Akatsuki Translations

“[Precision Shot]!” “[Fire Ball]!” -Misuzu&Evie

The arrow shot by Misuzu hit the goblin’s forehead through a gap in its helmet. And the magic released by Evie using her magic wand enveloped the head of another goblin. First, two of them. They were definitely dead. Lean and I slashed at the goblins all at once.

“[Double Strike]!” -Yuuta

The goblins had taken off their waist armor to mate with the lions. I unleashed my skill without hesitation at its buttocks. The goblin’s body was split in two, upper body and lower body. Worried, I looked at Lean and saw that she had also succeeded in her surprise attack on the goblin.

With this, 4 goblins were dead.

But the lions alone were still a sufficient threat. I cut off the lion’s head as it was. Lean was doing the same with her halberd. 4 goblins and 2 lions. The remaining were 11 unharmed Goblin Riders and 2 lions without riders.

“[Precision Shot]!” “[Fire Ball]!” “[Rock Bullet]!” -Misuzu

Misuzu was running to close the 100m distance she had kept to improve her bow’s accuracy.

While doing so, she fired an arrow. It hit the crown of the head of the lion that lost its rider. Furthermore, Evie’s and my magic simultaneously hit the same lion that had lost its rider. What am I doing? Why are we aiming at the same one? I need to properly assess the situation.

“Sorry, our attacks overlapped!” -Yuuta

I apologized to Evie, but this was no time for that.

“[Precision Shot]!” -Misuzu

The bonus time ended there. Misuzu stopped at a distance of about 50m and shot another arrow. However, the Goblin Rider moved to avoid it, and the arrow was deflected by the helmet it was wearing.

If it were a goblin from the 1st floor, that would have definitely killed it, but there were still 11 of them on the other side, and they quickly got into battle formation. Misuzu fired another arrow, but it hit the helmet and was deflected again.

“Misuzu! You don’t have to focus on the head! Anywhere on the body is fine!” -Yuuta

“G-Got it! [Precision Shot]!” -Misuzu

“Gyagya!”

“Gyaaaaaa!!!!”

When the leader-like Red Goblin let out a sharp cry, the other 10 responded. They mounted their partner lions and all 11 of them started moving at once. Sand dust whirled up. Their movements were agile and abnormally fast. I felt like faltering.

All 11 of them started running. The Goblin Rider easily dodged the arrow shot by Misuzu.

In any case, we had to reduce their numbers, or we would lose if we fought them head-on.

“[Fire Ball]!” “[Rock Bullet]!” “[Precision Shot]!” -Evie, Misuzu, Yuuta

Get serious. Misuzu, Evie, and Lean are all following my lead. The eyes of the goblins and lions of the Goblin Riders glared at us as if to say, “How dare you kill our comrades?” Before the distance became zero, I shot [Rock Bullet] at the Goblin Rider that came right in front of me.

It pierced through the unarmored part of its belly, and the goblin’s body slid off the lion’s back. The lion, realizing that its mate had been attacked, rushed at me. It raised its front paw. When it came right in front of me, the lion was quite huge and terrifying.

I stopped it with my left hand. Without delay, I used [Double Strike] with my right hand. Two streaks ran across the lion’s body.

“Gyagya.” -Lean

Lean called out to me as if wanting to say something. I understood what she meant. She was telling me not to get impatient. The number of times we could use skills and magic was limited. For the lion, I should have just cut off its legs.

“[Precision Shot]!” -Misuzu

Another arrow enhanced with Misuzu’s skill was shot. That arrow was cut down by the goblin. 2 Goblin Riders started running towards Misuzu. The speed of the lions quickly closed the distance with Misuzu.

“Misuzu!” -Yuuta

“Gyaa-gyaa!” -Lean

When I hastily tried to go support Misuzu, Lean shouted at me. I felt like she was telling me to calm down again. What good would it do to chase after them now? We had thoroughly decided to use the Type 20 rifles if any of us got into danger.

