The Shaman can't become a Hero
Act 3: Drug
Chapter 17: Let's try Killing part.2
After that, we saw packs of Fang Rats pass through the ends of the passages twice; in a woodland area, we saw a troop of Goma walk past while making a racket for some reason. After the skinny Red Dog, we advanced through the dungeon without a single other fight.
Thus precisely following the directions of the Magic Compass, we arrived at a stairway. Similar to the one where I first entered this dungeon, it was a spiralled descent. And as I thought maybe, there indeed was a Fairy Square upon reaching the bottom.
“Let’s stop here for today. We should get a little sleep”
“Mm... ok, let’s”
Me and Futaba-san, we were both tired. Even if I didn’t make the proposal to rest, I’m certain we’d both be out like logs.
I’ll just stop thinking too much for now. Controlling our exhaustion, Futaba-san and I ate a poor meal of Fairy Walnuts with cold water, and descended towards a siesta.
Sleeping with a girl under the same roof... would be a rom-com like scenario that I truly couldn’t care less for, and I lied down freely spreading my arms and legs over the soft grass. Futaba-san too, right now she wouldn’t be stupidly conscious of the opposite sex, and should be weary, yes, mentally weary, and going to sleep at an appropriate distance away.
“Uu.. ku, uuu...”
As I turn my face to peek, what appears is a side-turned large, round back trembling. She’s doing her best to supress it, but the crying is obvious.
For what cause, is she shedding tears this time? I had no desire to think about it, and per consequent, none to console her either. I want to cry too.
The surprising difficulty of killing Monsters. Futaba-san who can’t attack. Packs of them where it’s instant death at encounter. Every one of these is more than enough to chip away at my spirit. None of them were at the level of stress a short, otaku highschooler could hope to endure.
“It’s ok, I’m, still, okay...”
Murmuring as if it was a prayer, I tightly shut my eyes.
“I still, don’t wanna die... like hell I’ll die here...”
Survival instinct. That’s what moves me, the only, yet absolute think that drives me. I’ll definitely get out of this place alive. And I’ll absolutely make it back to my previous world.
“...Nn-“
Sometime during my endless contemplations, I had fallen asleep. I don’t know for how long, and I don’t feel like checking.
Feeling the languish of awakening, rubbing at my eyes, I raise my body.
“Futaba-san’s... still sleeping”
They say that sleep brings up a child well, the thought buzzes through my mind. But having the body grow while the heart stays immature makes that completely useless. If you could become courageous just by dozing off, I’d be a Hero already. At the least, a level 58 one.[1]
“No, that’s wrong... it’s not, her fault...”
Seeing Futaba-san’s utter uselessness, unable to kill even a starving, and on top of that, restrained pup, my inner feeling for her becoming the same as those 3 who abandoned her, is something I can’t deny. I’ve been hitting my limits too, I just can’t let her off. I’m not that big of a man to laugh away these things as nothing, I know that for a fact. Just as I expected things from the strength of a Knight granted to Futaba-san, I was all the more disappointed and full of complaints at her failures like this.
Still, I won’t resent her. I won’t get angry, or blame her. Ever. I don’t give a shit about my feelings. If feelings aren’t working, try logic.
So think, think Momokawa Kotarou. Before finally speaking out that disgruntled resentment, think up a plan.
“...Ah right, first on the list of problems are those Novice Skills”
The biggest flaw isn’t with the individual that is Futaba Meiko, but with the shitty system of this anything-goes magic-filled other world that produced the thing called a ‘Vocation’ which is a disappointment that keeps on giving.
I already have an endless list of complaints from being a Shaman with nil Attack Skills, but let’s leave that aside for now. What’s important are the 3 Novice Skills that Futaba-san currently possesses: ‘Foresight’, ‘Repel’, and ‘Blessed Body’.
That she has no Attack Skills i.e. Martial Arts— is not the issue.
The issue would be her lack of Skills that focus the mind in battle, Psyche Skills.
Up ’til this very morning, well we may have changed by now, but anyway, we were just normal highschoolers. Just because we received magical powers, there’s no way we can suddenly go fight fearsome Monsters.
