Chapter 287

That night, too, the conversation with Aarenfrit was lively, and Tatsuro learned more about Curse Magic.

The next day, early in the morning, Tatsuro, along with Aarenfrit and everyone else except Nana and Leah Schleiermacher, was handling their final joint request.

The request this time was to patrol an area around the town considered dangerous, assist anyone recklessly challenging it, and thin out the monsters if no one was present.

Recently, to avoid troubling high-ranking adventurers with simple material-gathering tasks, it had become common for the Adventurer’s Guild to create requests on the spot.

With no particular reason to refuse, they had been taking on similar requests. However, upon actually doing it, they encountered an overwhelming number of reckless individuals who seemed suicidal, fighting monsters with abandon. Just now, Tatsuro’s Spirit Eye caught sight of a party entering Neraro Cave, a place they were clearly unprepared for.

Sigh—here we go again.

“Going into a place like that, barely more than beginners? It’s like delivering a meal to the monsters.”

“Yeah, isn’t that the place crawling with those pitch-black slimes called Neraro?”

“Right, right. They blend into the walls and ceilings inside the dark cave, ambushing anything that passes by.”

“You’d need either high durability to withstand their attacks, advanced Detection Magic, or enough stamina to keep fighting in the cave. Without at least one of those, survival is unlikely. But those guys must be pretty confident.”

As Aarenfrit pointed out, the reckless party swaggered forward, striding boldly into the cave as if cutting through the wind with their shoulders.

From their appearance alone, one might assume they had considerable skill.

However, based on the amount of ki and magical power Tatsuro’s Spirit Eye detected, their levels were roughly under 10—far too low for a cave recommended for those over level 25.

Were they perhaps holders of rare skills like Tatsuro or Ai? No, all Tatsuro could see with his Spirit Eye were the colors of common, familiar skills.

With that information, even a child could predict their fate.

—Indeed, they were destined to become monster chow.

“They’ve got confidence but no skill to back it up. Let’s go help them.”

“Got it!”

“What? They looked so full of themselves, but they’re just weaklings, Sensei?”

“Calling them weaklings is a bit harsh, but yeah, that’s about it. Those guys wouldn’t last five minutes in that monster hunting ground before getting killed.”

“How foolish… I truly cannot comprehend the minds of ordinary people,” Aarenfrit remarked, seemingly unable to grasp the concept of overconfidence from new equipment.

For Tatsuro and Ai, it was somewhat understandable—akin to wanting to try out a new toy. But risking their lives for it? That was beyond their understanding, so they said nothing.

Thus, with Child Form Jeanne leading the way, followed by Tatsuro, Ai, Child Form Cardina hiding in a pocket on alert, Aarenfrit, and True Form Athena, they stepped into the dark cave, which was about six meters wide and three meters tall—fairly spacious.

Since monsters reacted strongly to light, they deliberately lit up the area with brilliant Light Magic to draw them in as they advanced.

“By the way, Sensei, your staff seems a bit different. I can feel a strong power coming from it,” Ai noted.

“Sharp eyes. Well, Leah Schleiermacher modified it for me.”

“Really? Man, to think that frail-looking girl from when we first met could create something like this… It makes me feel like saving her was worth it,” Aarenfrit said.

“If it’s you, Aarenfrit-san, maybe Leah Schleiermacher would make a staff for you too?” Ai suggested, perhaps wondering if Aarenfrit was tempted.

Surprisingly, Aarenfrit shook her head. “I appreciate the sentiment, human girl, but I’m quite fond of my current equipment. They’re all things I worked hard to obtain long ago, and I’m deeply attached to them.”

“Oh? So you’ve been using them for a while?” Ai asked.

“Yes, over a thousand years, in fact. I’ve never had any issues, and I’m satisfied.”

“A thousand years? That’s on a whole different scale. But if you’re that attached after using them for so long, I guess you wouldn’t switch easily,” Tatsuro said.

“Sorry, human girl, for turning down your kind offer,” Aarenfrit added.

“Nah, it’s fine—” Ai began, but before she could finish, screams from men echoed from ahead.

“That was quick— I thought they’d be cautious in the dark, but they just charged in without thinking. Sigh.”

“Oh! Sensei’s magic!” Aarenfrit exclaimed, delighted by Tatsuro’s spellcasting, but he ignored her.

