kscans

Chapter 219 - Hyakka-chan and the New World Quest, Part 2

At the guild, we accepted a request to collect items dropped by monsters on the forty-ninth floor of the Crystal Palace. We could sell the items without a quest, but the rewards are better this way. Sadly, my opinion that we needed time to get used to this body was ignored. The reasoning was that if things got dangerous, Hyakka and Chihiro had their special skills. Plus, the deeper the floor, the higher the reward. And on this floor, we could rendezvous with Levante. I was also worried that Famu and the others might be doing something reckless.

"Sis— Hyakka, don't let your guard down!"

Chihiro's voice cut through the air. At the same moment, the dull sound of something slicing through the air grazed my ear. A club the size of a tree trunk swung down, smashing into the floor right where I had been standing. A shiver ran down my spine. My grip on the lance tightened. It was nothing like my usual katana or sword. I wasn't used to its length, and gauging the right distance to charge the enemy was difficult. The enemy itself was a mountain of rock-like flesh, its head and chest protected by iron armor. What's more, it was a full size larger than Moosu of the bull-kin and Koone of the rhino-kin, who were serving as our vanguard. And from that massive body, the club swung with terrifying speed. I dodged with every swing, but a single one of those blows would be more than enough to shatter my body. Every time the beast roared and raised its club, a bead of sweat trickled down my chest. Still, I was used to fighting enemies that just tried to push through with brute force. And Hyakka's body was light and agile. Plus, there was no chest getting in the way like Mizuki-chan's. But damn, my butt and... front hole... still hurt. And the now crusty-dry panties were just plain disgusting. I pushed through the discomfort, back-stepped to dodge a swing, and quickly closed the distance for a thrust. I was aiming for its flank, but the blow was shallow, merely grazing the creature's body. Seeing me carelessly rush into its reach, the monster must have been certain of its victory. It raised its club and let out a triumphant roar.

"Hyakka!"

Someone's voice echoed. I braced myself to block the monster's descending club with my lance. But that was a mistake. The clash of weapons rang out violently. My arm went numb from the powerful blow, and I almost dropped my weapon.

"Guh…"

To make matters worse, the enemy raised its club again, preparing for the finishing blow. I tried to dodge, but my body was frozen stiff. I couldn't even raise the arm holding the lance. Just as the monster was about to bring its club down, Chihiro charged in and thrust his own lance into its chest.

"Guaaaargh!"

The monster shrieked as it vanished. We were surrounded by a horde of trolls.

Moosu and Koone, hefting their greatmauls, were clashing fiercely with the trolls. I was pretty sure that when I saw them fight back in Nieren, Moosu had used a battle-axe and Koone had fought with bear knuckles. They must change weapons depending on the opponent. Maybe I should switch to a sword, too. But this body should be ingrained with how to fight with a lance. Doubt lingered as I tightened my grip on the weapon. The monsters were using their superior numbers to try and break our formation with brute force. The encirclement was gradually tightening. I had only taken down the one troll that had slipped past them. The enemy's siege was solid, and behind them, goblin archers were waiting. They were letting loose a volley of arrows with more accuracy than Mash-kun. In response, Sierra was disrupting the air currents with wind magic, causing the arrows to go astray. Etowan was also providing suppressing fire with his sling, but it was doing little more than pestering them. Or so I thought. Just then, a stone he slung struck the eye of a troll facing Moosu. Seizing the opening, Moosu brought his greatmaul crashing down, and the monster staggered back before collapsing and disappearing. Chihiro, who had saved me, returned to supporting Moosu and the others. I could only follow his back with my eyes. I hadn't even realized the ragged breathing I heard was my own.

"Hey, don't space out!"

Suddenly, a hand squeezed my butt.

"Hyaan!"

A scream escaped my lips, and my back went ramrod straight. I spun around to see Etowan. Hearing my cry, Chihiro rushed back and shoved him in the chest.

"Etowan, don't you touch Hyakka!"

"Tch, she was just standing there like an idiot, so I gave her a little wake-up call!"

Etowan tried to make excuses, but intimidated by Chihiro's sharp glare, he retreated to the rear guard. Chihiro's eyes then turned to me.

