NOVEL NEXT Interlude: In The Mountains
Takano Shuji was having the time of his life.
He typically was, most days; despite the fact that he was only a B-Ranker, with a Class and Unique Skill that paled in comparison to those of some of his other classmates, he'd always felt that his Class and Skill were so quintessentially him that he wouldn't have traded them for anything. His Grand Crusader Class was, to his way of thinking, incredibly overpowered; he was able to fight toe-to-toe with nearly all other melee Classes he'd encountered without even using his Skills, and the Skills his Class granted him in addition to that were capable of such powerful force-multiplier-style support actions that it often seemed downright unfair. He could heal companions with significantly greater speed and power than even A-Rank healing Classes (although not nearly as often or for as long), his Battle Inspiration skills gave huge bonuses to an arbitrary number of nearby allies (albeit smaller bonuses than Kurihara-chan's Golden Oathkeeper Class, but on a much larger number of targets simultaneously), the handful of attack-type Skills his Class gave him were both devastatingly strong and covered wide areas, and his damage absorption capability was supreme amongst the entire force, even surpassing that of the S-Rankers. And all of that was before taking into account his Unique Skill, Immovable Defense, which even let him stand against even Sugimoto-sama for as long as he could hold his concentration (current record: thirty-eight seconds, which was thirty-seven seconds longer than anyone else had lasted against him).
Admittedly, he did have shortcomings; his Class and Skills were all completely useless outside of combat, he had almost no long-range capability, and he really depended on allies in order to make the most of his capabilities. But the truth was that to Shuji, those "drawbacks" were perfect for him; he liked being at the front of the team, inspiring others, and standing firm against the threat of defeat. He didn't need to be the star player; he needed to be the fulcrum, the anchor of stability upon which win or loss was decided. The fact that he was essentially a useless waste of space outside the battlefield was simply an excuse to never leave the battlefield, and he exercised it vigorously.
As soon as the first hunts had begun, he had spent almost all of his time in the field; he always accompanied Arima-sama on her expeditions, of course, but he often volunteered to protect other teams when she was resting or undertaking other responsibilities back at the castle. One of his Grand Crusader Skills was Eternal Vigilance, so he never needed sleep or rest; he did need food and water, but he could ignore even those while under the effects of his Watchful Guard Skill, which cost 0 MP and could be activated anytime he wasn't actively in combat, which was most of the time. Since activating it suspended his need for sustenance, rather than simply allowing him to suppress his awareness of it, it extended his time between provisioning tremendously; he was pretty sure he hadn't eaten or drunk anything for at least three weeks, and was pretty sure he could go another week before it became even slightly uncomfortable. Which, he reflected, hanging by one hand from a crumbling cliff several hundred feet above a sheer drop while a huge scaled creature thundered towards him, was a good thing; now would be a highly inconvenient time to be thirsty.
As the creature barreled towards the cliff, screeching and roaring, he drew his sword and stabbed it deep into the hard rock of the side of the mountain; his prodigious Rank B Strength, enhanced by his Last Stand Skill and even further enhanced by his magic sword, slid the blade easily into the solid stone as though he were cutting through warm butter. Transferring his weight to his other hand, he summoned his shield and activated his Immovable Defense Skill just as the creature reached him, its great bony head crashing against the turf and rocks like a hammer as it attempted to butt him off the cliff. To its shock and dismay, he didn't move an inch; he didn't even fall, despite the fact that there was no longer anything holding him up (Immovable Defense was exactly what it implied; he'd used it to fight on a ceiling before). As the monster rebounded, shaking its great head dizzily from the impact, he reached down, withdrew his sword, and stepped easily onto the stone of the mountain to stand before the towering beast. Poor creature, he thought to himself. Doesn't even realize the danger it's in.
He waited patiently, sword and shield held low, for the beast to rise and challenge him again; most of his attacks got a force multiplier if he was under attack when he used them. He didn't have to wait long. With a roar, the thing clambered to its clawed feet once more and lashed out with its long, heavy tail; he easily blocked the attack, then retaliated with his Grand Cross skill. A huge, X-shaped flare of energy erupted from the blade of his sword as he struck the creature, spreading out over the surface of the ground beneath it before blasting upwards into the sky with cataclysmic force. The creature was mostly disintegrated, although a few tree-like limbs were left lying behind and there was a light shower of viscera after a second or two. He didn't mind; his armor always kept itself clean, and even the most disgusting of tissues and fluids always sluiced away was if he was surrounded by a light coat of zero-gravity Teflon. Best of all, it meant he almost never had to wash his hair.
Turning to look into the valley below, he raised his sword in a gesture of triumph as the small squad of C-Rank and D-Rank soldiers he'd been protecting cheered, and he felt his bonuses redouble as they absorbed the fact of his victory. He felt no pride for himself -- obviously, he'd never really been in any danger -- but he felt proud to be a source of inspiration to these men and women. This was his stage, his shining spotlight, and he loved it; loved it more than any woman or nation or principle. He just wished Haruko-chan had been here to see it.
Well, no matter; she'd turn up eventually, he was sure, along with a harrowing tale of adventure and a renewed sense of appreciation for his talents and efforts. He understood why the F-Rankers hadn't been allowed to join the main force, but he knew exceptions could be made; they always were, when he deemed it necessary. After all, in the great war against the Demon Lord, every little bit helped, didn't it?