More importantly, a Goblin Rider was approaching right in front of me. It slashed at me as we passed each other. Its blade clashed with my gauntlet. The force was so great that I was thrown back. I was driven by the urge to use the Type 20 rifle.

However, Japan’s first generation of high-level explorers didn’t have guns. In other words, they fought these guys without such insurance. If I showed such weakness here, how could I ever become a high-level explorer?

“[Level Down]! [Level Down]!” -Misuzu

I heard Misuzu shout twice. It was a magic that lowered the opponent’s level by 1. I caught Evie in the corner of my eye. She had managed to repel 3 Goblin Riders by launching [Fire Ball].

I got up, and when the Goblin Rider tried to slash me to death, I avoided it by cutting off the lion’s leg. The goblin thrown to the ground still didn’t lose its balance. It quickly landed and pounced on me as it was.

It was faster than me. Stronger too. But I had the size advantage. This time, I was able to stop it with the difference in body weight.

“[Double Strike]!” -Yuuta

I slashed up at the goblin from below. One slash was splendidly blocked. But the other blade flash cut through the goblin’s belly. Resisting the urge to chant the skill again, I quickly cut off the goblin’s head.

I looked at Misuzu and Evie. They were still safe. It seemed the level down had worked, and Misuzu was somehow able to overpower the Goblin Rider with her cross spear. Evie had succeeded in taking down one Goblin Rider and was drinking an MP potion.

I also somehow put some distance and drank an MP potion from my magic bag. Without delay, I fired consecutive [Rock Bullets] and took down the Goblin Rider that came right in front of me. Then I also drank an SP potion. Facing the lion that had lost its rider, I looked at Lean and saw that the goblin’s sword was stabbed into her slender-looking arm.

“Gyaii!” -Lean

What?

The goblin’s sword was stabbed into Lean’s arm.

The shield had fallen down, and her arm was pierced through. That idiot Lean. It’s because she was only paying attention to me.

“Lean!” -Yuuta

I started running to help her.

However, a Goblin Rider cut in there as if to say it wouldn’t let me interfere with its comrade. In the meantime, the sword was pulled out of Lean’s arm, and it tried to deal the final blow. I tried to fire a Rock Bullet, but the Goblin Rider that had cut in wouldn’t let me do that.

Evie was also overwhelmed by the lion’s strength, lost her balance, had her belly bitten, and was in a state like a herbivore about to be finished off by the lion. She was trying to somehow take out her army knife. I didn’t think she could go help Lean at all.

The state of the battle had changed in an instant.

The leader Red Goblin seemed to be laughing, as if convinced of their victory. The Goblin Rider swung its sword at Lean’s neck without any mercy. It caught Lean’s neck. At this rate, Lean’s head would be cut off. I can’t let that happen. Absolutely not.

However, reality was always cruel. The Goblin Rider’s sword seemed to be moving slowly. Lean’s slender neck was sliced to a third of the way through. I had a vision of Lean’s head being cut off. It was at that moment. Suddenly, I had a flash of inspiration on how to save her. I shouted.

“Evie! Withdraw Lean!” -Yuuta

“Huh? O-okay, [Summon Cancel]!” -Evie

Evie probably withdrew Lean without confirming the situation. Lean’s figure had disappeared. Was she safe? I wanted to believe she was saved in the nick of time. However, I had no time to dwell on that. There were still 7 lively Goblin Riders left.

The goblin tried to slash me to death from above with all its might. I blocked it, but the force made my arm go numb. What’s with this one? Is it stronger than the enemies until now? The remaining 2 headed towards Evie. Evie probably had almost no magic left by now.

She also had her stomach bitten by a lion, so she must have lost quite a bit of blood. While thinking not to panic, I used [Double Strike] to take down the Goblin Rider in front of me.