"Hyakka, Etowan will try to touch you any chance he gets, so be careful!"

I nodded vigorously at his words. So he has this brave, cool side to him, too, huh? The thought was immediately followed by a strange flutter in my chest, and I hurriedly shook my head to clear it. In any case, I thought the priest in Nieren was the only one trying to get handsy with Hyakka. Turns out there was one right here. I guess, unlike Mizuki, Hyakka does give off an aura that says it's okay to touch her butt. I'll have to give her a good talking-to about protecting herself when we switch back. But the most dangerous one is Chihiro. I wonder if Hyakka can protect the walls of her heart with the power of her ethics alone.

"I'll go support Koone."

"Got it. I'll… I'll head over to Moosu's side."

Chihiro nodded.

"When you thrust with the lance, put your whole body into it. If you just use your arms, the weapon will control you. And if you think you're in danger, don't hesitate to use a special skill."

This time, it was my turn to nod. The numbness in my arm had subsided. Together, we joined the fight on the front line.

I gripped the lance with both hands. Its tip was as thin as a folded umbrella, and the shaft I held was about as long as the umbrella's canopy. Its total length was greater than my height. An image of a knight on horseback, wielding a lance in one hand and a shield in the other, came to mind, but I had no idea if that was the proper way to use it. It might just be an impression from anime or movies, or perhaps lances in this world were different. In reality, it was much heavier than a sword or katana. In Hyakka's body, there was no way I could handle it with one hand. Just as Chihiro said, unless I put my hips into it and charged with my whole body, I wouldn't be able to damage the trolls. I assessed the battle situation once more. The enemy was numerous, and Moosu and Koone were almost entirely on the defensive, accumulating minor wounds. Chihiro slipped past Moosu's side, thrusting his lance at a troll that was about to attack, forcing it back. The goblin archers' arrows were also a nuisance. Sierra's wind magic only diverted their trajectory; the arrows flew relentlessly. They didn't seem to fear hitting their own allies, firing continuously without regard for their targets. A stray arrow flew my way, and I hastily twisted my body to avoid it. First things first, we had to thin out the trolls in the vanguard. We needed to support Moosu and Koone so they could go on the offensive. To land an effective blow on these monsters with this body, I needed mana. I searched for the mana within me. I was surprised at how small it was compared to the mana in Mash-kun's body. But I couldn't afford to be picky now. Maybe I just wasn't used to handling her body. I carefully circulated the mana, making sure not to lose track of it, and built up my power. Just as I finished my preparations, I spotted a troll slipping past Moosu, trying to get behind him. Moosu was busy dealing with another troll's attack and couldn't react. The monster raised its club, ready to pounce on him. There wasn't a moment to hesitate. I channeled mana into the tip of my lance and threw my entire body into a charge at the monster.

"Gaaargh!"

The monster's death cry echoed as the surprise attack landed, and it vanished.

"Hyakka!"

My own allies seemed more surprised than the enemy. Before I could even respond to their calls, the next enemy slipped past Moosu. I leveled my lance and charged it in the same way. The enemy, pierced through the stomach, disappeared. Seeing this, the monsters' assault paused for a moment, as if they were intimidated.

"Hyakka, well done!"

Moosu's voice boomed. His descending greatmaul smashed through a troll's helmet and skull. Spurred on by this momentum, Koone also went on the offensive. Chihiro followed suit. I tried to join them, but my head spun. It was a feeling like motion sickness, and nausea welled up inside me. The same sensation I got when I summoned Laciel. I had used too much mana. I thought Hyakka-chan's mana pool was surprisingly small, but then I remembered Marmi saying Mash-kun had a huge amount of mana. I now understood that it's not normal to be able to continuously focus mana into a weapon for attacks. I released the mana I had gathered in the lance tip. The number of trolls had already dwindled, and the goblin archers, sensing their disadvantage, had begun to flee one after another. I should be able to defeat the remaining enemies just by supporting Moosu and Koone, without needing to land mana-infused blows.

All the trolls were defeated, and the goblin archers fled. The battle was over.

