We headed toward the battlefield as fast as we could. As the distance between us and the battleground rapidly closed, my eyes locked with one of the warriors. He seemed to have noticed us as well!
“Do you need help!?” I shouted.
“Oh! Yes please!”
Even though they didn’t know who we were, they seemed to have judged us as reinforcements. A warrior with a slightly larger physique than the others immediately responded to my call. It was time to intervene!
“Alright! Let’s go wild!”
No sooner had I spoken than Jigoro leaped from Karl’s back. Descending with momentum, he targeted a giant worm… or was it really a worm? It wriggled about, its color a yellowish-brown, and it had a mouth densely lined with inward-pointing teeth at the end of its body. To be engulfed by that mouth would be akin to being shredded in a blender. I don’t even want to imagine it.
Regardless, Jigoro launched a surprise attack from above on the giant worm. The comet-like kick he delivered seemed to be powerful enough to shatter even Karl’s scales.
“Gyuiiiiiiiiiiiii!”
“Huh? Didn’t do much damage?”
The giant worm writhed in pain but it let out a grating, high-pitched shriek that no one could sympathize with. However, Jigoro didn’t feel much impact from his attack. In fact, the worm wasn’t defeated by that alone and soon reared its head again, poised to strike.
Surprisingly, so near to Bigdareio, there existed a monster of such strength that even Jigoro couldn’t defeat. No, maybe it was just unusually tough. Anyway, it was time for the usual [Appraisal]!
――――――――――
Race: Sand Worm Lv24～29
Job: None
Skills:
- [Robust Digestion]
- [Sharp Fangs]
- [Acid Shot]
- [Parthenogenesis]
- [Strength Enhancement]
- [Defense Enhancement]
- [Blunt Attack Resistance]
- [Earth Resistance]
- [Water Resistance]
- [Fire Resistance]
- [Wind Resistance]
- [Sand Resistance]
――――――――――
Ugh! What’s with these tough defense and resistance skills! But this explains why even Jigoro couldn’t completely defeat it with that blow of his. With [Strength Enhancement], [Defense Enhancement], and even [Blunt Attack Resistance], it makes sense that Jigoro’s kicks would be less effective.
Moreover, it seemed strong against the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. Nonetheless, encountering an enemy without a clear weakness was rare. However, [Sand Resistance] probably meant resistance to [Sand Magic]. Did this suggest it adapts to the extreme temperature fluctuations of the desert environment?
“Well, then, we just have to use other elements. Jigoro, physical attacks are less effective on this one. Aim for slashing and piercing attacks.”
“Got it! Then, this is what I should do!”
When I gave him advice, Jigoro slashed with his claws and pierced with his horns. Without hesitation, he bit into the sand worm and tore off a piece of its flesh. Had this been a game with realistic blood depictions, surely unsightly bodily fluids would have been scattered everywhere.
It was astounding how he could bite into such a disgusting thing. Ugh, and he’s chewing it too!? Don’t eat it! Spit it out!
“Grrru…”
“…Hmm. You can’t rush in while carrying Iris. Just stick to support for now. Oh, and don’t use [Fire Magic], it’s ineffective.”
“Gaw!”
Karl gave me a look that seemed to ask, “What should I do?” This was because he had Iris in his arms, whom he had carried all this way. To fight with full force, he would need to set her down somewhere, but there was no time for that. Right now, Jigoro was fighting using his fangs and claws. Without support, he might be overwhelmed by the sheer number of monsters.
Besides, for Karl who usually rampaged in the front lines, this was a perfect opportunity to train his magic. It was rare to have a large target and safely shoot his spells from a distance.
“I’m sorry…” Iris said.
“Don’t worry about it. Karl isn’t bothered either. Let’s start by wrapping this up. Spell adjustment, Holy Ring.”
With the Holy Ring of the [Holy Magic] skill, I managed to bundle and restrain several of the sand worms. This rendered them unable to move. They had now become perfect targets.
“Guaaaa!”
“Eiiy!”
Karl launched a Dark Lance from his mouth, while Iris threw throwing items in rapid succession. It seemed that Karl had developed a habit of using his mouth to cast magic. When he was younger, he used to release it from his palms or tail, but he seemed to find it easier to use his mouth, settling on that style.
On the other hand, although she had the [Throwing Technique] skill, Iris wasn’t very accurate with her thrown weapons. It’s likely that the environment was affecting her movement and precision. We need to get to grips with these kinds of specifications as soon as possible.
“Buooooo!”
“Bugaaaa!”
Oh? The warriors helping us were letting out familiar battle cries. I realized then who they really were.
“Hahaaa! You guys are doing pretty well!”
“Fuhaha! We can’t be outdone by outsiders!”
Especially the particularly large warrior who responded to me had incredible fighting abilities. He was dispatching sand worms at a speed comparable to Jigoro’s. Their odd competitive spirit seemed to be increasing the speed at which they were defeating the sand worms.
However, both of them should remember that their rapid progress was due to our support in holding back the sand worms approaching from behind. Couldn’t they be a bit more considerate? It was incredibly hectic!
“Gyuuooooo!”
“Gyugyueeeee!”
Although there were quite a few Sand Worms, they lost their numerical advantage as they were vanquished. No sooner had this happened than they dove into the sand and retreated. They would overpower with numbers, and if that failed, they would immediately withdraw… truly admirable.
