“Umm…” Lanifi was constantly revising the prosthetic design that Torina requested, while Lindas was using her metal manipulation skills to help her mold models, each one turning out worse than the last.
“Come to think of it, the boss’s request is not only lewd but also quite challenging… Such precise things are better done with alchemy,” Lanifi complained.
“Don’t worry, I’ll provide comprehensive technical support,” Laxis said, trying to hold back laughter.
“I feel like I’m not clean anymore…” Lindas also complained.
On the other side—
“What? These are top-quality materials, and you’re giving me so little?”
“I’m sorry, but there’s been a market fluctuation recently…”
“So annoying!” Anna-veil stormed out of the town’s guild, feeling increasingly frustrated with the dwindling profits.
If this continued, she’d really be in trouble… But as the eldest daughter of a merchant family, she couldn’t afford to show any weakness.
Soon after, everyone gathered outside the inn, with all members present.
Torina, Milora, Anna-veil, Ji Xue, Laxis, Patty, Lanifi, Lindas, and Naji.
The familiar nine-member team, everyone ready, Torina led the way.
This was their last trip into the Amana Forest.
They took the same path they had used to fight the boss before.
After defeating the boss, the four of them had left without having time to inventory the boss’s treasure trove.
Fortunately, no one else had discovered the boss’s location, so they had enough time to go back and retrieve it.
Along the way, Milora was the most active.
She had discarded the so-called “Tatalia-style swordsmanship” taught by the system (since it was useless) and fully embraced the family swordsmanship taught by Torina, using a rune short sword in battle.
As expected, the Protagonist is indeed the Protagonist, progressing rapidly.
After just a few battles, she had reached the beginner level in swordsmanship.
Torina was also there to guide her, teaching her hand-in-hand, ensuring she learned thoroughly.
Seeing this, Anna-veil was quite upset.
To prevent Milora from showing off, she bypassed Lanifi, the tank, and charged ahead, using her fierce spear skills to kill all approaching monsters first, leaving a trail of small monster corpses in the team’s wake.
With Anna-veil and Milora being so active, the others felt little pressure.
Lindas openly slacked off, Laxis occasionally conjured a fireball, Patty shot a few cold arrows now and then, and Naji even painted her nails as they walked.
As for Ji Xue? She seemed absent-minded, as if lost in thought, distracted by something other than her healed injuries.
…
…
Upon reaching the swamp, everyone stopped to rest.
The weakest in stamina, Naji and Lindas, plopped down on the ground (thanks to a cleanliness blessing, it wasn’t dirty), while the others began to adjust their states.
Torina started feeling uncomfortable.
“Umm…” She bent down to look at her feet (her body was too large to see them by just looking down, she had to bend over), frowning.
It felt awkward.
Ever since she awakened the skill “Corporate Slave’s Frenzied Rush,” she felt that “walking in shoes” was a very awkward thing, like wearing thick insulated gloves to write.
After a brief thought, she took off her shoes.
Her delicate feet, adorned with stockings, stepped directly onto the dirty ground.
Nearby, Naji was sitting on the ground, rubbing her sore waist, wondering when she could get away from this stinky place.
“Naji.”
“What’s up?” Naji turned her head—
“Look at this.”
—The girl’s beautiful feet, wrapped in black nylon fabric, were stretched out in front of her, almost poking her in the mouth.
“Ah!?” Naji was dumbfounded.
Torina then stretched her foot further, poking her soft cheek with her toes.
“Stop slacking, help me buff my feet.”
“Buff? Is that some kind of slang? You mean lick them? That’s too much, I’m a woman who serves the gods, and I’m not interested in that…”
“What are you thinking? Buff is a word from my hometown, it means to bless.”
“What kind of blessing…”
“Just… defense blessing, endurance blessing, dust avoidance blessing, moisture removal blessing, apply all the useful ones, and make them long-lasting.”
“Got it, got it, just move your foot away!” Naji irritably pushed Torina’s foot away… but couldn’t completely push it away, as long-lasting blessings required physical contact.
So she had to hold her foot and mutter holy words.
“By the way, Naji.”
“What now, don’t interrupt my chanting…”
“I heard that a priest’s kiss can enhance the blessing’s effect, can I ask you to do that?”
“Who would want to kiss your foot!!!”
“Ugh, don’t be so mean…” Naji finished applying the buffs and pushed Torina away (of course, she didn’t kiss her foot), then felt two resentful gazes.
Turning her head, she found Anna-veil and Milora glaring at her, with expressions that seemed to say, “If you don’t kiss, I will.”
——————
——————
When they reached the underground cave, it was Laxis’s time to shine.
“Flames, burn everything.”
Her profession was a “Holy Word Mage,” specializing in both magic and holy arts, particularly fire magic and offensive holy arts (Naji specialized in healing and support holy arts).
The combination allowed her to unleash powerful attacks in battle.
The creatures below were weak to fire and afraid of light, making them perfect targets for Laxis.
She only needed to mindlessly throw fireballs to clear the way, with any stragglers being shot down by Patty’s arrows or skewered by Anna-veil’s spear.
After a series of battles, the Moonlight Adventure Group reached their loyal boss’s room.
It remained as it was when the four left last time, the ground wrecked by Grelou, various mosses and fungi charred by Torina’s skills, and Grelou’s corpse lying in the center of the underground cavity, the blood on its back’s weak point dried and scabbed.
“What a fierce battle it was,” Patty sighed.
“This boss seems stronger than dungeon bosses of the same level, how did you win?” Anna-veil asked, puzzled.
She thought Torina had won by coordinating with Laxis, one luring the boss while the other attacked its weak point, but there were no traces of Laxis’s skills at the scene.
Did Torina defeat the boss one-on-one?
“Hmph↑ Hmph↓ Hmph↑~ This lady’s strength is unparalleled, I have my ways to easily defeat enemies, something you can’t match~” Torina boasted.
“Torina is amazing,” Milora said, looking inexplicably proud.
“Tch, if you can do it, so can I!” Anna-veil retorted, unconvinced.
“So, are you done arguing… Umm… I can sense a lot of metal behind the stone wall at two o’clock, is that the boss’s treasure vault?” Lindas said.
“Seems like it, but it probably won’t be easy to get in, there might be a puzzle to solve—”
“Take this!”
Boom!!!!
Without a word, Anna-veil switched the Cassius Spear to sniper mode, and a beam as thick as a thigh blasted through the rock wall, violently bypassing the puzzle.
“…You’re ruthless, alright, let’s go in, everyone gets a share, no fighting over it~”
