Clearly, I Need More Exploits (7.2)

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"So from which Familia is she?" Quietly, I inquired Arde of our mystery adventurer. Why would I ask it myself, especially when I had thing to do like acquiring new weapons for the woman in question? No subterfuge between me and Arde at all! We're just your regular, kind-hearted adventurers who intend to help someone out. I'm just being mindful of the fact that she just survived going through thirteen Dungeon Levels by herself. "You think they'll be useful?"

"The Takemikazuchi Familia has two Level 2s: Kashima Ouka and Yamato Mikoto." Arde recited the information she knew about the woman in question without hesitation. Huh, didn't I have a classmate that had Ouka as a last name? What did that poor guy do to you, Zaimokuza, for you to try and kill him in your Light Novel? There better not be a guy modeled after me here! "The woman's Mikoto, so even if we only rescue her, we have another capable person for the fight against the Goliath. Though, it's questionable if she's going to be willing to go back so soon…"

"Ouka is still probably alive. Perhaps it's not the case for those below Level 2, but if he didn't sacrifice himself he's probably still alive." Since Arde was the only one in our group who actually fought against the Goliath, I trusted her advice on the matter. Casting my gaze over my shoulder, I made sure Cranel was still out of earshot. "I know her type. She's not the kind to lie down after being hurt. She'll come, for revenge, if not for anything else."

"I see, I can see a warrior like her doing that." Arde agreed with a nod, following my gaze. Currently, my white-haired student was explaining the movement techniques of Almiraj and Hellhounds to Mikoto. Clad in Cranel's spare clothes bought mere days ago, the swordswoman was wearing her armor and burnt kimono to cover the trousers and shirt. She had a steel longsword, again courtesy of my white-haired student. "You're right about that kid, he's one heck of a womanizer, Sensei."

"I count at least three woman after him already." I couldn't help but chuckle. Hestia, Flova, and Tulle were guaranteed. Wallenstein was an oddity that I couldn't put a finger on. I think that Baade seemed to like him as well, though she could've simply preferred to fight against someone with a similar fighting style to herself. It was unsurprising given his role as a Harem Protagonist. "That aside, he needs to start learning how to think for himself. How about we let him lead us in combat through Floor 13?"

"Only if you promise to use your magic if things go horribly wrong. I don't want to die because of a test." Arde's answer was dry, but she sighed and nodded after I affirmed that I would unleash my magic if Cranel made too large an error. Still, my Pallum student must trust my Human student more than she'd care to admit to give him even the slightest possibility of getting herself harmed. "Then, I don't have a problem with it. Floor 13 was a cakewalk for you when you were Level 1, so there shouldn't be any… immense problems."

We exchanged nods, dealt with the orcs that remained before us, and simply walked towards Cranel and Mikoto. The two had been perusing for equipment in one of our stashes.

Time for a rescue mission.

…

Cranel took command better than I expected, mainly because he didn't hesitate to take advantage of me and Arde as much as possible. Arde was scouting and out of view, dragging hordes of monsters towards me, and generally making sure that we weren't caught unaware by the Almiraj. Her ability to transform into flight-capable creatures allowed her to scour the dungeon with impunity. I handled killing everything that came towards our flanks while Cranel and Mikoto took on whatever was coming from our front or back. Though I wasn't using my magic, it was easy enough to kill Hellhounds and Almiraj with my iron knives.

Still, killing the monsters wasn't a problem. Cranel could take on Floor 13 as easily as I could since he didn't have a Restraint Coat. Well, as long as I didn't use Magic that is. Both Arde and I were more than capable of casually strolling through Floor 13 because we've harvested it for Monster Crystals many, many times.

Our current mission was harder than that. Right now, we had to escort a new Level 2 and look for survivors of her party. In essence it was a dreaded 'Escort Mission.' An 'essential' character that's underleveled for an area needs to be protected before they can join the party. As far as introduction arcs for a new Heroine go, having Mikoto prove herself as a capable combatant despite being an emotional wreck moments ago is definitely something I hadn't seen in a Light Novel before, our situation was somewhat original. Congratulations, Zaimokuza, you're actually decent this time around.

"We're here." Mikoto's voice drew me from my thoughts and I looked about the Dungeon Room that we entered. Level 13 was special because the Almiraj were very, very crafty monsters that dug out new routes and rooms to ambush Adventurers. Essentially, it was a wake-up call for any underequipped and rookie Level 2. Really though, it should be common sense to farm the Final Stage of the previous Disc as much as possible before going onto the second! Grinding is essential for any JRPG, don't you know!? "That's… Chigusa's body."

"This is where your Familia got swarmed by monsters?" I asked and Mikoto nodded. I approached the body in the corner. I was surprised that it was intact. Monsters typically 'got rid of' the bodies of Adventurers. Monster Pantries were rare in the Middle Levels too, so the monsters that spawned didn't tend to leave any nourishment behind. I checked the wounds and the damage on the clothes. The corpse had large, gaping wounds on the back. "This girl was ambushed, she was dealt mortal blows to her back, and you rushed to get her out… but were forced to leave her body here after being swarmed by Monsters."

