“Master, I will continue to pick up dropped items, so please focus on hunting.”
“Really… Then please do.”
“Aira is excellent!”
Ayane says while jumping at Aira, who carefully catches her and shows no sign of letting go.
“…?”
“Darling, if you want to be held by Aira, we can switch places.”
“No, that’s not it. Are you going to move around like that?”
“Of course. I’m slow compared to the two of you. I can’t keep up with your full speed.”
“I know that, but still…”
“Don’t worry master, I can still work like this.”
Come to think of it, she was also holding her when they first appeared…
Then Aira followed me around while carrying her master, and picked up items? While hiding herself? Just how good is this maid…
“Then I’ll start hunting again.”
“Very well.”
“Good luck darling!”
I’m not too fired up, but let’s do it.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
“And… It’s over!”
A hundred. To be more precise, since I stopped before, I hunted fifty-four now.
And then, smoke comes out of the dead goblin, and moves like it has a mind of its own. Ah, it really makes me feel at ease when it comes out… But come to think of it…
“Can you two see this?”
“See what?”
“Is this that spawning phenomenon?”
“This is…?? No, I don’t really understand!”
“I apologize, but I cannot see it clearly either.”
“I see.”
I guess level and base stats have nothing to do with it. People with ten or less Luck practically can’t see it.
I don’t say anything, and follow it until it reaches a corner of the map like always.
The smoke keeps swelling, and turning into the shape of a monster.
“D-darling, did I disappoint you?”
“Eh? Why do you ask?”
“I can’t see the phenomenon you spoke about…”
“No no, I wouldn’t be upset over something like that.”
A Hobgoblin appears from the smoke, and yells loudly.
“Guooo!”
“Shut up.”
I’m used to when it appears, so I take it down even faster than last time.
Yes, my stats have gotten to a point where I can take it down in one hit without skills.
【Level up】
【Leveled up from eight to seventeen】
Hunting about a hundred fifty goblins brought me up from level six to eight, and now I’ve gained nine more.
I’m happy with the result, as I see the smoke gushing out, and start a timer.
“That was new. Good job darling.”
“Wonderful skills.”
Both say while clapping. This kind of itches.
But unlike when Aki and Maki cheer me on, I don’t feel excited. I feel murky even.
I keep looking at the smoke without saying anything, and they do the same.
And after close to seven minutes pass, the smoke suddenly starts welling up.
“!?”
I take some distance and ready my weapons.
“Darling?”
“The next one’s coming. Stand back.”
“Eh?”
“Excuse me my lady.”
Aira holds Ayane and jumps back. What was that? I didn’t even see her start to move!
My Physical Strengthening is higher, but I feel like the difference her four digit stats and her talent makes is plain to see. She’s far above me.
I don’t want to lose.
“…”
“Gugya?”
Something slowly emerges from the smoke.
Physically, it looks like a halfway point between a goblin and a Hobgoblin. But it’s neither.
First, its equipment. It has a longsword, and its body is covered with iron plate armor, with basically no gaps.
It looks like a knight from the middle ages, but its slumped posture is that of a goblin,
Plus, that pressure coming from it is like a Golden Worm’s, or higher.
It’s looking this way with sharp eyes from behind a helmet, like it’s closely examining me.
“Appraisal.”
＊＊＊＊＊
Agility：180
Intelligence：100
Luck：None
Equipment: Magic iron longsword, magic iron full armor
Skills: Super Strength II, Command
Drops: Random magic iron equipment
Magic stone: Large
＊＊＊＊＊
“It’s too strong all of a sudden!”
It looks like it’s wearing full iron armor, but Appraisal tells me it’s called magic iron. It does have a luster that regular iron doesn’t.
…It looks hard.
“Gegege! Gegegege!!”
The General Goblin takes its eyes from me, and laughs loudly like it found something.
Its eyes are pointed behind me, where Ayane and Aira are… No, it’s clearly looking at Ayane with repulsive eyes.
The way it’s not looking at me when I’m facing it gives me an unpleasant feeling I can’t put into words.
“Ah? Hey, you…”
“Gegeh!”
I was just thinking it, but it really does ignore me and run towards Ayane. It takes me by surprise, and I’m late to react.
I turn around to chase it and activate skills.
“Super Strength II, Swift II! Hold it!”
I turn my body while accelerating, and throw my Ghost and Echo sideways.
Clink!
“Gugyah!?”
“Tch, it really is hard.”
The General Goblin can’t dodge the surprise attack, and instead jumps and rolls.
Normally that would be enough to damage armor, but the magic iron is tougher than I thought. I was trying to bisect it.
This thing probably saw that Ayane is the weakest, and went to attack her first. Is it in its nature? I don’t know, but it makes me very angry.
I close the distance between us quickly before it gets up.
“Adamantine Strength II.”
Bam!
“Gehih.”
I smack it with both weapons with full force.
Clink! Clank!
“Gugeh!? Gugyah!?”
I can’t slash it? So what?
It was after someone weak. I don’t know what it might do next, so I can’t let it get up. I’m finishing it here.
I don’t give it a chance to attack back, and keep hitting it.
Again and again and again and again…
“Gugeh, guh…”
Even if it’s wearing equipment with good defensive power, my Physical Strength that was boosted with skills means the impact of my attacks goes through the armor. The more I hit, the more strength leaves its body.
And when it starts barely resisting, I take off its helmet and plunge my Ghost into its head.
Smoke escapes its body, and then it quickly turns completely into smoke and dissipates.
【Level up】
【Leveled up from eighteen to forty-one】
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