Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 5 (31 page)

“I will join Andromeda and keep the Goliath at bay.”

Bell looked at her with a mixture of surprise and concern as the elf took a few steps toward the giant.

“Our forces will be overwhelmed if that monster is allowed to roam free. We will buy as much time as possible for another volley of magic attacks…May fortune smile upon you.”

She cut the conversation short, as if to say there was no time. Bell watched her cape flutter as she sped off toward the giant, then looked around.

Broken and shattered weapons littered the ground. Fallen attackers
and wall members were trying to climb to their feet while other adventurers fought desperately to protect them. Their screams echoed throughout the battlefield.

They were locked in a losing battle. Even if they somehow managed to mount another assault, there was no guarantee they could take down the Goliath.

Bell’s throat shook as he tried to steady himself. His gaze drifted down to his right hand.

—
That’s the only chance.

Argonaut. A Skill bestowed on Bell with the power to turn the tides of any situation. He decided to use it.

Unfortunately, Argonaut was a double-edge sword that required enormous amounts of physical endurance and mental power. More than likely Bell would become nothing more than a lump on the battlefield after he launched the attack. He had one shot.

If it doesn’t work…If I can’t fight…
—Bell began charging as many thoughts ran through his mind.

“Faster, faster…!”

Launching the attack at anything less than full power would be a waste. He had to put everything he had into one blast.

Gritting his teeth as screams of pain echoed around him, small sparkles of white light began to gather around his right wrist.

“This is horrible…!”

Lilly was on her way to the supply base when she saw what had happened to the defensive network. Her jaw dropped as she surveyed the landscape.

The Goliath looked unharmed while adventurers’ motionless bodies were sprawled out in all directions. What was worse, groups of monsters were moving in from every angle to put the nail in the proverbial coffin. Lilly kicked off the ground as fast as she could and raced up the hill toward the base.

“Are there still weapons and items here?!”

“Supporter?!”

“Gather everything we have! Lilly will deliver them to the front!”

Lilly’s arrival got Hestia’s attention, as well as the few people left at the base. Like Lilly, they were people who would only get in the way should they join the fight, so they protected their position and took care of as many injured adventurers as they could.

All of them were stunned, looking out at the battlefield with blank expressions.

“You’ll deliver them? Are you sure you can do that?!”

“No one else can move! Lilly has a much better chance than someone scared stiff!”

It went without saying that the adventurers unable to fight, as well as the ones protecting the base, couldn’t leave. On top of that, even the adventurers who had received treatment wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything right away should they return to battle. Lilly practically threw her large backpack into the center of the base as she and Hestia ran around looking for items and weapons to fill it with.

“What about Miss Chigusa?”

“She ran off as soon as she saw the explosion. Probably found her way to Ouka and Mikoto by now.”

Most likely, she couldn’t bear to just stand on the sidelines. Lilly could definitely relate to the human girl as an image of what most likely transpired flashed through her head.

Even though she would be done for if targeted by a monster, Lilly’s devotion to Bell and Welf gave her the courage to fulfill her duties as a supporter in the face of danger.

Ignoring Hestia’s looks of concern, Lilly filled her backpack to the top with anything that could be useful.

“Eh…?”

“Supporter?”

Lilly’s hand had found a large weapon when fumbling through an old cargo box. She suddenly came to a stop.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of something very interesting. Hestia drifted to her side out of curiosity.

“Is that a drop item…?”

The exposed black surface of the item shimmered in the dim light. It was roughly the shape of a sword but wrapped in cloth rather
than a sheath. It could very well be a big black bone. A very poorly made hilt was attached to the bottom part of the “blade.” The cloth appeared to have writing on it, most likely the owner’s name. However, the fabric was so dirty and ruffled that it was impossible to read.

There was a good chance that this was a spare weapon owned by someone who often visited Rivira. Many adventurers used the town as a place to store their backup weapons rather than carry them to the nineteenth floor and beyond because they took up too much space. The weapon must’ve been withdrawn from storage because of the emergency situation.

“Hardly any effort went into this at all…No, wait…”

Lilly gulped as she looked down at the item that could very well have been a natural weapon found within the Dungeon. The girl leaned in close to assess its density, cutting edge, and overall destructive power.

This was once a piece of a large monster, a claw or a fang that became a drop item.

What’s more, that monster was from the lower levels.

Lilly immediately dropped the weapon in her other hand and snatched up the black item before jamming it into her backpack.

“Oi, hey! Supporter?!”

The backpack was bursting at the seams, but Lilly was able to carry it easily because of her own Skill, Alter Assist. She didn’t respond to Hestia’s call as she left the base as fast as her legs could carry her.

If I can get this to Mr. Bell…!

—If this weapon were combined with his white light, then perhaps…maybe…

Lilly’s backpack shook from side to side, the weapon’s black tip sticking out of the top as she raced off to find Bell.

“!”

The Goliath’s finger passed just by Lyu’s body.

