Akatsuki Translations

“She’s definitely up to something.” -Misuzu

Evie easily gave up on Yuuta. I wasn’t explicitly told that he liked me, but I said it anyway just because I didn’t want to lose in that situation. Yuuta didn’t correct it and chose me.

I was so happy that since that day, I’ve been snuggling up to Yuuta almost every time it’s bedtime. Evie is surprisingly quiet and doesn’t say anything. Maybe she decided not to do that kind of thing anymore because Yuuta clearly chose me.

“I’d be glad if that’s the case.” -Misuzu

I was checking the map app on my smartphone frequently just in case. It didn’t seem like Evie had contact with Yuuta, and Evie’s location information kept moving. If she left her smartphone with Lean, she could still secretly meet Yuuta, but I thought that was too much.

If she did that, Evie would have to move around the 2nd floor without a smartphone. It’s one thing if she was walking while mapping, but we’re not doing that.

So if she left her smartphone with Lean and moved alone, she would definitely get lost on the 2nd floor. Moving through this vast space without a map app. Just thinking about it gives me chills.

“There’s no way she’d do something like that.” -Misuzu

She couldn’t possibly have a spare explorer’s smartphone that costs 500,000 yen, right? Right?

“Sigh, there’s no point in worrying too much.” -Misuzu

There’s no point in thinking about it any further. There’s no end to suspicion, and all I can do is trust Yuuta.

“But that guy, he’s surprisingly prone to cheating. If Evie lets him touch her boobs a little, he’ll be all over the place.” -Misuzu

Anxiety rises again. I thought I should stop already and switched my thoughts. Under the blazing sun, heat haze floated over the savanna grasslands. Even though it was this hot, I didn’t get heatstroke or summer fatigue.

Once you reach Level 5, you’re freed from most physical ailments. Looking at my skin, I hardly had any suntan. Leveling up is still amazing as ever. Level 1000 is 200 times this.

“It’s an endless journey…” -Misuzu

Muttering to myself, I passed through the area where Yuuta and the others had wiped out the Goblin Riders. I spotted a horde of Goblin Riders in my field of vision, though still quite far away. The Goblin Riders, along with their lion companions, were easily preying on a giraffe.

Apparently, if left unchecked, they would hunt down all the herbivores in this area, which could lead to the collapse of the dungeon. I checked the surroundings just in case to see if there were any other hordes. There was another horde of Goblin Riders in a place so far away that they looked as small as grains of rice.

They were too far away to think they would approach me. I took out binoculars from my magic bag. I was in debt to Evie for purchasing both of these. Evie said,

“Think of it as my investment in this party. I’m not saying you have to pay me back if you make money or anything like that. I just don’t want the exploration to be delayed because we don’t have enough money. That’s all.” -Evie

“I guess I should cut her some slack…” -Misuzu

It’s said that as a common sense among explorers, it’s strictly forbidden to monopolize the only man or woman in the party. Parties that can’t compromise on that usually collapse somewhere.

I know that myself. But when I see Evie and Yuuta getting along, my heart just feels uneasy. And before I know it, I voice it out.

“Maybe it’s better if they do it where I can’t see…” -Misuzu

After thinking that far, I didn’t want to imagine the sight of Yuuta and Evie entangled with each other after all.

“I can’t help it if I don’t like what I don’t like.” -Misuzu

Is it my fault? Is Yuuta actually wanting to get along with Evie but just holding back for my sake? Will he dislike me for being narrow-minded? Thoughts swirl in my mind. I keep thinking even though I try not to.

There’s no way I can reach Level 1000 without party members. At this stage, even if Evie leaves, we can still replace her. But what if Imari-chan comes and I get replaced next? There must be plenty of women who are willing to join a party with a man who has Gacha Luck 5 and accept a harem.

If Yuuta had gone to a D-rank, he could have easily formed a harem party.

“Sigh, how did I become this kind of woman?” -Misuzu

I even thought I might not have romantic feelings, but now just thinking about Yuuta makes my heart flutter and my core throb. I pulled up a picture of Yuuta stored on my smartphone. It was a photo taken during a date before.

