An Orc Hero.
A powerfully built warrior, even more intimidating than an Elite. Do these creatures not evolve in any way other than increasing their HP and attack power? Probably not. Accompanied by two Orc Warriors and two Orc Elites, he was nothing short of a formidable foe.
"Freeze Arrow!"
Ren created a firing line by floating in the air and shot fifty "Magic Arrows," which she had amplified and converted to Ice attribute. With the addition of "Mana Boost," the tips of the arrows became sharp and hard, fiercely striking the Orcs.
"Fire Bolt" flew from the lantern Ren held aloft, while Iris's arrows pierced the enemies one after another, prioritizing speed over accuracy.
After raining ice arrows twice more, Ren slowly approached. Maintaining an altitude beyond the reach of the enemies' axes, she slammed a boosted "Mana Bolt" into them.
Mei closed the distance while ducking and delivered a punch, and Furi diverted the attention of the enemy targeting Iris with a taunt. The enemies' weapons grazed past Ren, Mei, and Furi multiple times.
"Lightning Bolt!"
The lightning attribute magic seemed to leave a slight paralysis on the enemies. Seizing the opportunity of their slowed movement, Ren unleashed further attacks. When the first one vanished, the tide of the battle shifted in favor of Ren's party.
"...A boss fight is nerve-wracking, after all."
Immediately after the battle ended, Ren landed on the ground and sat on the floor. The mental exhaustion from the continuous use of magic was severe. Iris, who had been rapidly firing her bow and magic, also sat down beside her, laughing, "Just a short break." Since they planned to wrap up for the day, there was no need to rush.
Looking at the silver-haired golem girl checking the condition of her hands, feet, and torso, Ren asked,
"Why don't you take a break too, Mae?"
"Please don't concern yourself. I will proceed with the stone monument transcriptions first."
"Ah, thank you, Mae."
"It is no trouble."
Despite her businesslike appearance, Mei was very considerate. Perhaps Ren, who was always relying on her, needed to show more gratitude. Should she buy a lump of metal and give it to her, or should she buy another outfit from that store? Although Mei doesn't sweat or excrete waste, she still needs her clothes washed occasionally. The fact that Ren's pocket money came from dungeon exploration with Mei's cooperation was a bit awkward, but Ren still wanted to spoil her in return.
"But seriously, the Orcs just keep multiplying, don't they?"
"They really do. It makes you wonder where they keep popping out from."
The monsters seem to be spontaneously generated endlessly. If the person who created the dungeon intended to "liberate the world," why are they causing such interference? Would they find out that as they progressed through the dungeon?
While Ren's thoughts drifted, something touched her hand. It was Iris's hand, cautiously reaching out. The spent MP was steadily, though slowly, being replenished. When Ren turned to thank her, her eyes met the girl's lips, and she felt a little embarrassed.
Iris's cheeks were also flushed—but she stared intently at Ren.
"Ren-san. ...Do you have enough MP?"
"No. I'm just heading home now."
Even if she were called a coward, she was too shy to do it in front of others.
Seeing this, Mariabelle sat on Ren's other side, took her other hand, and said,
"Then, at least let this replenish you."
"Thank you."
They had cleared the thirteenth floor of the dungeon. Ren wanted to continue at this pace, but she knew the next floor would surely be even tougher.
--------------------
"Man. It feels weird drinking with you like this."
"You're technically not old enough to drink yet."
"But everyone drinks here..."
It was a day off. Ren had gone into town to restock on her usual alcohol and snacks when she ran into two men she knew: the male members of the party looking after Shou and Ken, the guys who were adventuring with their girlfriends.
They decided to catch up, so they came to a tavern in the city center.
By the calendar, it was a weekday, but since the concept of "days of the week" didn't really matter in this world, the place was filled with customers. They took a table in the main area rather than a private room, as having people around meant they wouldn't have to worry about each other being suspected of cheating.