*Clang, clang!*

“What?” -Yuuta

Both of my [Double Strikes] were blocked.

“Gyaaaaah!!!”

The Goblin Rider that had blocked my Double Strike pulled on the lion’s reins and came at me again. Does Double Strike not work on Goblin Riders? It was working until now, wasn’t it? No, take a good look.

This one was more imposing than the others around it. Red armor. The Red Goblin leading the pack was suddenly in front of me. It was level 8. An unpleasant feeling ran down my back. On the other side, the remaining 4 Goblin Riders had their bows ready. They were trying to shoot at Misuzu all at once, not at me.

2 Goblin Riders had already gotten close to Evie. Until just now, Evie had her stomach bitten by a lion. She had somehow taken out her army knife and stabbed it into the lion’s neck to finish it off, but her magic robe was pierced, and blood flowed from her stomach as she staggered.

I didn’t think she could handle 2 more Goblin Riders at all. Evie also judged that she couldn’t take any more and tried to aim her Type 20 rifle, but she was blown away by the Goblin Rider’s swordsmanship. She was rolling on the ground with blood still flowing from her stomach.

“Gyaa!!”

The Red Goblin in front of me shouted at me as if to say, “Are you kidding me?” when I couldn’t concentrate on it. It was telling me to look at it.

“Shut up, you idiot!” -Yuuta

I didn’t hesitate.

“[Double Strike]! [Double Strike]! [Double Strike]! [Double Strike]!” -Yuuta

If my skill could be blocked, I would use it so many times it couldn’t be blocked. I poured all my remaining SP and used the skill consecutively. My right arm screamed in pain as if it would be torn off. But that didn’t matter. No matter how much a level 8 it was, there was no way it could block 4 consecutive [Double Strikes].

“Die!” -Yuuta

The Red Goblin’s body was cut to pieces. I finished off the remaining lion with [Rock Bullet]. I chased after the Goblin Riders heading towards Evie. I drew my Type 20 rifle. But again, I was too late. It was a distance I couldn’t make it in time, like with Lean. However,

“[Precision Shot]!” -Misuzu

A sharp arrow came flying. It pierced the lion’s body. It was cover fire from Misuzu. She shot at the lion because there was a possibility the goblin could block it. The lion’s movement slowed down. Misuzu shot another arrow, piercing the body of the other lion. While the 2 goblins that landed on the ground were losing their balance, I cut them down.

An arrow was stuck in Misuzu’s stomach. She looked quite pained. It seemed she was hit by the arrows that were shot all at once earlier. She must have judged that it was already impossible at that point. She had shot and killed the Goblin Riders coming towards her with the Type 20 rifle.

I also judged that this was the limit. I drew my Type 20 rifle. Then the number of Goblin Riders quickly decreased. More than anything, I had to give Lean a potion as soon as possible.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

A much heavier sound than a handgun echoed. All the goblins and lions fell silent before the 5.56mm bullets of the Type 20 rifle. After confirming that Misuzu had taken out a potion and was drinking it herself, I hurriedly approached Evie. Evie seemed to be in too much pain to even take out a potion herself.

I took out a 10 million yen potion from my magic pack and put it in Evie’s mouth. After swallowing it, she seemed to feel much better after a while.

“I-I have to give her a potion too, or she’ll die.” -Evie

She was still staggering, but she drank an MP potion and summoned Lean again. Even when sent back to her point of origin, Lean didn’t seem to recover, as she was unconscious and limp. Her neck was cut halfway through.

“Yuuta, hold Lean’s head in place so her neck can properly reattach.” -Evie

“O-Okay.” -Yuuta

I took Lean’s head and held it firmly in place so it wouldn’t shift. Evie gave her a recovery potion. If she was alive, this would heal her. If she was dead, a recovery potion wouldn’t heal her. Lean’s body was warm, so I believed she was alive.

