Tier V Seeker ⑤
Turning around, I saw it was indeed Bid-san.
She had black hair and blue eyes. Freckles dotted her youthful features.
Holland Lop ears drooped from her black hair. She was a Harefolk, a type of beastkin. She wore a blue jumper over a black shirt. A Knife was attached to her jumper.
As always, she wore tight-fitting black pants that looked like spats. Well, they were spats.
Her large butt peeked out from them, along with a round, white Tail.
She was short and wore a leather gauntlet on her right arm.
A quiver was slung across her lower back, with a Crossbow attached at her side.
A Tier III Seeker.
Until recently, she’d been a member of the up-and-coming Party known as ‘Zan Brave’.
However, Zan Brave had disbanded. Now she was solo.
“Woff-kun!? What’re you doing here!? Are you someone’s Hired Pup?”
“No. I became one too.”
I showed her my Seeker tag.
Bid-san’s eyes widened.
“Could it be… a special exception?”
“That’s right.”
“Haaah… As expected of The Witch’s apprentice, huh.”
Bid-san nodded in admiration.
I asked her.
“Are you taking a break?”
Bid-san swapped her crossed legs and stretched as she answered.
“Nnngh—yeah, somethin’ like that. Just finished a request and taking a breather. What about you, Woff-kun?”
“I’m here to investigate this Fountain of Healing.”
“Investigate…?”
Nodding, I took out the investigation kit.
Inside were three thin strips of paper and three small vials.
First, I dipped one of the strips into the fountain’s water. Next, I put it into a vial.
I shook it lightly. The paper changed color. Blue.
“No abnormalities, then.”
“Huh. So that’s how ya check it. You gonna check ’em all?”
“Yes. Two locations left.”
“Hey, if it’s alright, mind if I tag along?”
“I don’t mind, but…”
“Thanks! Heading back right after finishing feels kinda boring, y’know.”
“Na?”
“Oh? Dagaa’s here too?”
“Na!”
Transforming from the Knife, Dagaa hopped onto Bid-san’s lap.
Dagaa sometimes accompanies Mineha-san on her jobs.
So, it also knew Bid-san, whom Mineha-san often partied with.
Dagaa sat on Bid-san’s lap, let out a “Na!” as its head was petted.
Then it returned to me, perched on my head, and turned back into a Knife, settling into its sheath.
Bid-san stood up with a little grunt.
“Alright, let’s head out then.”
“Okay.”
“Next is the third floor, right? I know the way, so I’ll guide ya.”
“Please do.”
Having someone experienced along was reassuring.
On the second floor, we fought large, light-blue frogs called Aqua Frogs.
We also battled Magic Water Crabs, which were about the size of a person with one oversized claw.
The Water Snakes were a bit tougher. Snakes made of water. And several attacked at once.
“Is it always like this around here?”
“Pretty much. But it’s easy if ya shoot their cores. Like this!”
Saying that, Bid-san accurately pierced the cores of six Water Snakes with [Area Shot].
The cores varied between individuals and weren’t always in the same spot.
Besides, [Area Shot] wasn’t a guaranteed hit.
Having one arrow split into multiples and pierce scattered cores was an incredibly difficult feat.
But Bid-san hit them perfectly.
This, I thought, was what it meant to truly master a Relic.
In what looked like a Water Snake nest, there was a blue Treasure Chest.
I checked it with [Wheel of Fortune]; it glowed green. No traps either.
Opening it revealed a bottle. According to Bid-san, it was either Holy Water or a Potion.
Well, that seemed about right.
And so, we arrived at the third floor.
Far in the distance, a great waterfall was faintly visible, and there was a Great River so wide you couldn’t see the other bank.
Someone who didn’t know the sea might mistake it for one.
This was the shore. There were woods here.
“This place, y’see, has islands scattered across the Great River.”
“Islands?”
“Yep. The only land is the shore and the islands. But this floor’s convenient. Ya can get to the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors from here.”
“There are multiple routes?”
“That’s right. They’re all on different islands, and there are boats at that pier over there.”
“So the Fountain of Healing is on an island too.”
I looked at the map. Apparently, these dots represented the islands.
There were many boats at the pier. Boats of various shapes.
A few Seekers were casually boarding boats and setting off.
Perhaps because they were solo, one person was even riding in a tub. What a hardcore individual.
“Bid-san. Any recommendations?”
“Let’s see… Somethin’ that lets ya react quickly to the aquatic Monsters in the Great River would be good.”
“Then this raft is no good, right?”
“That one’s obviously out just by lookin’ at it. It’d be nice if there was a black one.”
“Black?”
“Black Boats have deep hulls, so it’s easier to dodge or defend against Monster attacks.”
“I see. That sounds good.”
Fighting in the confined space of a boat must be tricky. It made sense to want any advantage possible.
Black, huh. Still, there were boats washed ashore over here in the woods too.
Lots of them further back. Hmm. Right. Maybe I should try using [Wheel of Fortune].
Lots of boats were glowing green. The ones without light must be damaged.
So, green means they’re usable? Ooh, there’s a single yellow light deep in the woods.
Yellow, huh… Well, it probably won’t turn out badly.
