Seeker 351

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Chapter 351. Kazane & Hotaru VS The Five Owlbears

──Side: Kazane and Hotaru

Kazane and Hotaru were running forward from the campsite with the carriage.

"Seriously, Daichi-kun's show-off tendencies are quite a problem."

"He probably isn’t aware of it himself. He thinks he’s calmly analyzing the situation and finding the best solution."

"Yeah, I get it. Either way, we—"

"Right. Let’s quickly deal with this and go help Senpai."

Having moved far enough from their escort target to avoid any accidental casualties, the two had arrived at a safe distance.

By then, the group of Owlbears approaching from the front was almost upon them.

They were only a few seconds away from contact.

At that moment, Hotaru stopped and surrounded herself with a red magical aura.

Kazane dashed toward the Owlbears like the wind.

"──Hah!"

Her figure, clad in black attire, displayed a nimble evasive move akin to a professional basketball player, flashing her two short swords.

The claws of an Owlbear that swung down missed their mark, and instead, its rugged body was sliced open.

Black mist spilled out from the two wounds.

"Whoa, that was close──ugh!"

On the other hand, Kazane couldn't dodge every attack from the five Owlbears.

Several claw attacks hit her, tearing her black outfit and causing damage.

"Kazane-san!"

"I-I’m fine! Even if I take a hit or two...!"

Hotaru’s worried voice could be heard, but Kazane had not sustained any fatal injuries.

Kazane quickly stepped back from the group of monsters, creating some distance.

"How dare they attack Kazane-san! I want to burn them all with area magic, but──it can’t be helped, [Tri-Fire]!"

Hotaru, supporting from the rear, conjured three fireballs in front of her.

To avoid setting the forest ablaze, she opted for precise targeting instead of her usual area attack spell, [Explosion].

The relationship between magic and physical phenomena isn’t clear, but it seems that magic-induced fires could potentially cause problems.

The three fireballs Hotaru created flew toward different targets as if guided by intent.

With her [Monster Appraisal] skill, Hotaru saw that the HP of the Owlbear Kazane had attacked was 50/270.

One of the fireballs hit the injured Owlbear.

The giant creature’s body vanished into black mist, leaving a magic stone on the ground.

Another fireball hit two more Owlbears, dealing fire damage.

The two Owlbears cried out in agony but didn’t disappear just from that.

Hotaru saw their HP as 156/270 and 171/270.

"Kazane-san, target the ones you’ve damaged!"

"Got it!──Haaaah!"

Kazane quickly dove into the injured Owlbear’s range and flashed her two short swords.

In an instant, that Owlbear also vanished and turned into a magic stone.

The remaining Owlbears continued to attack Kazane, but throughout the exchange, Kazane only took one direct hit.

With swift movements and [Evasion Boost] skill effects, she managed to narrowly avoid attacks, preventing the Owlbears from landing more hits.

"Cough, cough... But there are still three left!"

"Kazane-san, don’t overdo it! One more [Tri-Fire]!"

This time, Hotaru focused the three fireballs on an untouched Owlbear.

The attack caused the targeted Owlbear to vanish, transforming into a magic stone.

"It’s fine, I’m still good──!"

Kazane then moved like lightning and defeated the injured Owlbear.

She managed to avoid the final attack from the last Owlbear.

As she quickly retreated, Hotaru’s third [Tri-Fire] struck, and the last Owlbear was also vanquished.

Thus, the group of five powerful Owlbears was easily wiped out by the combined efforts of just the two adventurers.

"Kazane-san, are you okay with your HP?"

Hotaru rushed to Kazane.

Kazane, displaying her status in her view, responded.

"Yeah, I’m fine. I still have 190 HP left. My max HP is 342, so I’ve lost almost half. Four direct hits and this is what I get... I wonder if Daichi-kun is really okay."

"Senpai is fighting seven Owlbears, and his defense is higher than Kazane-san’s, so he shouldn’t fall easily…"

Daichi is supposed to be fighting seven Owlbears.

There are more of them than the five Kazane and Hotaru faced, and he is fighting alone.

"Let’s hurry, Hotaru-chan."

"Understood.──Senpai, I’m counting on you. If anything happens to you, I’ll hold a grudge for life."

The two wasted no time recovering with potions and dashed straight toward where Daichi had gone.