Nevertheless, be it the Higuchi party I encountered, or the Class Rep team that abandoned Futaba-san, they were more or less able to fight off those Monsters.
As for why these students could conveniently go to battle. The secret lies in powers that affect their psyche.
| Concentrate | Can draw the bow without faltering of mind |
If I recall, there was a name and description like that. Right, this was indeed one of Satou Aya’s Novice Skills in archery.
She had neither the composed disposition of the Class Rep nor the bravado of Natsukawa-san. She was a model of completely average highschool girl, and though I hadn’t spoken to her even once, her demeanor in class leads me to that judgement.
Even someone like her was standing shoulder to shoulder with the other two, fighting with gusto.
If you think about it, in front of a Goma or Red Dog, Satou-san is very likely to scream out in fear, or even turn stiff in shock, reactions leading straight to death. For her contribution to the fight, there’d be scant different to Futaba-san.
Her betraying those expectations, properly carrying out long-distance offensives with her bow, was nothing but from that ‘Concentrate’, that magic power that allowed her to smoothly carry out battle.
What I think, is that this power not only offers concentration when firing an arrow, but also mitigates the resistance felt when that arrow hits an animal.
Perhaps it’s that, after the battle, the guilt comes rushing in... Still, using this power, she’d be able to cooly fire the bow anytime new skirmishes started. The guilt x resistance from taking a life gone, there wouldn’t be any shaking from fear and anxiety either. Ever calm of mind, akin to the masters of Japanese Archery.[2]
Do that for a while, and she’d get used to killing Monsters pretty soon. Humans can adapt. Right now, Satou-san may even be able to casually headshot Monsters like those FPS addicts.
Anyway, after first getting a hold of this Psyche Skill, even complete amateurs in battle can avoid the worst of pitfalls known as ‘panic’ to a 100%.
If Futaba-san had an ability to fearlessly face any foe, the mindset of a Knight, a ‘Chivalrous Spirit’ per say, then she could use those log-like arms to bash down on any Goma or Red Dog.
Yeah, if she was that awesome, she wouldn’t have been abandoned by those 3 in the first place, and wouldn’t have met me and become an ally either.
“Somehow, gotta get her a Psyche Skill...”
In the end, we’re back at the premise of developing the Vocation through combat. The category of Skill we want did change, but the means to get it remains the same.
And, it’s because that’s not working out, that I’m going though all this trouble. Came right back in a circle, goddammit.
“Ok, next time, let’s avoid the Red Dog, and get a Fang Rat, then... or maybe I can somehow trick her into killing...”
It a feeling where I’m simulating an RPG and trying to nurture a super weak character, expecting great things for later. Getting the enemies HP down to 1 and letting the weak character deliver the kill and get the exp.[3]
“As if that’s gonna work dammit...”
To my regrets, this world is neither a game, nor follows does it follow the rules of any game system.
At the very least, if you fight honestly and gather experience, you can get new powers, is something established from what I’ve heard from Futaba-san. That’s likely because, as per the info from the text messages, our Vocations are granted by gods related to battle.
That’s why I acted under the assumption that even if we beat that weakened Red Dog, it’d turn into experience points... but really, I’m not all too sure exactly what level of fighting is considered enough to levelup the Vocation.
It could even be that learning conditions are completely dependant on the whims of the God... if that’s the case, then the one who granted Futaba-san her Vocation, the God of Knights, it was apparently a woman’s voice so maybe Goddess, anyway, this God of Female Knights may not recognize her beating monsters with underhanded methods.
What’ll I do if she wants something like my super lucky Armor Bear slaying to grant a levelup... it’s at impossible difficulty already, fuck.
“Sigh, let’s just make some meds”
I decide to avoid all this dead end thinking, and immerse myself in work as if running away from reality.
That reminds me, I haven’t closely looked at the details of this Fairy Square, maybe I can make a new discovery like that Power Seed from before.
With light expectations, I do an “easy does it” like those old folks and stand up.