"The request was to collect the livers left by goblin archers, wasn't it…"

Moosu glared with a vexed expression down the corridor where the monsters had fled.

"No way that's possible when we're getting swarmed by this many trolls, and they just run away when things get tough, right?"

Koone grumbled in agreement with Moosu as he gathered the items the monsters had left behind. As I watched them, Etowan approached me.

"Not bad,"

he said, slowly reaching a hand toward my chest. Chihiro noticed and swatted it away. He then stepped between me and Etowan.

"It looked like you were about to pass out at the end there."

"Ah, I'm fine, really,"

I replied with a forced smile. First of all, Etowan's touch was unpleasant. I mean, my appearance—my body—is Hyakka's, but inside I'm an old dude. Doesn't he find that gross? And Chihiro's overly protective attitude was starting to bother me too. Sierra is supposed to be his girlfriend, yet he acts like this right in front of her. Doesn't she get jealous seeing this? I can't help but imagine that if both Hyakka-chan and Sierra were in trouble, he'd save Hyakka-chan without a second thought. I glanced at Sierra, and she moved to hide behind Chihiro. It confirmed my suspicion: Hyakka-chan really is disliked. I couldn't shake the feeling.

"Well, we won without using any special skills. In other dungeons, you'd need a powerful mage to get to this floor, but here we can push through with brute force. Seems like the difficulty is lower than elsewhere. We still have the quest, so let's explore a bit more. I doubt we'll run into that guy... Toratsuna, was it?"

Etowan's voice made Moosu scowl. "Hey, that last fight was seriously dangerous. Pick a place with fewer enemies."

"I haven't gotten a feel for this dungeon's nature yet. I need experience to improve my tracking accuracy."

Etowan's tracking was a thief's skill. It was an ability that let him sense the presence of enemies by scent, without needing to physically scout. But it seemed its accuracy depended on experience with the specific dungeon or area. The battle was over, and I looked around the now-silent dungeon. It was the same as the other floors. A corridor enclosed by thick, transparent walls seemed to stretch on endlessly. The world outside the walls was as dark as a starless universe, with the emerald-glowing corridors floating within it. And they were intricately intertwined like a maze, continuing as far as the eye could see. I looked for Famu and the rest of Levante, but I couldn't see any monsters or adventurers in the corridors within my sight. It felt as if only the members of New World were walking through this silence, and a sense of loneliness crept in.

"I smell a treasure chest…"

As soon as Etowan muttered this, he started walking. We all followed him, and to my surprise, a treasure chest actually appeared.

"Hell yeah!"

Not just Etowan, but Moosu and Koone also let out excited cries. Chihiro and Sierra were happy too. This was another reaction that was different from Levante. Famu and the others were more interested in the chest itself than its contents. They never had high expectations for what was inside.

"Hold on. I'll open it, you guys watch our backs."

He licked his lips as he approached the chest. Suddenly, my eyes met Etowan's. He stopped and turned to face me.

"Hyakka, what are you looking so bored for?"

He asked with a stern expression, and I couldn't help but flinch.

"I'm not bored or anything."

"You're looking down on us, aren't you? You've been watching us with those cold eyes the whole time, and it's pissing me off!"

He reached for Hyakka-chan's crotch. A chill ran through my entire body, and I instinctively slapped his hand away.

"What do you think you're doing?! Stop touching Hyakka every chance you get!"

I had snapped, my voice rough and sharp. This was Hyakka's party. I had intended to lie low and not make waves while I was in her body, but his repeated, thoughtless advances had pushed my disgust past its limit. The hand that had struck him hung in the air, trembling. The hand I'd slapped away belonged to Etowan, who was now staring at me with a dumbfounded expression, which soon turned into a grin. Someone slapped me on the back. I turned to see Moosu and Koone roaring with laughter.

"That's more like it. That's our party."

The two of them roughly threw their arms around my shoulders and ruffled my hair. And then Etowan grabbed my dangling hand.

"Welcome to New World. Well, it'll probably be for a short time, but we're glad to have you!"

It was a rough welcome. But it wasn't an unpleasant one.