Ch.31The Disgustingly Large Snowball Shot by an NPC. (3)

Ragni vs. Rey.

A 3:2 unfair battle has begun. But thinking about it carefully, the balance is actually pretty good.

To be honest, Gore has better detection and combat abilities than me, and Ragni is smart enough that she quickly became friends with that prissy Ira, just like that!

Really. When I first said I’d bring Ragni along, Ira pouted her lips so much I thought she was trying to kiss me.

But the next day at lunch, she was giggling with Ragni, not even calling her “ma’am” but just “Ragni” as they played together. I wondered if this was an intelligence gap?! I experienced a culture shock all by myself.

If I weren’t Ira’s brother, becoming friends with her would have been impossible for me, right?

And then there’s Rey and me. Our team isn’t so bad either.

I’m level 355 with nearly 150 total stats and have spent a long time in the mountains, so regardless of talent, I’ve developed decent skills in that area. Rey is only level 33, but her combat abilities are tier 1.5.

Plus, as a party-eligible NPC, her basic abilities are exceptional.

Honestly, compared to Ragni, she’s just not as smart, but she’s not stupid either.

No. To be blunt, I wonder if there’s anyone in this entire Eight world who’s smarter than Ragni?

Maybe I’m destined to wear the forced mirror therapy of “you’re stupid” and that label for the rest of my life.

Wait? When I think about it that way, it suddenly seems terrible?

Should I let Ragni go somewhere? Will she leave on her own someday like a butterfly? No, when the empire falls, I can let her go and tell her to be the ruler then.

“…By the way, Rey?”

“Yes.”

“Where exactly are we going?”

“…I’m not sure?”

“……”

Let me correct myself. She’s just as clueless as I am.

[Intelligence: 12]

Damn. Maybe we should head back to the city? Between her and me, our combined intelligence is only 18. Huh?

…That wasn’t an insult, was it?

She walked energetically(?) out of the city and confidently(?) into the mountains, so I just followed along behind her.

Well, specifically, Rey was quite shocked that the other side became a team of three despite her choosing first.

I’m also at fault for mindlessly following her as she walked forward with her head down, looking dejected.

We should have stopped by the guild to gather some information. Just walking aimlessly through mountains won’t make us encounter monsters randomly—that would make it a dungeon, not mountains.

“…Y-you’re right. Should we head back to the city then?”

“…Sigh, we shou— Wait.”

“Yes?”

Two fools together make a double fool.

But even two fools together can achieve their goal like Pat and Mat, right?

Honestly, I’m not as foolish as them. Yeah.

“This way. Follow me.”

“Huh? Y-yes!”

As I start walking ahead, she naturally follows me. Even though this is her competition, this tremendous trust feels incredibly heavy, but you should know how lucky you are.

“Isn’t this… a cliff?”

“In this life, I seem to have many connections with cliffs.”

“What?”

“Just talking to myself. Follow me this way.”

Walking along the cliff face, we find a very narrow path leading downward.

I immediately head down, and Rey follows. The wind is quite strong, but compared to the cliff I climbed while carrying Gore, this is mild.

After descending for nearly an hour and reaching the bottom of the cliff…

“Bingo.”

“W-what is this place…?!”

I just remembered. The city where Episode 5’s Imperial episode begins.

This border city must be the starting point for that story. I didn’t recognize it when we arrived in the city or heard its name, but seeing the landscape of the surrounding mountains made it click in my mind.

Could this be related to the Mountain Keeper’s admin skill? Connecting with past life memories—what is this, Bluetooth?

Rey looks alternately at the scene spread before us—a circular dish-like area enclosed by blue walls—and at me and the massive door in front of us.

“H-how did you know there was a dungeon in a place like this?!”

“Mountain Keeper’s intuition. Though you probably won’t believe that? Just…”

“No! I see! As expected of a skill holder’s intuition! I believe you!!”

…Huh? You believe that? Just like that?

With shining eyes, she draws her sword and stands before the dungeon.

“But dungeons are dangerous. And, th-this is my competition, so I’ll go in alone…”

“What are you talking about?”

The starting level for Episode 5 is early to mid-400s.

Considering the Mime Golem that appears after clearing Episode 4 was level 360, it’s absolutely impossible to solo this dungeon without at least reaching level 400.

Moreover, in Eight, the solo standard is actually a two-person party of player+NPC. Sure, level 1,100 veterans could go around massacring alone, but at your early 30s level, the outcome is predetermined if you enter here.

I didn’t bring you here to turn you into a goblin’s wife, you know?

“B-but still…”

“But what? You want to go in alone, not come back out, then have me go in to rescue you, and then have us both die separately and end up as sudden dungeon deaths? There’s no better way to make Ira lonelier than that, you know?”

“Ugh… Y-yes. I understand.”

Mentioning Ira to someone who knows about our parentless siblings makes her deflate again.

Hmm. I thought she’d been acting strange lately—she gets dejected like a kicked puppy whenever I say anything. Why is that?

She was so energetic when she first followed me. Did I criticize her too much?

If I think about it, I’m not sure I’ve ever really praised her.

