No Damage 56

Test

56. Because You're Someone I Recognize

The request I received was to explore a dungeon near Mills City.

As usual, I used my defense skills to navigate through the dangerous areas full of traps and monsters with ease and speed.

My skills had improved since before, so I could proceed without any danger.

After completing the exploration, I returned to the guild branch in Mills City.

"Already done?"

The receptionist looked surprised to see me back after just a few hours.

"Even rank A and B adventurers struggled with that dungeon..."

Indeed, there were more traps and monsters compared to previous dungeons.

But with my skills, I could move forward without any issues. Regular adventurers would have to carefully disarm traps, avoid them, fight or flee from monsters... it must be tough.

"Exploration is my specialty."

I smiled and handed over my guild card.

This card serves as an ID for adventurers and a record of achievements.

Each time we complete a request, it gets recorded by a magic device at the reception.

"Well then, I'll add this achievement to your record, Harutp-san."

The receptionist inserted my guild card into the slot of the recording device on the counter.

"In just a little over a month... twenty-seven dungeon explorations!? That's amazing..."

The receptionist handed back my card with wide eyes.

I've certainly done a lot of explorations.

All of those are recorded as achievements.

It might not be long before I level up to the next rank.

"Haruto...?"

Just as I left the reception counter, someone called out to me.

Turning around, I saw a girl about fifteen years old in knight armor standing there.

Short blue hair, mysterious purple eyes.

Her expressionless face gave her a transcendental beauty.

Luca Avesta, the 'Ice Blade.'

She is an S-rank adventurer, the strongest among adventurers.

"Luca, it's been a while."

The last time we met was about a month ago when we celebrated my passing the guild exam with Lilith and others.

"I heard you moved up to rank D. I've been following your achievements."

Luca said calmly with her usual expressionless face.

"Sister,"

A girl with Luca grabbed her hand.

With crimson hair like flames cut semi-long, she looked younger than Luca, probably around twelve or thirteen.

She was a beautiful girl with a stubborn and cocky expression.

Her metal armor mainly protected her chest and waist, resembling a bikini.

Though with her height only reaching my chest and a flat body, she had no sex appeal at all.

"Do you know each other? It's the first time I've seen my sister being friendly with a man. With a man...!"

She said in an overly grumpy tone.

"Haruto Riva. A defensive magic user who became an adventurer about a month ago. He made significant contributions in the recent battle against the Demon General."

"Contributions?"

The girl frowned.

"That was my sister's achievement. It was her power that defeated the Demon General."

"Officially, that's how it's recorded. But actually—"

"No, my sister defeated the Demon General. I believe in that."

The girl interrupted Luca's words, shaking her head vehemently.

"Sister... you're Luca's sister?"

"Foster sister,"

The girl got closer, glaring at me with sharp eyes.

"She's Ivy Larsworth. Thirteen years old. Class: Fighter. Rank A adventurer."

Luca introduced her.

"Why are you here, Luca?"

"The guild's void radar detected something. In about two days, demons will appear near Mills City."

Luca said.

"The threat level is class A. I happened to be free, so I'm going on the subjugation mission with her."

"This isn't an opponent that requires your involvement. Please leave it to me."

Ivy clung tightly to Luca's waist.

She behaved like a doting younger sister.

"In battles with demons, anything can happen. I'd like Haruto's help too, but he's not ranked high enough yet."

"Sister, we don't need to rely on a rank D adventurer."

Ivy said sharply.

"Haruto Riva, was it? Please stay out of the way during the subjugation mission."

"You're going too far, Ivy."

"I'm sorry, sister."

Ivy apologized, bowing her head.

She seemed to obey Luca's words.

"But he's rank D... I can't believe my sister would recognize someone like him... and a man, no less. A man..."

She muttered discontentedly.

"An adventurer's strength isn't determined by rank alone. He's someone I recognize."

Luca said calmly.

"In the mock battle during the guild entrance exam, I used my ultimate move but couldn't defeat him."

"My sister...?"

Ivy gasped.

