36. Why won't this pull?
36. Why won't this pull?
I happily went about killing the monsters, turning the shins of the Skeletons and Zombies visible through the gaps into rags. There were Creepers too, but thankfully, if we struck them from a bit of a distance, as if just tapping them with the tip of our Wooden Swords, the Creepers didn't recognize me or Ranma. In other words, it meant they wouldn't explode. If we got too close, the Creepers a bit further away would recognize me, but they wouldn't get close enough to explode, so they just recognized me without blowing up.
The anxiety caused by the Creepers that had been tormenting me had vanished.
From then on, it was smooth sailing. Realizing we didn't have to fear Creepers, Ranma and I gleefully beat the hell out of the monsters. Zombies and Skeletons spawned in particularly high numbers. It was a bit annoying that so many Creepers were spawning, but the monsters we needed right now were, first and foremost, Spiders, followed by Zombies and Skeletons. Because there are no waste byproducts from these two monsters.
Ranma's swordplay was a bit strange; despite being so strong in hand-to-hand combat, once he held a Wooden Sword, he became similar to me. Isn't Ranma a martial arts master, after all? If so, shouldn't he have some kind of bonus when using a Wooden Sword, even if not as much as Asagi? Since his base strength is high, it would be normal for the damage when swinging to be different from mine, but there wasn't that big of a difference. The attack power of my strikes follows the Minecraft settings exactly. The Wooden Sword's attack power is 4. The Zombie's health is 20. I have to hit a Zombie 5 times for it to die. It dies if I hit its finger 5 times, and it dies if I hit its head 5 times. Regardless of where I hit, my attack power, governed by the system, remains constant.
Ranma kills a Zombie in about 4 hits. It's definitely stronger attack power compared to mine, but if you asked if it was a significant difference, I'd tilt my head and say, "Well?" It's a result completely opposite to how he popped and killed a Spider with a single punch earlier. I'm not sure how to interpret this result.
But I couldn't really tell him to use his fists to kill them faster, because if he got too close, a Creeper might explode. Although there are only three of us, and even though Asagi is the only one to compare him to, Ranma is the person I have the best relationship with. I couldn't put him in danger.
"Still catching monsters, I see."
A voice came from behind me then. Is it Asagi? Is she already back after catching the Enderman?
"What about the Enderman?"
"Killed it. I also confirmed that the other 2 are still on the Monster Farm. The place we're living in is safe now."
Asagi answered my question. I was a little dissatisfied that she was still far away, but I was incredibly grateful that she had carried out my order perfectly. Because the Enderman is the strongest monster that naturally spawns in the Overworld. Wait, no, was the Elder Guardian the strongest? But there's no chance of seeing that monster here. So it shouldn't matter. In the Sky Block Overworld, the Enderman is indeed the strongest monster.
Asagi looked at me and Ranma in turns, sighed, lifted her Wooden Sword, and waved it around to the side.
"Move aside."
As expected, she meant for us to move. It was like someone saying to friends playing some retarded prank, "Move over, let me try." Because of that, I felt a bit grumpy, but I quickly stepped aside. Ranma also stepped back without any resistance. Asagi swung her sword through that gap without any wind-up.
Swish-swish-swish!
With the sword strikes swung in an instant, the shins of the monsters trapped in the pit were smashed to pieces. I saw three monsters instantly turn into light, drop their items, and disappear. I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping. I inwardly turned my head to glance at Ranma, and he had a look that seemed frustrated by something.
Right. He's also incredibly competitive.
Ranma is the type of guy who will struggle and do anything to win if someone is stronger than him. In serious situations, he'll train with all his might to defeat the opponent, but sometimes he'd do stupid shit like turning into a girl and using a beauty trap. It seemed like Ranma was feeling competitive toward Asagi right now. The image of Ranma pestering Asagi to spar with him after fighting monsters for the first time flashed through my mind and then vanished.
"We need to get rid of them quickly and lure more so we can collect string faster."
Asagi said that while swinging her sword. She was swinging it randomly, but the sword was being swung into the gaps of the trap at a speed that was invisible, so she was definitely worthy of being called a master of the sword. It was to the point where Asagi might actually be better than Ranma at dealing with the monsters trapped in the pit.
Wait.
"Hey. Ranma."
"What."
When I called Ranma because of a sudden thought, his reply sounded grumpy, perhaps because he already felt a sense of defeat from Asagi. I didn't really pay it any mind. I'm really glad I read the manga before coming here. Because I was able to grasp what kind of personality Ranma has to some extent. I asked Ranma.
"You. Can you catch an Enderman?"
"Enderman? That thing from before? The one Asagi-ssi just caught?"
"Yeah."
