Chapter 111: Seeds of Danger

Supporting others can take various forms. Using Abyssal magic, particularly [Curse] spells to weaken the enemy, would be highly effective, but it was still too early to reveal that publicly. So, I opted for a method that could be used by others as well. First, I decided to enhance Eiji.

“I’ll cast enhancements. Defense Boost, Defense Boost, Strength Boost, Strength Boost, Strength Boost.”

This should suffice for the [Enchantment] part. I strengthened him significantly, but due to the level difference between him and the enemy, it would still be a close call. The shortfall could be compensated with his skill.

“Next is Usagi. Fire Enchantment, Agility Boost, Agility Boost, Dexterity Boost, Dexterity Boost.”

The opponent had [Physical Attack Resistance] but like many other creatures, it also had [Fire Weakness]. By increasing agility, which is related to evasion and dexterity which raises the critical rate, her firepower should be sufficient.

“Shiitake, can you poison that guy?”

“Alright, leave it to me! Hmph!”

With those words, Shiitake made a cracking sound and tore off the white protrusion from the surface of her hat. Is this going to be okay?

“Here I go! Oryaaaah!”

Shiitake threw a part of body in a form that could hardly be called beautiful, and her comical gesture of throwing an object with her small, stubby, two-legged mushroom form was comical enough to make one forget that we were in the midst of battle.

“Goga? Gugyaaaaa!”

However, the effect was tremendous. With a deflating sound, the part of Shiitake that hit the Troll’s shoulder clung to its skin. Immediately, the troll began to suffer. Furthermore, the protrusion Shiitake threw grew rapidly and turned into a smaller mushroom form.

“Hehehe! Did you see that? This is the ultimate move of mushroom-type monsters, [Parasitic Clone Generation]!”

Shiitake proudly puffed up her chest and said that. I see; It must be a skill that can only be learned by specific races. It was similar to what Jigoro used with his [Evil Demon Tongue], I suppose. Attacks using these types of skills were not only powerful but also tricky to handle because they couldn’t be nullified by something like the magic jammer spell.

“I don’t really understand, but it’s a chance!”

“What is this? It’s quite easy to fight!”

The troll, who was stopped in its tracks by Shiitake, continued to be carved up by Eiji and Usagi. Its wounds were healing rapidly thanks to its [Rapid Healing] but the pace of their attacks was faster. Gradually but steadily, they were depleting its health.

In particular, Usagi’s slashing attacks were terrifying. With graceful, almost dance-like movements, she accurately sliced through vital points and joints…. Perhaps her firepower, enhanced by my spells, was rivaling Genjuro from back then?

“Goooo!”

The Troll was steadily nearing its demise, but it swung its massive stone axe with one hand to deter the two. Just when I wondered what it was going to do, it tore off the mushroom growing on its shoulder with the other hand and, shockingly, ate it. Huh? Is it safe to eat that?

“Goo?! Guoeee?!”

“Ah, my condolences,” Shiitake muttered.

…Oh, I guess it was something that shouldn’t have been eaten after all. That was originally a part of Shiitake, the Poisonous Mushroom. It was clearly a poisonous mushroom. Oh, the monster’s marker also showed a poison status ailment.

“Now, it’s my turn to step in. Star Magic Circle Remote Activation, Spell Adjustment, Flame Throw.”

“Goooo…!”

I spread five magic circles at the feet of the Troll and unleashed a fiery Flame Throw spell with increased firepower. The Troll was already weak against the fire element. So there was no way it could withstand my magic, which was a level above it. That attack quickly obliterated the rest of its health.

“Wow, that’s incredible…”

“What a devastating power…”

Moth-san and Seventh Armor, who had already defeated the hobgoblins stared at me in awe. The others had the same reaction. But, was it really that surprising?

“It’s not just me; it’s the power of my equipment and my level. Instead of being amazed, let’s harvest the monster’s materials.”

The excitement of finding out what could be harvested from the first defeated monster never changed. Now, what would we get?

“Um, excuse me!”

“Hm?”

Timidly approaching us were those two players we helped: a sheep and a spider, each about a meter long.

“We, uh, owe you one! Thank you! I’m Shishu, a Big Spider, and this is Wool, a Sheep!”

“Thanks!”

The voices belonged to a pair of male and female. In FSW, you could change your avatar’s gender from your own, but the voice remained the same as the player’s actual gender. So, you could easily tell the players’ real genders.

That’s why I was surprised. Why, you ask? It was because I heard a girl’s voice from a spider and a boy’s voice from a sheep.

“I’m Isam, a high litch. No need for thanks. It was a meaningful battle for us as well.”

But I responded warmly without voicing my surprise. In fact, it was good to see fighting styles other than those of Eiji and Usaji in action. It would make strategizing easier now.

“Still, we want to thank you. We would have died in the event if you hadn’t helped us!”

“Yes, yes.”

Shishu and Wool nodded deeply. Judging by the pitch of their voices, were they students around Ruby’s and Shio’s age? They seemed quite polite. Hmm, the more I looked, the more surreal the combination appeared.

“So, what are you two planning to do from here? I don’t want to put it this way, but with your levels, it might be challenging to win against the same enemies we encounter…”

The two of them hadn’t undergone a single evolution yet. In the battle earlier, there were monsters with levels over 30, as if it were a common occurrence. It would be overly optimistic to claim that those were exceptionally strong enemies in this area.