It had been a while since Ren had come to this tavern. She had visited when she was teamed up with Takuma and the others, but stopped coming after they split up. It wasn't the kind of place to bring Mei or Iris, and their post-boss celebrations were always at that Western-style restaurant.
Being here after so long lifted her spirits slightly. Looking at the menu, there hadn't been any significant changes since her last visit. The food here was ordinary, but the selection of alcohol was excellent. Since she was here, she ordered an ale, which she didn't usually drink. For a snack, she ordered fried potatoes. The food menu's slight resemblance to an adventurer's tavern was another characteristic of this place.
"Potatoes, huh..."
"Huh? Do you guys hate potatoes?"
Their reaction to Ren's order was subtle. She tilted her head, wondering why, since they ate them all the time as fast food back home.
"Nah, I'm just sick of them."
"Potatoes are a staple food, man. Of course, we're sick of them."
"Ah. We eat a lot of bread at our place."
Just like some regions on Earth, potatoes were a main food source here. They were often boiled or steamed and eaten in place of rice or bread. They were a great help, especially for families trying to save money.
"Besides, you can't fry things easily at home, can you? So fried potatoes sounded good."
"Damn, eating bread every day. Are you rich or something?"
The two men ordered grilled river fish with salt and sausages in addition to their ale. The fish was likely a result of the river they had created. The river was somehow completed up to four or five kilometers, and the association members seemed to have enjoyed the moon viewing and sunrise there. Iris had received a request to "continue working on the design," and she had promised to have it ready "by the end of next year."
"Speaking of things that are hard to get your hands on, beer is another one."
"Yeah, it's hard to preserve."
Ale is a type of beer. More precisely, it's the name of the brewing method. The typical beer in Japan is Lager, another type of beer, but Ren didn't know the difference in taste since she had never had Japanese beer.
"That's part of it, but don't women generally dislike beer?"
Ren thought, Now that you mention it. Furi was with her the last time she came, but she remembered Furi drinking wine or something else. Was it the unique bitterness, or perhaps the carbonation?
While she was thinking, the two men stared at her.
"Are you okay with beer?"
"Yeah, I drank it even before I became like this."
The ale was brought over while they were talking, so they clinked glasses and drank. Ren tried to smile and say, See, I'm fine, but strangely, it didn't taste as good as before.
"...Did it taste like this?"
"Nah, I don't think it's changed."
"See? You don't like it after all."
Ren was slightly annoyed by the look that suggested, Just a woman, after all, but she cheered up when they handed her the menu and said, "I'll drink this, so order something else."
He was a surprisingly thoughtful guy. Maybe that's why he was popular. This time, Ren simply ordered red wine.
"Oh. Speaking of which, is it okay that I drank out of this?"
"It's fine. It would be weird if it was some random stranger. You can't survive here if you worry about that kind of thing."
"I guess you're right. Thanks."
The other party leader tilted his glass as if to show he didn't mind. When Ren smiled and thanked him, he somehow blushed and averted his gaze. Maybe he was already drunk.
"Carbonated drinks can make you drunk easily, so drink slowly."
"...Beer doesn't taste good when it gets warm."
The leader who made the excuse was told by his partner, "I'll tell your girlfriend about that," and the leader, annoyed, snapped,
"Then I'll expose that thing to your girlfriend."
"Wha—! That's against the rules, man!"
"You started it!"
"...You guys seem to be having fun."
The familiar banter between guys. Ren felt a little envious. The two men composed themselves as if collecting their thoughts. The food arrived, and the three of them casually picked at it.
"What are you saying, surrounded by cute girls?"
"Well, I'm a girl too."
She subtly implied, Become a Succubus if you're so jealous, and the two guys were silent.
"..."
"..."
"What is it?"
"No, I guess you've really made up your mind."
"Of course."
It had been several months since she had fully transformed into a Succubus. Her chest had somehow surpassed Furi's and was now an estimated C-cup, and she had experienced all the things that come with being a girl. It was difficult to keep insisting, "I'm a man."