“Hey… Woff-kun. Where exactly are ya goin’?”
“Um, I saw something like a Black Boat deep in these woods.”
“Deep in the woods? I haven’t really been back there much.”
Well, since there were boats at the pier, I guess nobody bothered dragging one out from the middle of the woods.
We entered the woods.
“…”
How should I put it? Seeing various boats abandoned among the trees felt surreal, or just strange.
Bid-san probably felt the same way. She looked around nervously.
The fact that there were fortunately no Monsters somehow made it even creepier.
“…Woff-kun. Uh, how far are we goin’?”
Bid-san asked anxiously.
“Just a little further.”
“We’ve come pretty deep in, though…”
“Just a bit more.”
“Hey… is there really somethin’ here…?”
I understood her doubt. Distrust tinged Bid-san’s voice.
We had come quite far in. Normally, no one would come this deep.
Regardless, there was no doubt we were getting closer to the yellow light.
Just a little more, just a little more… Suddenly, we emerged into an open area.
Was this a tributary of the Great River? A stream flowed here, and there stood a half-destroyed, strange shrine.
Something was in front of the shrine.
Long, light-blue hair and face. At this point, I could tell it wasn’t human.
It thoughtfully hid half its face with a scarf made of water.
Its eyes were closed, but its features suggested it was beautiful.
It held knives that looked like they were made of water. Its hands were also made of water.
Slender arms and legs. Large breasts and butt; it had an outstanding figure. But this thing…
Moreover, it wore a bikini seemingly made of multiple veils of water.
“A Water Fairy Dancer!?”
Bid-san sounded shocked.
“Water Fairy?”
“They’re guardians usually found in front of Treasure Chests below the 40th floor. It’s part of the Water Nymph series, made of water. That one’s a Water Fairy Dancer.”
“The 40th floor? A Monster like that is doing here…?”
“Looks like it’s guarding that shrine, I guess.”
“…”
The yellow light was coming from inside the shrine.
Which meant we had to defeat this Water Fairy Dancer thing.
“By the way, since it doesn’t have a Relic, it’s Copper Rank, but its strength is equivalent to lower Silver Rank.”
“Silver Rank— Do you think we can win?”
“—Honestly, I’d prefer a few more hands. We just need to pierce its core, but Water Nymph cores are random, multiple, and they move fast. Even with my Relic [Agility], it’s all I can do to keep up.”
“So, we just need a decoy, right?”
“Well, yeah, but surely you don’t mean, Woff-kun!?”
I drew my Knife. Agaro’s Knife Modified.
“Bid-san. I’m counting on you.”
“No way, Woff-kun! Blades won’t—!”
As I approached, the Water Fairy Dancer began to move.
It spread both arms, stood on one leg, and turned its face towards me.
“Uh, nice to meet you.”
I offered a greeting for some reason and took a step forward. The Water Fairy Dancer did a light half-turn and leaped.
Twisting in mid-air to become inverted, two knives were suddenly closing in right before my eyes.
Noticing just in time, I dodged. It did a backflip rotation and unleashed a kick.
I crushed the kick with [Vanish]. But it immediately closed in again before spinning back.
This thing. [Vanish] doesn’t work on it. Right. Because it’s water?
The Water Fairy Dancer floated lightly, spinning diagonally like a top, and slipped behind me.
Entering my range, it swung its knives.
I instantly readied my Knife.
“Woff-kun! No!”
Ah, right, because it’s water, the blade will pass right through— Clank.
My knife had blocked the water knife. What was going on?
I parried it and jumped back. Even though it was water, my blade hadn’t passed through.
The Water Fairy Dancer stretched and retracted its limbs, opening and closing them, dancing and flitting about acrobatically.
With nimble movements, it skillfully unleashed swings, thrusts, and slashes with its water knives.
“Ngh!”
Its speed, agility, and evasiveness were impressive. And the relentless barrage of attacks left no time to breathe.
But The Witch had been faster and had more moves.
Using Relic [Stillness], I calmly assessed its movements.
I dodged two knives, blocked one, clashed blades with another, and parried it with force.
The Water Fairy Dancer faltered.
There! Spotting a momentary opening, I cut the Water Fairy Dancer’s arm.
Cutting water. How reckless and foolish that sounds.
However, the Water Fairy Dancer’s arm, made of water, was severed and fell off.
Yes! It worked. If its water knife had substance, then its arm could surely be cut.
“You cut it!? Wh-what in the world was that-ssu…!”
That must have been truly unexpected, as the Water Fairy Dancer’s movements faltered slightly.
An opening!
“Now, Bid-san!!”
“Aargh! You’d better explain later-ssu!”
Shouting, Bid-san fired her crossbow. A single bolt multiplied via [Area Shot].
The multiplied bolts pierced all the cores in the Water Fairy Dancer’s arms and legs.
Falling apart, the Water Fairy Dancer began reverting to water.
But its form still remained. Don’t tell me the core is… Ah, here it is!
“This is the end!”
I forcefully thrust my knife into the Water Fairy Dancer’s left breast.
Despite being water, there was a soft sensation, and upon piercing the core, the Water Fairy Dancer completely dissolved into a puddle.