"Well then. ...Shall we test it out?"
The seventeenth floor, in front of the boss room. Ren stood before the already trap-checked door and looked back at her comrades. Furi and the others, standing apart, nodded at Ren's glance, but their expressions were a little worried. Still, the risk of this strategy was low—it should be.
After confirming that everyone was ready, Ren turned back to face the door, pulled it open, and,
"Fire Arrow!"
She cast the magic before properly checking the interior. Fire arrows rained down. The mixed army of Goblins and Orcs shrieked in response, clearly recognizing Ren with murderous intent.
Ren, meanwhile, did not engage them directly. She kicked off the floor, levitated into the air, and retreated, aiming at the enemies' leaders with Lightning Bolts.
All the party members, save one, were already retreating along a pre-determined route. The dungeon corridor was narrow—three people could barely stand side-by-side. While three Goblins could just manage to line up, unlike inside the room, the entire group wouldn't be able to rush them all at once. If the enemies were lured out of the boss room by chasing Ren, it would be a bonus.
Ren created and rained down Fire Arrows along the width of the passage, leaving the monsters no escape from the barrage. Iris, positioned slightly behind Ren, supported the strategy by firing arrows while retreating. Since the Goblin Mages and Healers also needed to advance to use their magic, the swift Goblins and the large Orcs inevitably became separated.
"Fire Arrow, Fire Arrow, Fire Arrow!"
Ren didn't care if a few "Heals" were cast. The continuous attacks on the group overwhelmed the enemies' ability to cope. It took courage for even fearless monsters to face the rain of fire arrows.
By continuing to retreat down the pre-secured passage, Ren minimized the risk of being overtaken and sustained the long-range attack as much as possible.
This was the ultimate move: the kiting strategy.
It was a relatively common tactic in certain games. In reality, it was highly effective if one could overcome the difficulty of shooting while retreating. Of course, there were other problems, the biggest of which was MP consumption, but Ren had solved that to some extent with her new skill.
Mana Overload Storage.
In simple terms, this was a skill that "expanded the maximum MP capacity." By consuming "about 90% of the maximum MP," the maximum MP would be increased by just a small amount. For the second time onward, the capacity would increase further by consuming 90% of the total, including the expanded portion. It was a dream skill that could virtually increase maximum MP indefinitely, but it couldn't be fully utilized if MP replenishment relied only on natural regeneration or rare potions. For example, it would become a cycle of "waiting a whole day to fully recover MP, using the skill, and then waiting another whole day to recover," and the efficiency worsened as the maximum MP increased.
However, Ren, with her numerous MP recovery methods, could utilize it quite effectively. Opening the door with her MP full (including the expanded capacity) and employing the kiting strategy allowed her to safely clear out the enemies. With this tactic, the Goblins were easily wiped out, and the Orcs that eventually caught up were already heavily wounded.
"Alright. ...Mei, you're good to go."
"I've been waiting. You can leave the rest to me, Master."
Mei's mace smashed the reeling enemies one after another, and silence returned to the dungeon.
--------------------
"...And you cleared the eighteenth floor in that same manner?"
"Ren-chan and your party are truly outrageous."
"It's not that big of a deal. Our fighting style just takes a lot of time."
A few days after clearing the eighteenth floor, the leader of Shou's party and his girlfriend came to Ren's house together. First, they sat in the living room and exchanged updates. (They had bought extra chairs, so seating wasn't an issue.) The reason they came as a couple, not just the two men, was because "we worry if we let them go alone." Although the girlfriend had managed to maintain a friendship with her female classmates, she would instantly become an enemy if she were ever to steal their boyfriend. When it came to romance, a woman's resentment was frightening.
"You guys are working hard, too. If you hadn't reset the schedule, you'd probably have cleared the twentieth floor by now, right?"
"Maybe. But teaching Shou and the others has been a great learning experience."
"Yeah. We're pretty much the newest ones here, so it's fun to teach the younger kids."
Somehow, they seemed to be managing well. It meant the leadership's selection of people was somewhat reliable. Of course, after Takuma's group went on hiatus and excluding Ren's group, there weren't many parties left.
The leader smiled and said,
"The reason we came today is also about Shou and the others. We finally cleared the tenth floor. Shou and Ken can now see their status."
"Oh, really?! Shou-kun and the others worked hard!"
"They really did. It was so tough getting them this far."
The leaders' party was a well-balanced group of four. With one mage and one cleric, their strategy was to cast support magic on Shou's group and let them fight, then use recovery magic when they got hurt. If things got dangerous, they would immediately jump in to help. While Ren's group thought that just having access to supportive magic was amazing, and that having four people would surely be stable, it wasn't exactly that simple.
"Not knowing how much to intervene was the hardest part."
"We had to make those two kids defeat the constantly multiplying Goblins themselves, you know? It was nerve-wracking."
"Ah. ...We were at a level where we could fight alongside Iris and the others."
Mei, for one, was literally pummeling Goblins to death with her bare hands.
"But I see. They finally reached the tenth floor. They deserve a reward."
"Please do. They were all excited, saying they could go on a date with you once they cleared the tenth floor."
"They were cute, so innocent."
Ren's group wasn't much older, but she understood the feeling.
"A date, huh. Are they really fine with just that? Wouldn't a buffet at the Western restaurant be more exciting for that age?"
"Don't be an idiot. If you say no to the date now, who knows what those kids will do."
"Is it that serious!?"
Ren suggested that a date with a girl born in this world would be better, but both of them said in unison, "You have to go." Well, if they insisted on Ren, Ren was fine with accepting.
"Alright. Then I'll coordinate a day off with Shou and the others. It's okay if they go together, right?"
