Episode 35

Inside the dungeon, I could get a signal on my smartphone.  

So, when I stepped outside for a break, I sent a message to Kirisaki. It was to avoid any misunderstanding that I had died and been eaten by a phantom.  

She replied with just “Okay”. She was probably too engrossed in battle to send a long message.  

When I took a break outside the dungeon, I had a meal at a nearby restaurant.  

Eating is important. In games, meals can enhance stats and increase the experience points gained.  

The effect of experience points from meals lasts for one hour. So, I kept repeating the cycle of leveling up for an hour and then going back for a meal.  

Even when I wasn’t hungry, I forced myself to eat because it leads to increased experience points. This time, I had a meal that granted triple experience.  

Since I could grow three times faster just by eating, there was no reason not to do it.  

In the midst of all this, I felt I had successfully leveled up significantly throughout the day.  

It was a pity that I couldn’t see my stats.  

Thanks to the effects of my equipment, I must be stronger than the Soul Binders of the same level.  

After advancing to the third layer and defeating a slightly stronger goblin… I noticed Kirisaki, who had regrouped. She stared at me intently.  

……It’s a little embarrassing to be observed like that by a beautiful girl.  

“Shall we head back soon?”  

It was already 5 PM.  

Yoshiko-san had said dinner would be ready around 7 PM, so it was about time to leave the dungeon.  

That was the question I intended to ask. But Kirisaki came straight over to me and firmly grabbed my shoulders.  

She was breathing a little heavily, as if she had taken some aphrodisiac. I recalled the steamy scenes that would trigger when hitting a certain excitement state…  

“Takigawa… let’s fight.”  

Kirisaki’s eyes were completely in battle mode. They sparkled like those of a beast before its prey.  

“……Are you sure you want to fight me now?”  

I felt a bit anxious. I had the impression of having grown stronger in just one day. But I didn’t feel like I could win against Kirisaki. Still, her gaze was fixed on me.  

At that moment, the corners of Kirisaki’s mouth slowly lifted.  

“Yeah… it’s fine… just as you are now, Takigawa!”  

Kirisaki called my name in a breathless and sultry voice.  

Without bothering to hide her ragged breathing, she looked at me with bloodshot eyes and repeatedly licked her lips.  

…Usually, Kirisaki is close to expressionless. So seeing her emotions laid bare like this is something that only happens during battles or steamy scenes.  

While I was pleased to see this side of her that I had only ever seen in-game… it still felt too early to fight her.  

“Takigawa… I can’t hold back any longer.”  

Yeah, if the situation were different, that line would make me happy…  

“Takigawa is amazing now… please… let’s… do this…”  

Fight, right?  

I was thinking about how to prevent any misunderstandings since there were people around.  

……In the main game, there’s an event where a much stronger Kirisaki fights against a much weaker protagonist.  

Although it’s a losing event… it was set up so that it could take at least 1 damage.  

If you perfectly read the enemy’s attacks, a skilled player could win.  

In the game, winning earned you a trophy called Giant Killing. …In this world, the concept of completing trophies doesn’t exist. So it would be meaningless… but she’s not an unbeatable opponent.  

“I understand. …Just please don’t kill me.”  

“Of course… I won’t go that far…”  

She seemed to be unable to contain her excitement any longer. Drawing her one-handed sword, her body swayed slightly.  

…Really, Kirisaki is a battle junkie.  

Kirisaki and I faced each other on the third layer, each readying our weapons.  

The expression on Kirisaki’s face was full of joy as we faced each other.  

…It’s a bit troubling to be expected to this extent.  

If I deliberately lose, Kirisaki might lose interest in me…… But deliberately losing… as a gamer, I can’t allow that to happen.

So, I’ll go all out to win.  

To beat her, I should be able to draw from my experience in the main game.  

Kirisaki is currently wielding a one-handed sword. This means she’ll likely initiate attacks with certain combos, similar to those in the game.  

I plan to maneuver in a way that prompts those combos. I believe Kirisaki’s movements are quite impressive. But if I can predict her actions, it will be easier to respond.  

As I observe Kirisaki’s movements, I slowly close the distance between us.  

Kirisaki, however, remains still.  

…Now, how do I provoke her attacks?  

It’s tough to think about all this while in the middle of a fight.  

Kirisaki holds her sword lightly, ready and poised.  

She has no openings and is incredibly focused.  

Just as I took another step forward to close the gap, Kirisaki suddenly dashed in to attack.  

…She chose this moment to move?  

That was a bit unexpected, but I could read the trajectory of her sword.  

I narrowly dodged the one-handed sword that was swung down with great force.  

I could have absorbed it with my magically-enhanced gloves, but… right now, I’ll focus on evasion.  

In line with my dodge, Kirisaki launches into a combo as I predicted.  

The first strike of her one-handed sword followed by a swift horizontal slash—her attack pattern was indeed as I had seen in the game.  

In the next moment, she turned her left hand, which wasn’t holding the sword, toward me.  

—Water magic, huh?  

Kirisaki can use water-element spells. Water was released from her hand.  

The spell she unleashed, sweeping around her, was known in the game as Aqua Slash.  

I aimed to dodge at that moment, leaping back dramatically to barely avoid the blade of water.  

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