Many players, like me, had exceeded level 40, and there were probably quite a few who had gone beyond the threshold of level 15, which was the level required for the second batch of players to challenge the “Trial of the Azure Moon”. Eiji was one of them, after all. On the contrary, Shio, who was being careful not to level up too much for the trial, was slightly behind. If they actually considered their levels to be appropriate, it would be dangerous for them to wander through this coniferous forest.

“Yeah, that’s true. Because our real-life schedules kept us busy, we could only log in for the first time three days ago. We were thinking that we wouldn’t be able to participate in the event…”

“But when we saw that notification, we were like, ‘If we can join, let’s go’!”

So, that’s the reason they came here with low levels. I could empathize with their desire to participate in the event. After all, we also wanted to try our luck in the first-ever event, the Martial Arts Tournament.

“Isam-san, what do you think? Are you inviting these two as well?”

“No matter how many hands we have, it won’t be enough, I think. I’m all for it.”

Eiji and Usagi were the ones to inquire. When I glanced at the other three, they didn’t show any signs of reluctance. Moreover, the fact that they were here meant that Lady Yifa had brought them. It felt like we were being led, as if she had some guidance in mind.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, well, it must be fated that we met like this. Would you like to join us on this journey?”

“What? Are you sure!”

With her compound eyes glittering…or so it seemed, Shishu responded with a bright voice filled with anticipation. Being able to accompany the veterans was probably a dream come true for her. However, there was something I needed to make clear before anything else.

“However, we are acting for a specific purpose in this event. We want your cooperation for that.”

“A purpose?”

“Yes, it’s like this…”

◆◇◆◇◆◇

After I disclosed our purpose, the two of them hesitated for a while before deciding to join us. Their comments like “This plan is crazy.” or “If it gets out that we’re involved, we’ll definitely be hated. Aren’t we like villains?” indicated that they were probably players on our side of things as well.

By the way, it seemed that the two of them had been diligently checking the bulletin board. They were surprised to discover that I, the player referred to as “monster big bro” was actually the one they were teaming up with. I never expected to unintentionally become this famous.

“My Magic Echo has detected three entities, but how about you, Moth-san?”

“Same here. They seem to be clustered in a slightly distant location.”

“So, are they players or just ordinary monsters… which one will it be?”

Shiitake said somewhat playfully. It was likely that she was hoping for them to be monsters. She seemed pleased that her attacks worked against the Troll, which was overwhelmingly stronger in the previous battle.

Some plant-type monsters, like Shiitake, possessed a skill called [parasitic clone generation]. This skill allowed the parasite to attach to an object, establish roots, and create a parasitic clone if successful. If done correctly, it could be a powerful trump card that could work even against opponents with a threefold level difference.

However, although it was powerful, it had a critical weakness. It was nearly impossible to parasitize on an enemy wearing armor. Since it required establishing roots, it couldn’t be effective when applied over armor. Therefore, in PvP combat, especially against opponents like Eiji who heavily armored themselves, it was the worst match-up.

“I hope they are players. We should be able to gather at least a minimal party.”

“You’re right. We need at least two parties for the strategy. We have to gather more numbers.”

The first step of the plan was to form at least two parties. For that purpose, I hoped the last reaction would be from a player…

“I think it was around here. Magic Echo… to the right, huh.”

I used the Magic Echo spell once again at the location where the reaction had come from. This time, I detected three reactions in the right direction from my position. Given their clustering, it was likely either a party or a group of monsters.

“We know you’re hiding there. We have no intention of engaging in battle. If you’re a player, we just want to talk. Would you please come out?”

I intended to choose my words carefully so that they didn’t sound like a threat, but I wonder how it came across? It’s always appreciated when dealing with honest players.

“Are you really not going to do anything?”

The voice that emerged from the shadow of the tree was that of a boy filled with suspicion. He was probably of the same age as Wool and Shishu.

“I’m not going to do anything. Look.”

Saying that, I stored the staff I held in my right hand in my inventory. This should signal that I was unarmed. In reality, I had the dark grimoire at my waist, so even if attacked, I could counter with magic.

“I put away my weapon, alright? Did that convey that we have no intention of fighting?”

“…I understand.”

It seemed that they were finally willing to listen now that they saw me disarm. They emerged from their hiding spot. Then, what appeared in front of us was a trio consisting of a fluffy-furred monkey holding a slender staff, a wolf covered in wounds, and a small, humanoid figure perched on the wolf’s head.

“Oh, a party of three?”

“No, Phil and Tess are my familiars.”

Familiars, huh? So, this one was a tamer. He might have acquired familiars through a special method like me. Let me use my [Appraisal] just to be sure.

――――――――――

Name: Sei

Race: Big Monkey Lv12

Job: Tamer Lv2

Name: Phil

Race: Wolf Lv8

Job: None

Name: Tess

Race: Pixie Lv7

Job: Apprentice Mage Lv7

――――――――――

“So, what do you want? We’re busy healing our wounds.”

“Our purposes are twofold. First, we want to ascertain the true nature of the nearby activity. And second, we’re looking to recruit companions to run through the event with us,” I explained.

“Companions…?”

Sei, the big monkey, regarded us with suspicion, and it was only natural, given our stark differences in size and appearance.

“So, are you trying to recruit me?”

“Indeed. We want to join forces with players participating in the event, regardless of their true motives. Doesn’t that sound like fun to you?”

Sei took a moment to contemplate my proposal. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth.

“Alright, I’ll go along with your plan. However, it’ll have to be after you’ve helped me get revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“Oh, yes. We’re looking to settle the score with the player killers, the Pk players lurking around these parts.”