"I'd prefer if you could take them out one at a time, but I can't ask that much. You're busy, and their allowance would take a hit."
"You're a six-person party, after all. I get it."
Ren's group was a five-person party, but Mei's food was mostly procured from stone. Ren herself could manage without eating if necessary, and Mariabelle had an income source separate from dungeon raiding. If they were truly desperate (which wasn't currently the case), they could rely on Iris's family.
"Is their living cost tight?"
"Well, it's not easy, but we're managing. Shou and Ken are providing their own fragments."
The Fragments of the World sold for a good price. The leaders, who weren't particularly attached to world-building, apparently sold the fragments they acquired for income. The sold fragments would eventually transform into new land and benefit people's lives. Perhaps they would be used to help build the land for viewing the first sunrise. The date arrangements were quickly made, and a date was set for a few days later.
--------------------
"How is it, Ren? Are you ready?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Ren turned around and answered Furi, who had knocked and opened the door immediately. It had been quite a while since she became a woman. She had gotten used to preparing herself and relied on Furi and the others less. Her preparations for today were personally flawless. She was wearing an easily movable, knee-length skirt and high socks. The top was a sweater with two holes in the back for her wings. She wore a cloth choker around her neck to minimize the few exposed areas.
Furi stared at her for a while, then nodded, "Yep, cute."
"Your hair's gotten long, too."
"Yeah. It's a bit of a hassle, but I've grown attached to it as it gets longer."
She wore her violet-black hair straight more often in private. Today, she had carefully combed it and let it hang down. Since she wasn't planning on any physical activity, this would be fine.
"Ah, but I should probably prepare to tie my hair up, just in case."
She tossed a ribbon into Storage, considering the possibility that Shou might challenge her to a "duel with swords!" She realized that she couldn't even tie a simple bow by looking at instructions before. Now she could easily tie one without looking, which was a huge improvement.
"You're not wearing the dress we gave you?"
"That would be overdoing it. Is this a date?"
"It is a date."
"It's a date, but still."
They were two boys equivalent to junior high students. They were only calling it a date because they were going out with a girl, not because they would be formally escorting her. Ren would be embarrassed to wear that kind of outfit outside of a party. She was confident she would burst out laughing out of shyness if they tried to "offer their arm, Miss."
Furi murmured to herself, "No chance, absolutely no chance."
"Listen. Be back by nighttime at the latest, okay? Make sure you see them both home."
"I know. I need to let them get some sleep for their own growth."
She could act naturally when talking about normal things, even with the other person's face close. Her relationship with Furi—same-sex yet her crush—was simple and complex.
"But it's easy not having to worry about what to put in a bag."
"It really is. You just toss anything you might need into Storage."
In Japan, they used to say, "A girl's bag should be small," which was apparently a pain. It was even more so because many clothes didn't have pockets. Ren suddenly imagined living her current life in Japan and quickly dismissed the thought, "That day probably won't come." Considering the possibilities—failing to return after clearing the dungeon, returning but reverting to a man, or not returning but reverting to a man—the possibility of "returning but not reverting to a man" was fairly low. In any case, it was a long way off.
"Ah, I think they've arrived."
"Mhm. I'm heading out then."
"Have fun!"
Hearing the boys' voices from the entrance, she walked toward them.
"Be careful, Master."
"Run away if they try anything weird...!?"
"Thank you. But I'll be fine. I'm definitely stronger than them."
She opened the door, waved goodbye to Mei and Iris, and said,
"Hey. Did both of you sleep well last night?"
"G-good morning, Ren-san!"
"T-thank you for today!"
She greeted Shou and Ken, who were visibly nervous. Neither of them was wearing the kind of armor they had on when they first came to the house, but were dressed simply and neatly. They definitely wouldn't be trying to drag her into the dungeon. If it were Takuma and the others, they would probably show up in rough clothes, thinking, "Whatever, casual is fine," so the boys' likeability went up. Though, Ren felt the comparison was unfair.
"Alright, shall we go?"
She thought, You don't need to be this nervous just for walking around town, but since pointing it out would likely backfire, she kept her voice light and casual. The two boys answered with a loud, "Y-yes!" and followed her.
"U-um, Ren-san. You're beautiful today too."
Shou said, as if remembering something. Ren chuckled lightly.
"What was that? ...But it doesn't sound bad. Thank you."
When she smiled at him, he turned away with a bright red face.
—Could it be that both of them are hoping for something romantic?
When she asked Furi after returning home, Furi looked at her with an astonished "You're too dense," but setting that aside.
They walked around town and bought snacks (paid for by Shou and Ken, of course). They bought small trinkets at a general store (also paid for by Shou and Ken). They had lunch in a private room at a tavern (again, paid for by Shou and Ken).
Of course, nothing inappropriate happened in the private room. It was a completely fun and wholesome date. Ren walked Shou and Ken back home. When she asked them, "Was this okay for you?" they both replied, "Of course!" so they seemed satisfied.
Being satisfied with just that was so typical of their youth. Ren felt it might be easier if they knew that "erotic things are out of the question," but she couldn't just blurt out a confident line like, "Do you guys have a crush on me?"
"Hey, Ren-san. If we work harder, will you go on another date with us?"
Torn, she ended up giving in to their expectation.
"Sure, if you clear the fifteenth floor. ...You know this, but don't overdo it."
She parted from them as they nodded, their faces bright with a loud "Yes!" and greeted the leaders before heading home. Even though she knew there was little danger, she chose a well-lit, popular route and walked slowly.
"Hey!"
Two girls called out to her. They stared at Ren with an intense gaze.
"What is your relationship with those two!?"
They threw out a surprisingly straightforward question.
============
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