Isn’t it funny to think about it?
Though they call it an octopus leg, the octopus still uses it like a hand.
So, the situation of an octopus leg continuously approaching me could very well be interpreted as countless requests for a handshake.
“Ah, thank you. Thank you.”
“Rudion? Are you okay?”
So, after a brief fan meeting skit, Seria started looking at me with a worried expression.
Yeah, I know. It’s crazy.
But it should be grotesque enough… I felt like if I didn’t do something like this to escape reality, I might just break down.
Doesn’t Seria think there’s something off about this?
“Huh? I only see a strange ball of energy…”
Turns out the grotesque stuff was only visible to me.
Wait, was that just a visual effect or something?
It was the moment I realized that sometimes having a game eye can be harmful.
But isn’t it usually the opposite? Aren’t you supposed to make things that look grotesque appear cute in the eyes of others?
Well… it’s not bad since I can see it clearly enough to fend it off easily…
That’s why Seria couldn’t understand the handshake event and was looking at me oddly.
…Or maybe she wouldn’t have understood it even if she could see it.
Anyway, as I was fending off the approaching octopus, strange sounds began to echo around me.
Grrrrr-
Kiieek! Kiiik!
Uuuuh, uuuuh.
When I peeked at the source of the sounds, I saw all kinds of monsters detected by Grain heading my way.
Usually, they wouldn’t come just because they detected something… It felt like the detection was so intense that it triggered a hostile state unconsciously.
‘Having a detection ability that’s too strong is also a problem.’
They weren’t just charging in because I hadn’t attacked them or anything.
Grain was defenseless, and I was busy battling the octopus monster, but there was no need to worry.
Because I still had an elite worker ready to assist.
“Seria! You can use magic now, right? I need you to handle those things!”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
After that, it took less than three seconds for the approaching monsters to be obliterated.
Boom-
Seria unleashed a fireball the size of her fist, creating a massive crater where the monsters had been.
…Wait, didn’t she even set up a magic circle? That was surprisingly fast.
If she had set it up beforehand, it wouldn’t have taken even a second.
“…What did I just see?”
If Grain, who had been quietly keeping his mouth shut, said that, it must have been something impressive.
It meant that it was at a level so high he couldn’t even properly comprehend it despite borrowing the power of his trait.
For now, I turned my attention away from the now safe surroundings, refocusing on my tap dance with the octopus.
Puff, puff.
Every time I burst one of the octopus legs, it turned into a black mist and returned through the hole.
The severed part twisted and formed a new leg.
From Seria’s perspective, it was just a process where some flow of energy scattered and then rejoined.
I kept repeating that cycle.
Burst, burst. If it even grazed Grain for a moment, it could lead to a huge problem, so I moved with maximum focus.
Shortly after, Seria must have deactivated her trait, as the octopus monster got sucked into the open hole in mid-air, which then promptly closed.
Grain cautiously opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
Huff, haah. “It’s my first time to freely use my abilities like this. This feels really liberating.”
“Just in case, let me remind you: don’t do this when I’m not around. It could really cause a disaster.”
Once again, I stressed that she was a parry gimmick. Nothing else would work against her.
Since I was the only one who could use parry in this world, I didn’t even want to imagine what kind of catastrophe might occur if she tried that method with others.
“I know. I thought I’d learn it by just watching for a bit, but I gave up after a while because I couldn’t figure it out.”
Grain seemed to understand roughly, sounding just a bit disappointed.
…Wait a minute. “You couldn’t figure it out even after a long time?”
“…Senpai? Could you please….”
“That? I caught on to it in just a few seconds.”
So, she had just been watching me dance with the octopus all that time?
No wonder it felt like it took an absurdly long time. I thought it was because the rift was wide, but it wasn’t that.
I didn’t really plan to say anything. It wasn’t too hard, and the situation wasn’t too dangerous either.
She must have realized that, and wanted to observe my trickery a bit longer.
“But since I didn’t grasp anything… I ended up wasting my effort.”
The results didn’t seem so successful, but it looked like she managed to successfully figure out what I asked of her.
She picked up a nearby twig and began drawing on the ground based on what she had comprehended.
Swish, swish.
The drawing came out quickly.
Even with her traits hammering the information into her head, it’s not easy to comprehend and remember the locations of a hundred randomly placed structures… She must have a brilliant mind.
Looking at the drawing, it seemed she comprehended a total of 6 different objects.