Tatsuro sent commands to Tsukuyomi through his gauntlets, deploying ten water orbs behind him. Channeling Water Magic through them, he maximized Secom-kun’s capabilities, extending Slime Tentacles toward the cave’s depths.

Guided by the Spirit Eye’s ability to see through darkness and walls, the tentacles pinpointed the targets’ locations and stretched toward them.

The targets were surrounded by multiple Neraro slimes. The tentacles arrived swiftly, pushing through the slimes, grabbing the party members, and pulling them back while reducing the number of monsters with the remaining tentacles.

“What the—?!”

“Are we… saved?”

The party, still confused, didn’t grasp the situation. Tatsuro was about to explain, but the Neraro, enraged at losing their prey, were now charging toward them in droves.

If left unchecked, they might escape the cave, so Tatsuro prioritized dealing with them. The troublesome group was still held by the tentacles and tossed outside, while Tatsuro’s team prepared for battle.

“I doubt those slimes could harm any of us, even in a group, but let’s be cautious just in case. I’ll reduce their numbers; you handle the rest.”

No matter how skilled the Neraro were at camouflage, they were just slimes. Tatsuro couldn’t imagine them injuring anyone in their group, but he urged caution before acting.

With Tsukuyomi’s assistance, he used Amaterasu to unleash an enhanced Ice Magic spell, coating the cave’s surfaces with ice that froze anything it touched.

This drastically reduced the Neraro’s numbers, but they pressed forward, trampling their fallen kin to overwhelm with sheer quantity.

“Alright, my turn!” Ai declared.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Athena protested.

Just as Athena stepped forward, Ai moved first. She gathered a small amount of White Dragon Ki in her right hand, attempting the same compression she’d once done with an axe.

Drawing the enemies in as close as possible, she released it.

“Hah!”

The unleashed white ki briefly formed the shape of a dragon’s head in an afterimage before exploding, spreading about one meter short of the cave’s full width and height, obliterating the Neraro in its path.

However, some still survived, closing in on them.

“That’s all I’ve got…” Ai said.

“Then I’ll take the rest—Hah!” Aarenfrit declared.

“Hey, wait!” Athena shouted.

Just as Athena moved to act, Aarenfrit pulled iron needles from her Item Box and hurled them toward the Neraro.

Piercing weapons, especially uninfused ones, shouldn’t affect slimes. But these needles were imbued with a massive amount of Curse Magic. Upon contact—or even hitting the ground—they drove the Neraro mad, causing them to self-destruct and scatter.

Only one remained, likely left intentionally by Aarenfrit as a courtesy.

Jeanne glanced at it and ignored it, so Athena, with a sigh, casually waved her hand, incinerating it with Lightning Magic.

“So weak. I imagined their death, but a proper monster wouldn’t actually die from it… To think those fools were screaming because they were about to be killed by these? Sigh… We’ve gotten involved with some truly pathetic scoundrels,” Aarenfrit said, losing all interest in the reckless, weak humans who’d made such a foolish challenge.

Even Tatsuro had no desire to talk to people who’d done something this stupid. Having thrown them outside, he hoped they’d just go home.

But his Spirit Eye showed them dutifully waiting at the cave’s entrance.

Sigh.

“No helping it. We’re done here, so let’s head out.”

Without hiding his annoyance, Tatsuro led the group, with Jeanne at the front, back the way they came.

Waiting outside was a rough-looking, eight-man party that, in Tatsuro’s world, would be described as delinquents, yankees, or DQN.

Assuming they were at least waiting to thank them, despite their appearance, Tatsuro’s group passed through the entrance—only to be proven wrong immediately.

“Hey, you bastards! We were about to take down those monsters, and you stole our kill, huh?!” shouted a man with spiky brown hair, moderately muscular, likely the leader.

“Huh?” Tatsuro let out a dumbfounded sound, caught off guard by the accusation and hostility when he’d expected gratitude.

Misinterpreting Tatsuro’s reaction as fear, the man grew even more arrogant.

“Heh, but, well, if you hand over those girls there, I might let you off.”

“—Huh?”

“—Gross”

“What’s with that look, huh? I’ll skewer you with my spear!” the man boasted, brandishing a gaudy golden spear at Tatsuro.

But Tatsuro wasn’t interested in the spear. The man’s earlier words echoed in his mind—likely referring to Ai and Athena as the “girls.”

