This time, I entrusted Mashiro with watching the house because I figured that relying on the combo of Mikroon and Highrow, who can fly in the sky, would give us the upper hand against the monsters.

"Rest easy, Sousuke.

We won't make the same mistake again," Rina said with a serious tone.

At this moment, she was projecting a barrier around the space surrounding Mikroon and Highrow. By setting the summon beast at the center of the barrier, it moves along with them.

As a result, the monsters couldn't see us, but we could still see the monsters.

Incidentally, I was taking the lead this time, with Chiya riding directly behind me. Having her massive breasts pressed against my back gave me butterflies no matter how many times it happened, and it was a little nice.

The saga of a sad man.

"Rina-chan, you change your character when Sousuke-kun is around, don't you?"

Momoe said with a mischievous grin.

There was a teasing ring to her voice.

However, Rina didn't take any damage from such remarks.

"Unlike you, who uses a flirtatious voice with every single man, I'm just one-woman loyal to Sousuke. What's wrong with that?"

"I-I'm not flirting! It's just that I'm charming them!"

It was Momoe who flustered upon being counterattacked.

"Being charming is different from looking like a guy could do it himself."

"What the hell! Momo's a prude, you know?"

"If we get back to Earth, look up 'prude' in the dictionary."

"That makes me sick!"

Hmph, no one was stepping in to break it up. But was this even a fight to begin with? It felt more like they were just play-fighting.

The guys do the same thing; despite getting along, they sometimes swap out threatening words. So if this was just the girl-version of that, I hesitated about inserting myself into it.

"Hmm. There's no need to get angry. In fiction terms, Momo is a Virgin Bitch."

"What kind of terrible thing are you saying!"

"Looks sexually promiscuous but has zero experience. The crystal of an otaku's fantasies. Momo, be proud."

"I don't feel happy about that at all... Oh wait, Sōsuke-kun is an otaku too, right? Does that make you happy that I've never done it with anyone?"

Momo gave me a mischievous smile.

The target seemed to have shifted to me.

"..."

There was simply no way to answer that.

"If you tease Sōsuke, I'll just eject you from the base's barrier."

"Stop saying such scary things!? I'm not teasing him! I'm seriously trying to get along with Sōsuke-kun!"

"Hehehe. You've been lacking in trust due to your actions so far, which is why it comes to this. I just can't let you slide, Momo."

"Nene, stop being annoying!"

Honestly, the noisy Momo was much more approachable than she had been back when we were still in the classroom.

Back then, her habit of "behaving in a way that invites misunderstandings" made it impossible to tell what she was really thinking.

Now that her emotional expressions are so straightforward, I found this version of her much easier to deal with.

"We're approaching our first water source."

At Mikimaru's words, everyone straightened up and focused.

This was the body of water closest to their base camp.

It was reasonably spacious, though smaller than a school swimming pool.

"Mikimaru, chop down every tree near the water. Trolls can handle it, and we can store the lumber later."

Trolls were human-faced trees that camouflaged as regular vegetation; while disguised, they were indistinguishable from ordinary timber.

Thus, the strategy was to indiscriminately hack down any tree in sight.

"Understood!"

"As for the Archvarks, I'll taming them as much as possible."

Inui's Taming ability seemed to have a limit on how many creatures she could command simultaneously. Furthermore, certain monsters, such as Unique Monsters or Behemoths, were apparently untamable.

However, like her other abilities, this one grew in proficiency over time.

When we first teleported here, the limit was three, but now she could turn several dozen into allies.

Not many are left to garrison the base, so they can't operate all of them at once, but they're a reliable force.

"I-I'll attempt to capture or hold back any unique individuals I discover."

Yinshen's ability to manipulate shadows is an excellent power as well.

"If it gets away, I'll chase it. Leave that to me."

Jifeng possesses the [Leg Strength Enhancement] ability. It boosts not only his speed but also the impact of his kicks, making him formidable in combat.

