I dunno if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, though... I can’t really get mad at Shiro and Kuro if this is how I am. I’m so soft. Or is this a case of that trope where a delinquent saves an abandoned dog on a rainy day? Since I had the worst first impression of him, seeing that he’s actually a caring guy is making me think he’s a better person than he is. Still, I gotta draw the line somewhere. Once we clear this area, we should part ways. If we end up in a boss fight together, I can’t afford to hide my powers.
“Watch out!” the delinquent yelled.
“Myah!”
“Bastaaard.”
My thoughts were interrupted by the delinquent’s and the girls’ cries. He’d thrown himself in front of Shiro, blocking a super long-range attack targeted at her. Blood spewed from his shoulder—not good.
The attacker had already been slain by Kuro’s counterattack. Judging by what she’d used, the attacker had been a golem.
“Are you all right?” Shiro asked.
“It looks baaad.”
“This is nothing! Machina, patch me up!”
“H-Hold still...”
It was just like how a villain in a movie suddenly looks like a good guy when they do something decent. The delinquent grinned, and I thought he even looked kind of cool.
Machina worked her detox and healing, and the wound closed quickly. But now we had to be more careful than ever. The duo’s intuition hadn’t caught that attack, and it could’ve been an insta-kill if it had hit one of us in the head.
“Should we just buckle up and run through?”
“Th-That’s too dangerous.”
“Um...” I interrupted. “Can you use something like barrier magic?”
“Is that a thing?”
“I-I’ve never heard of something like that either...”
It turned out Godlord and Machina couldn’t use barrier magic. Well, I guess I have no choice. I still have my doubts about them, but it’s not like I want them to die.
“I can use barrier magic, so let’s defend with that.”
“The hell?! You’re only tellin’ us now?!”
“Sorry. It’s kind of draining.”
“Whatever. If we use it, we can make a run for it, right? Leave the traps to me.”
And so, we decided to run. Shiro and Kuro were fast, obviously, but Godlord and Machina were pretty fast too. I’m using body enhancement, and I’m probably the slowest. Well, I have shorter strides, so no surprise there, but I didn’t think Machina could run this fast.
“Eye patch girl! Trap ahead! Detour!”
“All right!”
“Bandage girl, that beast’s yours!”
“Arf.”
Godlord, Shiro, and Kuro showed perfect teamwork, clearing traps and beasts one after another. They were getting along way too well.
Two hours later...
“Fi...nally...” I gasped, struggling to catch my breath.
“You’re pretty tough, kiddo! You kept up without a break!”
I chuckled wearily. “Somehow...”
We’d arrived—with me being the only one who was exhausted—at a stage marked with a massive magic circle that seemed like it was for teleportation. It didn’t have a number, so it was probably only connected to one place.
“Thor, are you all right?” said Shiro.
“Here, waaater.”
“Th-Thanks...” I might puke up everything in my stomach.
About halfway, Godlord had even offered to carry me, but I’d refused. It wasn’t out of pride; if his movement had slowed down, our combat power would’ve dropped too.
I drank the water, trying to steady my breathing—but the dungeon wasn’t so easy that it was going to let me rest any longer.
“Something’s coming!” said Godlord.
“A golem?” said Shiro.
“A greeeen golem.”
As if to guard the teleportation circle, a green golem about three meters tall crawled out from beneath the sand. Its body looked like tightly packed green sand, but it didn’t seem fragile—actually, it looked pretty hard. It wasn’t a grunt but wasn’t strong enough to be a boss either. It must’ve been the guardian of the teleportation circle.
“Get a load of my cheat!” screamed Godlord.
The golem rumbled as Godlord attacked, his fist wrapped in an orange aura. The golem swung its massive arm to block, but Godlord dodged it by a hair, slipping right under the golem’s arm, which was the size of a utility pole. His movements looked practiced. They didn’t resemble any martial arts, but he must’ve had plenty of experience street fighting.
He closed in, slamming his fist into the golem’s stomach. A dull crack echoed, fissures spreading across its body. But with a booming roar, the golem kept moving.
“Ugh! Damn bastard! Take this!”
Godlord barely dodged the golem’s chopping right hand, then threw another heavy punch. This time, it was clear that it dealt no damage. The golem roared, and Godlord yelped as a kick sent him flying and tumbling across the ground. It hadn’t caused a huge amount of damage, but his frustration showed on his face. His second blow had done almost nothing. Now that First Punch’s effects were gone, his attacks weren’t doing anything. Bare fists against a golem definitely isn’t a good matchup.
Machina attacked with Water Sorcery, but that didn’t do much either. She must’ve been better at poison. Or maybe there was some kind of proficiency system at play.
“Leave it to Shiro!”
“And Kurooo.”
Shiro and Kuro stepped up, eager to prove themselves in front of the duo. They focused their mana and unleashed intermediate spells at the golem’s legs. Wind Spear and Dark Spear destroyed both the golem’s legs.
Godlord’s eyes widened in shock. It was understandable, since the girls hadn’t unleashed such power before. Their strength must’ve been beyond what he’d expected. But he quickly started moving again, hammering the fallen golem. He struck its head over and over until it finally shattered.
Well, a toppled, immobile golem is basically just a target.
“Hell yeah! Victory’s mine!”
No, it’s ours! I attacked its hands with water magic to keep it from getting back up too!
“Eye patch girl! Bandage girl! Not too shabby!”
“Mya ha ha! Shiro’s amazing!”
“Wuffu. Kuro did iiit.”
“All right! Before we teleport, let’s check the area! Kiddo, you must be tired, so you sit tight.”
As selfish as he was, he’d been pretty considerate ever since we’d entered this area. I should thank him for that. I’m not tired, though, so I’m gonna explore with everyone.
We spent about ten minutes checking around the teleportation circle but didn’t find anything worth noting.
“No traps or beasts,” said Godlord. “No hidden stairs either. Looks like this big teleportation circle’s the right way.”
“I think so too,” said Machina.
“So go here?” asked Shiro.
“Is there gonna be a boss theeere?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll protect you, so you got nothing to worry about!”
Before I realized it, we were naturally moving forward with the black-haired duo toward the teleportation circle. I’d been hoping to come across a transportation circle for returning and use that as an excuse to leave, but we’d reached the end of the area.
If there really were a boss fight ahead, I’d have to fight too, even if it meant exposing my power. Honestly, I don’t think of Godlord as an enemy anymore. He’s rowdy, foolish, and boastful, but he’s not a bad guy. Same with Machina. She’s just getting dragged along for the ride. She doesn’t seem malicious.
“Kiddo, you all right now?”
“Yes.”
Godlord grinned wide. I could tell he saw me as a comrade. I hadn’t completely opened my heart up to him yet, but maybe I could show a little more of my strength.
“Then let’s go!”
At the very least, I don’t want to see these two die.