The thought of this man leering at Athena, whom he considered like a daughter, and even Ai, touched Tatsuro’s reverse scale. Yet the man and his cronies, laughing stupidly, continued spouting idiotic remarks and approaching Ai and Athena, finally pushing Tatsuro past his limit.

“You guys—”

“What, huh, kid? We don’t need you!” the man interrupted.

“I thought you might be fools with some redeeming qualities, but I was wrong. Shut up.”

“Huh? What’re you—Gah! W-What… is this…?”

An Ice Fist, conjured from Tatsuro’s punch, sank into the man’s stomach. He let out a grotesque croak, clutching his abdomen and collapsing to his knees in pain.

The power gap was obvious, but the man’s comrades—true to their leader’s nature—didn’t show fear. Instead, they shrieked like monkeys and readied their weapons.

“You! What’d you do to Yoshi?!”

“Let’s take ‘em down!”

“Obviously!”

“We’ll crush ‘em!”

“I’m number one!”

“Kill ‘em!”

“You’re done for!”

“…What’s with these lowlife monkeys?” Tatsuro muttered.

“I’m embarrassed I even got mad…” Ai added.

The group’s pathetic behavior cooled Tatsuro’s anger, making him feel indifferent. Still, he had to deal with the incoming sparks.

“Whatever. Cool your heads.”

“—Gyah!?” they all screamed.

With a light wave of Amaterasu, Tatsuro encased the men’s heads and backs in thick ice. With their low stats—muscle strength even lower than Tatsuro’s, a pure magic user—they couldn’t bear the weight, collapsing backward and writhing as their frozen heads hit the ground.

“This is ridiculous. Let’s move to the next patrol point.”

“Finally done, huh? Honestly, Sensei, you didn’t need to waste time on these scoundrels. Humans have short lives; you shouldn’t squander it,” Aarenfrit said.

“Haha, you’re right. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Thanks to his title’s effect, Tatsuro would remain ageless as long as the system was active, potentially outliving even Aarenfrit. But there was no need to mention that, so he brushed it off and prepared to leave.

However—

“Wait a sec!”

“Not Kimuta—whatever. What? We won’t bother you anymore, so go back to your cave or wherever,” Tatsuro said.

The spiky-haired man, still reeling from the Ice Fist, staggered to his feet and called out to Tatsuro. His seven comrades, meanwhile, flailed like overturned turtles, unable to stand under the ice’s weight.

“No way! That sneak attack was dirty! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lost!” the man shouted.

“Oh, sure. Amazing! Clap clap. Goodbye,” Tatsuro said, halfheartedly applauding before turning to leave.

As he did, the golden spear was thrown at him. Tsukuyomi’s Slime Tentacles caught it effortlessly, tossing it back and grazing the man’s cheek before embedding in the ground.

“—Eek!”

“Look, no matter how many lives you have, it won’t be enough. If you can’t even gauge your own strength, you’re fundamentally unfit to be an adventurer. I’m telling you for your own good—go back to your hometown and farm or something.”

“What?! Who do you think I am?!”

“Huh? I don’t know. Who are you?”

(Is he connected to some powerful figure? That could be trouble…) Tatsuro thought.

“I’m Yoshiry, the mad dog of Sido Village!”

“Just a villager?!” Tatsuro nearly faceplanted but held himself together.

“Huh? Village, not a town? Where’s that?” Ai asked.

“There are no officially recognized villages around here. It’s probably a settlement formed by outcasts who couldn’t live in town. Ignoring monsters, there’s plenty of land,” Aarenfrit explained.

“Oh, I see,” Ai replied.

While Ai and Aarenfrit talked, the man, thinking he was being mocked, kept pushing. “Let’s go one-on-one! If I win, I’ll let you go!”

“The winner letting the loser go? That makes no sense,” Tatsuro said, exasperated by the man’s logic.

Ai’s telepathic message reached him: {This is getting annoying. Just deal with him already.}

{Sigh, fine. It’d be a hassle if he bugs us again later. I’ll make sure he doesn’t even think about it.}

{Don’t bully him too much.}

{I know, I’m not into sadism.}

{Though you do tease me in naughty ways sometimes!}

{That’s just how it is, Ai-chan. I’m a bit of a perv.}

{Don’t just admit it, you perv!}

{Anyway, I just thought—tonight…}

And so, with Yoshiry, the spiky-haired man, still riled up, Tatsuro discussed evening plans with Ai while preparing for a one-on-one fight against an opponent worlds apart in power.