Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 139

Using blizzard to freeze the magma I’m able to shorten travel time for a while.

I had come back to the nest of Volkanos with Franryule and the others.

I peeked at the situation from a distant rocky area outside Volkanos’ scouting range.

“That’s Volkanos, huh?”

“It’s huge. The power is different when it becomes a B-rank monster.”

Franryule and Alex trembled quietly as they looked at Volkanos.

They seemed to sense the difference in status as a living being compared to a magma golem.

“It seems quite cautious.”

Gilles muttered, sweating on his forehead.

Volkanos’s anger had already subsided, and there was no sign of it rampaging like before. It was sitting quietly. However, its gaze was vigilant, and its eggs were firmly covered by its body.

The determination not to let anyone take them away was palpable.

“…Isn’t it impossible to steal the eggs after that?”

“That’s why I need Neln and the others’ help.”

“No, Shuu-san, if it’s you, you don’t need our help, right? If you freeze it with a blizzard, it’s a done deal, isn’t it?”

“Did you forget, Alex? We must not defeat the adult Volkanos, remember?”

“It’s so unfair to the point where our school assignments seem cute.”

If it was okay to defeat Volkanos, I could just unleash ice magic and freeze it. However, in this request, it’s not that simple, which is why I’m getting help from Franryule and the others. Besides, other monsters will get in the way during transportation.

“What’s the plan?”

“I’ll attract Volkanos’s attention, so approach slowly and collect the eggs. Once you’ve collected them, retreat while I keep it occupied.”

The four of them nodded in agreement with my proposal.

As we moved counterclockwise while observing Volkanos, Franryule and the others slowly moved clockwise, so as not to alert Volkanos.

Sending out waves of magical energy for reconnaissance, I noticed Franryule and the others pausing behind rocks.

They probably judged that it wasn’t safe to approach any further and decided to wait.

Realizing this, I stopped suppressing my presence and leaped out in front of Volkanos.

In response, Volkanos quickly reacted, turning its gaze towards me.

I could see flames flickering in its eyes as it recognized the familiar intruder.

“Graaaaaaah!”

Volkanos’s high-pitched roar. It wasn’t as powerful as a Red Dragon’s, but it resonated quite strongly in the eardrums when experienced up close.

After finishing its roar, Volkanos moved its short legs and twisted its body like a snake, charging towards me.

I turned my back and kept my distance, pretending to flee in a pitiful manner, enticing Volkanos to chase after me.

The biggest problem here is that Volkanos, wary of its eggs being taken, doesn’t stray far from its nest.

However, perhaps because its eggs were stolen before or because I’m in close proximity, Volkanos chose to leave its eggs and engage in a counterattack.

It’s tiring to be on constant alert for when someone might come to steal the eggs again. When the cause of that threat is right in front of you, it’s only natural to want to eliminate it.

If Volkanos moves away from the eggs, Franryule and the others will retrieve them.

Indeed, at the edge of my vision, I could see Franryule and Alex running. Neln and Gilles were holding back as support for our retreat.

“All right, if I can buy some time here—wait, whoa!”

As I tried to hide behind a rock, Volkanos charged towards me.

I instinctively dodged sideways, and Volkanos crushed the rock with its massive body.

It was like a giant piece of heavy machinery, terrifying in its speed, not unlike a car charging at you.

“Blizzard Line!”

Unable to withstand another charge, I generated an ice wall to create distance between myself and Volkanos.

Volkanos swung its front legs, aggressively chipping away at the ice wall.

Narrowing down the area meant the thickness of the wall was substantial. It wouldn’t be easily broken through.

“Franryule! How are the eggs?”

“We’ve successfully retrieved them!”

Franryule replied in her clear voice. Nearby, Alex, despite looking burdened, was running while holding Volkanos’s eggs.

“We’re retreating! I’ll cover the rear!”

“Understood!”

Having retrieved the eggs, there was no need to linger any longer.

Franryule and the others dashed down the slope.

“I want to follow suit,” I thought, but it seemed that wasn’t going to happen.

Volkanos shattered the ice wall and revealed its face.

