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

We continued moving with Deus and his party, secretly placing beacons along the way, and arrived at the village near Shutgar Mine the next day. The village was surrounded by stone walls, and most of the buildings were solidly built with bricks. It was more developed than I imagined for a village, likely because it served as a relay point for the mine. After staying there for a night, we set off for the mine in the morning and reached our destination, Shutgar Mine, just before noon.

I had expected a large mountain with tunnels dug into it, but what lay before us was a massive circular hole spiraling downwards from the surface. This pit had a diameter of at least a kilometer and was incredibly deep.

"Wow... is this the mine? It's so deep. Did people dig this?" I asked, astonished.

"It seems so, but it's quite old, and the details are unclear," Deus replied.

"Oh, it's that old? It doesn't look like they're mining anymore," Estel noted.

"Since monsters started appearing, regular mining stopped. Instead, when the military needs iron, they send mages to hunt the Iron Gargoyles for iron ore," Deus explained.

"That makes it feel a bit abandoned. But hunting monsters for iron sounds easier than mining," Noru remarked.

Around the pit were several large buildings, but they were old and crumbling, likely because they were no longer in use. With monsters around, regular mining was out of the question. Looking up, I saw a dozen or so winged, rock-colored creatures flying above us. This place must not have always been a monster-infested zone. What happened here in the past?

"Where do the monsters come from?" I asked.

"There are horizontal tunnels at the bottom of this pit where the monsters emerge. You should be able to see them from the other side," Deus pointed.

"So that's where they come from. Alright, let's head there," I said.

I was about to head to the monster spawning area when Deus's eyes widened, and he shouted.

"Wait! Are you serious?" he exclaimed.

"Huh? What's the matter?" I asked, puzzled.

"Entering a place where Gargoyles spawn with just this number of people is insane! Normally, you'd lure them out from a distance and defeat them one by one!" Deus explained.

"Isn't that inefficient?" I asked.

"In... inefficient?" Deus looked at me like I was crazy.

"Estel-chan, is this how Ookura-san's party always hunts?" Deus asked.

"Yes, we usually enter the monster spawning area and fight them there," Estel confirmed.

"In the northern cave, we would run through swarms of scorpions, drawing them in and then wiping them out with magic. Ookura-dono always prioritizes efficiency, which can be quite scary," Noru added.

"Ugh... just imagining that scene gives me a stomachache," Miguru said, wincing.

Even Miguru was looking at me like I was someone to be avoided. Don't look at me like that. I'm not as crazy as Sisya!

"Gargoyles can only be effectively attacked by mages. Going inside without proper preparation and enough people is suicide," Deus argued.

"Estel-san is a mage, you know," I said, pointing to Estel, who smiled and drew her staff and red book, ready for action.

Seeing this, Deus panicked again.

"We're not here to destroy the hunting ground! Please don't do that!" he pleaded.

"It was just a joke. Don't take it seriously," Estel chuckled.

"Heh... even I thought you were serious for a moment there," I admitted.

If Estel had really collapsed the tunnels, it would have caused massive damage. We should avoid explosive magic here to prevent any accidents.

"It's clear that going inside is dangerous. But waiting from a distance to lure out Gargoyles and hoping for a Colossus to appear sounds like a never-ending task," I said.

"True, but there's no other way," Deus sighed.

Even a B-rank adventurer like Deus hesitated to enter. While thinking about what to do, Noru joined the conversation.

"Why don't we go to the entrance of the tunnels and hunt the monsters as they come out? It's dangerous to go inside, but luring them from afar is inefficient," Noru suggested.

"Oh, that's a good idea. I was so focused on entering that I didn't think of that. Nice one, Noru," I complimented her.

"I'm always sharp! You always add unnecessary comments, Ookura-dono. It's rude!" Noru stomped her foot in frustration.

Noru's suggestion was actually great. We could handle it like we did in the Goblin Forest initially.

"Hmm, that might work... but the Gargoyles here are quite strong. If we go to the entrance, we'll have to fight them frequently. Can you handle that?" Deus asked.