Hmm. I’ve definitely been stingy with compliments, but before I decide if that’s my fault, her actions are all a bit… no, never mind.

“Rey. Don’t be so discouraged. And this competition—I still don’t understand why you wanted it in the first place, but we’ve gone as far as taking sides and proceeding with it, right? So what I’m saying is, I’m on your side anyway. You know I’m not saying these things because I dislike you, right?”

“Huh…? R-really? Didn’t you dislike me?”

…Huh? Normally the response should be “I know, but…” right? Did I really come across as disliking her?

Ah, anyway. I might sound like an old geezer, but I need to clear this up quickly. If things get more complicated, my brain won’t be able to handle it!!

“Dislike you? How could I dislike someone who dresses my sister nicely and follows me around wanting to repay a favor? I just get tired of your occasional foolishness or when you flip switches in strange places. It’s the same now—if I had intended to send you alone, I would have done so the moment I noticed the dungeon location. Right?”

“Ah. Y-yes!! I see!! So Jack doesn’t dislike me after all?!”

She smiles so brightly that if she were a dog, her tail would be wagging.

Geez. I’m the terrible person here. She’s someone who becomes this energetic just from my simple affirmation, yet I’ve been withholding praise and making her feel down, even though it doesn’t cost me anything.

“That’s right. I don’t dislike you. So let’s go together, I also have something I want to experiment with.”

“Yes! I understand! I’ll, I’ll stay with Jack forever!!”

“No, I never said anything about forever.”

“Heeeng!!”

I give an appropriate comeback to Rey’s silly statement as we enter the dungeon.

*

[Goblin: Level 330]

[HP: 3,300]

…That’s insanely strong?

The dungeon’s structure was the same as I remembered from the game. A place resembling a massive temple with many pillars and monsters roaming around.

In Eight, which was an open-world game, speedrunners who weren’t interested in mobs inside dungeons would often ignore them and head straight for the boss room.

Rey and I hide behind a wall to check for nearby monsters. Roughly three in the vicinity. But if they’re all that level, no one but me can fight them, right?

No, before that, if Rey gets caught, she’ll meet the same fate as those nameless female adventurers who die while the protagonist only kills the goblins.

…Ah, shut up, brain.

“I’ll go first…”

“No. Wait, just a moment.”

I might call myself stupid now, but in my past life, I wasn’t an idiot.

I had at least received higher education and remember scoring over 80 on basic memorization tests like history and social studies. That means I still have vague memories of the game.

What? Math? Why are you asking? Are you a science major?

And.

“It’s coming.”

I didn’t enter this 400+ level dungeon without a plan.

In the game, this dungeon was often used for leveling beginners after Episode 5 opened. If you wait at the entrance, the monsters will slowly approach on their own.

I signaled with my finger that I would go first, confirmed Rey’s acknowledgment, waited a bit longer, and then charged.

And.

[kr?!!]

In an instant, I twisted the neck and one arm of the goblin that pounced from behind, preventing it from screaming, but it struggled wildly.

Shit! This bastard is strong?!!

“Rey!”

“Yes!!”

Rey precisely stabbed the heart of the goblin I was restraining, carefully ensuring the blade wouldn’t reach me.

Come to think of it, this position was like how I caught Raditz. I should change my stance next time. This isn’t Dragon Ball, and I don’t want to die, you know?

[Goblin: Level 330 (Groggy, Severe Bleeding)]

[HP: 13]

“…Rey. Cut its throat too.”

“Ah! Yes!!”

The goblin, stabbed through the heart, couldn’t even scream its death throes, but the status window showed it hadn’t died instantly. The first experiment was successful.

…3,300 HP doesn’t die instantly from a heart stab.

That means even I, with 300,000 HP, wouldn’t die immediately from a knife to the heart.

But judging by the “Severe Bleeding” and “Groggy” status, I’d probably end up in the same condition if stabbed in the heart. Anyway, I learned that I should avoid getting stabbed in the heart.

“But that goblin just now. Even when Jack caught it, it struggled so violently, it must have been really strong?”

“Yeah, it was no joke. It might even be evenly matched with Gore, I think?”

“…What? Th-then I would…”

“If you get caught, you’re done. Okay?”

“…Gulp.”

Having already confirmed that she was no match for Gore in a strength contest, Rey nodded vigorously. Right, you don’t want to die at the hands of a goblin either. So let’s keep doing it this way.

I picked up the mana stone left on the ground after the body disappeared and patted Rey’s shoulder.

Well, for now.

“Still, that attack was good. You were trying to adjust so the attack wouldn’t reach me, right? I’ll position myself better from now on, so let’s keep going like this. Do you trust me?”

“Eh, eh?! Yes!!! T-trust me! I’ll do well…mmph?!”

“Voice.”

-Nod nod nod!!

I covered her mouth as she let out a high-pitched voice, seemingly relaxed from the praise, but she smiled with her eyes and nodded vigorously as if that was fine too.

I don’t understand what the meaning of this competition is, but I decided to give her some praise today and found myself smiling wryly.