Rare monster defeated: dragonplant!
Yuri, all summoned monsters, and Korin gained experience!
Korin...? Oh, that must be the tiny girl in the traditional getup. If she’d dealt a little damage before I showed up, then I guess she gets some credit for the battle.
I looked over my shoulder and saw her trembling at the sight of the vanishing dragonplant.
“Whaaaa...? Uh?! No way! You just took down a high-level monster with the Beginner’s Bow?! And what even was that just now?! Since when did archers have an art that makes their arrows crackle and glow black and shoot out like lasers?!”
“I’m a summoner, actually, not an archer.”
“A s-summoner?! You mean the class that everyone avoids because catching monsters is a pain in the butt and summoning them takes up party slots so you’re better off just picking something else and then teaming with other players?!” Korin was panting with excitement and talking at incredible speed. I got the impression she already knew a lot about the game.
“Korin, were you a beta tester...? This might sound like a weird question, but did you ever put anything up on the online guide that was meant to trick newbies?”
“Huh? Yes, I was a beta tester, but I don’t recall doing anything like that...”
“It wasn’t you, then! Sorry for asking out of the blue. If you can figure out who it was, tell me so I can kill them.”
“You’ll kill them?! What’d they do to make you so mad?!” Korin’s ears twitched.
Oh, wow! Those ears aren’t just accessories! They’re part of her!
“I don’t mean to be rude, Korin, but could I touch your ears just for—”
“Of course you can’t!” Korin cowered with her hands covering her head. “They’re way more sensitive than real-life ears!”
Bah. I knew she’d say no.
“I’ve got a whole bunch of questions for you, Yuri, but first I’d better say thank you. I almost died just now.”
I crouched a little with my hands on my knees to get on her eye level. “No worries. But what are you doing out here alone? Where’s your party?”
Her big eyes lit up. “Heh heh heh! Need you ask? I’m trying to solo clear this dungeon! As I’m sure you’ve heard, there’s a player named Yuri who got a fastest dungeon clear while playing solo yesterday! Well, as a beta tester, I figured I’d be next to— Hold on a second! D-D-D-D-D-Don’t tell me you’re that Yuri?!”
“The one and only.”
“Whaaaaaa?! You’re telling me you’re solo clearing while playing as a summoner with a bow and zero strength?!”
“Yup! Actually, all my stats besides luck are at zero!”
“You mean you’ve got a pure luck build?! Y-You’re telling me the build I’m racing to keep up with is total nonsense? Whaaaaa?!”
Then it was as if something inside Korin suddenly snapped. She turned deathly pale and stopped moving.
Hey! Don’t die on me.
✦ ✦ ✦
⬧⬨⬧
After running into Korin, the traditional-clothes-wearing ex-beta-tester catgirl, we fought alongside each other as we made our way toward the dungeon boss. Although she’d get really loud whenever she got excited, it was pretty cool how she switched to calm and focused mode (complete with dead eyes) to take on enemies.
Tanto in hand, she just sliced her way through dozens of approaching giant caterpillars. As bugs lunged at her, she moved with incredible speed—too fast to follow with the naked eye—and didn’t get bitten even once.
“Heh heh. How’d you like that, Yuri? Here’s what happens when you combine a small body with a speed-focused build! Since I don’t get hit often, I don’t need many healing potions and I get to keep most of my money, which makes it a really efficient play style! I get around fast too!”
“Sounds like you’re a real rational thinker, Korin. By the way, there’s one still alive behind you.”
“Huh? Arrghhh?!”
A caterpillar made a dying effort to bite Korin in her moment of unguarded smugness, but I threw down my bow and drop-kicked it before it got the chance. With a final cry of “Gwepeee!” the caterpillar met its end.
“There’s lots of enemies in this place. Keep your wits about you, okay?”
“Th-Thank you! Ugh... I thought I’d killed it, but I guess that’s the downside of putting points into agility instead of strength. But wait, how are you pulling it off, Yuri?! I know I’m not supposed to ask, but what’s your trick for dealing damage with zero strength?! And why’d you drop-kick it instead of using your bow?! And why’d it look so natural?!”
“If a monster’s right next to you, it’s quicker to kick than draw a bow, right? And I make it look natural ’cause getting into fights with thugs is a regular thing for me.”
“Uhh... Then why choose a bow...?” Korin muttered to herself as she followed me deeper into the forest.
Some time later, we found what we were looking for.
“Aha. Here it is. The boss’s lair.”
Among the roots of a massive tree was a similarly massive door. I had no doubt we’d find the boss inside. Much as I hate to invade your home, I gotta do what I gotta do to be a top player.
“Um, I’m sorry, Yuri! I know this is awfully rude of me, but would you mind if I try it first?! I really wanna be first to clear a dungeon so my name gets announced to every player like yours did!”
“Ah, it sure feels good when that happens. All right! Go give it a shot!”
“I will! Thank you! I’ll send you a DM when the battle’s over! You don’t mind if I add you as a friend, do you?”
“No problem!” I replied. “You can be my newest brother-in-arms!”
“Sure! We’re brothers-in-arms!”
After we’d traded friend requests via our menu windows, Korin headed into the boss room with a smile on her face.
While Korin was off fighting, I used the time to look over my items and my latest monster allies.
It’s nice to get a few rare items like these Fine Murderous Caterpillar Filaments, but what does the game expect me to do with hundreds of tamed jumbo worms when I can only summon twelve monsters at once? Can I sell these things somewhere? I’d better keep my eyes open for a bug collector...
My thoughts were interrupted by a beeping sound.