Chapter 131
“[Fireball].” (Shizuma)
A small, fist-sized flame shot out from my palm and bored a hole through the Owlbear’s wing.
The stench of burning flesh and fur filled the air as the Owlbear charged at me, its wings charred.
Was it blinded by pain? It let out a roar like that of a creature gone half-mad.
“[Mirage Step].” (Shizuma)
In an instant, my body felt lighter, and with a long sideways leap, I left behind a semi-transparent afterimage of myself where I had just been standing.
It was a spell that grants momentary invincibility while leaving behind a clone that carries a damage hitbox.
It wasn’t particularly powerful, but it seemed to work well enough against monsters.
In PvP, people would probably see through it, though.
“Gueh!?” “Oh… It actually makes them freeze for a second.” (Shizuma)
The Owlbear, having charged straight into the clone, stiffened for a brief moment.
I took that opportunity to cast another [Fireball], this time aiming at its leg.
Losing the ability to support its own weight, the creature collapsed to one knee and…
“[Ice Blade].” (Shizuma)
I conjured a thin sword of ice and hurled it like a boomerang.
Spinning violently, the icy blade pierced deep into the monster’s neck.
Blood spurted out as the creature crumpled completely to the ground, and soon after, its body disintegrated into tiny specks of light, absorbed back into the dungeon.
“Phew… Even basic spells can get the job done, huh…” (Shizuma)
Lent only had her alternate outfits for equipment, so she didn’t have any particularly strong accessories or weapons.
If she had a staff, her spells would be stronger, but even as she was now, she could fight just fine.
“Whoa! Lent, that was amazing! Such great spellcraft! So strong!” (Melt)
“Haha, thanks. I can only use basic magic, but having this much variety helps a lot.” (Shizuma)
When I opened the menu screen, Lent’s stats were displayed clearly.
Even though this world doesn’t seem to use levels, game characters like Lent still have them.
She’s apparently been growing quite steadily thanks to all the battles we’ve been through.
—————–
Lent – Mage/Astrologian
Level: 7
Vitality: 122
Strength: 13
Magic: 388
Mind: 198
Agility: 113
[Basic Offensive Magic]
[Basic Celestial Magic]
[Thinking of the Stars]
[Wishing Upon a Star]
—————–
Her stats weren’t exactly high by any means, but some of them were likely far beyond what people of this world could reach.
Lent was built purely as a backline attacker.
Honestly, though, I’m more of a melee fighter, so I didn’t play much with mages whose attacks auto-target enemies.
Of course, managing aggro generated by the DPS and switching spells makes mage gameplay interesting in its own way.
“Lent, you’ve used a lot of magic… Are you okay? You’re not getting a headache or anything?” (Melt)
“Mmh, I’m fine.” (Shizuma)
The sub-job Astrologian is, frankly, weak on its own.
However, when paired properly, it grants unique and powerful passive skills that shine only as a sub-job.
[Thinking of the Stars]
Doubles natural MP regeneration during the day while out of combat.
Restores 1% of damage dealt with magic as MP.
[Wishing Upon a Star]
Increases mana at night by 30%.
Increases MP consumption by 1.2x, but allows MP to naturally regenerate even during combat.
These passive skills provide different magic bonuses depending on whether it’s day or night.
The effects aren’t dramatic, but since they’re multiplicative like accessories, they’re numerically very handy to have without needing actual gear.
When stacked with accessories, their potential becomes enormous.
Meaning…depending on how you build, you could either become a spell-spamming machine or a high-powered artillery unit.
There were still more skills she could learn, but for now, this was the limit for Lent’s growth.
Man… I really should’ve leveled her more before this.
And so, we continued to make our way through the forest toward Melt’s home.
—————–
“It feels so strange being here… I used to hunt animals around this area a lot. My house is just up ahead.” (Melt)
“Oh? We’re finally getting close, huh…!” (Shizuma)
After about three hours of fighting our way through the forest with Melt leading the way, she began to explain the area with a nostalgic yet complicated expression.
I guess this place holds memories that are both fond and painful for her…
“Alright… I think we’ve gathered enough combat experience with Lent, so I’ll switch back to Seimu now.” (Shizuma)
“Eeh!? You’re switching back? But I still wanna hold Lent-chan more!” (Melt)
“…Please be content with holding the summoned Lent instead.” (Shizuma)
“Okaaay.” (Melt)
I fiddled with the menu and switched back to Seimu. Then I opened the housing menu again and selected Lent, who was now summonable.
Immediately, a silent Lent appeared in front of me.
…And was promptly scooped up by Melt.
Ah…the poor, wordless girl, now prey to Melt’s clutches…!
“You’re so cute, Lent-chan! And you can’t escape this time! Hug…!” (Melt)
“…”
“Melt, that’s enough. She looks kind of pitiful.” (Shizuma)
“Fiiine. Alright, Lent-chan, let’s hold hands instead?” (Melt)
Lent silently took Melt’s hand.
She wouldn’t act on her own, like gathering materials or gatekeeping, unless instructed, but she could still follow simple commands like this.
So she did have some level of intelligence, and could act independently to some extent…?
She probably has a personality within her body, but Shire said the memories were gone.
So maybe something’s preventing that personality from surfacing…?
“Alright, let’s go. We’ll be able to see my house soon.” (Melt)
“Got it. Let’s move.” (Shizuma)
Somehow, there were fewer trees around this area.
If this was Melt’s hunting ground, maybe she cleared out part of the forest herself.
Following her lead, we walked a bit further…and then, the forest opened up.