Lean’s body glowed pale blue. Thank goodness. The light of recovery. The fact that this appeared meant she was alive. One 10 million yen potion wasn’t enough to fully heal her, so we gave her another one. I thought she could drink as much as she wanted.

“Are you okay, Lean?” -Yuuta

“Gya…” -Lean

A voice leaked out from Lean’s young mouth.

“T-Thank goodness…” -Yuuta

“Yuuta, it really was life-threatening, wasn’t it?” -Evie

I also took out a 100,000 yen potion and drank it. I replenished my SP and MP to full. Misuzu and Evie also recovered in the same way, and everyone returned to full health.

“As expected, they’re on a completely different level from the goblins on the 1st floor.” -Yuuta

“It’s still just goblins all the way to the 3rd floor, right?” -Evie

“Yeah, apparently there’s a goblin settlement on the 3rd floor.” -Yuuta

“Rather than the 3rd floor we can’t even go to yet, it’s the 2nd floor. It’s a huge expense just to defeat one group.” -Evie

“Indeed. three 10 million yen potions for Evie and Lean, and one 1 million yen potion for Misuzu. A 100,000 yen potion for me. We used seven for SP and MP recovery, so we’ve spent about 32 million yen.” -Yuuta

“Even so, it felt like we barely won.” -Evie

“I mean, we ended up using the Type 20 rifle. With our current abilities, sixteen of them might have been too much.” -Yuuta

“What should we do next?” -Evie

The four of us sat down in the grassland and took a break for now. On the 2nd floor, it was said that the Goblin Riders had a strong sense of territory, so other Goblin Riders wouldn’t come so quickly.

It is said that after defeating one group, other Goblin Riders will not enter that area for a day, and it’s even said that it’s okay for everyone to sleep there. However, having been ambushed by goblins many times on the 1st floor, I couldn’t be that bold.

“It’s a difficult situation.” -Yuuta

“And our quest completion is at stake.” -Misuzu

“At this rate, if the three of us don’t acquire a new skill or magic by the time we reach level 5, it seems it will be difficult to defeat this group alone.” -Yuuta

Lean seemed to have recovered and sat down beside me. She didn’t seem to mind that she had almost died. When I picked her up and put her on my lap, she seemed to be in a good mood.

“Considering that, I honestly feel it’s better to stay like this. It’s harder for skills and magic to grow if you don’t take risks.” -Misuzu

“That’s true, but… Aristo’s barrier was easily broken. If Lean’s summon cancellation had been a little later, she would have died, and I was bitten in the stomach by a lion. When taking continuous damage, Aristo was quite fragile.” -Evie

“Lean, how did it get through Aristo’s barrier?” -Yuuta

I asked, even though I couldn’t understand Lean’s words.

“Gya gya.” -Lean

“She’s saying it was torn just from being slashed at by the Goblin Rider 3 times. Can’t we at least use the Type 20 rifle to reduce the group of Goblin Riders to 10 first? That alone would make it a lot easier, right?” -Evie

Evie said something levelheaded. Perhaps because she had struggled so much in America, Evie seemed to want to proceed quite cautiously.

“I’m against that. If we take safety measures and the quality of leveling up is poor, we may not be able to complete the quest.” -Misuzu

“But if we die, it’s over, isn’t it?” -Evie

“That’s true, but I absolutely need my [Double Arrow].” -Misuzu

“I’d like to get Rai if possible too.” -Evie

“Then it’s fine to stay like this, isn’t it?” -Evie

“I’m saying it’s too dangerous. Hey, Yuuta, what do you think of my opinion? You prefer mine over Misuzu’s, right?” -Evie

“Yuuta, you prefer mine, right?” -Misuzu

“U-Uhm…” -Yuuta

Certainly, if we could reduce the number of Goblin Riders from a distance, it seemed we could defeat them quite safely with this current party. But as for me, if I had to choose which opinion to agree with, it was Misuzu’s.

