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

The day after we decided to focus on collecting magic stones.

Early in the morning, I sent Noru and the others to the northern cave, and Sisya and I headed to Goblin Forest for some hunting.

After a few hours of hunting, we were taking a short break.

“Ookura-san, it sounded like you were firing something earlier. What was that noise? It was quite loud.”

“Ah, that was Centibar.”

During this hunt, I was also practicing with Centibar.

It's good to increase our firepower with gacha, but I want to master my existing UR units as soon as possible.

So, although the goblins are weak, I’ve been experimenting with various techniques.

“I’m trying different things out. Just testing some ideas I had.”

“That sounds interesting! Can you show me?”

“I don’t mind, but it’s not that exciting.”

Since Sisya wanted to see, I summoned Centibar and transformed it.

I concentrated on spreading it into a thin, circular shape, similar to a pizza dough.

Once it was thin, I slowly started spinning it horizontally.

It was about 1 meter in diameter, resembling a circular saw.

I had been trying to spin it at high speed and control it to fly.

When it hits something, it makes a screeching sound. That’s what Sisya must have heard.

My control is still unstable, and it often hits trees and gets stuck. It's challenging to maneuver it through the forest.

I thought it would be more efficient if I could freely defeat distant enemies, but it’s not that easy.

“When we fought the Trent and Grandis, I couldn’t deal with their tentacles. I thought I could cut them off with this.”

“Making it thin and spinning it… But can it actually cut? Ookura-san, you strengthened Centibar to the extent that even a weakling like me could break it.”

“If you’re weak, then what am I? Anyone who can kill an orc barehanded is not weak.”

If Sisya is weak, then what does that make me?

The lack of hardness is indeed an issue, but it's quite an accomplishment to hold off a priest who can make orcs flee in terror.

However, as Sisya pointed out, the hardness and rotation speed are insufficient, as it slices goblins in half but stops halfway through trees.

Ideally, I want it to be able to slice through rocks eventually… but that’s a long way off.

“You were spinning on top of it before for this purpose, weren’t you? I thought you were just playing around.”

“Haha, how rude. Do you think I act without any thought?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Sisya gave me a puzzled look as if to say, “What are you talking about?” and we stared at each other in silence.

“…Well, let’s resume hunting.”

“…Yes, let’s.”

After that brief awkward moment, we resumed hunting without delving into it.

She really thinks I act without thinking… Well, at the time, it was almost like playing around, so I didn’t expect to find a practical use for it.

We hunted until the afternoon, then went to pick up Noru and the others and called it a day.

“It’s nice to finish hunting by noon. It feels like a bonus.”

“Indeed. We usually hunt until sunset, so finishing while it’s still bright is refreshing.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean.”

Noru and the others, who had returned from hunting, were looking out the window, marveling at how bright it still was outside.

When you usually hunt until night, finishing early makes you feel like you have extra time. Naturally, they were happy about this.

While having a light lunch, I checked the number of magic stones we collected so far.

“Hmmm, 46 stones by noon. The efficiency has dropped a bit from last time.”

It’s a bit less than I expected…

Last time, we hunted until night and collected around 110 stones in a day. Compared to that, our efficiency has dropped.

Back then, we were desperate to complete the comp gacha, which might have made a difference.

Still, our efficiency has improved significantly compared to the early days. This level is acceptable.

Moreover, we still have the nighttime hunt with Runa. There’s no need to put unnecessary pressure on Noru and the others… Just as I was thinking this.

“Eek— O-Ookura-dono! We’re not in a hurry, so please spare us!”

“I didn’t say anything…”

Noru, reacting to my words, clasped her hands together as if pleading for mercy.

I used to emphasize efficiency a lot, so it’s understandable that she’d react this way.

I’ve become quite intimidating… I should be kinder and regain their trust.

“We’re not in a rush this time, so just hunt at a reasonable pace.”

“I never expected to hear that from you, who’s always so desperate about collecting magic stones.”

“You’re being unusually kind this time, Ookura-san.”

“Haha, what are you talking about? I’m always kind.”

When I said that, Noru and Sisya turned their faces away from me in silence.

Only Estel looked at me, her hand on her cheek, with a wry smile.

Hey… I was joking, but their serious reactions hurt…

●

After lunch, Sisya and I resumed hunting, and by sunset, we returned home again.

The number of magic stones collected today increased to 68. As expected, the number decreased since Noru and the others left.

This wasn’t the end, though; next, we would head out for nighttime hunting with Runa.

“Phew, I’m exhausted.”

“It’s time for the night shift. Hehe, I’m looking forward to hunting with Runa-san!”

Even I’m quite tired. The thought of hunting until late at night is daunting.

But the motivation for the gacha keeps me going.

Sisya, unlike me, seemed excited about hunting with Runa, wiggling her hips in delight.

She’s truly amazing… showing no signs of fatigue at all.

“You’re really going through with it… Here, take this to keep your strength up.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“I’ll prepare a meal for when you get back, too.”

Noru, looking slightly exasperated, handed me a sandwich with red jam.

When I took a bite, it was sweet with a hint of tartness. This taste… it’s Bombmi, which we collected during the Ristaria Academy escort mission. When did she make it into jam?