"I'll support everyone. Fight however you see fit."

Mikari serves as a sort of vice-leader for the Chenghuang party.

She is from the Archery Club and possesses [Archery Enhancement].

Her arrows are enhanced for penetration power and come equipped with homing capabilities.

If one only considered survival on an desert island, I think it’s a rather superior ability, but in the current situation, it seems insufficient in raw attack power against powerful monsters.

Presumably, because she is aware of this limitation herself, she volunteered for the support role.

"Momo won't be doing anything."

"Let the Chenghuang party know if anything happens."

Though Momo says she won't be doing anything, the information sharing between her clones means she stays in contact with her comrades even when separated, which is useful in itself.

Besides, given who Momo is—as far as I've seen so far—she'd be the type to use clones as decoys or protect her allies if things got serious.

Sena would handle healing and buffs, Serina would maintain the barrier and provide support elsewhere if possible, and Genchu would have beast-shift in reserve for emergencies.

I plan to give orders while contributing via rockfall attacks and such.

"Alright, let's start."

"Storm Blade!!"

As Shinpō swung his staff, countless wind blades descended upon the forest below, slicing through the trees.

It didn't just end up as simple deforestation; it also produced muffled screams.

They were the death throes of the Trolls that had been mimicking the trees.

At the suddenly noisy water source, the Arvanks began to reveal themselves on the surface as well.

"So they've come out. Which ones shall I pick?"

Inubo smiled, and about three of the Arvanks stopped moving. In the next instant, they drove their sharp claws into their own kind.

A shrill beastly shriek echoed through the area.

Hmm. It's reassuring to have them on our side, but that Taming ability is pretty brutal, isn't it?

"Blade of the Gale... I see, then this side will too."

The Shadow of Gloom stirred and took the shape of a sword.

They extended themselves until they were mere inches from the ground, then swung horizontally.

The Arvanks' bodies split apart vertically and vanished as they died.

"Heh, Inimori-san. My forces are gone now, though."

"I-I...! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" / "It's a joke. I rely on you." / "Shut up...!"

Maruha shot the Arvank in the forehead with expert skill while remaining mounted on Highrow.

The one fidgeting impatiently was Hayate.

This strategy avoided the risk of landing, but conversely, it meant a person who excels on the ground couldn't be utilized.

He would have to wait for now, but I intended to rely on him when the moment came.

While crushing Arvanks with rockfall attacks using my storage feature, I continuously collected the trees Shinfu had cut down into my 'Inventory'.

'Wood', 'Wood', 'Wood', 'Trent's Branch', 'Wood'—Oops.

It wasn't a time for celebration, but I had acquired monster material.

Shinfu severed the branch of a Trent, and before that Trent could die, my storage caught it in time.

If they fall, the monster materials will vanish, so in this chaotic melee, securing a drop is pure luck.

Crafting with monster drops sounds appealing, but I should focus on the battle at hand.

That was what I was thinking when—

Countless spears erupted from the ground.

"No...! Is this... roots?"

Piercing through the earth and reaching toward us, a closer look revealed these countless projectiles to be tree roots with sharp tips.

This wasn't a standard Treant attack.

"Ugh, gggah...! Sōsuke, this is bad!"

The roots were repelled by Seri's barrier, but they immediately gained momentum and charged back in.

"Oh? We should be invisible to them, yet they seem to have deduced our position from the incoming attacks."

Inui was right; the enemy had somehow pinpointed our location despite being unable to see us and was striking at us blindly.

"Seri, do you have any idea how many hits we can withstand?"

If we took those attacks just now even once, let alone three times, the barrier would have shattered. But it's fine; this is a world where MP doesn't exist, so we can just keep recasting it infinitely."

"Ahh, I'm counting on you," said Yūjin.

But the real problem lay in what came next.

"Sō-kun, is that thing a unique individual?"

"Probably."

If three attacks from a unique individual were enough to break a single barrier, their base defenses couldn't be considered fully secure.

