Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Hypnosis of Courage (2)
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The Tentacle Boar immediately whipped its tentacles toward the enemy approaching it.
-Kuiiiit!
Four slimy pink tentacles sprouted from its back, stretching out toward Nellis.
'Eek! G-Gross! But!'
Nellis barely suppressed a shudder at the creature's repulsive form and focused on the tentacles reaching for her.
'Before they grab me... I'll cut them!'
It was impossible for Nellis to match Kalt's speed right now.
But slicing the tentacles coming at her? That she could manage.
Slash!
It was within Nellis's capabilities.
'One down!'
Slash!
'Two!'
Using the movements Kalt had taught her to the fullest, Nellis swiftly severed two tentacles and followed up with the third.
But.
Whoosh!
Greedily trying to cut the last one too, she was too slow, and one of her arms got wrapped by a Tentacle Boar tentacle.
"Eek!"
'Slimy! Gross! Ugh!'
-Kuiiiit!
Even with three tentacles severed, the Tentacle Boar that had snagged its target charged full force at Nellis.
'Aaaah! It's coming! Q-Quick, I need to cut the tentacle...'
"Nellis! Don't force yourself to cut the tentacles! You can tank it just fine, so use your Blessing!"
"...!"
Hearing Kalt's advice, Nellis regained her composure and focused on the Blessing she possessed.
"Hup!"
Nellis braced her legs, preparing to meet the charging Tentacle Boar head-on.
The Tentacle Boar's tusks slammed into Nellis.
But her body didn't go flying.
The tusks failed to deliver any real impact to Nellis; she was merely pushed back by the momentum of the charge.
"Haaaah!"
Puuk!
From point-blank range, Nellis reversed her grip on her sword and thrust it into the Tentacle Boar's eye.
-Kuiiiit!
The blade pierced the eye and damaged the brain in one go. The Tentacle Boar collapsed on the spot, lifeless.
"K-Kalt! I got it!"
"Good job, Nellis."
Kalt approached her and said,
"Even if the enemy attacks, just think about the strengths of your Blessing and handle it accordingly."
"Yes!"
'Just like Kalt said, the Tentacle Boar's charge didn't hurt. About as strong as a kobold's attack, maybe a bit more? If I hadn't followed his advice and prepared...'
In her panicked state, she wouldn't have even thought to brace, and even without injury, the force would have knocked her off balance and sent her tumbling.
And that would have dragged out the fight for sure.
"Next one's mine. Let's mine the magic stone first. This is your first time mining from a pure beast monster like a Tentacle Boar, right, Nellis?"
"Yes!"
"Then watch closely. I'll show you how."
After demonstrating how to extract the magic stone from the dead Tentacle Boar's body for Nellis, they moved on to hunt another.
And then two Tentacle Boars appeared at once.
-Kuiiii...!
Slash!
Before the two Tentacle Boars could even react.
Before they could even move their tentacles.
Kalt closed the distance in an instant and severed both their necks in one stroke.
"Alright, let's mine the stones quick."
"Ah... Yes, Kalt."
'I thought the same last time, but Kalt's speed... it's no joke.'
The skill he'd shown massacring kobolds like a whirlwind of blood hadn't gone anywhere.
Meanwhile, Kalt pondered in his head what combination to try next time they caught a Tentacle Boar.
Tentacle Boars were monsters that even Nellis's party could handle without him, difficulty-wise.
But the key was that she could do it solo.
For the party's overall growth, they couldn't keep alternating between Nellis and him forever.
'Alright, next up, Scarlet. Just in case...'
After mining the stones, Kalt asked Scarlet,
"Scarlet, did you learn any spells from that grimoire you bought yesterday?"
"One. Grease."
Grease.
A spell that made the ground slippery to trip up enemies.
"Good. Then when we meet the next Tentacle Boar, let's test it out."
The next time they encountered one, Kalt instructed the group.
"Nellis, draw its attention and get ready. Sorry, but this time, let the tentacles grab you and lure it into charging."
"Got it, Kalt!"
"Scarlet, can you cast Grease right in front of the Tentacle Boar as it charges at Nellis?"
"I'll try."
"Don't worry, Scarlet! Even if it fails, the charge won't hurt!"
"Who said anything about failing!"
-Kuiiiit!
"Ah, it noticed!"
As per Kalt's instructions, Nellis didn't cut the tentacles reaching for her and let them wrap around her arms and legs.
"Eeeeeek!"