"Don't worry. Unless a hundred of them attack at once, we'll be fine," Estel said confidently.

"Estel-chan is reliable... but Gargoyles are tough and fast. Even mages struggle to hit them," Deus warned.

"Oh, that might be a problem," Estel admitted.

Fast enemies could indeed pose a challenge. Estel's magic was powerful but hard to aim at airborne targets. We couldn't rely on her to take down many Gargoyles quickly without exhausting her MP. It would have been helpful to have Runa or Freesia with us. For now, let's check the Gargoyle's stats.

――――――

● Species: Gargoyle

 Level: 45

 HP: 3500

 MP: 0

 Attack: 700

 Defense: 2500

 Agility: 100

 Magic Resistance: 0

 Special Abilities: None

 Skills: Slashing Claws

――――――

They're not weak. Regular Gargoyles have decent stats, so Iron Gargoyles and Colossus must be even stronger. Entering the tunnels is definitely dangerous. Checking the stats was the right move.

"Have you guys been here before?" I asked Deus.

"Yeah, a few times as bodyguards for mages who wanted to investigate. It was rough, especially when one of the mages went into the tunnels," Deus explained.

"Yeah, we told them not to, but they went in anyway, and we had to follow. It was terrifying," Miguru added.

No wonder they were so adamant about not going inside. They had a traumatic experience. Now that we had a plan, it was time to test it out by fighting a Gargoyle.

"Enough talking. Let's see what these Gargoyles are like. How did you guys defeat them?" I asked.

"Miguru lured them with arrows, Gauss-san would immobilize them, and I'd distract them with Sonic Blade while the mage attacked," Deus explained.

They fought cautiously and methodically, understandable given the Gargoyle's defense. Based on their strategy, Miguru would lure the Gargoyle, I'd block, Noru and Deus would distract, and Estel would finish it off. Estel began by casting support spells on everyone.

"Estel-chan's support magic always gets me fired up! I feel like I could pierce through a Gargoyle!" Miguru exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're pleased. Do you think you can shatter stone with your arrows?" Estel asked.

"Breaking it might be too much, but I can probably pierce it," Miguru replied.

Even a B-rank adventurer like Miguru couldn't break rock with arrows. Freesia, on the other hand, could pulverize Lapis and the rocks behind it. She's in a league of her own.

With preparations complete, Miguru nocked an arrow and took aim at a Gargoyle. She held her breath and released the arrow, which hit its mark, piercing the Gargoyle's body. The Gargoyle roared and began descending towards us.

"She actually pierced it! How's that, Estel-chan?" Miguru cheered.

"Impressive. You have good aim," Estel praised.

"Hehe, thanks," Miguru giggled.

"Miguru, focus! Prepare for the attack!" Deus commanded.

"Oops, sorry," Miguru apologized.

I stepped in front of Miguru to block the descending Gargoyle. It raised its clawed hand and struck, but I blocked it with my Pot Lid, feeling only a slight impact. As expected, it couldn't damage me.

"Alright, Noru! Now!" I shouted.

"Leave it to me!" Noru responded, charging at the Gargoyle with her sword. Wait a second... considering the Gargoyle's stats, Noru's attack might...

With a swift strike, Noru's sword shattered the Gargoyle into pieces.

"Oh, it broke," Noru said, tilting her head.

"Hey, if you one-shot it, I don't get a turn," Estel pouted, puffing her cheeks.

"S-sorry," Noru apologized.

Deus and Miguru were stunned, their eyes wide as they watched Noru's display of power.

"One-hit shattering a Gargoyle... that's insane. Ookura-san, what's going on? Even during the Great Hunt, Noru-san was amazing, but what is she?" Miguru questioned, approaching me.

"Uh, well... it's hard to explain..." I stammered, trying to evade the question.

We decided to move towards the tunnel entrance at the bottom of the pit. As

 we began our descent, I realized I had been too focused on Estel's magic and had forgotten about Noru's raw power.