New chapter of Ordinary Person is out! (2/3 chapters)

 

 

Chapter 74

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

We finally arrived at the 3rd floor.

The pampas grass had completely disappeared, the grass was shorter, and there were more trees. It was practically a forest now. Even so, seeing tire tracks left in the grass, it seemed like the Self-Defense Forces were also driving their vehicles here.

Amazing. I wonder if they don’t hit the trees. Let’s save the analysis for after we leave the dungeon. For now, I just want to take a look around. I’ve heard the rumors, but I can’t really feel it unless I see it for myself.

After walking for a bit, we immediately found the rumored scouting party. No, it’d be more accurate to say we were discovered. Arrows were fired at us. We were ambushed. Mira instantly fired back with magic, opening the battle.

“Leave the archers for later! Aim for the ones with light equipment first!” (Mira)

“““Roger!””” (Everyone)

As expected, Mira was reliable. Despite the sudden encounter, she gave precise instructions. The ones with light equipment were the usual goblins we had seen until now. In contrast, the ones with solid gear tended to be slightly taller or more muscular-looking. They wore things like leather or fur, using larger pieces to protect their bodies.

“Sofia, move to the front! Push through with force!” (Mira)

“Yes!” (Sofia)

“Emilia, don’t go too far ahead! Take them down while covering Sofia! We practiced this yesterday, didn’t we!?” (Mira)

“Eeh? Did we?” (Emilia)

“Kouta, don’t take down too many, okay? Let us check them too.” (Mira)

“…Roger.” (Kouta)

I was surprised by the unexpected instruction, but once I heard the reason, I understood. Since it was a surprise encounter, I had apparently lost my composure. I was thinking of just wiping them out.

Mira’s command was splendid. We finished defeating all of them for now. There were 7 goblins. That was not much different from the 2nd floor. We reviewed the recent battle with everyone.

“They suddenly attacked us out of nowhere.” (Emilia)

“That kind of thing hasn’t happened much until now, right?” (Sofia)

“Yeah, maybe just a lone ambusher hiding and aiming for a surprise attack. Aside from that, we usually noticed them coming thanks to the sound of the pampas grass. But here, that’s gone.” (Kouta)

“On top of that, their green skin acts like camouflage. From the 3rd floor, it suddenly got harder.” (Mira)

Ah, so that’s why we didn’t notice! Until now, we’d easily sensed them approaching.

“How did the battle feel?” (Kouta)

““The armor was annoying!!”” (Sofia/Emilia)

Sofia and Emilia spoke in unison. The two of them had struggled, after all.

“The unarmored parts were still somewhat soft, though.” (Kouta)

Yeah, exactly. When they wear armor, even their skin gets tougher, but the unarmored parts are still easier for blades to get through. That’s another mystery of dungeon-made items. Which is why they’re expensive.

I, for one, always wear my equipment when cooking. That way, I don’t have to worry about cutting my hand with a normal kitchen knife!

When I realized that, I thought it was a revolution.

A dungeon revolution!

“In that sense, Kouta really stands out. Did you aim for the gaps in the armor? You handled them so easily.” (Mira)

“Well… um, I guess it’s fine. It’s because I have high Dexterity. I’m good at that kind of thing.” (Kouta)

I hesitated for a moment because I wasn’t sure if it was okay to tell them. But since it wasn’t about numbers or skill details, I figured it was fine. Without knowing at least the tendencies of each other’s status, it’d be hard to operate as a party.

““Dexterity?”” (Sofia/Emilia)

“Yeah, I’m not expecting much from your Dexterity stats, you muscleheads.” (Mira)

Mira casually said something harsh.

“What the!? That’s… not…” (Sofia)

“That’s just… cruel…” (Emilia)

Their voices trailed off weakly.

Is their Dexterity stat really that bad?

“It’s a fact. You two can’t even bake a decent cookie.” (Mira)

“That’s… pretty harsh.” (Kouta)

All you have to do is follow the recipe. Anyone can do it. Even I used to bake and eat them with my little sister when we were kids. It wasn’t complete without getting scolded for eating too many. Freshly baked cookies are delicious, you know? The smell is different.

“Kouta too!?” (Sofia)

“Kouta, I believed in you…” (Emilia)

Believed in what?

“Emilia overmixed the dough and brought rock-hard cookies. I thought my teeth would break.” (Mira)

Ahhh! That happens!! When you put in too much effort, they get super hard.

“Sofia brought underbaked yet burnt cookies. I thought I’d get food poisoning.” (Mira)

Eh? How do you even do that? Wasn’t the oven malfunctioning? But even so, Mira ate those cookies to the very end. I get it, I really do.

“You two should train your Dexterity stat a bit more. Just look at Kouta. He was using a knife with his right hand today, but his movements were exactly the same as usual, weren’t they?” (Mira)

“Eh? Ah, you’re right. I used the wrong hand.” (Kouta)

At Mira’s comment, I hurriedly switched the knife to my other hand.

“Kouta…?” (Mira)

Don’t make that face, Mira. It happens all the time.

“See, it doesn’t really matter which hand you hold the knife with, right?” (Kouta)

The three of them all stared at me with blank expressions.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)