"Of course. Actually, a one-on-one fight is easier."
Ranma said that while glancing at Asagi. I could see Asagi's face smiling as if she found it amusing. It seemed Asagi also noticed that Ranma's words were a provocation.
"Then it might be better to switch roles."
Asagi spoke up first. I nodded. Asagi is the fastest among us at clearing out the monsters trapped in this pit. Her sword is so fast that it's hard to even follow with the eyes. Ranma's destructive power is greater than Asagi's when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Since he must have done a lot of one-on-one fights in his original world, fighting the Enderman might actually suit Ranma better.
"Got it. Let's do that."
Ranma nodded, looking at Asagi and me. Then he tossed the Wooden Sword to me. That means he's going to fight bare-handed. To think his bare hands are stronger than a Wooden Sword. It was a bit absurd, but still, I couldn't be more relieved that two bug-like characters like this had fallen into this world with me.
"Please, take care of it."
"Got it."
Ranma said that and took a position in the back. The monsters in the trap were mostly taken care of by Asagi anyway. Once they were all cleared, it would be my turn to jump back over and lure more monsters. Now that the Enderman isn't teleporting, Ranma also has to catch monsters here.
After Asagi's appearance, the monsters inside the trap were quickly cleared out. It's definitely a crazy speed. Even if she doesn't want to enter the Corridor-style Monster Farm because she has to go in with me and my... smell, Asagi can still hunt monsters in an outdoor Monster Farm like this one. Checking the inside of the trap that had been cleared in an instant, I went to lure more monsters again. This time, too, a massive horde of monsters that had spawned while we were hunting chased after me. I felt a bit more used to it, but I didn't let my guard down at all. I'm not strong enough to survive even if I let my guard down.
This time, I jumped right over the 2-meter hole. Because opening and closing the Trapdoor takes surprisingly long, and I felt like I might get hit by an arrow. Jumping over it isn't a method I can use often, but it seemed like a good idea to try it out a lot so I can use it whenever my stamina is fresh. That way, I think I'll be able to relax a bit while taking on the role of the bait. It means I have to get used to it.
Though if I'm unlucky and fall into the trap, it'll be an instant death.
This time, too, a whole bunch of Spiders swarmed in, overcame the trap, and rushed at us—or, to be precise, at me. Asagi and Ranma quickly covered me and started dealing with the Spiders.
It seems the Spiders were no match for Asagi and Ranma after all. When monsters were sparse, Ranma and Asagi were the strongest in the Overworld. It seems there's no one among the monsters who can take down Asagi and Ranma in a one-on-one fight. The Spiders, cleared out in an instant, dropped string as promised and disappeared. It was a very smooth operation. If we do this just a few more times, it didn't seem impossible to collect all the string. The collection speed was faster than expected. To me, who had a rough estimate of when it would end, Asagi's report reached my ears.
"The Enderman has disappeared."
"Ranma!"
"Got it!"
I called Ranma immediately at Asagi's words. Even without giving specific instructions, Ranma, having heard that the Enderman had disappeared, ran off to the Oak Tree field, looking delighted. He was definitely slower compared to Asagi. He was incomparably faster than me, but since I'm an ordinary person, there's no point in comparing.
"What a cute kid."
Watching Ranma's back as he disappeared into the Oak Tree field, Asagi chuckled as if he were cute. I don't think she'll be able to call him cute once she spends a little more time with him, though? I just thought that and didn't say it out loud. Either way, as time passes and she starts experiencing Ranma, I predict that the relationship between Asagi and Ranma is bound to turn sour. The reason is that Ranma has already felt a sense of competitiveness toward Asagi. Thinking about Asagi being pestered by Ranma from now on felt a little satisfying, but that's a problem for later; right now, I needed to focus more on the Monster Farm.
"For now, let's just deal with the monsters trapped in the pit."
"I know. You should rest."
"Is that okay?"
"You're risking your life. Don't do anything else and recover your stamina. The moment your legs give out while running and you fall, you die."
....
Come to think of it, Asagi's words seemed right. I was performing the most dangerous mission right now, wasn't I? To realize that only now, you fucking idiot!
I took Asagi's advice 120% to heart, and while watching Asagi's back as she walked toward the trap, I plopped down on the spot. Because of the path that was definitely a bit longer than the first Monster Farm we built, if I were to make a round trip, it would count as a 50m sprint. Since I have to do this shit a few times tonight, it was definitely better for all of us if I recovered at least a little bit of stamina, just as Asagi said. Even if Asagi swung the Wooden Sword alone, it was better than me and Ranma swinging at the same time, so even if I sat out, the loss in time wouldn't be that severe.
Or maybe she said that because I was getting in the way?