It was a photo of Yuuta before his level had increased. The Yuuta at Level 5 now was unimaginably more lackluster than this. The face in the frame looked unconfident, and even though we should have been in the same class, he didn’t leave much of an impression.

“I’m sorry, Yuuta.” -Misuzu

Recently, just looking at this image makes me want to cry. If only I had helped Yuuta back then… I kissed the Yuuta from the past on the smartphone screen. I love the Yuuta now, but I feel affection for this Yuuta too. I even thought about asking him to sleep with me in this form.

“He’ll hate it, right?” -Misuzu

Yuuta has finally become cool. If I say something that denies that, he’ll definitely hate it. But still, I want to be hugged, kissed, and sleep with him in this form.

“Sigh.” -Misuzu

I’m an indecent woman. I’ve become this kind of woman. No, was I always this kind of woman from the start? I opened the map app on my smartphone again. If Yuuta is close by, should I go see him? And have him hug me? However, Yuuta’s position was almost the same as before.

“Rather, he’s not moving? If Yuuta is also stopped, that means…” -Misuzu

Thinking about what he’s doing, an indecent, foolish thought came to mind.

“No, no. I really need to focus. But I see, th-that’s right. I read in a book that men need time to be alone. Yuuta should just tell me…” -Misuzu

Yuuta is a 15-year-old boy after all. Even if he acts like he’s fine, he must be quite pent up. Even I, a woman, have times when I get flustered.

“Ah, geez, this is really bad.” -Misuzu

Switching gears, I went back to my original goal and took out binoculars. 17 Goblin Riders. That’s quite a number, but not particularly many. Goblin Riders are said to be in groups of 15 to 20, but in reality, they are rarely in groups of 15 and are usually in larger groups.

Sometimes there are more than 20, and there are cases where there are 2 Red Goblins. What I’m seeing now is the most common horde of Goblin Riders. I check my status again.

Name: Kiriyama Misuzu

Race: Human

Level: 4→5

Job: Explorer

Title: Rookie

HP: 23→31

MP: 19→23

SP: 25→31

Strength: 22→26

Agility: 22→27

Defense: 21→24

Dexterity: 25→31

Magic Power: 20→23

Intelligence: 18→20

Charm: 49→52

Gacha Luck: 1

Equipment:

Stone Grade 【Hair Ornament】

Stone Grade 【Body Armor】

Stone Grade 【Greaves】

Stone Grade 【Gauntlets】

Stone Grade 【Underclothes】

Stone Grade 【Amulet】 x2

Stone Grade 【Bow】

Stone Grade 【Dagger】

Stone Grade 【Footwear】

Bronze Grade 【Aristo】 (Barrier Value 100)

Sapphire Grade 【Ring of Celestial Change】

Magic:

Stone Grade 【Level Down】 (MP3)

Skills:

Stone Grade 【Precision Shot】 (SP2)

Stone Grade 【Sturdy Bow】 (SP3)

“With the combination of 【Precision Shot】 and 【Sturdy Bow】, I can shoot 6 times. Originally it was 5 times, so the SP Fruit really makes a big difference. If I do it according to the strategy Yuuta and I came up with, it’ll probably be fine.” -Misuzu

If I can complete this quest, I’ll get 【Double Arrow】. Once I have that, I’ll be able to hunt here stably even on my own. So I’m completely disregarding profitability for the sake of completing this quest. That’s what we decided in our discussion.

I crouched down. And just in case, I put on the ghillie suit I purchased. It’s a suit with grass attached to it that’s the exact same color as the grasslands, so I can blend into the grasslands. It’s something snipers in the military often wear.

And I sprayed on a perfume that smells like feces and urine. When I asked David and the others who came to resupply for advice on completing the quest, they taught me that to deceive the eyes of the Goblin Riders, I should be more wary of the lions than the goblins whose eyes, ears, and noses are all poor.

And they said this perfume is the most reliable thing for that. The savanna is littered with animal feces and urine, so if I wear this, I absolutely won’t be found, they taught me.

“It stinks… Sigh, even though I’m a girl.” -Misuzu

For a moment, I thought they were joking, but the two of them seemed to be quite serious.

