NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28.2
“That’s how you defeat these things. Easy, right?”
“Wh-what was so easy about that!?”
Karen said angrily after seeing Haruki’s example. Her face was pale and her shoulders shook.
“How am I supposed to do that!”
“Uh, really?”
I had thought that it was an amazing strategy…was I wrong?
Haruki wasn’t sure what to think. But if Karen couldn’t do it, then there was nothing he could do about it.
The potatoes were unleashed at 150km/hour, and Haruki was dodging them no less than 5 meters away.
There was only 1/10 a second between the launch and impact.
Karen was usually in the rear guard and didn’t move her body as much. So it was no wonder that she looked pale now.
However, Haruki wasn’t being completely daft either.
“If you look at the nozzle, you can tell which direction the potatoes will come from. So as long as your timing is right, you can avoid them quite easily.”
With some close observation, you could read both the timing and trajectory.
But it didn’t matter. If someone gave you a signal and told you in which direction a bullet would come from, you still wouldn’t be able to react in time.
“I didn’t realize how far away you were from a normal human, Karaboshi.”
“How rude.”
I didn’t stop being a human, yet?
Haruki pouted angrily.
Still, this reproachful expression was hidden behind a mask.
“I see. So you can’t do it…”
He had so much wanted to show her the joys of dodging potatoes that shot towards you at incredible speeds.
“Hmph.”
Perhaps she thought he was trying to provoke her. Karen was quick to react.
“I could do it if I wanted to!”
“Oh? Then please demonstrate.”
“Hmph.”
Karen puffed up her cheeks and started to search for the next potato.
The next one was about 50 meters away.
Haruki had already known it was there.
So, how long would it take for Karen to find it?
He would tell her if it started to take too long.
Karen took a few steps forward.
“Ah!”
Karen finally saw it. She was just one step outside of the area which would have put her in the potato’s firing range.
So, that’s how close other people had to be to notice it.
Hmm. Haruki thought as he scratched his chin.
This was in fact a very dangerous floor.
“I will show you that I can do it too, Karaboshi!”
She shouted.
Then she waved her staff.
“Haahh!!”
She unleashed her magic.
It slammed into the potato, crushing it all the way to the roots.
“How was that? See, even I can…”
“Arrrgghhh! Karen, what is wrong with you!!”
“Huh? What?”
“If you kill it without dodging, how will you get any potatoes!?”
“…”
Karen gave a cold look to the disappointed Haruki.
Ah, this guy. That’s what he’s like. She seemed to be saying.
But Haruki was obsessed with potatoes.
And now, a monster had been killed without any of its potatoes being gathered…
Ahh, potatoes.
Starch. Energy.
My potassium, carotene, and niacin!
“Well, you can always get more potatoes if you come to the 4th floor. There is no reason to be so upset.”
“Scary monsters will come out if you waste your food…”
“Now, let’s keep going! You planned to hunt on the 5th floor, right? Right? …Uh…can you please stop moping?”
Karen desperately tried to make Haruki stand up.
And while it was Haruki who was depressed, Karen was the one who looked like she was about to burst into tears.
“You know. Potatoes can be grown in your garden as well! So cheer up…”
“That’s it!!”
＊
He decided to give up on the potatoes that day.
Things went quickly after that.
While potatoes were good at disguising themselves, they were easy to kill once they were discovered.
Haruki only scouted and let Karen do all of the attacking. And so without allowing them to fire a single potato, they killed monster after monster.
It was the same with the 4th-floor boss. They stood outside of the room as Karen silenced it with repeated magic attacks.
Monsters with high mimicking abilities and fast bullets.
At a glance, they might seem difficult to deal with, but they were easy once you knew how to defeat them.
In a way, it was a well-balanced floor.
While Karen was attacking the boss in what was a one-sided fight(practically a trial battle), Haruki quietly took out his skill board.
This was so he could check his current skills and make plans for the future.
“Huh?”
Haruki noticed the differences and tilted his head to the side.
Karaboshi Haruki(27) Gender: Male
Skill Point: 0 → 3
Class: Swordsman
-Vitality
Stamina 0
Natural Recovery 0
-Strength
Strength 1
-Agility
Quickness 1
Dexterity 1
-Technique
Weapon mastery
One-handed sword 1
Throwing 1
Light Armor 0
Conceal 1
Imitate 1
-Intuition
Detection 0
-Special
Growth Acceleration 3
Haruki’s skill point had gone up to 3 all at once.
“I thought it was already clear what situations allowed you to gain skill points…”
Apparently, there were still other conditions.
Before he could think of a reason for them increasing, he checked Karen’s skills as well.
Kurosaki Karen(18) Gender: female
Skill points: 3
Class: Spirit User
-Vitality
Stamina 0
Natural Recovery 0
-Strength
Strength 0
-Magic Power
Magic Power 1
Magic Compatibility 1
Magic Manipulation 1
-Agility
Quickness 0
Dexterity 0