The Barbarian Helps the Cat (1)
“Kruhmm…”
Thanks to Frea’s desperate plea, I somehow managed to slip out of the guards’ grasp.
I thought if I got locked up again, I’d be stuck there for a full month, but it was a real blessing…
But the real problem now wasn’t being locked up.
“Frea.”
“Nya!”
“I won’t change my equipment…?”
Come on.
I can’t have my first party member be this broken…
Wait, I’m basically the protagonist in this web novel, right? Mary, Luna, Netia, and even Frea here are all women?
It’s not an exaggeration to say I’m the main character, but why is my party member broken…?
So please, please change the equipment.
Frea smiled brightly at my pleading.
“No nya.”
Shit.
What am I supposed to do with this deadweight cat?
Seeing Frea’s firm resolve not to let go of her equipment even if she died, my face must have looked weird, and Frea started laughing.
“Nya nya nya nya! Barca, you’re funny nya!”
“I’m not laughing at all…”
In a situation where my first party member, the rogue, won’t take off her mage robe even if she dies, what can I do?
“Receptionist—!!! Can we cancel the party!?”
The answer is party cancellation…!
If I party with this girl, my head won’t remain. So please, cancel the party…!
“Ah, I’m sorry. Since it’s already repaired, disassembly is impossible for one week.”
“Why is there even such a rule!?”
“After forming a party, there were quite a few cases where people who applied for cancellation because of personality incompatibility canceled the next day. That’s why the one-week rule was established.”
“Kuek…! Then we can’t go to the dungeon together!? Me walking the dungeon alone!”
“It’s impossible. You’ve already submitted the party application, so the Band of Binding should have been created.”
“What’s that?”
“Take a look at your wrist.”
Following the receptionist’s words, I looked at my wrist and saw a white band wrapped around it.
In games, forming a party and entering the dungeon together was exactly this.
But if this is the problem, why not just rip it off!?
I immediately grabbed the band and pulled with all my strength.
But…
“C, Bar…! What the hell is this, it’s so…!”
This thing is insanely tough.
Just like when I exchanged greetings with Molkan, I pulled with all my might, but it didn’t budge an inch.
“It’s sturdy, right? It’s a magical binding band created by one of the first explorers. If you can tear it off with strength, you’d be fine even if you slapped a high-rank explorer.”
“It’s impossible to tear it off…”
“Nya haha ha! So please take care of it nya?”
Shit, shit…!
No matter how much I shouted it was a scam, nothing changed.
“…” Fine, cat. Then let’s see your skills.”
“Nya nya nya nya! Good nya! Surprise at my flashy skills, don’t let your jaw drop nya!”
“So full of yourself. Then, let’s start from floor 4.”
Without a shield, and my leather armor was in tatters, but floor 4 was doable, so I took Frea to the dungeon.
“Nya aaaa… This is my first exploration in a long time nya.”
“Is that so…? Then pull out your weapon. You’re a rogue, right?”
Rogues are divided into dagger rogues and throwing rogues. These are specialized in mapping and trap removal, so their combat power is low, but they handle all sorts of odd jobs for the party.
Even if this deadweight cat is wearing a mage robe and hat, I could somehow use it.
Since a party member comes to a barbarian, it must be this kind of person…!
“Nya aaaa…! Don’t be surprised by what you see! This is my weapon nya!”
“O…, oooh…!”
The warning not to be surprised was very good. If I hadn’t said that, another curse would have come out of my mouth.
After all, this deadweight cat.
Whoosh—
I pulled out the staff hidden in the robe.
It was a large staff almost as tall as me.
“…” Haha. Nice.”
“O, got it nya!? This is my weapon! My Nyaros Staff nya!”
Hahaha.
Shit.
Is this right? Is this what it is?
Why is she using a staff like that without being a battle mage? She’s a rogue. Why is she holding a staff when she should be removing traps, opening treasure chests, and illuminating the way.
No, if it was a force mage, I could understand. They convert all mana into physical power and fight, so they wield staffs like warriors.
But their low point is disastrous, and their high point is insanely high, so it was a build I sometimes did.
But that was possible because I had a mage class?
“Why the hell is a rogue using a staff…!”
Yeah, this isn’t good.
No matter how I think, this isn’t it. This isn’t something a person would do.
“Well, Frea. Let’s go back. And let’s cleanly break up in a week?”
“Nya, nya aaaa!? Wait a minute nya! I know you were surprised by my equipment nya! But my skill! Look at my skill nya! I’m strong nya!”
“Skill… Haha. Yeah, skill, right?”
Even if it’s not proper skill, it’s fine.
Now that I’m not expecting anything from you, do it yourself.
At my self-deprecating remark, Frea nodded with a serious expression.
After all, I had no intention of continuing the party with that, so I wasn’t expecting much.
Kerak…!
Our friend goblin appeared.
There were four of them, two ranged and two melee, a very typical goblin party. They were search parties, wandering around the forest while looking around.
“Good, go.”
“Nya aaaa…! Watch my power nya.”
Frea crouched and prepared to charge.
“Unyang!”
With the cat’s battle cry, the goblin’s head disappeared.
Kerak?
Immediately one fell, the goblins were startled and looked around, but Frea was already in her second attack.
