“It’s fun!!”
That’s my impression.
The second layer here is designed like an entire jungle.
It’s great; the different environments for each layer feel very fantasy-like.
“Giant Ant!! Snow, you’ve got the important points down, right?”
“Of course! Aki!”
“Giant Ant… Hey, Kotori-san, don’t you think the naming sense is a bit off? ‘Ant’ is duplicated!”
“Ah, wh-what, well, this isn’t the time to be saying that! Seriously, Kasuya-kun is totally acting like a ‘yare yare’ protagonist!”
“H-Haru, everyone seems… really energetic.”
“…It becomes this lively when that person is around.”
The big ant monster is attacked with Aki-kun defending against its jaws, while Snow-san chips away at it from close and mid-range, finishing it off with the twins’ gifts.
Taking advantage of everyone working hard, I twist the neck of a creature that looks like a fusion of a human and an ant coming from behind.
“It’s big…!”
“Haha, the strongest monster of the second layer, the Cyclops! This is definitely the time to use our gifts!”
“If it weren’t for the magic power boost from the dungeon, it would have been tough for us.”
“Natsu, you don’t need to think about that right now. Come on, let’s get to work.”
“The monsters of the second layer… are so scary, eek! Salt pillars, salt pillars, salt pillars!”
“Wow, amazing, Kotori-san, you’ve impaled it! …Here we go.”
“Huh? Did it suddenly start covering its eyes?”
“Aki, it’s our chance! Let’s pile on the attacks!”
A huge one-eyed monster, the Cyclops.
Kotori-san frantically creates salt pillars, skewering its knees and arms.
I stealthily throw some stones at its eyes to blind it.
Snow’s team members don’t let the opportunity slip.
Aki-kun slices through its large knee tendon, causing the Cyclops to lose balance and lower its head.
In that instant, Snow-san wraps her arm in light and punches it.
…Snow-san’s gift, Spirit Mage, is a class that exists in Life Field, right?
It’s a special job only available to protagonists, capable of melee, mid-range, and long-range attacks, while also being able to heal—truly a broken class.
“Come forth, southern wind! And with this plant… Spriggan!”
“Oooooooh!”
Snow-san floats in mid-air normally. And when she snaps her fingers, a tree transforms into a giant shape, pinning the Cyclops down.
…The spirits are likely special resources operated by energy other than magic power.
They can be used for attack, defense, and evasion, and can also connect to summoning techniques that directly increase the number of actions.
It’s an excellent power; if you don’t win by sheer strength, there’s no winning strategy.
Interesting, if we’re going to fight, we should first overwhelm in close combat, then create distance—
“W-Wait, Kasuya-kun, that’s dangerous!”
“Gwooooaahh!”
The Cyclops, pinned down, throws a club in its last-ditch effort.
The club hurtles through the air, and all my teammates dodge it.
Oh no, this is going to hit me.
Hmm, I could easily block it with magic power, but my physical self would be dead from this.
There’s about one second until impact.
Think, my brain CPU!!
What’s the best evasion method for a supporting character!?
Plan A: Smash with magic power enhancement!! Rejected!
Plan B: Use a technique to burn, make a dirt doll, or electrify it, how stupid? Rejected!
Plan C—
“Applying the already disclosed ability—this isn’t a deviation from a supporting character’s abilities. QED! Ha, I’m scared of my own intelligence.”
“Whoa, that’s super fast!”
Using the King’s Land Preservation skill.
Specifying a range within one meter of my vertical field of vision.
“Preserve.”
““““““Eh?”””””””
Nyu—
A hole opens in the space, and the incoming club is sucked in.
Pop.
A preservation sphere the size of a super ball appears in my palm.
And then I—
“I’m returning this; it’s yours, right?”
“Gwo?”
Toss.
The super ball bounces, landing just above the Cyclops’s head.
“—Release.”
Bam.
The club, which was stored in the preservation space, reappears right above the Cyclops.
Smash.
The Cyclops’s head gets crushed.
Well, it was pretty heavy, after all.
“““““…….””””””
That wraps it up. No one is seriously injured.
After that, we didn’t have any significant trouble with the monsters in the second layer.
However, it happened while we were resting.
At a beautiful spring of clear water, we nibble on portable food.
We can’t use fire much to avoid attracting monsters.
“By the way, Kotori-chan, can you produce salt? Could that be used as table salt?”
“Huh?”
At Ayukawa’s sister’s words, Kotori-san reacts in surprise.
Yeah, she’s a current idol, yet she seems to be oddly close to us.
“Kotori-chan, could you sprinkle some salt on my bread?”
“Ah, I, um, Ayukawa Haruka, I, my salt, w-wait, w-what?”
Ah, see? I told you. For a loner, that closeness with an idol is tough.
“Hey, Haru, don’t tease Kotori too much.”
“I’m not teasing her! I really just thought this bread was bland. Aah, I miss Japanese food…”
“…Yeah, everyone, I guess we want to go home, right? Hehe, this bread really is flavorless.”
Snow-san chuckles softly.
“Ah, w-w-wait! I, I’m going to try my best with the salt! I’ll try to produce table salt! Here I go!”
“Ah!”
Plop.
Kotori-san suddenly gets motivated and places her hands on the ground.
Did she make a mistake?
From the spring, a salt pillar floats up—
“Huh? Why—”
“Oops!”
“Huh?”
Splash!!
“““Eh?”””
Everyone’s reaction is delayed.
A two-centimeter hole opens at Kotori-san’s feet, and it’s wet with water.
“K-Kasuya-kun, y-your hand… there’s blood!!”
Plop.
Oh no, it must be because of the magic power restraint.
It’s just a scratch.
Just brushed against the skin of my palm when I swatted away the water’s beam.
“W-What is it?”
Plop.
It was a strange sight.
Water from the spring flows and floats.
A mass of water floats in the spring.
The beam of water must have released that.
Living in the pure water, a type of spirit, water itself.
“Warning to players. Without magic power, it might be a bit tough; it’s a ‘deep layer monster.’”
The navigation voice and Snow-san opens her mouth.
“…Water Spirit, Undine…”
Splash! The mass of water swells.
