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

Chapter 161

After splitting into two groups, we spent about half a day exploring this beach, but… we didn't find any trace of Diabolos.


"Phew, no leads so far."


"Maybe it just passed through here on its way back from somewhere else."


"Ugh, if that's the case, we might never find it..."


The trail leads to the sea, so we can't pursue it that way. If we're going to search for traces, we'll have to head inland. If we don't find anything in a few days, it might be better to move on to another sighting location. Even with the items from the gacha, searching such a vast area with little to go on is tough, even for us.


As I was contemplating our next move, Runa, looking like she might collapse any moment, wobbled over while leaning heavily on her spear.


"I'm exhausted… Ugh, the reflection off the sea is making me feel unwell..."


"Hang in there a little longer. Once we're done, you can sleep as much as you want… well, for two or three days at least."


"Hmph, why did you change that? You should let me rest more."


Runa stopped leaning on her spear and glared at me, pouting. She's been walking under the sun without complaint until now, so it's a bit late to be saying that… Also, she doesn't look unwell at all!


While the lazy little lady grumbled, Noru and Freesia returned, their arms full of crab legs.


"Mufufu, this investigation has been incredibly fruitful!"


"Noru-chan, you're amazing! So many crabs!"


"You guys… it's fine to gather food, but you are still investigating, right?"


"Of course, I've been thorough! No abnormalities detected—oops!"


Noru snapped to attention, saluting with one hand, but nearly dropped the crab legs she was holding and had to quickly adjust her grip. Can we really trust this? Well, knowing Noru, she's probably doing her job right, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Even though she's a bit of a scatterbrain, I do trust her.


"Freesia, did you notice anything strange?"


"Ehehe, the sea breeze feels so good!"


"That's not the kind of observation I was asking for..."


"It seems there's nothing unusual around here," Estel chimed in.


If Freesia had noticed something odd, she'd be making a fuss by now. Judging by her demeanor, it seems like we really haven't found anything. So the hours we've spent searching were a complete waste… or so I thought.


"Actually, there's one thing that caught my attention."


"...Really? You were too busy slicing up crabs to investigate anything."


"Heh, do you think I was just mindlessly killing creatures? You're too naive."


Sisya wagged her finger at me with a smug look on her face. What… the heck? She was slashing crabs left and right, but what exactly did she discover?


"Despite killing so many Cancers, not a single rare variant has appeared. Usually, we'd encounter a few upper-tier species by now. This means something must be in that cave!"


"That makes sense…"


We saw Cancers coming out of the cave, but not a single rare one. With the way Noru and the others were mowing them down, you'd expect one to show up by now. Maybe the rare types are just harder to spawn here… but it does feel off.


"Alright, let's stop searching the outside and head into the cave."


I don't think we'll find anything more out here, so let's check out the suspicious cave first. If we don't find anything there, we'll have to start combing the area more methodically. …This is one of those times when having only five people is tough. Not just in battle, but in searching too. 


As we prepared to enter the cave, it was pitch dark inside, just like the mines at Shutogal. I asked Estel to light up the cave with a light spell before we ventured in. Unlike other caves, the proximity to the sea made the ground slippery with moss, making it easy to lose your footing if you weren't careful.


"Watch your step, the ground's slick. Don't slip."


"Okay, got it—ahh!"


Just as I turned to warn everyone, Estel slipped in the exact spot I was worried about and nearly fell forward. I reacted quickly and caught her, preventing a fall.


"Phew, I was on guard for someone slipping, but you actually did… Precaution is key, huh?"


"Are you alright?"


"…Yeah. Thanks, Onii-san."


"Sure, you can hold on to me until you get used to it."


"Alright, then I'll hold your hand."


She reached out, and I took her hand. And… Sisya, with a smirk on her face, caught my eye.


"My, my, Ookura-san, you're getting more dependable, aren't you? Confidence, or should I say, you've found your stride?"


"Indeed. Before, we had to watch over you all the time, but now we can relax."


"You guys…"


I'd like to complain, but they're right—I've made them worry plenty in the past. I didn't use to take the lead in hunting grounds, after all. But with the gacha gear I've acquired, I've grown a lot. …Maybe I've been hunting so much that I've become a bit numb to it all.


"When I was summoned, you were already pretty reliable, but were you really like that before?"


"Ehehe, Heiha relied on Noru-chan to take care of him too! Just like me!"


"Don't lump me in with you!"


Don't compare me to Freesia, who causes trouble all the time! Sure, I've caused a few problems before… a few… right? 


