Using Gacha to Increase My Companions and to Create the Strongest Girls' Army Corps

[TL note: from next chapter on I will stop translating chapter's title.]

Several days after asking Grin-san and Deus for their cooperation...

"We really need to go hunting soon."

"Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

I was sitting in a chair in the living room and suddenly spoke out. Noru, who was relaxing and petting Mofuto nearby, reacted to my words.

"We've been focused on requests and forming our group lately, haven't we? Because of that, we've neglected our own hunting. This is quite a problem, don't you think?"

"That's true, but..."

Ever since finishing the Comp Gacha, we hardly did any regular hunting. There was the Step Up Gacha in between, but that was thanks to the labyrinth rewards.

This can't go on; our focus on Gacha is too low, way too low!

I've got almost 100 magic stones now from the Step Up leftovers, labyrinth, and escort rare species hunts, plus what we've gathered over the past few days. But that's nowhere near enough.

"You're right. We haven't been collecting magic stones ourselves lately. We should focus on hunting a bit more. Even though we get some magic stones without hunting, it's not nearly enough."

"Yeah, exactly, Estel. You really understand."

"Fufu, you can praise me more if you like."

Estel joined the conversation, agreeing with my opinion. Estel is the best!

In reality, we've gotten a few magic stones over the past few days, probably thanks to Deus and the others, but it's not enough to rely on consistently.

Regardless of that, we've achieved our goal and settled things, so we should return to hunting for now and gather magic stones. I doubt there's any Gacha scarier than the Comp Gacha we've overcome, but the more magic stones we have, the better. If we could earn enough to do Gacha every day, that'd be amazing.

"Well, there's another reason besides the magic stones."

"It's rare for you to have another reason besides magic stones, Ookura-san."

"What do you think I am?!"

Sisya joined the conversation, having finished her chores. While magic stone collection is a significant goal, there's another critical issue.

"The reason is... I think it's time we level up."

"Oh! Are you finally motivated?!"

"Yeah, we need more cost."

"...Huh?"

Yes, the problem lies in our party's total cost.

"We used a cost reduction for Runa, didn't we? And we haven't been hunting properly since then, so our levels haven't increased?"

"Exactly."

We barely avoided trouble with Runa by using a cost reduction. But our current usage cost is 76. My current level is 63, so my cost limit is 77. Since the Comp Gacha, we haven't hunted much, so we've only gained one level. This means if we get a new summon stone, we can't use it.

"So, we're aiming for experience points this time?"

"Which means... we might go to Lemri Mountain?"

Considering our current level, fighting Lizardmen on Lemri Mountain is ideal. The Northern Cave is too slow for leveling due to the level gap.

"So for now, Lemri Mountain is our best bet. But since we're in Queres, we could also explore new hunting grounds. There might be places that offer good magic stone and experience gains like the Northern Cave."

We haven't explored the hunting grounds around Queres yet. Now's a good time to do that. Besides, fighting Lizardmen is exhausting since they keep coming at us. I'd prefer a more relaxed hunt.

●

We asked the adventurers' guild in Queres for recommended B-rank hunting grounds and came to a place called Alde Forest. It took two days to travel here with me, Noru, and Estel. After arriving, I used the beacon to summon Sisya and Runa.

"Runa, sorry for calling you out at this time."

"No problem. I've been waking up early lately, so it's fine."

It's past noon, so it's not Runa's usual time to be out. But thanks to her new routine of waking up before evening, she's now fully active at this hour. I'm glad Runa started waking up early. Getting her to be friends with Sisya worked out well in more ways than one.

With everyone gathered, we entered Alde Forest. Tall trees grew densely, making visibility poor. It's not dark enough to need a lamp, but it's damp and humid, making it feel eerie.

"So, what kind of monsters are here?"

"They mentioned a monster called Matango. Also, Trent is supposed to be here. Be wary of trees; they might be disguised."

The monsters here are called Matango. When I asked what they were, I was told they're giant mushrooms. I can't even imagine what that means.

They also drop mushrooms used for magic potions in Queres and are in moderate demand as food.

Also, Trent can be found here. Matango is ranked higher, but Trent's camouflage makes them tricky.

"Hey, I'm getting a signal."

"Trent didn't react until we attacked it, so this is probably a Matango?"

"Likely. It's moving... we should see it soon."

Following the map app's signal, we moved toward the red dot. We eventually spotted the monster.