She fought to control the adrenaline rush caused by the enemy’s
attack missing her by a hair and rushed forward to strike its exposed legs. The giant’s earsplitting roars filled her ears while she stayed put after her first strike and landed two more before escaping.

“Lyon, that will get you killed!”

“Everyone is fighting with their lives on the line. I should do no less.”

Lyu responded with unwavering resolve to Asfi’s voice calling out to her from a distance.

She fought against the giant logically, adjusting her position and attack angles as necessary. The Goliath was unable to ignore Lyu’s sharp and precise strikes. Her cape was in shambles due to her constant, almost reckless assault.

“Andromeda, shall we attack its core?”

“Impossible. Its hide is too thick. None of our weapons is powerful enough to break the magic stone from the outside.”

Asfi dodged another howl with a flying leap and landed next to Lyu in midstride. Both of them took advantage of this reprieve to take a swig of potion while on the run.

“What about Magic?”

“…My spell takes an absurdly long time and is rather dull. There is no possibility it will have any effect on that Goliath with its regenerative capabilities. Don’t hold your breath.”

Asfi’s white cloak fluttered as she wiped her mouth with her arm, a look of hopelessness on her face. “Understood,” Lyu calmly responded to this information.

“That being the case, we need another volley from the mages.”

“It will just heal again after taking a direct hit.”

“If so, we hit it again and again until it can’t heal anymore.”

“Are you insane…?!”

Asfi reached for her belt as Lyu picked up speed, leaving her behind. She changed her own path and withdrew more Burst Oil grenades, hitting the Goliath in the face on her way past.

The two women attacked the giant again and again despite knowing the outcome. The Goliath loomed over them, still surrounded by the burning glow of the red specks of light. Their situation had become even direr than before.

“The magic users…!”

—Meanwhile, a short distance away from their battle with the Goliath…

Ouka had made his way into the middle of what was left of the defensive net and rushed to the aid of an injured mage.

Those who had weathered the initial shock wave well enough to continue casting were being targeted by the Goliath with howls before they could finish. Unable to move or protect themselves while reciting their spells, each was caught up in an explosion one by one. Still others were attacked by random monsters in the area. There was no way to mount an assault.

Their magic attacks were vitally important to the success or failure of the battle against the floor boss. Without them, the Goliath’s physical attacks and defense would overwhelm the other adventurers.

No walls were forming to protect them. The magic users were completely exposed.

Ouka watched Lyu’s and Asfi’s maneuvers in despair, knowing that they were done for at this rate.

“Ouka!”

“Chigusa?!”

He turned to face the girl who called out to him and answered her.

At first he was shocked that she would come this far into a dangerous area by herself. Then he saw her backpack—filled to the brim with items and equipped with a shield. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He ran to her at full speed, almost jumping to close the distance.

“Chigusa, the shield!”

His words didn’t register with Chigusa right away as Ouka stopped just out of arm’s reach. Then they clicked. Her normally hidden but beautiful eyes emerged from under her bangs. They were filled with fear.

She violently shook her head from side to side.

“Chigusa!!”

“No, you’ll die…! If you join a wall against that thing…you’ll…you’ll die, Ouka!”

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she practically screamed at him.

The large man fought back tears of his own. Steadying himself, he looked down at the crying girl with as much sincerity as he could muster.

“Chigusa, please, don’t rob me of my honor!”

“…?!”

“I don’t want to be known as someone who only talked while others died in vain. I don’t want to be the one who ran away. I’m a proud member of
Takemikazuchi Familia
!”

Chigusa’s head was still, her eyes frozen in place as more tears emerged.

Her face contorted, then she nodded. Slipping her arms out of the straps of the backpack, she set it down and handed Ouka the shield.

He said a quick thank-you as he equipped it, and then ran out into the field without looking back.

Chigusa stood there sobbing, watching Ouka recede farther and farther away.

The white sparkles of light stopped circling Bell’s arm.

“Full power…!”

Three minutes. That’s how long it currently took Bell to fully charge Argonaut.

The lights shimmering, making pinging sounds like chimes in the summer breeze, Bell held his right arm straight out to his side and kicked off the ground into a full sprint.

He cut through the great plain like an arrow toward the raging Goliath. He wanted to make sure that he hit the beast with everything he had, meaning he needed to reach point-blank range.

“Mr. Cranell?!”

Lyu was first to notice him, followed closely by Asfi, and the rest of the adventurers engaged in battle with monsters soon followed suit. So did the bloodred eyes of the giant that towered over him.

Bell’s body was already pulsing with so much energy that the pressure of the Goliath eyes had no effect on him as he barreled forward.

“It can’t be—Lyon, get out of there!”

Asfi knew that Bell had vaporized an infant dragon with an attack described to be exactly like this. She gave the order to withdraw as soon as she saw the lights around his right arm. Lyu hesitated for only a moment before vacating the boy’s line of fire.

Then, Bell came to a stop less than a stone’s throw away from the giant.

The Goliath stared him down and opened its jaws.

“
OOO!!”