Just as I was about to lose confidence in myself, I shook it off and pressed on. Leading the way, I took down the Cancers that appeared as we advanced through the sloping cave. Eventually, the narrow passage opened up into a wide space. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like spikes, and several large pools of water filled the cave floor, giving it the appearance of an underground lake.


"So much water in the cave. Moving around will be a pain."


"It might be connected to the outside sea at the bottom. There are probably monsters lurking, so we should stay away from the edges."


Checking the map app, I saw several red dots around the underground lake. We don't know what kind of monsters are there, so it's best not to get too close.


"Freesia, what's wrong?"


"This cave… it gives me a bad feeling…"


When I turned back to look, Freesia was glancing around nervously, searching for something. Could this mean… we might be on to something?


"It's dark and damp, so I find it quite comfortable."


"That's just because it's dark, and Runa feels at home… Sisya, what about you?"


"Hmm, there's a bit of a stagnant aura, but nothing too concerning. It's not much different from any other hunting ground."


I want to trust Freesia's instincts, but Sisya and the others aren't picking up much. Still, if anyone's going to notice something, it's Freesia, so I'll put my faith in her. With my heart pounding from excitement, I carefully avoided the water's edge and moved deeper into the cave.


"Hmm? What is that?"


"A shell, it seems."


As we continued through the cave, taking down Cancers, we came across a massive shell. It was almost twice my height, with a curved shell resembling that of a giant clam. The map app marked it with a red dot.


"What a huge shell. Onii-san, is that a monster too?"


"Yeah, looks like it."


"…I wonder if the inside of that shell will drop as loot?"


…Right, let's ignore the muttering of the gluttonous knight and check the status first.


――――――  

● Species: Shellfish  

Level: 55  

HP: 5000  

MP: 0  

Attack: 100  

Defense: 6500  

Agility: 10  

Magic Resistance: 0  

Unique Ability: None  

Skill: Harden  

――――――  


A defense-specialized creature, huh? Still, with no magic resistance, it's easy prey for Estel-san.


"A shell-type monster appearing where crabs spawn, huh?"


"Well, even Goblins and Orcs show up in the Goblin Forest, so there must be places like this too."


"That's a big shell. It looks pretty tough."


"Let's attack it and see!"


Freesia, ever eager, drew her bow and fired an arrow at the Shellfish. It hit, but only left a shallow scratch on its shell before bouncing off. Even for Freesia, her attacks couldn't penetrate a defense-focused opponent. Still, it was impressive that she managed to leave a mark.


"Mmm, that shell is tough!"


"Hehe, if it's a tough opponent, then it's my time to shine. I wonder how high its magic resistance is?"


"Actually, it has almost no magic resistance. Go for it, Estel!"


"Leave it to me! Here goes!"


Estel stepped forward, raising her staff. A magic circle appeared at its tip, and flames burst out, engulfing the shell in an instant. The Cancers that were caught in the line of fire were also incinerated along with it. 


When the flames finally subsided, the Shellfish turned into glowing particles with a sizzle and disappeared, leaving behind a round, white object. Wait, is that…?


I rushed over to pick it up and found a pearl about the size of a baseball.


"Oh, what a beautiful find."


"Hmm, what is that?"


"It's a pearl. I didn't expect to find a gem like this at sea."


"It's so pretty! I kind of want it!"


"...It can't be eaten, though."


Amazing… I didn't think a shell monster would drop something like this. I checked my smartphone, hoping it was a rare type, but there was no increase in Magic Stones. If it had been a rare monster, I would've been even happier… Oh well.


Aside from one of us, the discovery lifted our spirits as we continued exploring the cave.


"No matter how many we defeat, no rare monsters seem to appear."


"Indeed, and I haven't noticed anything unusual. Maybe there's nothing here after all?"


"Hmm… I'm not so sure…"


"We only just started investigating. It's no surprise if we come up empty for a while."


We kept pushing forward, taking down Cancers and Shellfish, but so far, we hadn't found anything unusual. Still, it bothered me that Sisya mentioned there were no rare monsters before we entered the cave. Could the rare monster be lurking underwater?


"Freesia, do you sense anything again?"


"Hmmm, I feel like there might be something… I feel it…"


Freesia started glancing around, looking uncertain as usual. Was she really sensing something?


And then…


"Ah! I found it!"


"Wait! Hold on!"


She suddenly dashed towards the underground lake, with Noru quickly chasing after her in a panic. We all hurried after them.


"Look! Over here!"


Near the underground lake, Freesia crouched down and picked something up, proudly holding it up for us to see. But just then, the map app showed a red dot quickly moving from the lake toward Freesia.