They were probably not completely identical… It seemed she had grouped similar kinds together.
“Do you need me to be more detailed?”
“No, it’s just right.”
Seeing what she drew, I started wracking my brain for the first time in a while.
I looked at them all at once and also took them apart by type.
Wondering if there were repeating patterns I could find in other maps, I scrutinized them one by one.
Calculating six things simultaneously was undoubtedly difficult, but they always say practice makes perfect, right?
When you tackle a strategy, you naturally gain some skill even at calculations.
“What can you deduce from this?”
“….”
“There seems to be a certain level of regularity… but will that be useful?”
“Grain, I think Rudion is so focused he can’t hear us. Just stay quiet and wait.”
“…Right.”
Even with the chatter next to me, I couldn’t catch much of it.
To be sure of anything with my not-so-great brain, I had to focus on just one place.
After weighing various possibilities, the option with the highest likelihood was….
“1, 3, 2, 6, 3, 3, 4, 3, 1, 5, 2, 4…”
“Whoa… you started murmur something that’s kind of unsettling. Is that impressive too?”
Ehehe.
“What’s with the ‘eheheh’? You’ve really got something on your mind, huh?”
I’d say I’m close to where I can use Grain’s chance again.
Alright. Let’s go for it.
“Let’s set off right away.”
“Wait, wait? Are we really going like this?”
Grain looked a bit flustered, seeming like I was being too hasty.
But I persisted and kept moving forward.
Worrying will only delay the strategy!
///
The Student Council’s exploration was slow.
A lot of time passed, and we just now reached a point where we could continue our exploration.
We wandered off for quite a while, and the numerous battles we encountered along the way took much longer than expected.
If Grain had been there, we would have reached much faster. I suppose it was a mindset that became accustomed to convenience.
Anyway, because of that, it seemed we’d have to camp here for the night.
Cumulative fatigue in a seemingly endless strategy is a poison. So, we had to put extra effort into managing our condition.
Night doesn’t come to the rift; it’s still bright. So the term ‘camping’ feels a bit off, but it wouldn’t be wrong since it would soon be night outside the rift.
“Let’s unpack and take a short break. Cain, I know you’re tired, but please check if the area is safe.”
“Yes! I’ll be right back!”
After instructing the fastest and stealthiest one in the Student Council to ensure the area’s safety, I distributed food from our packs.
After our meal and a rest, we set up a temporary shelter with a tent.
And… that’s when I realized I had to do ‘that.’
“I’ll take the night watch since Grain isn’t around.”
Right, it was the night watch.
The term ‘night watch’ felt like something I hadn’t used in quite some time.
When Grain was around, we could always respond in advance to anything that might pose a threat nearby, so we never really had to do it. But things were different now.
Not taking a night watch with her absence meant we were basically saying, ‘We are fools exposing ourselves to danger doing nothing.’
In any case, I needed to set the order for the watches.
“I guess we can decide by drawing lots?”
I asked, but no one in the Student Council would openly oppose the president’s words. So, the order of the night watch was decided by drawing lots.
Normally, I would have asked if there were any other opinions first, but I didn’t even realize I had proactively chosen to conduct the drawing.
Maybe I just didn’t feel the need to ask.
As always, everything ran smoothly with the Student Council at the center.
A while later. The first person assigned to the night watch made their appearance.
A figure appeared behind the makeshift shelter made of a tent.
It was the Student Council President, Alkiné.
Haa. I’m tired.
She let out a small sigh and sat down on a nearby rock.
For someone like her, this level of exploration was almost like a stroll.
Had she been in her peak state, sleeping for days wouldn’t have posed any problem.
But perhaps because she was haunted by the guilt of injuring Grain, she was pretty mentally fatigued from all the battles she had experienced on the way here.
The stern obsession to protect everyone brought forth fatigue that surpassed her peak condition.
In fact, she purposely assigned herself to the night watch for this reason.
To relieve her fatigue just a little.
Maybe she thought she could endure a bit more, as she rubbed her eyes every now and then to stay awake, but eventually she fell asleep without realizing it.
And then… when she became aware her consciousness had faded, she found herself trapped in a place where everything had already gone seriously wrong.
“…Where on earth is this?”
A cage-like prison in an unknown space.
By the time she opened her eyes, she was already trapped inside it.
“Finally awake, President.”
“…Vice President?”
In front of her stood her missing vice president… Diggerus Jibchak.
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