Kwaduk, with the sharp handle of the staff instead of the blunt end, it became a fine spear and pierced the back of the goblin who had a wind gun in his mouth.
Keraraak!
After sacrificing two, the remaining goblins rushed at Frea, but…
“Nya aak…!”
Frea pulled out the staff and immediately swung it, bursting the head of the approaching one.
Now only one left. Because of the staff’s weapon property, retrieving it takes time after swinging once, so I thought this was dangerous.
“Nya!”
Instead of retrieving the staff, Frea abandoned it and dove into the charging goblin, extending her bare hand.
Her strike with the beastkin’s hidden claws, the cat beastfolk, pierced the goblin’s heart and burst it.
“Hunya nya nya…! How was my skill!”
Stretching and satisfied, Frea looked at me with an expression that made me dumbfounded.
Even without a wolf leader, the floor 4 goblins understood tactics and were hard to deal with for floor 4 explorers.
Especially if challenging with a normal party, it would be death if fighting alone.
Yet, this girl was overpowering them?
“Why are you doing mage cosplay?”
“Nya? I told you earlier. Cat beastfolk mages are cute nya.”
“Is that so…. Then let’s keep going.”
“Hunya! Good nya! I want to earn a lot of money today and drink alcohol!”
Even though she was a broken one doing mage cosplay, her skill was real. This time, Frea showed her excellent body movement by matching the rhythm for combat.
Me pushing with strong power, and Frea pushing with speed.
Crossing the goblin party with a wolf leader, we conquered the goblin village and finally reached the red portal.
“Nya aaaa…! It’s floor 5 nya!”
“Yeah. Floor 5, what do you want to do? You could challenge alone, right?”
“Nya…? Is it possible nya?”
“Yeah. If not, I’ll help you. You have talent.”
Although beastkin have rare magic talent, their physical abilities are inherited from beastkin.
Moreover, since cat beastfolk are strong in speed, their instant acceleration exceeded mine.
With this much physical ability, I gave her confidence that she would definitely win, and Frea nodded readily.
Kerrruek…!
“Hunya aang——!!!”
Frea killed the floor 5 boss, the Hobgoblin, alone in just one day.
***
“Cheers!”
“Nya haha ha——!!!”
After successfully arriving at floor 6, we enjoyed a small party at the exploration office.
It was good to enjoy at Luna’s place, but sometimes eating out like this is necessary. Other places don’t accept barbarians.
“Nya hueu… It feels good nya…”
Frea sat down and immediately started drinking beer, saying it didn’t matter as long as she drank.
She seemed to drink quite a bit, not eating any side dishes and just gulping down beer.
“Hey hey, eat some side dishes too. You’ll get sick.”
“Nya? What are you saying? Beastkin don’t get drunk nya.”
“Eh? Really?”
Last time, Mary’s cheeks were just a little red?
“Still, eat side dishes. You need to eat with side dishes for the alcohol to taste good.”
“Nya hue… Barca is a kid nya. Alcohol should only be drunk as alcohol nya.”
“What nonsense…. And how old are you that you call me kid?”
“Nya? I’m 23 nya.”
…With that body, calling me noona?
Looking at me with a disbelieving face, Frea chuckled.
“Once you know, call me noona nya.”
“Shut up, deadweight cat.”
“Nya!? Calling me deadweight cat is too much nya! I did well even in this outfit nya!”
“That’s true.”
Frea’s skill in dealing with the Hobgoblin was amazing.
She dodged all the attacks from the Hobgoblin who was swinging his greatsword vigorously and continued counterattacking.
Later, the Hobgoblin swung his greatsword while crying, but Frea, with her ugly face, said crying made her more annoyed and relentlessly targeted the face.
A scary woman…!
I don’t think my face is that good either, so I need to be careful.
While enjoying the small party that opened.
“Ara? Is it really Frea?”
Her ears perked up at the familiar voice.
The face that was happily drinking and giggling with nyangs disappeared, and her fur stood on end, showing her alert.
And the explorer who approached Frea, who seemed to be a mage, had a leering smile.
“Still wearing that outfit. I told you to take it off.”
“Nya, nya aaaa…”
“Cat beastkin can’t become mages, right? You’re just a lunatic wearing a mage robe and hat.”
“Ah, no nya…. I’m a mage…”
“A haha! Yeah, you want to be a mage, right. But Frea.”
The mage who seemed to be Frea’s former party member slammed the table hard.
“Cat beastkin can’t become mages.”
“Nya aaaaa…”
Did our cat want to be a mage.
Frea, who was crying tears over her dream being denied, moved me.
“I don’t know what you’re muttering about, idiot.”
“…Is that what you said to me now? Barbarian.”
“Yeah, you idiot girl. Why can’t cat beastkin become mages? Cat beastkin can become mages.”
“Ha! What do you know, barbarian!? You know less than me!”
“Haha? Then show me. How cat beastkin become mages!”
“You idiot. Why would I tell you that?”
“Idiot, idiot…! Let’s try it!?”
Immediately, the mage pulled out her staff and pointed it at me as if she was about to cast magic.
“Mages, do you know why barbarians have so much etiquette?”
“What etiquette is there for barbarians?”
“This is the reason.”
I ignored the idiot’s words and swung my fist.