When I had roughly finished organizing my thoughts, suddenly, an announcement came blaring in.
――――――――――
Race level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.
――――――――――
“…Huh? Level up?”
.
I hadn’t been fighting until now, so why did my level increase? The only recent battle I could recall was when I fled from the flock of harpies…
“Level up? Why…?”
“Hey, guys. Come to think of it, I can’t hear the annoying chirping of those birds anymore.”
“Indeed, that’s strange. With their numbers, even if they went back to their nests, you’d think they’d still be noisy.”
We stared at No. 18 in silence. We wanted to know what was usual for her.
“…It is indeed strange. Harpies are smarter monsters than regular birds, and they’re known to communicate among their flock using their unique language. So, even if there were no trouble, we should always hear their chirping. But… it’s the first time it’s been this quiet since they claimed this area as their territory.”
No. 18, who sensed our intention, responded with a perplexed expression. It seemed that the silence of the harpies was an unusual situation.
“Shouldn’t we go check…?”
“In that case, I’ll go have a look!”
Ruby said this and swiftly, yet silently, headed outside. Oooh, seeing her move like that reaffirmed my belief that she was indeed an assassin type.
She returned in about a minute, running with her round body shape wobbling. Was she… in a hurry?
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Um… it’s just that… I can’t really put it into words… so, I’ll send you a screenshot for now…”
Ruby, who was usually lively and energetic, was now speaking hesitantly. She seemed to have seen something difficult to describe. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, let’s see what she had.
“What is this…?”
“What on earth is that?”
As we opened the screenshot sent by Ruby, we couldn’t help but feel bewildered. What was displayed was something like a black tree growing from the ground, with a harpy leader coiled around its tip.
“Is this a tree?”
“No, no, no! Trees don’t have eyeballs!”
The black tree-like thing had several peculiar features. The absence of leaves and its strangely smooth texture were among them. However, if it were a withered tree, the lack of leaves would make sense, and there were trees like the crepe myrtle with smooth surfaces, so I couldn’t outright label it as strange.
However, what was undeniably odd was the multiple eyes peering from the surface of the tree. Not only did they resemble human eyeballs, but there were also vertical-slit cat-like pupils, frog-like horizontal elongated pupils, and even compound insect eyes. It was quite eerie. Could such a tree even exist?
“Could it be that this came out of the portal to the Abyssal Beast Summoning that Isam opened?”
“When I saw it, that harpy leader in the picture was just caught in that moment, and it got pulled right in.”
Ah… indeed. The base of the tree coincided with the location where I had opened the portal for the Abyssal Beast. So, that tree must be the creature I summoned. I had inadvertently summoned a rather unsettling creature.
And so, the harpies were undoubtedly pulled into the abyss. I didn’t even want to think about the fate that awaited them.
“So, does that mean it’s a tree from hell?”
“A tree…? It was moving all squiggly, but if it’s a tree from hell, I guess that wouldn’t be strange…”
“There are demonic plants like Evil Trees and creatures like me, the Roper, which are moving plant-based monsters, so it wouldn’t be surprising… right?” Iris said.
“Hell… I wonder what kind of demonic realm it is.”
Surely, it must be a realm teeming with bizarre and monstrous creatures. I’d like to visit it someday.
“Is it alright?”
As I continued pondering the unseen hell, No. 18 timidly approached me. Oh no! The screenshot was too shocking, and I had almost forgotten about her presence!
“Oh, my apologies for leaving you out of the conversation.”
“No problem at all. I may not fully understand everything you’re discussing, but is it safe to interpret that there might be fewer harpies outside now?”
“Hmm… What do you think, Ruby?”
“Well, from what I saw back then, there was only one harpy caught at the tip of the tree.”
Just one? In that case, it could be assumed that the majority of harpies had been eliminated. Perhaps we could even conduct a mop-up operation on our own.
“Then, would you like to join me for a combat exercise as we head for extermination? The harpies have been gathering all sorts of resources from the city for their nest-building. There might be weapons that could be useful in the future battle.”
“Weapons… something like the machine gun you were using?”
No. 18 nodded clearly. Hmm… If those harpies are collecting items from the city to build their nest, there’s a good chance we might find not only weapons but also intriguing magical tools.
Furthermore, if we were going to assist No. 18 in her fight with the field boss, it was essential to understand her tactics and the extent of her abilities. Now, that the mysterious abyssal beast had depleted the harpies’ forces, this seemed like an excellent opportunity. However, well… oh well.
“Hmm… I see. In that case, they say ‘Strike while the iron is hot’, so let’s head there quickly,” I remarked.
“What about party formation? If we include No. 18, we’ll have seven people, won’t we?” Ruby inquired.
“No, it’s alright. I’m an android.”
According to No. 18, golems and androids were treated as items, so they didn’t occupy a slot in the party’s headcount. Even though they looked like actual humans, they were considered objects within the game system.
However, not using a party slot seemed quite risky. After all, one person could potentially command an army of golems that could cover the entire land. If someone wanted to, they could create the ultimate golem using the finest materials…something that could rival the so-called “The Punisher” owned by places like the Twelve Great Temples. And if an individual could control it, it would disrupt the game balance.