"Seriously, a mushroom monster..."

"If it drops mushrooms, let's have grilled mushrooms tonight!"

"..."

The Matango we found was a mushroom with legs, shorter than me. It looked like a mushroom version of Smiter, walking slowly.

Noru mentioned grilling the mushroom. Really? Are we eating what it drops? I decided to check its status.

――――――

● Species: Matango

Level: 55

HP: 10,000

MP: 600

Attack: 600

Defense: 900

Agility: 25

Magic Resistance: 30

Unique Ability: Nutrient Absorption

Skill: Spore Dispersion

――――――

It's a bit weaker than a Lizardman, but it has a unique ability and skill, which might be troublesome. Nutrient Absorption is unclear, but we need to be careful of the spores.

"Onii-san, does it have high magic resistance?"

"No, not particularly."

"Good, then. Hah!"

After confirming with me, Estel took out her blue grimoire. With a shout, she slashed her staff down, sending a thin stream of water that sliced the Matango in half from top to bottom. Split into two, it collapsed and turned into particles of light.

Wow, her magic is as impressive as ever. She avoided using fire magic in the forest, which is smart. A forest fire would be disastrous.

"Look, it's a mushroom! A mushroom!"

"Is it really edible? The color looks dangerous."

"It looks obviously poisonous."

Noru happily ran over to pick up the drop, a bright blue mushroom cap. Can we really eat this? It looks completely poisonous.

While I was hesitating, we found another Matango. Estel used earth magic to crush it with rocks.

"This one's a different color?"

"Can I see that for a moment?"

"Here you go."

Noru brought back a bright yellow mushroom. Estel, noticing something, took it and examined it.

"This mushroom has a lot of magic power in it."

"Really? So, a magic mushroom?"

"You could say that. Basically, it's like a mushroom with MP."

A mushroom with MP... that's why it's used for magic potions.

"So, eating it would restore MP?"

"Maybe. But I wouldn't want to eat it..."

Imagining mages eating these for MP recovery is odd. They probably make potions with them, but knowing what's inside is unsettling. While I was thinking this, Estel stared at Noru.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Want to eat it?"

"Umm... I'm not sure now."

"You're hesitating?"

Estel offered the mushroom to Noru, asking if she wanted to eat it. Noru pondered deeply. Normally, you'd refuse instantly, but she's actually considering it...

We continued hunting Matango, each dropping different colored mushrooms.

"This is getting interesting."

"Yes, different colors based on who and how we kill them is amusing."

"My mushroom is silver! It looks rare!"

We kept collecting mushrooms, filling our bags with various colors. The color changes based on the person and method of killing. Estel's water magic produced blue, wind green, earth yellow. Fire would probably be red.

Noru's silver mushroom looked like it could turn her into metal.

"Ookura-san's... is an odd color."

"Heh, white and black mixed together look strong, right?"

"You're getting desperate."

My mushroom was gray. Sisya's was white, Runa's a vivid red. I'm the only one with a dull color. It's frustrating.

"Wait, we're losing focus! Remember, we're here for magic stones!"

"Oh, right. We're here for that."

"We should be seeing rare species soon."

After several Matango, we expected a rare species. Something rustled through the trees, heading our way. We braced ourselves and saw... another mushroom. It was larger than the others, twice the size. This must be the rare species. Time to check its status.

――――――

● Madango Species: Matango

Level: 65

HP: 35,000

MP: 1,500

Attack: 500

Defense: 1,500

Agility: 25

Magic Resistance: 40

Unique Ability: Nutrient Absorption

Skill: Spore Injection

――――――

A Madango? Confusing name. As a rare species, it's stronger. Its skill sounds tough.

Before I could attack, a red object flew past me, piercing the Madango, followed by rocks tearing it apart.

Runa's spear struck first, then returned to her hand in light particles, and she threw it again, creating more

 holes. Estel and Runa's long-range barrage... the monster never stood a chance. It couldn't move, pinned by constant attacks.

"No challenge at all."

"Big and slow makes an easy target."

In seconds, Runa's final spear struck, and the Madango turned to light, dropping a large, bright red mushroom. That was quick... poor monster.

We kept hunting, totaling 30 rare species for the day before stopping.

Ah, nothing beats the feeling of gathering magic stones through hunting. It feels refreshing.

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Author Notes: 

   Posted information about book bonuses in the activity report. Please take a look if you're interested.

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