“I think Misuzu’s opinion is fine. We learned a lot of tricks from fighting once. I don’t think we’ll struggle that much next time.” -Yuuta

“R-Really?” -Evie

When I agreed with Misuzu’s opinion, Evie looked at me with dissatisfaction.

“I think we should make even more use of our skills and magic than before.” -Yuuta

“How?” -Misuzu

“Misuzu’s [Precision Shot], you can fire it more rapidly, right?” -Yuuta

“Yeah. But no matter how much skill I have, I think my accuracy will decrease if I fire rapidly. [Precision Shot] has homing properties if it’s within about 3m of where I’m aiming, but if it’s further than that, it flies off in a completely different direction.” -Misuzu

“I think that’s fine. Evie, I think you could have fired a few more [Fire Balls]. My Rock Bullets too. So how about the three of us create an even heavier barrage?” -Yuuta

“Ignore accuracy?” -Evie

“We’ll try our best to hit, but I think it’s okay to ignore it.” -Yuuta

“What do we do if we run out of MP and SP? They rushed at us immediately, and we barely had time to drink MP potions. I was bitten by a lion earlier when I was trying to drink an MP potion.” -Evie

“Misuzu in the back can drink it herself, and Evie and I can have Lean give it to us when we run out.” -Yuuta

“You mean to make my Lean a support role?” -Evie

“U-Uhm, yeah.” -Yuuta

“Evie, it can’t be helped. We found out that close combat is quite dangerous for Lean without skills and magic anyway.” -Misuzu

At my and Misuzu’s words, Lean made a disappointed face. However, perhaps due to her nature as a summoned beast, Lean was the calmest even in such an intense battle. If she devoted herself to a support role, there were plenty of opportunities for her to be active.

“And Misuzu, you approached this time, but since you specialize in long-range attacks, I don’t want you to try to fight at close range. You don’t have to be particular about aiming accurately. Fight at an even longer range. Misuzu, who is the furthest away, can handle the situation most calmly. It really helped that you used the Type 20 rifle at your own discretion in that situation. So that’s what I want you to do.” -Yuuta

“Yuuta… I understand. To be honest, I was worried that my stats might get worse if I didn’t fight at close range. But I’m an archer after all. I’ll make sure to stick to long-range and lay down a barrage.” -Misuzu

To be honest, rather than having someone close by give commands, I think it’s better for Misuzu, who is far away, to do it. In fact, Misuzu has the best view of the battlefield. But if it was Misuzu, Evie would probably dislike it.

“Also, Evie and I had our attacks overlap sometimes, right?” -Yuuta

“Yes.” -Evie

“It’s a waste of magic and skills, so let’s at least be careful not to overlap in the initial barrage.” -Yuuta

“Got it.” -Evie

“Anyway, let’s try it out. If it doesn’t work, we can reconsider.” -Yuuta

“”OK.”” -Evie&Misuzu

“Lean, you good too?” -Yuuta

“Gya.” -Lean

The three of them seemed to agree. Anyway, this strategy hinges on how much firepower we can unleash at the start.

“Gya.” -Lean

Leanwas the first to find them when we started scouting for Goblin Riders. Unlike the male goblins, Leanseems to have good eyesight. I think they’re still about 1km away, but when I looked in the direction she was pointing, there were Goblin Riders.

“From here, let’s keep a low posture and hide as we go.” -Yuuta

“”Roger.”” “Gya.” -Evie, Misuzu, Lean

We took a low posture to hide in the grassland. I took a good look at the Goblin Riders. It seemed they were in the middle of a meal. The carcass of a zebra that had been hunted was being roasted over a fire. The goblins were carving it up and feeding it to the lions as well.

The female lions were eating the roasted meat with gusto. They say goblins and lions are like married couples, and their relationship seems to be good.

