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

Continuing our descent down the spiral path of the mine, we made our way towards the hole from which the Gargoyles emerged. Despite several Gargoyles descending to attack us along the way, Noru easily dispatched them with a single strike, and when I tried hitting them with Excalibar, they shattered just as effortlessly. This sword has indeed become immensely powerful. At the bottom of the mine, a massive horizontal hole, about 4 to 5 meters wide, lay before us. We spent hours hunting the Gargoyles emerging from there, experimenting with various strategies.

"We've taken down quite a few, but the Colossus still hasn't shown up," I remarked.

"That's right. While we've encountered several Iron Gargoyles, the Colossus remains elusive," Noru added.

"Look, another Iron Gargoyle is coming out. Take this!" Estel exclaimed.

A silver monstrosity emerged from the hole, only to be swiftly dispatched by Estel's magic. A thin jet of water shot from her magic circle, shattering the Iron Gargoyle into particles of light. We resumed our watch, ready for the next Gargoyle to emerge from the hole, now just large enough for one at a time.

At first, Deus and Miguru joined us in battling the Gargoyles normally, but the large hole meant they came from all directions, which proved chaotic. The flying Gargoyles were particularly frustrating. Then, inspiration struck me.

We had Estel use her earth magic to build a wall, blocking the Gargoyles' exit and leaving only a small hole through which they could emerge one at a time. We stationed ourselves at this hole: Noru and I would take down the regular Gargoyles, while Estel would handle the Iron Gargoyles with her magic. This method turned out to be the most efficient. The wall, crafted by Estel, was sturdy enough to withstand attacks from the Iron Gargoyles without a scratch.

"I've never hunted like this before..." Deus mused.

"I doubt anyone else has either..." Miguru added, sitting with a look of exasperation.

"You've mentioned you hunt frequently, but I didn't expect this level of dedication," Deus said.

"We've been at it for hours. Estel, are you tired?" Miguru asked.

"No, this is nothing. Not even a third of my usual exertion," Estel replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, we usually hunt from dawn till dusk with Ookura-san," Noru chimed in.

"Dawn till dusk...?" Miguru looked puzzled, her face twitching slightly.

"Ookura, long hunts aren't ideal, no matter your reasons," Deus advised.

"Exactly! Please, tell him more," Noru implored.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I've been trying to cut back," I defended myself.

"But still, I initially thought you were crazy, but with your capabilities, entering the hole doesn't seem as dangerous," Deus observed.

"It's not that simple. While we're effective now, in the hole, we'd face Iron Gargoyles head-on, and even Noru and I can't damage them significantly," I explained.

"Normal Gargoyles shattering under your hits is already extraordinary," Deus remarked.

Despite easily defeating regular Gargoyles, the Iron Gargoyles posed a real challenge:

**Iron Gargoyle**

- Level: 55

- HP: 6500

- MP: 0

- Attack: 1400

- Defense: 6200

- Agility: 130

- Magic Resistance: 0

- Unique Ability: None

- Skill: Rending Claws

Even Noru struggled to damage them, so we relied on Estel's magic. We adjusted the hole's size to ensure her spells would hit accurately. Entering the horizontal passage meant facing them directly, which was too risky without Sisya for healing.

As evening approached, we had not yet encountered the Colossus.

"It's getting late. Shall we call it a day?" Noru suggested.

"Absolutely not. We’ll camp nearby and resume hunting at dawn," I declared.

"Still not giving up, are you? But... we haven't been here long," Noru complained.

"We traveled two days to get here. We're not leaving after just a few hours. We’ll keep at it until we find it," I insisted.

"Your determination is almost frightening," Estel remarked.

It’s crucial to find Korochium for Deus. They've been instrumental in gathering Magic Stones for us. We owe them.

"Ookura, I appreciate it, but it's too much. We can’t keep you here indefinitely," Deus protested.

"Don't worry about it. Giving up now would be too frustrating. We’ll keep hunting until it appears," I assured him.

"I don't understand... but fine," Deus reluctantly agreed.

Night fell without further progress, so we set up camp a bit away from the mine.

"We couldn't contribute much, so let me help with dinner!" Miguru offered.

"Great! Let's cook up something delicious together," Noru agreed enthusiastically.

"I'll help too," Estel volunteered.

"No, Estel-chan! You worked hard with your magic. You should rest," Miguru insisted.

"I'm fine. That was nothing," Estel assured her.

While the girls prepared dinner, I sat down with Deus to discuss our hunt.

"Any idea how often the Colossus appears?" I asked.

"Not exactly. The military only encounters it occasionally, even after extensive hunts," Deus explained.

"So, it's incredibly rare..." I mused.

"Yes, but given your hunting speed, there's still hope. The military can't dispatch them as quickly as you," Deus noted.

"Hunting them is straightforward, but waiting is the hard part," I admitted.

"I realized that B-rank monsters are no match for your efficiency," Deus said, astonished.

We continued chatting, and eventually, the girls called us for dinner. We shared stories and laughter, easing the tension of the hunt.

The next day, we resumed hunting at dawn. By evening, the Colossus had still not appeared.

"Damn it, still no sign of it," I cursed.

"Seems like the Colossus is exceptionally rare," Noru observed.

"It's tiring to keep waiting, even if the hunting itself is easy," Estel added.

We’d amassed a considerable amount of iron ore, but without Korochium, our efforts felt incomplete.

"Deus, should we try again tomorrow?" I asked.

"No, we should head back. We've already taken too much of your time," Deus decided.