"It's just getting used to it. Once you stop resisting, it gets a lot easier."
"Is that so...? Is marriage similar, I wonder?"
"Wait, are you getting married?"
Ren blinked and asked, and her companion gave her a similar look. Apparently, he had just voiced the thought for the first time. The leader gave a wry smile.
"I'm just thinking about it for now. ...Even if we clear the dungeon at the current pace, I'll be close to twenty when we reach the hundredth floor. I might as well commit to living here."
"Ah. That's true."
Of course, clearing the hundredth floor at the current pace was impossible. He probably knew that, too. That's why he was thinking about the future.
"Who's the lucky girl?"
"It's obviously my girlfriend. What if someone overheard and got the wrong idea? Take responsibility, man."
"Well, I'll help with the persuasion... but you're really panicking."
"Listen... there aren't that many women in this world, okay?"
He said it in an intensely serious tone. The leader sighed and lowered his voice slightly.
"Even if we break up, we won't never see each other again, and if she broke up with me, she'd just end up dating someone else I know. You have to treasure the person you love, right?"
"...I see. You're a good guy."
He was the same age as Ren, still just a first-year high school student, yet he was thinking about so much. When Ren murmured her admiration, he just smiled and said, "It's just common sense."
"I don't know if I'm talking to my guy friends or her girl friends now."
"That's... ah, well... which is it?"
"You don't know!?"
When Ren thought about it again, it was a difficult question. Ren treated them as male friends, but at the same time, she considered herself a girl. She couldn't call them "the same sex" in the sense of not having to be careful, but she also hesitated to call them "the opposite sex."
Her companion nodded in agreement.
"You say 'ore' with such a cute face and voice."
"My way of speaking is a separate issue. It doesn't bother me."
If this were Japan, she might be at a disadvantage in many situations. There would be many people who didn't know the fact that Ren was formerly a man, but in this fantasy world, the vast majority of people would "get it" just by seeing her wings and tail. Since there was a certain number of people, male and female, whose speech became rough due to the fighting, there was no need to force a change.
"But seriously, do I look cute to you guys, too?"
"Is that a brag?"
"Of course, you're cute."
They looked at her as if she were an idiot. Ren wondered whether to be happy or lament the fact that someone she knew had stated it so definitively.
"You won't get anything if you fall for me."
"I'm not gonna fall for you!?"
"I don't want to end up like Takuma and the others."
Those three were apparently recognized by these two as "incredibly pathetic as men."
The wine was finished, so they ordered another one.
"But seriously, don't you have those kinds of desires? You're a Succubus, right?"
"If I did, you two would be in a very dangerous situation right now."
The two men gasped and frantically tried to order water. Of course, water cost money even in this tavern, so Ren used "Water" magic to conjure some for them. The two gulped down the water thankfully and sighed in relief. Perhaps the reason why there seemed to be so many drunk and rowdy people in fantasy worlds was partly because they didn't have enough access to chasers.
"Jeez, don't say things that give us a heart attack all of a sudden."
"It would be terrible if your girlfriend found out you were cheating."
"It really would. And with you as the partner? That's too much."
"I know, right? Being with a former guy..."
When Ren said this with a laugh, the two men looked at each other with serious faces.
"No, that's not the problem."
"I'd actually go for it."
"Why!?"
"Because your face and voice are different from before."
A beautiful girl who speaks like a man is occasionally found in manga and games. Apparently, it was not a problem even if the unrealistically beautiful girl (Ren) was like that in reality. Ren imagined being in the opposite situation and nodded, "Well, maybe."
"But I'm not interested in guys, okay? I just took the skill to grow one the other day."
"Seriously?"
"Grow what? Isn't that some super-niche thing?"
"Don't call it niche."
Ren gave them a slight deadpan glare, then emphasized to the two, "This is just between us."
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