“Yuuta, they look like they’re just living normal lives.” -Misuzu

“I won’t sympathize with them.” -Yuuta

“I know. Either way, we can’t get along.” -Misuzu

“Yuuta, this one looks troublesome.” -Evie

“You’re right. They’re not mating, and some of them are properly standing guard.” -Yuuta

“Yuuta.” “Yuuta.” -Evie&Misuzu

W-Why are you both only calling me? It’s kind of scary. No, more importantly, the previous goblins didn’t have lookouts. But this time, 2 Goblin Riders are standing guard. It seems it will be quite a challenge to approach without being noticed by them.

“Seventeen riders in total. Yuuta, that’s quite a number.” -Evie

Evie counted and reported back.

“Yeah, they’re spread out over a range of about 100m.” -Yuuta

Mobility is the lifeblood of Goblin Riders. The previous Goblin Riders weren’t able to fully utilize that, but this time, they seem to be in a formation that will make full use of it.

“What should we do, Yuuta? Should we reduce the ones in distant positions with the Type 20 rifle?” -Evie

As expected, it’s going to be difficult to proceed as planned. The range of my magic is 10m, and even Evie’s is 15m. Even if we lay down a barrage, Evie and I have our limits. It would be quite difficult if they spread out over a 100m range.

“Misuzu. What’s the maximum range you can aim [Precision Shot] at again?” -Yuuta

“If there’s not much wind, I think I can go up to 200m. But to hit the head with certainty, it’s 100m.” -Misuzu

The range of a bow is surprisingly long. Still, even a master probably can’t shoot through the crown of the head at a distance of 100m if they haven’t leveled up. It’s thanks to level 3 Misuzu, her skill, and the 1 million yen bow we bought.

A mighty bow that can only be drawn by explorers. When used, Misuzu’s arrows fly almost straight. Its power is lower than a Type 20 rifle but higher than a handgun. With this, Evie’s magic, and Lean’s support. I considered various situations and reached a conclusion.

“Misuzu, let’s approach to within 50m of the lookouts too. If we’re 100m from the lookouts, we’ll end up about 150m away from the Goblin Riders eating together in the main group. We won’t hit them at that distance. Misuzu, when the time comes, use [Precision Shot] and fire all 8 shots on the spot. We’ll also get closer and use magic to reduce the number of goblin riders as much as possible. We can defeat the lions later.” -Yuuta

“The lions are quite strong too, you know.” -Evie

Evie, who had almost had her stomach torn out, spoke up.

“Of course, I’m not underestimating them. Evie, you can aim at both with your Fire Balls.” -Yuuta

“But then there’s a possibility I won’t be able to finish them off properly…” -Evie

“Yeah. Anyway, I want to reduce the number of lively and mobile Goblin Riders as much as possible. I’d like to reduce the Goblin Riders to 10 as soon as the battle starts. First, Misuzu, drink as many SP potions as you want and fire away with [Precision Shot] on the spot. Then Evie will burn them.” -Yuuta

“”Roger.”” -Evie&Misuzu

“Then shall we go?” -Yuuta

We all first decided on a time like before and set up a simultaneous attack, then the three of us excluding Misuzu approached.

“Even so…” -Yuuta

I couldn’t help but want to complain. As expected, having lookouts was completely different from before.

“Don’t get noticed.” -Yuuta

While worrying about the sound of my newly purchased armor, I approached, and at the agreed-upon time, I fired my magic. I could also see Misuzu firing her arrows. As a result, it went quite well. We didn’t manage to incapacitate the goblins, but [Precision Shot] pierced the goblins’ bellies and slowed their movements.

However, there were still times when we missed, and quite often more than ten Goblin Riders remained without taking any damage. From there, arrows would come flying back at Misuzu from the goblins as if in retaliation, sometimes hitting unarmored parts.

Above all, when we failed, it took time to take out the Type 20 rifle, and we almost got killed. Still, we gradually grasped the movements of the Goblin Riders, improved the accuracy of our strategy through trial and error, and repeated the battle six times.