Just as we were about to leave, a dull thud echoed from behind the wall we had built.

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

"No, I didn't hear anything," Deus replied.

"Are you hearing things, Ookura?" Noru questioned. "Wait, there’s something..."

"Ookura, look! Something's in the hole!" Estel pointed.

A massive orange figure struggled to emerge from the small opening. 

"Is that...?"

――――――

**Species:** Colossus

- **Level:** 70

- **HP:** 26,000

- **MP:** 0

- **Attack:** 2,600

- **Defense:** 8,000

- **Agility:** 180

- **Magic Resistance:** 0

- **Unique Ability:** Hyper Armor

- **Skill:** Ground Shrink

――――――

As soon as I read its stats, the Colossus withdrew its hand and disappeared. Did it give up? Stat-wise, it had incredibly high defense, but nothing else stood out. Still, its attack power posed a significant threat to Estel, so I had to protect her. Deus and Miguru-chan usually relied on Gauss-san for defense, so I'd have to fill that role. Ideally, we'd take it out right at the start, but... wait a second. The skill "Ground Shrink"...

Just as I realized the implications, the wall sealing the horizontal hole shattered with a thunderous crash. Amidst the rising dust, a colossal, three-meter-tall humanoid statue emerged. Ground Shrink allows it to close distances rapidly. It used that skill to ram the wall! That’s why it had retreated momentarily.

I quickly positioned myself in front of Estel, brandishing my pot lid and Excalibar. Deus and Miguru-chan took up their weapons and moved behind me without a word. The Colossus, reacting to our movements, turned to face me and began to glow.

"Huh—?! Ugh!"

Suddenly, the Colossus was right in front of me, kicking out with a massive stone pillar of a leg. I barely managed to block the blow with my pot lid. Close call... thanks to Excalibar's action speed boost.

"Noru!"

"Got it—whoa!?"

As usual, I signaled Noru to slow its movements, but she let out a strange yelp, her sword hand trembling.

"I'm... my hand is numb!"

"Damn it!"

Instead of just slowing it down, she had tried to cut it. While Noru fumbled with her numb hand, the Colossus turned its attention to her, glowing again. Just as I moved to intervene, an arrow struck the Colossus's head, followed by another impact that wasn't visible but made a sound. The glowing ceased.

"Now, Estel-chan!"

"I’m on it! Here goes!"

Responding to Miguru-chan's call, Estel's voice rang out as the Colossus's feet sank into the ground. Noru and I quickly leapt back as a fireball struck the Colossus, causing a small explosion. Despite this, the statue remained intact until two more fireballs hit, finally shattering it into pieces. The debris transformed into particles of light, revealing a large, orange gemstone.

"Damn it, Noru, what were you doing against such a hard opponent?"

"I... It didn't look that tough... Plus, I got excited since it finally appeared."

"I must admit, I felt a bit relieved when it showed up too."

Compared to the metallic Iron Gargoyles, the Colossus didn't seem as durable. Noru’s excitement was understandable, considering her occasional ditziness. My delayed response and failure to fully relay its stats didn't help either.

"Deus, thanks for the assist. And Miguru-san, thank you too."

"We didn’t do much..."

"I'm just glad Noru is safe."

"I'm sorry for the trouble..."

The arrows were Miguru-chan’s doing, while the unseen hit was likely Deus's Sonic Blade. Their timely intervention disrupted the Colossus’s skill. Although Noru could likely withstand a direct hit, I preferred she avoid unnecessary pain.

Now, let's examine the Korochium we came for. The orange, jagged gemstone radiated an exquisite brilliance. Its size... about that of a balance ball. That's massive for a mineral.

"So, this is Korochium..."

"I've never seen it in its raw form before."

"Wow, could this become a pot? If we get more, I’ll have cookware made from it!"

"Using such a rare mineral for cookware seems impractical..."

Agreed. We didn't need it for gear or upgrades, given our gacha equipment. However, I was curious if it could be synthesized in the combiner.

"How are we going to carry this back? It’s too big to..."

"I’ll carry it to the nearby village," I said, hefting the Korochium.

Miguru-chan fell silent, watching me. With the Power Bracelet and Estel's support magic, it wasn’t too heavy. Ideally, I'd use my Magic Bag, but I didn't want to reveal that yet.

"We barely managed, but we got it."

"Yeah. How should we split it? Honestly, we didn't contribute much, so you decide."

"Huh? It's all yours, Deus."

"What... You’re giving us the whole thing!?"

"Of course. That’s why we came here. No need to worry about payment."

Wait, didn’t we agree on this initially? Oh, maybe I assumed but didn’t explicitly say it.

"That’s too generous... This could sell for at least 5 million G."

"Five million... Well, considering your help with gathering Magic Stones, it’s worth it."

As appealing as 5 million G sounded, the value of their assistance in gathering Magic Stones was unparalleled. Despite my reasoning, Deus and Miguru-chan exchanged worried glances.

"Miguru... what exactly are we helping with? This is a bit unnerving."

"I feel the same way..."

"What!? There’s nothing dangerous! We just agreed to help with gathering materials. If your gear improves, rare species hunting will be easier... Please, don’t look at me like that!"

"Excessive generosity can be suspicious."

"Indeed, it feels too good to be true."

Why the suspicion!? True, I had ulterior motives related to gacha, but my intentions were pure!

On the way back to the village, I tried my best to reassure Deus and Miguru-chan. Seems like too-good-to-be-true offers can be counterproductive...