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

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Author Notes:  

  Happy New Year!  

  Thank you for your support again this year!

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Four days later, we arrived at a nearby village, where we left our horses and headed toward our destination on foot.

“This is the famous Rishunaru Lake, where the creature was last spotted. Right now, the tide is low,” explained Gret as he led us.

The lake, separated slightly from the coast, stretched out before us, with twisted roots emerging from the water here and there, blocking our view. Patches of muddy ground appeared, forming pathways around the lake.

So, if it’s affected by the tide, this lake must connect to the sea, right? Normally, I bet we wouldn’t even have these muddy pathways. They must have timed our arrival with low tide—definitely a calculated decision. As expected from B-rank adventurers, they know what they’re doing.

“It’s got the whole ‘something strange might be lurking’ vibe to it. Kind of gives me the creeps,” Estel muttered.

“At least right now, there’s more ground than usual to walk on. We’ve scouted this lake many times, so just stick close and follow us,” Gret reassured her.

“Heh, if this much mud bothers you, you’re in the wrong line of work, little miss,” Mars teased with a chuckle, drawing an irritated pout from Estel.

“Hmmph! I know that already! No need to point it out.”

Mars chuckled at Estel’s puffed-up reaction. She never liked swampy or marshy areas much; even the Frogman hunt had made her uneasy.

“This lake… or rather, forest… is pretty vast. It looks like searching it is going to be a chore,” I commented, looking out at the tangled, dense scenery.

“Isn’t there anything like, I dunno, a shrine for some protective deity here?” Noru asked hopefully.

“Nope, not that I know of,” replied Cruse unexpectedly. He’d been so quiet up until now. Is he the one who’s originally from Sevaria? He might not have the finer details down, but it sounds like there’s no known shrine around here.

With that doubt lingering, we decided to begin exploring, following Gret and his party.

“Mars and I will scout ahead. You guys stay back a bit, especially the mages and the healer. Avoid getting too close to the water,” Gret advised.

“Croccodiluses live around here, so be cautious. It’s dangerous to get too close to the water’s edge,” he added.

“We understand. I can sense the location of monsters to some extent, so I’ll let you know if anything approaches,” Sisya said.

Mars turned to her, visibly impressed. “Wait, you can sense water monsters? …Not bad, I guess.”

Whoa, was that a compliment from Mars? Maybe my value here has gone up a bit after helping the party sense incoming creatures with the map.

We fell into step behind Gret and his team to observe their movements. Estel quickly approached Vyle to discuss something.

“Do you think I should cast the support spells this time?” Estel asked Vyle.

“Why don’t you give it a try, Miss? I’d like to see what you can do,” he replied.

With a satisfied smile, Estel nodded. “Alright, leave it to me.”

“I’ll add a support spell too,” Sisya chimed in.

With Estel and Sisya’s support spells in place, we followed at a safe distance, sticking to the muddy path they’d scouted out. Their experience with traversing such terrain was obvious; each step was smooth, with Vyle and Cruse staying alert to provide backup.

A while later, as we continued, a red marker suddenly appeared on my map app, moving rapidly toward Mars. Before I could even shout a warning, he’d already leaped away from the water’s edge.

“Back up! It’s coming!” he shouted, alerting everyone.

I tensed, watching the water’s surface for movement. Then, a massive green crocodile emerged—at least four or five meters long.

“Wow, he noticed it before I even said anything. Mars really is impressive,” I said.

“It’s not that surprising. If creatures only attack from the water’s edge, he simply stays vigilant there. He’s got good instincts, I’ll give him that,” Sisya noted.

Mars had already launched into action, showing no hesitation as he dodged and slipped around the creature, delivering a powerful kick to its side. The croc’s body bent into a “C” shape, rolling across the muddy ground from the impact. Azery and Cruse attacked it while it lay dazed, with Azery slashing and Cruse firing arrows.

As the croc tried to recover, Mars closed in, landing powerful punches that sent its massive body into the air. We weren’t even needed—these guys had this. Before it could react, Vyle finished it off with a fire spell, making it vanish in a shower of light particles.

“Thank you for handling that so well,” I said as they returned.

“It was no problem, really…” Gret said, looking thoughtful.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

Gret looked at Mars and then at me. “Well… even with the support spells, our power seemed unusually high. Mars’s kick was ridiculous…”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it to fly back that far,” Mars admitted. “Not bad, Miss. I might have underestimated you.”

“That was hardly anything,” Estel replied coolly.

They seemed baffled by the strength boost, but it was mostly thanks to the layered effects of Estel and Noru’s buffs, which raised attack and defense by 65%.

We continued exploring the lake for a while but found no clues.

“Nothing unusual here so far. Maybe it really just wandered through,” Gret muttered.

“Hard to say… This lake is so vast, anything out here could be hard to spot,” I replied.

We were starting to consider whether we’d find anything when Estel had a suggestion.

“Why not try the center of the lake? The creature flies, so it might have set something up in an inaccessible area,” she reasoned.

“True, it hid deep in Queres Forest before. There could be something in a hard-to-reach spot here too,” I agreed.

But Gret shook his head. “The center of Rishunaru Lake is dangerous. We might find a path to it during low tide, but there’s no guarantee we’d get back safely if the water rises.”

“We’d be sitting ducks for the crocs if we tried by boat, too,” Mars pointed out.

A trip to the center of the lake sounded risky, but as I was mulling it over, Estel spoke up.

“Well then, if we just make it walkable, we should be fine, right? Which direction is the center, brother?”

Pointing out the direction, I was about to ask why she needed to know, when she struck the ground with her staff, and a tremor shook the area. The lakebed began to rise, forming a pathway above the water straight toward the lake’s center.

“There, now we can reach the lake center without getting wet. I also hardened the mud for an easier walk,” she said, satisfied.

Noru blinked in disbelief. “Just… amazing…”

Vyle, equally impressed, laughed. “We saw her magic before, but it never stops being incredible. Better stay in line, or we’re all getting a lesson.”

Our team was used to Estel’s magical feats, but Gret’s team seemed stunned.

“Dear gods… This is beyond what I imagined,” Gret muttered.

“Are you even human?” Vyle asked, staring in awe.

“Oh, it’s nothing special,” Estel replied with a smile.

After everyone gathered themselves, we began walking along Estel’s newly formed path. Occasionally, Croccodiluses would approach from the water, but they couldn’t reach us due to the steep drop. When we reached the path’s end, Estel simply extended it, advancing us further.

“Hey, you sure you’re not overdoing it with this magic?” I asked.

“Thanks to the support spells, it’s no trouble at all,” she replied, showing me a silver bracelet on her wrist.

“Is that… the *Tsuki no Shizuku*? How much magic power is stored in it now?” I asked.

“Over three million,” she replied calmly. “I charge it on off-days, so it’s ready when needed.”

“Estel… thank you. That’s incredible,” I replied, genuinely grateful.

With Estel’s foresight and dedication to recharging her bracelet, we continued toward the lake’s center with a renewed sense of determination.

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Author Notes:  

  I had hoped to update before the end of the year, but a bit of bed rest delayed things.  

  Wishing you all good health and a wonderful start to the New Year!

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