“Absolutely, I’ll only use it this time. And I have to make sure to get rid of the smell before meeting up with Yuuta.” -Misuzu

That’s what I think, but I can’t fail this quest. In the savanna area, there are many places where grass doesn’t grow, so even if I hide from the Goblin Riders, I’m often discovered. At times like that, David and the others said they blended in with the savanna like this.

I stop 300m away from the Goblin Rider on lookout. From here, I switch to crawling and approach to 200m. As my level increased from 3 to 5, my range extended to 200m. So with this, the Goblin Riders have entered my range.

I take a deep breath to calm myself down. It’s okay. I’m not thinking about anything unnecessary right now. I took out a red arrow from the quiver.

My quest is to defeat a horde of Goblin Riders alone with a bow. I can’t use modern weapons like handguns. I’ll use them if it gets dangerous, but if I use them, the quest won’t be completed. So I’m using this. The red arrows I bought when I went shopping with Yuuta.

They’re magic arrows with a fire magic enchantment, and originally they’re a gacha item that comes out one at a time from a silver capsule in the Stone Gacha. It costs an unbelievable 250,000 yen per arrow. I bought 20 of them as necessary expenses. If I use them all up, that’s a 5 million yen expenditure.

I was told I can use them all up for this quest, but I want to hold back as much as possible. They won’t become my debt later since they’re necessary expenses, but 5 million yen is enough to buy a luxury car if you think about it. Explorers’ items really use up money like water.

“I feel like my sense of money is going to get messed up.” -Misuzu

Moreover, the only reason I can use these now is because Evie is providing funds until Yuuta’s gacha makes our funds plentiful, even if it’s temporary. I’m really a person who’s being carried.

“Hehe.” -Misuzu

Even though it’s a situation where I’ll die if I fail, it’s funny that I’m thinking about unnecessary things again.

I crouched in the grass, took another deep breath, and chanted my skills.

“【Sturdy Bow】 【Precision Shot】” -Misuzu

At the same time, I fired the fire magic arrow. Sharply. And the red arrow flies straight. That arrow pierces the thigh of the Goblin Rider who was on lookout. Just as I aimed. The fire magic arrow went all the way into the body of the lion. In an instant.

“Gyaaaaa!”

I hear the scream of the dying Goblin Rider. Having been hit by a magic arrow with a fire magic enchantment, both the goblin and the lion of the Goblin Rider were set ablaze. The Red Goblin reacted to this. It must have judged that it was being ambushed.

It orders the other Goblin Riders to strengthen their vigilance. The remaining 16 Goblin Riders all begin to be on alert. However,

“Alright, they haven’t noticed me.” -Misuzu

I fired the arrow from the blind spot of the Goblin Rider on lookout. And the Goblin Rider that was hit by the arrow was instantly engulfed in flames. The lion rampaged in pain as its whole body was burned. Because of that, they haven’t figured out where the attack is coming from.

The number of Goblin Riders on alert around them increased all at once, but that doesn’t mean they scattered to search.

“I’ll move away during this time. The smell stinks, but thanks to the feces and urine perfume, the lions won’t notice me. Hehe.” -Misuzu

The girls in my class who were probably jealous that I became beautiful surely can’t even imagine me like this. I was recalling the strategy Yuuta, Evie and I discussed.

“The Goblin Riders will immediately notice they’ve been attacked. But they shouldn’t be able to judge where the attack came from.” -Yuuta

“Misuzu, slowly and steadily take them down. Reduce their numbers one by one with certainty.” -Evie

“If you can reduce them to 10, you’ll definitely win.” -Yuuta

“Will this method affect the stats?” -Misuzu

“It’s probably fine. But you can’t defeat them all like that.” -Yuuta

That’s what Yuuta said. Evie also gave me advice, but I didn’t really like listening to what Evie said. Still, she properly teaches me, so I properly listen.

Why won’t it affect the stats? When I asked Yuuta that, he said, “Sorry, I kind of get it intuitively, but I can’t explain it well.” I took down just one and put distance between myself and the Goblin Riders again, moving 500m away.

