" illnesses. It's probably only good for headaches or stomach aches. You wouldn't use this on something a single painkiller could fix, right?

"Big Brother... that potion... can you get more of them, like the lotion and the scrolls?"

"No way. Of course not. I only found this one... I mean, five... of them. I can't just 'get' more."

"Big Brother, I can't tell if you're seriously trying to hide things or just teasing. It would be helpful if you'd be a little more consistent."

"It's more like... 'I'm not serious about hiding it, but I don't want the hassle.' I just want to live a quiet life, be doted on by cute girls like Shizuka-san, Atena, Shouko-san, and Kikuko-san... and maybe feel super-strong every once in a while."

"That sounds incredibly shallow, but given your usual attitude, I don't know how much of that to believe. Also, why wasn't Kazura's name on that list? And who is this 'Kikuko'...? Wait, wasn't that the name of your doctor when you were hospitalized after the accident?"

"How do you even know the name of a doctor you've never met?"

"Speaking of which... was that really an accident? What if someone who knew about your power tried to kidnap... or assassinate you? We should probably investigate the background details, just in case." No, I'm pretty sure (this world's) me didn't have these powers back then. It was just a car accident.

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