It's just my luck to have a cricket as the first enemy in the labyrinth, although I hope it makes getting out of the labyrinth alive easier.

Without attracting attention that is.

◇

"What is magic core?"

"Magic core can become money. If you give the things from a monster to a peddler, you can get various things."

Liza's answer isn't exactly wrong, but not what I wanted to hear, I guess expecting the jack-of-all-trades Nadi-san's bell-like reply is impossible.

Liza takes out a ball covered with green blood dirt from the monster. It's a red ball about half the size of a fist. Since the color is dull red, it's probably unusable as jewelries.

When she comes back, I pa.s.s a pouch from the bag to Liza. I also give her a bit dirty remaining cloth to wipe the clotted blood.

"Put the magic core inside this pouch. Also, use this spear."

I give the pouch to Pochi, and pa.s.s the cricket spear to Liza. The dagger which Liza had is handed over to Tama.

Exchanging equipments, truly RPG'stic huh~.

"Liza, for the next magic core retrieval, Tama and Pochi will help you, so teach them how to do it."

"Yes, I understand."

"Okay, nano desu."

"Ay~"

"Oh yeah, Pochi."

"Yes, nano desu."

"You don't have to force yourself to say nanodesu okay?"

"If I don't say it, I'll get spanked, nano desu."

I see, she was instilled to do it huh... Since I'm just a temporary master anyway, there's no need to correct it.

"Okay then, but I won't get mad even if you don't use it, so don't force yourself."

"Yes... nano desu."

We pray for whoever was the victim of the cricket and get out of the room. I wrote the name of the corpse in the memo.

I compared the girls' status before and after the battle, but beside their stamina, nothing has changed.

So they won't get experience just by being together?

Then, how do supply troops or priest raise their levels?

If I can raise the three's level then even if we meet more people in the way, it'd be no problem, however it's not that easy after all.

Since this world is game-like anyway, should I try a game-like approach?

"Tama, if you see a stone about as big as the magic core earlier on the ground pick it up."

"Ay!"

◇

We progress forward smoothly until the pa.s.sage divides into branches.

They all lead to the same room, but one of the path has another room in the middle of the way. Either of them contains monster but the middle room has two level 10 caterpillar monster. And, there are also human there.... Let's help them.

"The road is branching~, nyan."

Just as the junction comes into our view, a report come in from Tama. You don't have to add strange words to establish your character, I said...

I praise Tama while patting her head. She seems ticklish.

Since Pochi looks at us enviously, I also pat her head gently.

Since both of them are about as tall as my chest, they're easy to pat. Are they about 120cm? Liza is a bit taller than me... around 165cm then.

"Let's go to the right pa.s.sage."

We proceed further. There's something appearing in the radar but what is it?

"There are bugs up there~ nano desu."

Tama warned. This time she's imitating Pochi huh?

Now then, how do we beat invisible enemies?

Since I can grasp its rough position from radar, I look there.

I keep staring there.

AR display pops up with the monster's name and level.

I indiscriminately and repeatedly shoot at the place where the AR is.

Phew phew phew. Bota.

It seems that one of the shot hit, the caterpillar fall onto the ground.

"Tama, hit it with the stone."

Tama hits it for about 3 times. After two hit, the body of the caterpillar repels the stone. It seems that only one of the hit gives damage.

The caterpillar is approaching.

"Pochi, Tama, get back. Liza, come here. Hit it once from behind my back."

While holding back as much as I can, I kicked the caterpillar which was ramming here to gain time.

Liza attacks with the spear during that chance! The caterpillar's HP decreases for about 10%.

After confirming that, I shoot it twice until it die.

"Liza, Tama, I'll leave the recovery of the magic core to you. Pochi, follow me, there's another monster over there."

Tama hands over some stones to Pochi. How many did she pick?

There's the same caterpillar as earlier inside the room.

Furthermore, there are corpses of a young woman and a boy that looks like a slave on the ground. Unlike with the cricket earlier, they're not eaten.

"Pochi, when we get into the room, throw the stone at the monster from my side. When you run out of the stone, go back to Liza's place."

I casually enter the room and shoot the magic gun. As instructed, Pochi throw 2 stones from close range.

The caterpillar who got hit by the stone turn toward Pochi, spitting venom. In the nick of time, I kick the caterpillar's head s.h.i.+fting the direction. The caterpillar dies with just that kick.

Pochi who has finished throwing the stones runs back to the pa.s.sage.

To the opposite pa.s.sage that is.

Did she get fl.u.s.tered and mistook the way?

"Pochi, stop!"

I immediately chase after her. Detouring the caterpillar's corpse, I was a bit late.

"Uwa~~~ don't come, don't come here~~~!"

Huh? Who's that? It's not Pochi's voice. It's the man on pa.s.sage!

I look at the radar. The position is dangerous.

"Pochi, stop!"

Okay, she can hear me properly now. Pochi is coming back here.

The man from earlier has disappeared from the radar.

Still, why did that young man run away?

Did he mistook Pochi for a monster?

Or did he feel guilty for leaving the two people in the earlier as sacrifices...

"Master! Are you alright?"

"You okay?"

Liza and Tama are coming here running.

"Ah, I'm okay. Let's go back to the room earlier to collect the magic core."

"I'm sorry, nano desu."

Pochi is apologizing with her ears falling flat. Her tail is also curling between her thigh.

"Pochi, it's fine to run away. But panicking is not okay. Do you understand?"

"...Yes."

I pat Pochi's head like, pom-pom.

When we got to the room, Liza and Tama are dismantling the caterpillar.

I write the two corpses name on the memo, I wonder if there's anything useful... I ask Pochi to examine them.

...Since well, you don't usually want to touch corpses, do you?

"Should I strip the clothes?"

Pochi asked, but we don't exactly need their clothes. I've only noticed just now, but the beastkin girls aren't wearing shoes.

"Take the footwears. Leave the clothes as it is."

Pochi pa.s.ses over the collected things. The slave boy doesn't have anything, but the woman has a purse and jewelries like ring and necklaces. I create a folder in the storage and named it memento, then I put the mementos there. I will give it to the deceased's family later. I just got an idea to cut the hair of the two and put it in the memento folder.

The sandals are for Pochi and Tama to wear.

Liza, the biggest child, has to wait for her turn later. In the next room with the giant caterpillar, there should be shoes of the young man from earlier, so she wouldn't have to wait for long.

◇

The experiment to attack, however the damage, is apparently successful. Tama and Liza are raised by one level, Pochi by two.

Apparently one automatically learn skill if they level up, Pochi got throwing skill, Tama got collecting skill, and Liza got dismantling skill.

But I don't have dismantling skill... I should try cutting fish later.

Wait, there's something strange with Liza's skills.

The dismantling skill is grayed out even though the spear skill is white. Pochi's and Tama's skills are also grayed out.

I wonder if they aren't activated yet. They would be strengthened if I activate it but...

Their attribute values have also increased, but for example, STR is written as 15(18), so it doesn't seem like it instantly rises.

There are still around 100 room before the exit anyway, let's solve it until then!

I lead the beastkin girls (TamPochi-Liza) out of the room.

>t.i.tle [Trainer (Tamer)] Acquired