“Misuzu, I’m worried about you, but I think you can do this alone. Evie and I can’t do it, but you can fight at a distance. And there’s no time limit for this quest. Even if you kill the Goblin Riders, it takes 24 hours for them to respawn. So take your time to complete the quest. Hit and run. Stick close, then move away.” -Yuuta

If I try to wipe out the Goblin Riders all at once, there’s no way I won’t be killed alone. But with this method, I can almost certainly wipe out the horde of Goblin Riders. And if I can get the Double Arrow, it’s mine.

From there, I waited 30 minutes for the Goblin Riders to let their guard down. Then I approached again and took down another Goblin Rider.

Fortunately, the Goblin Riders aren’t as smart as Lean, who should be a goblin like them. After about 30 minutes, they go back to how they were as if forgetting that their comrade was killed.

“If the opponent was human, it definitely wouldn’t go like this.” -Misuzu

It’s good that they’re stupid. If the opponent was human, they would take different actions after being hit twice in a row. There are various methods, such as sending out Goblin Riders to scout the surroundings to be on alert. But the Goblin Riders on the 2nd floor don’t go that far yet.

I continued to take down the Goblin Riders one by one. And their numbers reduced to 10. I made it this far without missing a single shot. Being able to get this far from this distance without missing once, skills are truly frightening things.

I approached the Goblin Riders again.

“I guess I can finally say goodbye to this stinky smell.” -Misuzu

I licked my lips. The Red Goblin is making a fuss about something. It thinks it will be attacked again. But it doesn’t clearly know what it should do for that. It seems to understand that if it keeps doing the same thing, everyone will eventually die.

Not wanting to die is the same for any living being. So it’s getting impatient as its numbers are steadily decreasing. Leaving the Red Goblin was advice from Evie.

“No matter who they are, if they lose their head, they suddenly lose coordination. When that happens, the actions of the Goblin Riders become unpredictable. So leave the Red Goblin until near the end.” -Misuzu

Evie is better at coming up with these kinds of strategies. In fact, although they’re agitated, the Goblin Riders haven’t lost coordination. Thanks to that, they’re staying together, making it easy for me to aim.

“Well, I could kill them all like this, but then an A rating would be impossible. I guess I’ll go soon.” -Misuzu

It would be safest to continue hunting slowly like this. However, if I only take the safe route, the stats will increase very poorly. I don’t want that. So I took off the annoying ghillie suit and stood up boldly.

“【Sturdy Bow】 【Precision Shot】!” -Misuzu

“【Sturdy Bow】 【Precision Shot】!” -Misuzu

“Gya!”

“【Sturdy Bow】 【Precision Shot】!” -Misuzu

 “Gya gya” “Gya gya” “Gya gya” “Gya gya” “Gya gya”

“【Sturdy Bow】 【Precision Shot】!” -Misuzu

“【Sturdy Bow】 【Precision Shot】!” -Misuzu

 “Gya gya” “Gya gya” “Gya gya” “Gya gya” “Gya gya”

“【Sturdy Bow】 【Precision Shot】!” -Misuzu

I stood up, chanted my skills boldly, and fired my bow. They were probably on guard to some extent from the beginning. The Red Goblin shouted. The remaining Goblin Riders reacted to that. The Goblin Riders who didn’t understand why their comrades kept burning up until now found the cause.

The 5 riders who were mounted from the beginning come charging towards me all at once.

“When it’s time to take them down all at once, fire an arrow at the lookout Goblin Rider from 200m.” -Yuuta

“If I do that, it won’t have much effect even if it hits the farthest one, right?”  -Misuzu

“It’s okay. They’re definitely angry. You don’t have to worry about that.” -Yuuta

“They’re coming this way.” -Misuzu

The distance between us keeps closing rapidly. It was just as Yuuta said. The Goblin Riders are trying to attack me with tremendous force. The lions carrying the goblins were moving at a tremendous speed. The distance between us visibly becomes zero.

I ran out of SP, so I quickly took out an SP potion that I put in the easiest place to take out in my magic bag and drank it.

It takes 10 seconds for the lions to bring the distance between us to zero. It takes me 7 seconds now to chant my skills and fire 6 arrows. I practiced to get to that point. It takes 3 seconds to drink an SP potion. Just as I thought I had somehow taken down 6 of them, the Red Goblin was in front of me.