"But he's not needed for this battle."

She glared at me.

"Remember this. One day, I'll be the one recognized by my sister. As her unique partner."

I felt like sparks flew from her eyes.

Isn't she treating me like some weird rival?

"By the way, Haruto, can we talk later? There's something I'd like to ask you."

"Me?"

"Could you come to Bitta Forest on the outskirts of town in an hour?"

I agreed to Luca's request.

I wonder what she needs to talk about.

Kou swam happily, but she raised her head and turned towards the forest outside the city.

From the dense undergrowth, monsters emerged. Huge creatures with boar faces, Orcs. There were also Kobolds around them.

There were dozens of them, including the Kobolds, about 200. They must be here to attack the city. At the back was an Orc Leader. As a C-rank, it moved nimbly despite its bulky frame. The Orcs were in the middle, with the Kobolds leading the charge. The fight with the Ancient Treant must have stirred up the surrounding monsters.

Even though the military base suffered significant damage, this number of enemies would normally not cause panic. The outer wall was still under construction and lacked heavy weapons like machine guns. The soldiers, however, didn’t seem flustered. The reason was clear: Kou.

Kou slowly opened her mouth, drawing water from the pool and forming water orbs with magic.

[Aqua Blitz]

She created about ten small water bullets, each the size of a palm, and fired them. With a sound like a whistle, they flew towards the Orc Leader's group with power that seemed to pierce the air.

The enemies likely thought it was a simple harassment attack. The Orc Leader waved his hand, encouraging his troops to charge without changing course.

They probably thought that even if hit, only a few would be taken out.

[It's fatal not to be able to sense mana at high levels.]

[Indeed. Being unable to see it leads to missteps.]

Shizuku nodded in agreement. There must be many initial kill traps in dungeons.

While we talked, the water bullets hit the Kobolds,

Boom!

A loud explosion erupted, throwing monsters and dust into the air. And it wasn't just one explosion. All the water bullets caused massive explosions.

After the dust settled, large craters, as if meteors had struck, were everywhere, and most monsters lay scattered and broken. Only a few Orcs and the Orc Leader, who were outside the explosion range, remained. Even those Orcs were badly injured, bleeding, and staggering.

"Chii"

Kou confirmed the situation, jumped out of the pool, and rushed towards the Orc Leader. The Orcs took up their spears to defend.

But their size and stats were vastly different. It was like the fight between the Ancient Treant and Kou. The difference was that the Orc Leader was low-level, with few skills or magic, and no trump card like a tank.

Unlike the Ancient Treant, Kou was thinking strategically. She gathered water on her body to maintain her advantageous terrain. This consumed remarkably little mana.

The [Aqua Blitz] earlier only consumed about 20 mana. Despite that, it showed firepower exceeding a mortar. Kou was truly fearsome. If I had fought a similar power and intelligent creature when I was weaker, I would have easily lost and died.

Now, Kou switched to close combat to save mana. The remaining Orcs were too weak to move properly, allowing Kou to approach.

Kou's crystal-like teeth sparkled as she bit and devoured an Orc in one gulp. Despite the Orcs' desperate attempts to strike her, they couldn’t escape.

Using their combat skills, they tried to slash at Kou with spears, but her water-like body caused their weapons to slide off. Even when they hit at a non-sliding angle, her scales deflected their attacks.

Kou crushed the monsters with her massive body, quickly wiping out the horde. Honestly, I hadn’t realized Kou was this strong, but thinking back, we hadn’t faced many strong enemies, so her strength was unclear until now.

"She's strong!"

"Fantastic!"

"We're safe with her around!"

The soldiers praised Kou's battle performance excitedly. I felt like applauding her as well. Kou diligently gathered the monster cores and handed them to me, impressing me with her competence.

Given that they lost their weapons and many skilled fighters, it was natural for the soldiers to rely on Kou.

"Such a magnificent creature. Or should I say, a holy beast?"

"Well, I don’t think names matter much to a snake."

I turned towards the calm voice to see a girl with a gentle smile approaching.