It’s perfect for a light snack that won’t slow me down too much.

Knowing she’s even preparing a meal for when we return, I’m truly grateful!

While I was feeling grateful to Noru, Estel came over holding three lamps.

“Onii-san, I’ve infused these with magic. Use them during the hunt. Once you channel your magic into them, they’ll stay at maximum brightness even if you let go.”

“Oh, thanks, Estel. I was planning to hunt with a lamp in hand, so this helps.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, but be careful while hunting, okay?”

Estel must have been worried about our nighttime hunt and infused these high-quality lamps with magic.

Runa might be fine, but hunting in the dark is dangerous for Sisya and me.

I was planning to hunt with a lamp in hand, but this means I won’t have to.

It’s heartwarming to see Noru and Estel being so considerate.

Just as I felt ready, I heard the door open.

When I looked toward the sound, I saw Runa peeking out from behind the door.

“Runa-san! Good morning!”

“…Good morning, and goodnight.”

“Hey! Where are you going!”

“Let go—!”

When Sisya greeted her, Runa responded and slowly started closing the door.

I rushed to the door and dragged Runa out.

She was already dressed in her usual battle outfit, so she seemed ready to go, but why was she trying to escape?

“…So, we’re really doing this.”

“You seemed eager yesterday. What’s changed?”

“I was eager. But as the moment approaches… I lose enthusiasm.”

“Haha… that’s so like you, Runa-san.”

“Y-yeah… but please do your best.”

“Indeed. A promise is a promise. I’ll keep it.”

What would have happened if I hadn’t dragged her out…

Even Sisya, who usually defends Runa, was smiling wryly.

But since she said she would do it, I took her to Goblin Forest.

“It’s darker than before at this time.”

“If it’s this dark outside the forest, we definitely need lamps inside to move properly.”

As we moved to the beacon set up outside the forest, it was already pitch black.

Even during the comp gacha, we hunted until sunset, but it’s even darker now.

“It’s no different from daytime for me. So, how are we hunting?”

“For now, let’s decide once we’re inside the forest.”

For Runa, this darkness is nothing. As expected of a vampire… night is her domain.

With a regular lamp in hand, I used the map app to navigate through the forest to our usual hunting spot.

We encountered goblins and orcs along the way, but Sisya and Runa quickly dispatched them, so there were no issues.

When we reached our destination, I set up the high-quality lamps Estel had prepared.

“Whoa! Estel’s lamps are incredibly bright.”

The lamps were so bright it was almost blinding to look at them directly.

Even in the middle of the forest at night, it was as bright as day.

Because of this, goblins and orcs were flocking towards us from deeper in the forest, only to be crushed by Sisya.

It was like a goblin trap… This might

 make our hunting more efficient.

“It’s as bright as daytime here. I can hunt by sensing presences even without sight, but having visibility is definitely better.”

“Wait… you could do that?”

“Of course. I am a priest, after all.”

“That’s definitely not related to being a priest…”

“It’s just how Sisya is. That’s all.”

I thought Sisya couldn’t fight without sight… but she’s capable of such a skillful technique.

She always says, “I’m a priest!” but I’m getting tired of pointing that out.

Runa nodded in agreement, and I decided to accept it as just another one of Sisya’s quirks.

After setting up the three high-quality lamps Estel gave us, we were ready to hunt.

I explained the hunting method to Runa and took her around the monster spawn points.

We set three spawn points as our hunting area and circled them, continuously hunting the spawning monsters.

“This is how we set the route. After finishing the third point, we return to the first and repeat.”

“Can I try it alone?”

“Sure, if it’s hard to navigate, we can adjust the route.”

For starters, I picked three close points and had Runa hunt there.

She spun her red spear and charged at the goblins, piercing several at once and sweeping through them.

She even threw her spear at times, killing more monsters while waiting for it to return.

She moved by kicking off tree trunks, wiping out monsters at the spawn points.

Even after clearing the third spawn point, no monsters had appeared at the first point yet.

“Hmm, the spawn rate is too slow.”

“Wow… you’re faster than Noru…”

Runa complained about the slow spawn rate after clearing three points.

Because she’s small and agile, her movements in the forest are faster than Noru’s.

With her spear, she can easily take out several monsters at once.

Compared to Noru, who fights traditionally with a sword, the speed difference in hunting is apparent.

I’m taking down monsters slowly with Excalibar, and Sisya is also mostly defeating one at a time, so we can’t match Runa’s speed.

Estel, who annihilates with magic, is in a league of her own, but in close combat, Runa is the fastest at taking down multiple enemies.

“As expected of Runa-san! The night is your stage!”

“Leave it to me. I’ll show you the true power of a weakling specialist.”

“Hehe, then I’ll get serious too!”

With Runa’s efficient hunting, maybe calling herself a weakling specialist isn’t entirely wrong… Though she’s also strong against single targets.

Seeing Runa’s fighting style, Sisya got fired up and started hunting in competition.

Despite her initial reluctance, Runa always delivers when it matters. I believed in you!

As a result, thanks to the enthusiastic Runa and Sisya, we ended up collecting 106 magic stones that night.

Heh, at this rate, we’ll reach our goal of 2000 stones in no time.