“Gyaaaaaa!!!”

I don’t want it to glare at me with such a resentful face. I’m a frail maiden, so it’s scary. I took a backstep, readied my bow, and fired a fire magic arrow at the lion the Red Goblin was riding.

“Listen. The leader Red Goblin will probably deflect it even with 【Sturdy Bow】. So don’t panic and aim for the lion. If you do that,” -Yuuta

“It’ll go up in flames.” -Misuzu

“Gyaaaaaa!!!”

The flames that spread from the lion ignite the Red Goblin. No matter how much it was Level 8, once its body was on fire, it was helpless. When the Red Goblin’s body was engulfed in flames, the 3 Goblin Riders who were still charging from behind showed hesitation.

“Goblins don’t run away even when they see humans, but it’s not like they don’t have fear. They especially fear dying meaninglessly. Even so, they’ll still attack, but they’ll be shaken by the opponent’s strength. Especially when the Red Goblin dies, the rank-and-file don’t know what to do and hesitate. Take down the remaining 3 during that time.” -Yuuta

“Got it, Yuuta.” -Misuzu

I quickly fired 2 shots. 2 riders go up in flames. The last one is about to recover from the agitation. It’s a real waste to consume any more magic arrows. But if I fail to take it down here, I don’t know what I’ve been doing all this for.

“It took 3 hours, but it’s over!” -Misuzu

I fire the last arrow. The Goblin Rider notices my aim and tries to jump off the female lion. Even if they’re different species, abandoning the girl who’s supposed to be its mate is the worst. But the Goblin Rider that jumped off is just a goblin. I finished it off by hitting it in the forehead with a regular arrow at the end.

【Notification of quest completion. 2nd floor quest. A rating completion acknowledged. Skill 【Double Arrow】 acquired. A rating bonus will add to main stats.】

“Thank you.” -Misuzu

【Understood. Strength, Agility, Dexterity, SP +3 will be added.】

“Alright!” -Misuzu

【Integrating Double Arrow and Precision Shot. Is that okay?】

“Y-yes, please.” -Misuzu

Skill integration. I had heard there was such a thing, but this was the first time I learned that a woman’s voice would ask me like this.

【Understood. Double Arrow and Precision Shot integrated. Became Precision Double Shot.】

“Phew, yes!” -Misuzu

The announcement of quest completion flows through my head. I was so happy that I immediately opened my status.

Name: Kiriyama Misuzu

Race: Human

Level: 4→5

Job: Explorer

Title: Rookie

HP: 23→31

MP: 19→23

SP: 25→31→34

Strength: 22→26→29

Agility: 22→27→30

Defense: 21→24

Dexterity: 25→31→34

Magic Power: 20→23

Intelligence: 18→20

Charm: 49→52

Gacha Luck: 1

Equipment:

Stone Grade 【Hair Ornament】

Stone Grade 【Body Armor】

Stone Grade 【Greaves】

Stone Grade 【Gauntlets】

Stone Grade 【Underclothes】

Stone Grade 【Amulet】 x2

Stone Grade 【Bow】 

Stone Grade 【Dagger】

Stone Grade 【Footwear】

Bronze Grade 【Aristo】 (Barrier Value 100)

Magic:

Stone Grade 【Level Down】 (MP3)

Skills:

Stone Grade 【Precision Double Shot】 (SP4)

Stone Grade 【Sturdy Bow】 (SP3)

Quest: 2nd Floor A Rating

“I’m so happy they gave me an A rating. My agility became the highest among the three of us. Well, Yuuta has probably already completed his quest by now, so his is probably higher now, but I’m happy.” -Misuzu

I unintentionally grinned. There are rewards for completing quests. And how you complete them is also questioned. If it’s judged that you completed it in the best way, you get an S rating, and if it’s judged that you completed it in a very good way, you get an A rating. Everything else just gets the reward for completing the quest.

“I heard even an A doesn’t come out often, so it means I did pretty well, right?” -Misuzu

As if it were natural, I picked up my smartphone and called Yuuta first. And more than anything, I went to wash off the smell first.