We head to the second orc settlement. Goblins come at us along the way, but Ayane’s preemptive attacks destroy half of them, and the rest fall to Aki and Maki.
It’s not my first time seeing them fight, but it’s reassuring to see how strong they are.
‘Gogo!’
“Yes, I see it.”
“I see twenty-five in that settlement. It will not be enough even if we find more along the way, so I will attract others from around the settlement.”
“Please do.”
Aira moves out, and brings about thirty orcs with her. Of course, Enki takes them out while I support from the back with the bow. I’ve decided to take down the rare monster as soon as it appears, so using the bow is basically a warm up.
I don’t want to deal with that smell again.
‘Gogo!’
Enki gives a thumbs up after all the orcs have been kicked around, just as the smoke rises.
“Good job, Enki. Step back a little.”
‘Gogo~.’
“Purple Lightning Arrow.”
The rare monster spawns one minute after the smoke emerges. This time gap is the same in every dungeon. Maybe I’ve prepared Purple Lightning Arrow too early.
I keep holding the bow, and it’s kind of tough because it feels like if I don’t hold it tightly, the arrow will fly right away. I’m harnessing the power of lightning in my body, so I guess I’m lucky that’s all there is to it.
As everyone watches, the smoke slowly moves to the settlement, and swells in the middle.
And then a High Orc…
Whoosh.
Is blown away.
【Level up】
【Leveled up from twenty-four to fifty-one】
The High Orc is swallowed back into the smoke before it shows its whole body.
“An extremely swift attack before it could even let out its first cry. That’s our darling!”
“This spawn attack… Is only available to adventurers with super strong techniques.”
“Some high rank adventurers can deal fatal damage to rare monsters by attacking from a blind angle. But no matter the monster, it is at its most defenseless when it emerges from the smoke. Only master could have done this.”
“Yes. Spawn it on purpose, and grasp the moment and place where it spawns.”
Says Maki.
‘Gogo!’
I’m happy that everyone’s praising me, but this was practice for the real deal.
I know it takes about a minute for a rare I to spawn, but from there, it depends on the individual. It could take five minutes or maybe ten minutes.
I timed the last rare II, but still…
“Maki, how long was it last time?”
“Nine minutes. And it’s been three.”
“Okay. Tell me when it hits seven.”
“Yes.”
It feels like all the monsters so far have a certain time it takes to spawn, but since I don’t have an exact time, I have to make sure I have plenty of time.
I heard there could be a one minute measurement error, but I don’t know for sure if it’s false.
There’s still too little information about rare II.
But the biggest issue is that Orc Kings have four digit Constitution. A regular Purple Lightning Arrow might not do it. It has to be Thunder Arrow…
Thunder Arrow is a powerful attack used with many boost skills like Power Charge, so I need to keep them all on while I use it. And that means it’s harder to maintain than Purple Lightning Arrow. Much harder.
But when I think about whether I want that or to feel that Stench again, the answer is clear.
“Shouta, ten seconds to seven minutes.”
“Got it… Thunder Arrow.”
Crack crack crack!
Bright thunder fills the arrow.
I aim straight forward at the center of the swelling smoke, and wait impatiently for it to come.
“…”
It’s quiet.
I can hear the wind, the sound of the electromagnetic waves, the girls’ nervous breathing, and my heartbeat. And Maki tells me the time here and there.
I had a lot of worries on my mind before I readied the arrow, but now that I’m doing it, I feel very serene. Is this calm and focus because of Self-Control?
“…Nine minutes.”
The moment Maki says that, the smoke swells, and the large body that emerges…
Whoosh!!
Is erased.
【Level up】
【Leveled up from fifty-one to ninety】
“…Ahh…”
Looks like it worked.
The Orc King’s body turns to smoke and dissipates instantly. If they dissipate both when they’re alone or in a pair, I guess this really is the end of the orc rare line.
“Master.”
I relax and take a deep breath, and Aira shows me a piece of meat after collecting all the drops.
“Please look at this shine. And the smell…”
“Lemme see…”
There’s no hint of smell on the white spots that look like frost. I get a closer sniff, and the sweet smell I sense thrills my stomach. This is dangerous in a different way.
I’m drooling a bit.
“We just had lunch, but I feel myself getting hungry again.”
“Me too. This meat is tasty for sure!”
“Salt and pepper might be enough. Ah, but considering the sweet smell, it might go well with those herbs…”
“I can’t wait for dinner!”
“Yes. I am also looking forward to tonight.”
I feel like Aira has a different meaning in mind.
…And her smile leaves no room for doubt.
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