A Bottom-Tier Adventurer Devoted to Supporting Their Idol Activities: Every Time, They Offer Rare Materials and Stir Up the Elites - Episode 39: Roger vs. Renya & Tomage

Episode 39: Roger vs. Renya & Tomage

Hiiiieee. Cold cold cold!! Under this black robe, I’m wearing super thin clothes. So my body’s shaking!! The cold is piercing into my bones…!!

Man~ that was surprising. Freezing the sea all of a sudden like that. And not just the surface—he froze it from the seafloor up.

This guy Renya has a considerable amount of magical power. On top of that, his magic efficiency is good. In other words, a magical genius. No wonder he supposedly took down an Earth Dragon solo.

If it were just a not-so-intelligent monster, sheer magical power would probably be enough.

While staring intently at the gray-haired man approaching across the frozen sea toward the Kraken, I think it over.

Just by appearance, he looks like one of the northernmost people. Considering the amount of magic power, he’s probably from a warrior bloodline.

But… the fighting style is different. The warriors from the far north strengthen their bodies with magic and fight. Very few use magic itself.

Renya, on the other hand, is completely fighting like a mage.

And more than anything—I don’t recognize Renya. There were several warrior families. And I remember the faces of everyone my age. No way I could forget. We trained together since we were kids. But now… not a single one of them… is still alive…

I return my thoughts to the present and pull myself together.

Honestly, I was planning to just mess around a bit and leave before they saw me… but in this situation, that’s not going to work. Renya got one over on me.

Now then, what to do. Should I watch Renya’s strength a bit more?

If he really is a surviving northern warrior, I want Renya to grow stronger. Strong enough to turn back any who might come after his life. Because surely, the Empire will come after him.

As for Tomage standing beside him… well, good luck. Having a rival to compete with is probably a good thing?

“Were you the one who had the Kraken attack the fishing boats?”

Renya asked in a wary tone. No no no. There’s no way I’d do something like that! You guys were just late, so I was playing around with the Kraken, that’s all!?

“I was not the one who attacked the fishing boats. It was this Kraken. I defeated the Kraken and have been waiting for you.”

Renya and Tomage opened their eyes wide.

“You… who are you…?”

Hmm. What should I say? I’ll just go with something random.

“I am ‘The Tester.’ Show me your power.”

Let me see your adaptability…!! Renya, Tomage, and the others.

I quickly crouched down, touched the now-cold Kraken’s body, and sent magic power into it. I controlled the tentacles and legs. I made the Kraken’s giant body stand on the frozen sea. I circulated magic through my legs and kicked off the Kraken’s body, reaching its top.

Below me, Renya and Tomage looked like little beans.

“…It’s huge…”

“…This is bad…”

I heard Renya and Tomage’s voices from far below. If I hadn’t enhanced my hearing, I wouldn’t have picked them up at all.

“Here I come.”

Eight legs and two tentacles, all with massive weight. They attacked Renya and the others. A storm of ten consecutive strikes. Smashing the ground, shaking the air, shockwaves spreading in all directions.

“Uwah—!”

“Guh…!”

First, two members of Tomage’s party fell.

Renya put up a thick physical barrier and endured it. Tomage barely managed to defend with his longsword. But he was clearly at his limit—

“[Ice Bullet]!!”

Nicely done. Using the ice shattered by the Kraken’s rampage, Renya fired a barrage of ice bullets at me. A curtain of bullets surged upward from below.

I crouched down, circulated magic through the Kraken’s body, then circulated magic through my own legs. Then I made a huge leap toward the sea surface.

“What…!?”

“He jumped…!?”

They must’ve assumed I wouldn’t come at them in close combat. Their voices were filled with panic.

*Thud!!* The sound of landing echoed. And cracks spread through the frozen sea. At the same moment, I stepped forward and lightly kicked Tomage, who was full of openings. It sent him flying. Being caught off guard doesn’t excuse not reacting. Tomage still has a long way to go.

Renya, on the other hand, kept his guard up. He maintained a physical barrier and kept his distance from me. He must’ve judged that close combat would put him at a disadvantage.

Through the transparent physical barrier, Renya glared at me.

Now then, there’s still time. Let’s have a little chat.

“Gray hair and gray eyes. That’s a rare appearance in the kingdom. Where exactly are you from?”

“I don’t know… I have no memories of my past…”

Is that true? If Renya really is a surviving northern warrior, it’s likely he wouldn’t choose a flashy position like an A-rank adventurer. But if he’s lost his memories… it’s possible.

If so, maybe I should give him a warning.

“If you plan to keep standing in the spotlight with that gray hair and gray eyes, you’d better be careful. The Empire will surely come for you.”

“…”

Renya didn’t avert his eyes from me. Still has a long way to go.

*Ffffffsssshhhhhhh…!!* A dumb-sounding noise rang out. And poison-laced ink spewed from the Kraken’s siphon. It dyed Renya black.

Maybe he inhaled the poison—Renya immediately collapsed.

Normally, that would be total defeat. Of course, I didn’t plan to take their lives.

I gave the four people lying on the frozen sea an old-hag-special potion to drink, stripped materials from the Kraken’s corpse, and left the scene.