"That is correct." Mikoto's voice was tight. I wasn't surprised that she didn't say anything more. Looking over the body, the features, and the wounds… I made sure that this wasn't some sort of elaborate trap. The Blessing wasn't present on the back, wisely locked away, but her features and clothing were close enough to the samurai girl that I could believe this was one of her Familia. "She died because we couldn't find a way out quickly enough, we had to leave her here, and then our leader told me to run since I was the fastest of the group."

"I'm sorry, Mikoto-san." Cranel placed a hand on her shoulder. Arde dropped from the ceiling, met my gaze, and covertly handed me the steel Stiletto that I passed onto her earlier. I slipped it into my sleeve. Did I feel bad about preparing to handle Mikoto? Hell no. Sabotage and traps occurred regularly in Orario. I wasn't going to risk me or my students. The situation was enough like a Light Novel plotline that I allowed it to go through, but that didn't mean I was giving a stranger the benefit of the doubt. "But, if we hurry, I'm sure that we can save your friends. Can you guess where they went? Or did you have some sort of fallback position or plan to meet?"

"I'm afraid that we were ill-prepared for our adventure, Cranel. I must admit we were incomparable to your own." Mikoto shook her head. Hmph, no honorific already? You sure do work fast Cranel. Still, there was a flash in the ebony-haired swordswoman's eye that told me she had a plan to find her Familia. I silently motioned for Arde to stay for the time being. We could deal with the waves of Almiraj and Hellhounds without a problem. "However, with your protection, I can invoke my Skill and hopefully locate my comrades."

"I'll get out of earshot while you do, Mikoto-san." Cranel was remembering what I taught him, I made a note to commend him for that as I broke the neck of an Almiraj with a swift kick. Having good manners, such as not listening in on other's Skills, is a good way to be respected in the Adventurer community. My white-haired student made good use of it. Typically, I never fell into a situation where something like good manners could help. Most of my interactions with new Adventurers tended to be more… combative. No room for manners in a fistfight. "I'll help Senpai and Sensei out while you-."

"It's fine, you may stay." Mikoto's voice held a note of confidence in it, but she couldn't hide the desperation completely. I had no doubt that the ebony-haired swordswoman had latched onto Cranel for support. Had I not seen her in combat, where she was outright deadly, I would've been worried for my white-haired student. You can definitely do much, much worse my young Harem Protagonist. "I'm learning so much from the three of you. I'm sure that knowing of my Skill only alleviates my debt to you in the slightest of degrees."

"…If you say so, Mikoto-san." Cranel dipped his head in a nod. An appreciative smile very nearly spread across the ebony-haired swordswoman's mouth. I had to roll my eyes while I sent a knife into a Hellhound's flaming, gaping maw. It exploded and took several Almiraj with it. So all this fighting is going on in the background, barely a word of it written in passing, as Cranel woos his newest admirer. If you manage to get a decent Anime Studio, they'll do a good job with this scene, but a shitty one will fuck it up, Zaimokuza. "I'll stay by your side then."

"Alright then…" Mikoto took a deep breath, her feet shuffled, and in the corner of my eye I saw her make a hand-sign popularized by a certain blonde-haired, demon-container's favorite technique. Dammit, Zaimokuza! That's beyond creating a mere nod towards Kishimoto! That's a blatant rip-off! You're going to get sued! Hand-signs for the blatantly Japanese samurai, really!? I was so exasperated that I almost tripped! Yes, I nearly tripped despite the fact most of my mind was commited to combat! "Yatanokurograsu!"

"!" A pulse of magic emanated from Mikoto, eliciting a wordless yelp of surprise from Cranel. It felt somewhat similar to being in the presence of a Mage when they began casting magic while standing still. By all means, it probably had a very interesting, practical effect since a swordswoman was using it… but… the Chuuni levels are too damned high! A hand-seal, standing still, and a pulse of pressure that blows hair back!? I don't want to live in this world anymore. It's not even proper Japanese! "I didn't know you knew magic, Mikoto-san!"

"It's an extremely situational Skill, though it does take Mind." Judging from how out of breath Mikoto was, she didn't have much in her Magic Ability. I quashed my quailing at Zaimokuza's terrible tendencies and focused on Cranel's conversation. It helped that I was killing monsters to get my mind off the atrocity I just witnessed. "We need to move down that left corridor. Several swarms of monsters are moving rapidly towards certain directions. My Skill will last for a good amount of time, but I won't be able to cast it again, we must move quickly to save them-."

"Senpai, carry Mikoto-san! Sensei and I are taking point!" My, my, Cranel, I taught you better than I thought, didn't I? Arde finished off her opponent and picked up the ebony-haired swordswoman. The human woman gave a yelp as my Pallum student picked her up without effort. I took to my white-haired, human student's side and we immediately set off towards the left corridor. "Senpai, relay directions to us from Mikoto, don't say anything if we just need to go straight!"

Cranel's going to make an amazing, powerful leader. My white-haired student will be a bonfire that can attract powerful Adventurers like Mikoto to his side. Undoubtedly, he will achieve his goal of becoming as powerful as Aiz Wallenstein. He'll become known across the world as one of the mighty few who have charisma, intelligence, and power to their name.

Doubtlessly, the shadow he'll cast will allow me to work at peace and to eventually return home.

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