My Unique Skill [Gacha] Will Save the World - Episode 45: Encounter ④

Episode 45: Encounter ④

——Swoosh! 

“Huh?” 

The outstretched arm of the Wood Golem was sliced cleanly in half. Ishida was unable to comprehend what had happened. He could only let out a cry of shock. 

“Rindou!” 

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kyousuke!” 

Just as the Wood Golem’s fist was about to crash down on Kyousuke, Rindou appeared. He cut through its arm with a flash of his Gale Blade. 

“Wh-why, why are you here?! Wh-what happened to Gakuto-san?!” 

“If you mean him, I made sure to keep him occupied.” 

Rindou brushed off Ishida’s panicked question. He quickly rushed over to Kyousuke. 

“Why didn’t you use a potion? Even a basic- or intermediate-grade one would’ve eased the pain a bit.” 

“These are yours, Rindou. I can’t just use them without permission.” 

Hearing Kyousuke’s response, Rindou gave a wry smile. 

“You’ve got such a stubborn personality, Kyousuke.” 

“Haha, I think my old party members said something similar.” 

“If you know that, then hurry up and use the potion. You’ve got my permission, so it’s fine now, right?” 

Laughing, Rindou’s words prompted a grateful nod from Kyousuke. 

“Alright, I’ll do that. Thanks.” 

“I should be the one thanking you.” 

As Kyousuke retrieved a potion from his magic bag, Ishida let out a furious scream. 

“Don’t mess with me! Don’t you dare waste all my efforts! Go, Wood Golem! Crush them both!” 

Despite having its arm severed, the Wood Golem was made of plants. It regenerated its limb by extending its stem and reattaching the fallen part. It charged toward Rindou with renewed determination. 

“I’ll handle Ishida. You, Rindou—” 

“Wait, Kyousuke.” 

Kyousuke stood as the potion had eased his pain somewhat. But just when he did, Rindou stopped him. 

“What is it?” 

“I want to see if my skill works on the Wood Golem.” 

Rindou’s [Gacha] skill worked on monsters but not on the Association’s pseudo-monsters. He would like to test if it would activate on a player-created golem. 

“Can you take it down?” 

“That’s a foolish question.” 

“……….You’re right. It is.” 

Kyousuke had observed Rindou’s strength up close. He was confident that Rindou could handle the Wood Golem with ease. 

“In that case, I’ll keep an eye on our surroundings. ……There’s something bothering me, after all.” 

“Something bothering you?” 

“Don’t look away during a fight!” 

Before Rindou could inquire further, the Wood Golem extended its arm toward him. It forced him to refocus. The first priority was to eliminate the Wood Golem. 

“Hah!” 

With Kyousuke nearby, Rindou’s skill [Resonance] activated. It slightly enhanced his physical abilities. As the Wood Golem’s arm came at him, Rindou’s blade turned it into shreds. And he quickly closed the distance. 

“If I shred not just its arm but its whole body, will that be enough to finish it off?” 

“Damn you! Stop mocking me!” 

The severed arm reformed into sharp, thorny projectiles. They shot toward Rindou’s back. 

“Too slow!” 

Rindou deftly sliced through the incoming thorns. He ducked low to avoid the remaining ones. The thorns pierced through nearby trees. And they finally embedded themselves into a massive boulder, coming to a halt. 

“If one of those hit, it’d leave a hole in me.” 

“Hahaha! How’s that? This is my [Wood Magic]!” 

Ishida, hearing Rindou click his tongue, mistakenly believed he had the upper hand. 

“Your [Wood Magic]? It’s nothing special.” 

“Wha—?! Damn it, damn it! You’re all mocking me!” 

Misinterpreting Rindou’s words as a taunt, Ishida ramped up his attacks. He unleashed a relentless barrage. The intense magic consumption, however, gradually drained him. It was leaving his face pale. 

But Rindou wasn’t concerned about Ishida’s condition. 

(He’s wasting his magic, and the Wood Golem is shrinking! At this rate, it’ll disappear before I can even finish it off!) 

Rindou felt an unusual frustration—not at the danger but at the lost opportunity for testing his skill. 

“Stop wasting your attacks already!” 

“Shut up about ‘wasting’ this and ‘wasting’ that!” 

Determined to deplete his remaining magic, Ishida extended vines to entangle Rindou and immobilize him. However, restraining an opponent’s movement was an elementary tactic for a [Wood Magic] user. It was something Rindou had anticipated from the start. 

“At this point, pulling such a basic move? Like I wouldn’t see that coming!” 

With a powerful kick off the ground, Rindou leapt forward. He evaded the approaching vines. Using the momentum, he readied his Gale Blade and slashed as he passed the Wood Golem. The creature was split cleanly in two, top to bottom. 

“…Well, as expected. No skill activation.” 

Since his skill didn’t activate against pseudo-monsters, Rindou had figured it wouldn’t trigger against a player-created construct like the golem either. Having confirmed his hypothesis, he sheathed his sword with a hint of disappointment. 

“…You’ve… got to… be kidding…” 

Ishida was drained of magic, and he collapsed to the ground. His eyes rolled back as he succumbed to mana exhaustion.