kscans

Chapter 857 - Reckless Tree Climbing

"—Hey, welcome. The usual?"

"Mhm. Please."

At lunchtime, when we met at the usual place, a long conversation was no longer necessary.

As Chitose welcomed Iris, who had come to the Ristorante, with a smile, Iris ordered the chef's special (the usual) and gracefully sat down.

It was a compact space that didn't have many seats to begin with. As she settled into what had become her completely fixed designated seat… next to her, also a fixed part of her daily life, was the figure of a guest who had arrived before her.

"Morning?"

"G-o-o-d afternoon. I was up bright and early today, you know."

It was a casualness born from deep familiarity.

When she tossed out a greeting that was barely a joke and almost mindless, her friend, who sometimes slept past noon when she stayed up late, replied with words at astonishing speed.

"I see."

In turn, Iris replied with a face and voice of little expression and few sounds. This, too, was a result of the trust she had in their easygoing relationship.

As if to prove it, she accepted her friend, who playfully nudged her with her shoulder from the next seat, completely unbothered by an attitude that would have been taken as curt by someone she wasn't familiar with.

The relaxed smiles they both unconsciously let slip were probably the entirety of their current relationship.

"School. Wasn't it just for the morning today?"

—In that case, she didn't think of this as a jump in the conversation.

Embarrassingly… no, shamelessly. Because what they were thinking about was, basically, him, all the time.

"That's right. So he's already back."

"Oh, is that so. It's so perfectly soundproofed, you can't even tell when you're in your room."

"Mhm."

"So, Princess, how did you sense that?"

"From my room, with my presence sense."

"Please stop talking like a character from a battle manga."

Even saying such things so openly. While enjoying the mysterious miracle of being able to playfully banter with the first love rival she'd ever had—

"So? Why isn't he showing his face for lunch, I wonder."

"He must be working hard, I suppose. To catch up with his partner."

"That lucky Sora-chan…! Oh, Princess, she said today is the day for her specialty, pasta."

"I know. I'm looking forward to it."

Side by side, from the bottom of their hearts, they sent their cheers to the world of dreams.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Hmph—!"

With a silent battle cry, I swung my left arm.

With my backfist, I gripped my small weapon tightly and struck away the side of the giant blade that came roaring toward me, crushing space with its terrifying pressure.

And then, a thunderous roar and a tremendous impact. It was an action meant less to counter the opponent's attack and more to move myself. My body floated as intended due to various effects….

Reload complete.

"HRAAAGH!"

[Volcanate] right arm full fire. At the perfect moment, my right arm, having finished venting steam and regained its freedom, was slammed into the enemy without hesitation. And then—

"—GROOOOAAAAAR!!!"

Taking a direct hit of three hundred instantly impacting shots from point-blank range, the giant demi-human let out a roar of fury as a massive amount of damage effects scattered from its face.

Enemy name: [Tauros Resemble (Wave-Devouring Bull Warrior)]—the incredibly tough boss of the thirtieth floor.

As my eyes followed the crimson-headed minotaur, which was at least three times my height (in my transfer body), as it staggered back… one of its HP bars vanished above its head.

Last one. A little over thirty minutes since the battle started, I had finally reached the bottom.

"—Switch!"

"—HYAAAAH!"

And so, it's time to finish this.

In place of me, who had been completely thrown off balance in mid-air from the recoil of the forced parry and full-barrage, a knight swept in front of the monster with a fierce cry and swung his shield.

In that instant, a ridiculously loud impact sound shook our eardrums and the space around us.

It was by no means a 'scream,' but a 'roar,' and it wasn't because it flinched. As if to prove it, the Tauros, crushing the slight opening, moved and brought down its giant axe-sword with brute force.

Wall and blade. A fierce shower of sparks that could be mistaken for flames erupted, and the winner was—no. The one who conquered 'power' with 'skill' was a veteran of this dream world.

"My Lord!"

"Nngh, HRAAAGH!"

Activating [Flash Traveler], my body, buffeted by the impact of the clash between the mythical monster and the superhuman knight, was reset and moved. The skill removed all effects that had been acting on my avatar until that moment and 'placed' my body within a short-range area, carrying me.

In that instant. What filled my vision was the head of the minotaur, its giant body bound by the post-attack stun after its stubborn assault was deflected—and so, right in front of me, I grabbed one of its magnificent twin horns with my red-hot right hand,

and slammed my left fist into it from the other side, releasing my Outer Force Output 'Kai' with both hands.