“Well, let’s go quickly, then. I want to fight the boss as soon as possible,” Jigoro said.
“W-wait a minute!”
Whoa, my thoughts had wandered again. It was a bad habit of mine.
Jigoro, unable to contain his restless excitement, swiftly turned and stormed outside without waiting for our responses. Ruby hurriedly chased after him, patting Jigoro’s feet with a tiny hand she had made by stretching her slimy body surface. The rest of the party members, including me, followed behind the two, smiling bitterly at the somewhat comical exchange.
“…”
However, perhaps because of the excitement, no one noticed the gaze that remained fixed on our backs.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Once outside, we continued our journey, keeping a vigilant eye on the skies. Of course, it was in anticipation of a surprise attack by the harpies. However, despite our proximity to their nest, the complete absence of any response made it increasingly likely that their numbers had dramatically dwindled. Could it be that they had been completely wiped out?
“Oh, wait a moment. They’re coming!” Ruby exclaimed.
Well, it seemed that the convenient notion of not a single harpy remaining wasn’t in our favor after all. Ruby’s scouting had picked something up.
“How many are there?” I asked.
“Um, one, two, three… just eight,” Ruby replied.
Eight harpies were rather few for a flock of harpies. This was their stronghold, and it would have been odd if their numbers didn’t increase. It appeared that the encounter with that mysterious abyssal beast had indeed taken its toll on their numbers.
“Gyaaah! Gyaahh!”
“Gegeeeah! Geeahh!”
The harpies swooped down while making noisy cries. Well, they used magic instead of claws, so there was some distance between us.
“I’ll take care of this.”
“All right, go for it.”
Stepping forward, it was No. 18 who had spoken. Perfect. I wanted to see how she handled that machine gun of hers.
“Take aim… and fire!”
Ratatatatatatata!
After aiming the barrel diagonally upward, No. 18’s machine gun roared to life with great force. It made a tremendous noise, and the bullets shot out at high speed, leaving a trail of yellow tails behind.
It occurred to me rather belatedly that there was something strange about the gun. Unlike the security golems, there were no ejected casings from No. 18’s gun. I quite liked those cinematic moments in action movies where the macho hero fired a machine gun and ejected casings clattered to the ground, making a high-pitched sound. But I couldn’t help but wonder about the principle behind what she was firing.
It wasn’t something particularly important, so I decided to let it go for now. I could always ask No. 18 later. And even if she didn’t know, Iris could likely dissect the gun and expose its inner workings.
“Ah, they’ve scattered. I’ll take the right side, Iris, provide cover on the left. Twin Magic Circle Activation, Dark Lance.”
Despite No. 18’s machine gun scattering bullets, the harpies managed to evade by flying complex trajectories as they dispersed. So I quickly gave Iris instructions and unleashed my magic without waiting for her reply.
“Gahyuu…”
“Geee…”
Thanks to the [Advanced Magic Control] skill, the Dark Lance homing in hit two of the harpies directly. It turned out that these harpies, with their [Small stature], could indeed be taken down just like that.
“Eiiy!”
As for Iris, whom I had entrusted with the left side, she was tossing small stones that were lying on the ground. With her strength and dexterity as a Big Roper Worker and the bonuses from her [Throwing Technique], she didn’t just distract the harpies; she landed clean hits, taking down one of them. Nicely done, Iris.
“Gyaaa…”
Meanwhile, No. 18 had taken care of the remaining harpies. Guns sure were powerful.
――――――――――
Race level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.
The race level of your familiar has increased.
The job level of your familiar has increased.
――――――――――
Whoa! I’ve leveled up again! And this time, Karl’s level has gone up too. Things are progressing well in terms of our strength!
However, judging from this level-up, it’s safe to assume that we’ve accumulated a considerable amount of experience points. So, it’s reasonable to believe that the harpies that were chasing us are almost completely wiped out.
To be able to easily handle such a large number of them, that abyssal beast is something else… Considering that abyssal beasts can sometimes attack their summoners, maybe I should be more cautious about using that spell. I wouldn’t want to die because of my own magic.
“I did it! I can evolve!”
“I did too!”
Oh, it seems Ruby and Iris have also reached level 40 just before the boss battle. Their joy must be unparalleled, especially after enduring those pointless battles with the golems that didn’t give any experience points.
“I believe the enemies have gone silent. My sensors are not functioning, so I can’t be certain, but…”
Ruby, who had been in high spirits, turned her attention to her surroundings after hearing No. 18’s report. It was possible that the harpies were hiding. Just to be sure, I decided to use my Magic Echo spell to detect any presence.
“…Yeah. It looks like there are no hidden ones!”
“Then let’s proceed to skin them then.”
Ruby firmly agreed with No. 18’s assessment that there were no signs of enemies. Since there were no shadows detected by my Magic Echo either, there was no room for doubt.
After harvesting items from the harpies, we moved even closer to their nest. As for what the drop items were? Well, I’d prefer not to talk about it. Let’s just say it was something I hesitated to put in my inventory, and you can probably guess why.
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