'The texture feels so weird!'
Judging that its target was helplessly ensnared, the Tentacle Boar charged.
"Now!"
On Kalt's signal, Scarlet swung her staff and activated Grease.
The Tentacle Boar's legs, mid-charge, hit the slick ground.
-Kuit!
The momentum of its charge met the slippery surface, and the Tentacle Boar lost balance, tumbling head over heels.
"Nellis, now!"
"Get off me quick!"
The fall weakened the tentacles' grip on Nellis. The moment Kalt signaled, she swiftly slashed the ones binding her arms and legs.
"Hyaaah!"
And thrust her sword into the flailing Tentacle Boar's eye as it tried to get back up.
Having successfully hunted the Tentacle Boar, Kalt immediately praised Scarlet.
"Impressive, Scarlet. You must've just learned it yesterday, and you nailed it on the first try."
"This is nothing. Don't make a fuss."
"But timing that spell perfectly in the path of a charging monster? An average mage couldn't pull it off first time."
"Hmph! I'm telling you, it's no big deal. And with my fire magic, I could've taken it out in one shot without this."
"Of course. But you never know what enemies you'll face, so learning a variety of spells is important, right?"
"...Fair enough. Anyway, how long are you gonna yap? We need to mine the stone!"
Not just relying on Scarlet's new spell but also her usual attack magic, Kalt took down another Tentacle Boar before instructing Aria next.
"Aria, take it out with a holy attack from this range."
"O-Okay! Whew..."
Aria exhaled to steady her nerves and extended her hand toward the Tentacle Boar.
Swords of light materialized around her and flew toward the Tentacle Boar, embedding deeply.
Pu-pu-puuk!
-Kuiiik!
The Tentacle Boar, pierced deep by the Holy Sword, went limp and collapsed.
"...Aria's holy attacks are pretty strong."
"R-Really?"
Aria, who hadn't used holy attacks much before meeting Kalt—sticking mostly to support from the rear—was flustered by Nellis's reaction.
"You were a saintess candidate, right, Aria? You couldn't use them aggressively due to circumstances, but if you put your mind to it, you can be real firepower, not just support. Pretty reassuring, huh?"
"Totally! But I'll get strong enough that Aria won't even need to use holy attacks!"
"Nellis... Kalt..."
The heartwarming mood continued as Nellis's party hunted Tentacle Boars until lunchtime and headed back.
And when they stopped by the Guild to cash in, they ran into Smoothie again.
"Kaa~lt~ On your way back from a quest~?"
"Yeah."
Smoothie's cheeks looked more gaunt compared to yesterday.
'How much did he get squeezed?'
"You... okay?"
"Hahaha, what do you mean~? I'm perfectly fine! Just~ yesterday's loving went a bit long~!"
Even as he said that, Kalt didn't miss Smoothie glancing back at Angela.
For the record, Angela's skin was positively glowing with luster.
"Speaking of, why are you in the commercial city?"
"Hahaha, funny question, Kaa~lt! You know Heroes can't stay in one place too long~! This is just a stopover for my party! Well, we do have a purpose here~!"
"Purpose?"
"Come on, Kalt, you know~? This is the commercial city Tri~dia! Where countless goods flow in and out! And here, there's!"
Smoothie deliberately lowered his voice for emphasis.
"An auction~ house!"
"Ah, that's your goal."
Auction house.
A place to compete for rare items that normal shops don't carry or handle.
Not just nobles, but famous or well-off Hero parties and adventurers often participated for weapons or helpful gear.
Kalt himself had attended auctions elsewhere as part of Mabel's party, though not in Tridia.
'Mabel threw a huge fit back then, demanding we buy that sword at auction.'
He'd ended up spending most of his personal funds and the party's savings on it.
'Had to skimp on ingredients because of that, sticking to similar menus, and Mabel complained she was sick of it. Ugh, my neck.'
Recalling that irritating past episode made Kalt's neck ache.
"Kaa~lt! You joining the auction? It's in a week~!"
"Nah, I..."
Kalt had no wants, and Nellis's party had bought what they needed.
No reason for them to go.
He was about to refuse.
"Auction house...!"
But Nellis was looking at him with sparkling eyes.
For someone raised in a normal village like Nellis, an auction house was something she'd only heard of, never experienced.
Seeing her like that, Kalt changed his mind.
'...Field trip couldn't hurt.'
Kalt swallowed his refusal.
"Just to watch."