"—'Tsuzumi'!"

My left arm's [Volcanate] Hundred, combined with the comparatively weak 'Kai' I had kneaded into both hands, forcibly recreated an instantaneous super-chaining penetration attack.

Of course, its power and precision were a far cry from my perfect condition, but…

"Grrrrooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh…!!!"

We're fighting at the appropriate level, even if it is forced. If an ordinary technique works, it'd be a lie, or rather an impossible game, if an extraordinary one didn't.

And so, with that big move, its last remaining line of life was also sharply reduced.

Following my right, my left arm was now also clad in a bright red aura, and just like my arms, the Tauros, having lost a chunk of its gauge, though not quite in the dangerous red zone, couldn't help but fall to its knees.

—Me, Lord Kendy, and then me again. Our tag-team switching coordination has become quite something by the time we reached the thirtieth floor, but it's not quite like it is with my 'partner.'

It's not a matter of Lord Kendy's skill, but simply a difference in our builds.

As a bona fide pure tank, he lacks the absolute agility, and there's always a slight pause here… but however, there's no problem.

After all, we're a party of two people and one sword.

"—Stella!"

Responding to my call, a white light shot out. The [Alv Stella], transforming from a ring into a sword, stitched together the gap in our coordination and stabbed into the eye socket of the kneeling minotaur.

What echoed was not a 'roar' this time, but a single 'scream.'

And so, that one-beat pause is spun into the next.

"Mmmph, HNNNNG!"

Taking over for me, who was floating in the air from the recoil of my big move, a shield charge struck the bull's snout directly. Who knows what kind of impact it was, but the minotaur swayed unsteadily,

"—!"

and onto its head, its vital point, which had fallen to the floor, I descended.

Instantaneous return, momentary summon, along with Stella recalled to my right hand, I brandished in my left the newcomer, the distorted blade of [One-Off Desire]—and so the twin swords, cloaked in the 'heat' transmitted from my arms,

"Daaaaah!"

carved a final flash in a glowing red cross, a decisive blow to the formidable enemy's head.

◇[Tauros Resemble (Wave-Devouring Bull Warrior)] has been defeated◇

◇Conquest of the 30th Floor has been confirmed◇
・A reward will be granted—You have obtained [Verdant Gem of Covenant].

────────────────
◇Status / Trance / Restarted◇
Title: Acrobat
Name: Haru
Lv: 30⇒31 (10)
STR: 140
AGI: 50 (+50)
DEX: 10
VIT: 0
MID: 100
LUC: 0

◇Skill◇
・Naraka Gandharva
[Volcanate]
[Greed's Precept]

・Water Magic Aptitude
[Aqua]
[Laevateinn]

・Active
[Reflect Explode]
[Flash Traveler]

・Passive
[Attentive Limit]
[Gigant Figure]
[Trickster of Zenith]
[Dias Lunaria]
[Cutting Body, Unyielding Advance]

[Reject Sentence]
[Shadow Clearer]
[Four-Sided Blessing]

◇Arts◇
【Kesshiki Ittoryu】
──────……
────……
──……
────────────────

"Hhhhhh………………—phew! I'm exhausted…!"

"A formidable foe, indeed…!"

The fanfare rang out. The golden light of a level-up enveloped my body. And without a moment's delay, the sound of a human body, light compared to the monster's, collapsing to the ground was accompanied by a voice of fatigue.

And in that voice, it wasn't just deep exhaustion,

"Looks like we can manage…"

but also a feeling of relief. My all-out assault had continued late into last night… or rather, until the early hours of this morning, and now, after a university lecture (cool-down time), it was extending further—at the current time of 5 p.m., this ridiculously reckless charge had finally passed what I estimated to be its biggest hurdle.

I'm well aware that I pushed myself too hard. But this time was an exception, so it couldn't be helped.

"Alright… Lord Kendy."

"What is it, my lord?"

Because, you see. I promised we'd meet tomorrow night.

"Ten… no, fifteen minutes. I want to resume after a break… Four more floors, I'm counting on you."

"Hah hah… Your stamina, my lord, is no less than that of us in the 'Thousand Memories'."

I was the one who said it, so it's only right that I'm the one to go see her.