“They’ve fled. What a splendid retreat.”
――――――――――
You have won the battle.
Race level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.
The race level has reached its growth limit. Evolution is possible.
The job level has reached its growth limit. Job change is possible.
――――――――――
What! Wowww! Have I finally reached the grand level of 50? The continuous killing of the White Exusiai during the event must have contributed greatly toward that. The experience points were carried over.
Woohoo! What kind of evolution awaits me next? I’m so excited! While I was internally celebrating, I descended to the ground with Karl and others. Then, the warriors we had saved approached us along with Jigoro.
“They always do that. They attack when they outnumber their opponents, and flee when they are outnumbered. It’s their nature.”
As usual, it was the largest warrior who talked about the ecology of sandworms. He was wearing a full-face helmet, which he then removed. Following his lead, the other warriors also took off their helmets. They then bowed their heads to us.
“Thank you for your help, honorable travelers. My name is Booi. In this Bigdareio region, I am a Boar Orc and serve as the leader of a hundred men.”
“Boar Orc… Isn’t that the evolved form of the Orc?”
I’ve heard about the boar orc race from Eiji before. It was said to be one of the evolution paths of orcs which is the main race of Bigdareio’s inhabitants. Indeed, this orc warrior was even larger than Eiji, and his two magnificent tusks protruding from his lower jaw exuded a sense of manliness.
“Not all orcs evolve in that way, but you are correct. And now, benefactors, I have a question for you. Who are you, and what brings you to this land?”
Hmm, his stance suggested that he wouldn’t hesitate to fight depending on our response. Despite being more exhausted than us, were they really prepared to risk their lives for their kin? Eiji was right; they do have a samurai-like character.
“We mean you no harm. I am Isam. I’ve come here as a wanderer to meet two people in Bigdareio, Eiji and Usaji.”
“Eiji and Usaji… Ah, those wanderers!”
Oh? It seems Mr. Booi knew about the two.
“Are they famous?”
“Of course. They are the only two wanderers currently in Bigdareio.”
“That makes sense.”
Currently, the only ones who had made it to Bigdareio were Eiji and Usaji, who had foolishly believed rumors they heard in the goblin village and headed south. And only now that Eiji had reported his arrival in Bigdareio on the bulletin board, some players seemed to be aiming for it as well.
However, no one else had reached there yet. According to Eiji, it was a rather difficult journey to his place, so in a way, they were fortunate to have made it in one attempt. I wish the best of luck to all the monster players aspiring to reach Bigdareio.
“But it’s surprising that you have a dragon as a companion. Is it a Lesser Dragon?”
“That’s correct. This one is a Lesser Dragon named Karnaghtul. There were various events leading up to our meeting.”
“Is that so?”
Saying that it was born from a mysterious egg given by the goddess would be unbelievable, so I decided to skip that part. But there was something important I needed to clarify.
“Also, I don’t consider Karnaghtul as a subordinate but as one of our companions. Please don’t misunderstand that.”
“Grrru!”
Karl rubbed his head affectionately against me in agreement. Even though he had grown so much, he was still as cute as ever. Seeing Karl’s response, I knew I couldn’t treat him just like any subordinate.
“I’m sorry about that. We have cavalrymen in our kingdom too, and they’ve been scolding us in a similar way. I’m sure you’ll get along well with them.”
“More importantly, why were you having a hard time? With your skills, that opponent shouldn’t have been a problem for you all.”
Jigoro interrupted our conversation. Indeed, I could understand what Jigoro was getting at. I hadn’t appraised this Booi warrior yet, but he seemed very strong. He was probably as strong as Jigoro. The other warriors, too, looked like veterans of many battles, so why were they struggling against such monsters?
It would have been understandable if this was their first encounter with the sand worm monsters. The creature likely attacks by surprise from beneath the ground, and even those more powerful might lose upon a first encounter. However, these warriors were from this region and were familiar enough with its behavior to know their ecology. That’s precisely why their struggle raised questions.
“It’s embarrassing, but we were on our way back from investigating a certain monster. We were only observing from a distance, but we were attacked and many of us were injured. That put us at a disadvantage.”
“A certain monster? What kind?”
“I don’t know. We were attacked from a distance, and I felt something stick to me. What I know is that the thing was laced with paralyzing poison.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
So I guess it is like a lurking threat in the desert. A powerful monster that even the people living in Bigdareio don’t know about…This sounds like…
“This guy sounds strong! Brother, let’s take it down together!”
“Haah… I knew you’d say that…”
I knew it! Just as I expected, Jigoro did suggest that! This battle-maniac! Has he forgotten our purpose? We came here to meet Eiji and Usaji, right? But now, getting involved in the problems here will delay our return to Birdy Perch!
“Rare monster… Rare materials… Uhehee…”
“Iris? You haven’t forgotten our objective too, have you?”
What is Iris even saying!? Did the heat of the desert make her go crazy!?
“Really!? Although we’re still in the investigation phase, having skilled warriors like you join the hunt would be a great help! I’m sure you’ll get permission for a long-term stay in Bigdareio.”
“Ah, no… we were…”
“There are also benefits, huh? Alright then! Let’s go to your country!”
Jigoro began to walk alongside Mr. Booi. With no other option, I followed them while clutching my head with my hands, accompanied by Karl, who looked at me with a worried expression, and Iris, who was muttering stuff underneath her breath.
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