Part 53: During Combat
—The "Just Fighter" is taking hostile action.
—Eliminate her or force her surrender.
Calm down... I need to calm down.
Let's focus on prime numbers to regain composure.
A prime number is a solitary digit that can only be divided by one and itself.
It doesn't give me courage... (confused)!
What is this situation?!
"Justice"?
"Fighter"?
Hostile action?
A barrage of unfamiliar words. Please explain.
"Here I go —《Explosive Hundred Split Fist》!"
The girl's right hand releases a golden wave.
Something...
I don't quite understand, but...
The figure in front of her felt extremely dangerous.
I hastily dodge sideways,
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The expensive down comforter on the bed explodes into fragments,
Scattering feathers all around.
I couldn’t see clearly, but it looked like some strange energy wave had emanated from the girl’s fist...
Touching it caused things to explode and scatter like that.
"H-hey, hey, wait a second! Hold on!"
"Huh? What is it?"
"Why are you attacking me... without any reason?"
"Ask your own heart—'Raigeki'..."
"Wait a second!"
The girl frowned and looked at me.
"...Is there still something else?"
There's preparation before fighting.
Ready?
I securely tied the sword's scabbard and handle together with a cord.
That's good enough.
Hey, what are you doing?
If we do it this way, we can avoid killing you.
...m
The girl's eyebrow twitched.
If only her heart would stir just a little.
I thought that way, though.
W-what the hell, you little brat! Don't you dare underestimate me!
It seemed to have the opposite effect.
"——'Lightning Bolt'!"
As the girl spoke, dozens of glowing threads emerged from her palm.
A chill ran down my spine—something terrible was about to happen.
"Here it comes!"
In an instant, an overwhelming barrage of lightning tore through the shop window.
"……Damn it."
Focusing all my attention on deflecting a few of the bolts with my blade,
"Kara-noo! ——'Hunger Wolf Barrage'!"
Before I knew it, she had slipped right into my arms.
A dull pain struck my abdomen. The girl’s tiny fist plunged into me at bullet-like speed.
Without warning, I tumbled headfirst from the second floor of the general store.
"……gurk!"
"Ughh!"
Thanks to the few “zombies” at the landing acting as a cushion—or perhaps due to the benefits of Skin Reinforcement and Bone Reinforcement—I wasn’t seriously hurt.
"Sorry… thanks for saving me."
Apologies to the poor "zombie" who ended up as a mere underlay.
"Aaahhh, aaaaaaahhh...!"
Hmph, that means it's fine. Are you alright, miss?
It feels like they're saying that, though it's just imagination.
...
Shaking off the dust, I look up at the general store.
Heh heh heh! What do you think?!
I surrender, so please let me off the hook.
I said it honestly.
You say that, but I know you'll probably do something bad again, so no way! Plus, a hundred more whacks!
Seems like there's some serious misunderstanding here.
"Huh. A hundred times, huh..."
I really don't want to...
In that case, there's no choice.
I've been deliberately putting off leveling up, preparing for my battle against the "slave master"—now's the time to do it.
――Choose your skill to acquire.
――1. [Fatal Sword I]
――2. [Combat Technique (Beginner)]
――3. [Choose Magic Skill]
――4. [Choose Job Skill]
――5. [Skill Evaluation]
I dive into the ground floor of the general store, hiding myself.
"……For now, let's go with Job Skill."
――Please select the Job Skill you wish to acquire.
――1. [Attack Power I]
――2. [Defense Power I]
――3. [Magic Resistance I]
"Effects..."
Obtaining "Attack Power I" increases the potency of all your attack actions.
Obtaining "Defense Power I" reduces the potency of all attacks you receive.
Obtaining "Magic Resistance I" reduces the effects of certain magic spells you receive.
Hmm, just as expected. Probably the same pattern as magic-based skills—the description remains unchanged.
In any case, there aren't many options available here.
I can't just take an attack-based skill and kill that girl.
I think I've gained about six levels since last time.
Well, there's no helping it. Let's go with a defensive strategy then.
"Can I postpone selecting the achievement item for now?"
—Please choose the skill to acquire.
—1. [Critical Strike I]
――2, [Combat Technique (Beginner...]
Ah, I can do that.
I never had the need to try it before, so I haven't tested it out yet.
From now on, I’ll handle level-ups and achievement rewards separately.
Of course, that’s assuming I get through this situation first.
The next skill I’ll acquire will, of course, be a job skill.
――Please select the job skill to acquire.
――1. [Attack Power I]
――2. [Defense Power II]
――3. [Iron Armor]
――4. [Magic Resistance I]
Huh.
Something new has appeared.
For now, I'll leave it aside and acquire [Magic Resistance I].
――Please select the job skill to acquire.
――1. [Attack Power I]
――2. [Defense Power II]
――3. [Iron Armor]
――4. [Magic Resistance II]
――5. [Silence]
"Effects of [Iron Armor] and [Silence]"
――Using "Iron Armor" grants you the same defensive power as steel armor for one minute.
――Successfully attacking while under the effect of "Silence" causes the target's vocal cords to become paralyzed for several minutes.
Ah, so temporary defense boost and magic spell interruption, huh.
Both seem quite practical to use.
Now then, how should I approach this challenge?