Its throat expanded significantly, making a motion as if something was surging up.

It was immediately clear that it was about to unleash its breath attack. I’ve seen this move so many times in Monmon Hunter that counting them becomes ridiculous.

If it breathes fire at such close range, I’ll likely be hit too. However, thinking calmly, the opponent is a monster protected by tough scales. A little hit wouldn’t hurt or scratch it.

“If that’s the case, then take this! Light Ball!”

When the opponent is trying to hit you with their breath, it means they’re firmly focusing on you. In other words, that’s the perfect chance, a classic move in games.

“Gyaaaaah!?”

Blinding light burned through Volkanos’s eyes, causing it to abruptly stop its breath attack. Arching its massive body, it let out a cry of anguish.

I know firsthand the blinding power of that magic. And this time, I poured much more magical energy into it than I did back then.

Volkanos wouldn’t regain its vision so quickly.

“All right, now’s the time!”

Seeing Volkanos in agony, I quickly retreated.

♦ ♦ ♦

As I showered Volkanos with light and retreated, I saw the group of students running inside the cave.

“Hey~!”

“Oh! Shuu-san, what about Volkanos!?”

“I used magic to blind it. I don’t think it’ll be chasing us anytime soon.”

As I said that, Alex and the others seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I see. That’s a relief.”

“…I thought you brought Volkanos along with you.”

“I wouldn’t do something as cruel as that.”

Taking Volkanos with us while fleeing would be too heartless of an act. We need to buy some time at the very least and shake it off.

“Are the Volkanos eggs safe?”

“Yeah, they’re right here!”

Alex showed me the eggs he was carrying in his arms.

There was no doubt they were Volkanos eggs.

“I’ll carry it.”

“No, let me carry it. It’s definitely better to have Shuu-san free!”

“That would be more efficient.”

“Then, I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Though it was my request item, I appreciated them offering to carry it.

“Let’s return through the planned route.”

We surrounded Alex, who was carrying the eggs, and proceeded at his pace.

It seemed everyone remembered the route I showed them earlier, as they followed it without needing me to lead. This made things much easier.

Now, onto the first checkpoint. Before there are plenty of Magmares swimming here.

To be cautious of the surrounding monsters, I activated the magic stone detect.

Sure enough, there were many Magmares lurking in the magma. Some seemed to have noticed our presence and were quietly approaching.

With both hands free now, it would be easy to fend them off.

“Blizzard!”

I cast ice magic at the Magmares quietly approaching.

The Magmare that was about to emerge from the magma was frozen solid along with the magma.

I could see the Magmares hastily scattering underground, but it seemed they weren’t giving up on causing trouble just yet.

As I remained cautious of them approaching from the magma, my skills detected a new creature’s response. From the silhouette, it looked like a Lizardman.

“There are four Lizardmen approaching from the front.”

“We’ll intercept them!”

I was glad Franryule and the others were handling the Lizardmen, as I wanted to focus on dealing with the Magmares.

The Lizardmen emerged from the front of the cave wielding swords, but they were repelled by Neln’s water sphere and electrocuted by Franryule’s lightning arrows.

Even with a shield, it would be difficult to avoid that combo.

The Lizardmen convulsed as if paralyzed.

Though they hadn’t suffered enough damage to perish, there was no need to bother defeating them, and I didn’t have the time, so we ignored them.

As we passed by the fallen Lizardmen, Magmares emerged from a small magma pool on the left side.

Even though I had detected it with my survey skill, I hadn’t expected such a small magma pool to be there.

“Stone Bullet!”

Despite his delayed reaction, Gilles intercepted with a stone projectile.

While it didn’t hit directly, it seemed to drive away the Magmare.

“Gilles-san, thank you!”

“I was able to focus nearby because Shuu-san was monitoring a wide area.”

I thanked Gilles for covering me, and he coolly pushed up his glasses in response.

“…Gilles, you’re blushing.”

“I’m not blushing.”

It was quite different when I was carrying alone.

Just having someone monitoring the surroundings and intercepting made things so much easier.

I felt a belated realization of the importance of forming a party.