I tried to shout a warning, but it was too late—a huge red monster burst out of the water behind her, sending a spray of water into the air.


The creature looked similar to the Cancers, but its back was covered with a large spiral shell, almost enveloping half of its body. It was several times larger than the usual ones, with massive pincers on both arms.


The monster wasted no time raising one of its giant claws to slam down on Freesia. Quickly, I pulled out an item and hit the switch while looking at her. 


The item was… Spatium, which could swap positions between the target and myself.


The moment I pressed it, I was instantly moved, and the huge claw came crashing down right in front of me. I held up the Pot Lid I had prepared and blocked the attack.


"Ugh—take that!"


I braced myself, the heavy impact vibrating through my body, but I managed to deflect it. Taking advantage of the opening, I backed away and regrouped with Noru, who had been pursuing Freesia.


While I had the chance, I checked its status.


――――――  

● Shell Cancer  

Species: Cancer  

Level: 70  

HP: 84,000  

MP: 3000  

Attack: 2400  

Defense: 4800  

Agility: 65  

Magic Resistance: 10  

Unique Ability: Stealth  

Skills: Mighty Blow, Harden, Bubble Spray  

――――――  


"Ookura-dono! Are you alright?"


"Yeah, but look out! It's here!"


The Shell Cancer steadied itself and began emerging from the underground lake. It snapped its claws threateningly and then shot out a powerful blast of bubbles from its mouth.


Noru and I dodged the attack, and the ground where we had just been standing was gouged out deeply by the impact. "Bubble Spray" sounded harmless, but it was anything but…


We regrouped with Estel and the others, while Noru and I took the front to draw the creature's attention. Noru closed in quickly, slashing at its legs and slowing its movements with her Regi-Elitra ability. Then, being wary of the Bubble Spray, we continued to wear it down with Estel's magic. 


As its legs were cut off one by one by wind magic, Freesia and Runa struck with arrows and a spear when it tried to open its mouth for another spray, causing it to reel back and collapse. Estel followed up with another fiery blast, engulfing the fallen Shell Cancer in flames.


It struggled and thrashed, unable to move, slowly weakening under the relentless fire. When its claws finally dropped to the ground, its body began to fade away into glowing particles.


"Phew, who would've thought we'd run into such a monster in a cave…"


"It was definitely a good call not to get too close to the water. Could that have been the rare monster here?"


"Maybe. There could be a whole bunch of them lurking at the bottom of the lake. Shall I strike with some lightning?"


"If they all come out at once, we’re in big trouble, so let's not."


I checked my phone and saw that we had gained one Magic Stone. So that was the rare monster here…? We were able to defeat it without much trouble, but I don't want to deal with more of them. We should probably avoid hunting Magic Stones in this area.


"Hunting grounds are dangerous, so you mustn't run off on your own!"


"Ugh, I'm sorry…"


"She has calmed down a lot, but it seems like she still acts on impulse sometimes."


Though the battle ended safely, Freesia, who had rushed ahead, was now looking downcast as Noru scolded her. She’s improved a lot, but I wish she'd stop moving so suddenly.


"Well, we were all safe, so it's fine, right?"


"Maybe, but I think it would be better to be stricter with her."


"For Heiha, who used to always be so angry, you’re surprisingly gentle."


Runa crossed her arms and looked at me like she was seeing something unusual. No point in just yelling at her, after all. So, I've decided to take a different approach this time.


"Freesia, I won't get mad this time, but from now on, if you find something, make sure to tell us first. You're a good girl, so I trust you’ll understand. Let’s make a promise, okay? Pinky swear?"


"O-Okay…"


"Pinky swear, if you lie, I'll take you on a Magic Stone hunting spree~."


Freesia, who had been sulking, now turned pale and looked at me, trembling. I guess using the creepy tone Noru and the others found unsettling worked… but it seems I scared her more than expected.


"That’s scarier than any lecture…"


"I’ve got goosebumps now."


"Hmm, it's the same tone as when you summoned me."


Alright, I kind of expected this reaction, but it still stings.


"So, what did Freesia find, anyway?"


"Um, this thing."


"What… is that?"


Freesia opened her hand to reveal… a shattered black crystal-like object. 


Could it be… the same black Magic Stone that Diabolos had?


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Author Notes:

Thank you for always reading! On March 30th, the fourth volume of the book will be released, and the manga adaptation will begin serialization. For more details, please check GC Novels' official website and Twitter. We couldn't have come this far without all our readers' support. Truly, thank you so much!

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