While hoping for further enhancement of Seina's abilities, they would need to swiftly exterminate any additional unique individuals that appeared.

"I can't see anything.

Trolls should only be able to survive near water sources," Fukumono said with a puzzled expression.

Indeed, the troll's description stated that it required moisture.

But since Fukumono had shaved the surrounding area bare, if a troll were nearby, they should have noticed it by now.

No... if they can extend their roots, maybe the main body can survive even away from water's edge.

It could simply absorb water from a distance through its extended roots.

If that was the case, finding one would be a hassle... no, let me test it here and now.

"Inshin! Grab one of the roots for me!"

"Yikes! Y-Yes sir! Carrying out Kouno's orders right away!"

For some reason, Kage had a flush on his cheeks, but he executed the job with precision.

Forming his shadow into a giant hand, he gripped the root tightly to immobilize it. "Fukami!" "Understood! 'Wind Blade'!"

He responded without needing an explanation.

The moment the tip of the root was severed.

"Store it!"

And I stored it in my 『Inventory』.

—『Root of the Needle-Demon Tree Troll』.

Alright, so even Unique individuals drop monster materials.

So, should I harvest as much material as possible before taking them down?

There’s a possibility some materials can’t be obtained again.

It was plenty of food for thought, but not the time to dwell on it.

The important thing is that we secured the material.

And my ability had acquired a new function.

I had gained an intuitive understanding of where I could acquire any material I came into possession of.

So, I know where to get the "Needle Spirit Tree Treant's Root" from.

This very place is one such spot, and I can sense its presence even from places far away.

"Found it."

"You really get into it when you're doing that kind of stuff, don't you?"

"Mm-hmm, I know. You're cute when you're focused on crafting-related things like that."

Chiyu and Yurina seemed to be hitting it off.

"I've located a unique individual of the Treant! Mikron, fly in the direction I indicate!"

The black dragon Mikron nodded enthusiastically.

"It doesn't look like there are any unique individuals of the Aervank here, so we'll tag along. That's fine with you, Nariu-san?" "Yeah.

Is that okay with you, Kunou?"

"Ah, let's go."

It was a hunt for a unique monster.

This is a supplementary update scheduled for March 6th.

The next regular update is expected on March 31st!

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This time, I asked Mashiro to stay behind because I thought that relying on the Mikuron and Hyrou combo, which can fly, would give us an advantage in fighting the monsters.

"Don't worry, Sousuke. I won't make the same mistake again." Serina says in a serious tone.

Right now, she is deploying a barrier around Mikuron and Hyrou's surroundings. By setting the summon beast as the center of the barrier, the barrier will move along with them.

This way, the monsters won't be able to see us, but we can see them.

By the way, I was in the front this time, with Senyuu riding right behind me. Getting pressed against her huge breasts every time is still thrilling, and a little bit exciting. Sad story of a man.

"Serina-chan, you change your character when Sousuke's around, don't you?" Momoe says with a mischievous grin.

It sounded like she was teasing her.

But Serina doesn't take such things to heart.

"What's wrong with being devoted to Sousuke and only Sousuke? Unlike you, who puts on a seductive voice for all men."

"I'm not being seductive! I'm just charming them!" Momoe retorts.

Momoe is the one who's flustered when she gets hit back.

"Charming someone and making them think they could do it too are two different things."

「That's terrible! I'm a pure girl!」

「If we ever go back to Earth, you can look up purity in the dictionary.」 「That's so annoying!」

Hmm, no one's trying to mediate, but is this more of a playful fight than an actual argument?

Boys can sometimes use violent language even when they're close friends, so if this is the girl version of that, I don't want to intervene.

「Hmm. There's no need to be angry. Momoko is what you'd call a virgin bitch in fiction.」 「What's with that awful word!」

「She's wild about sex but inexperienced. She's the crystallization of otaku fantasies. Momoko, you should be proud.」

「I don't feel happy about that... Ah, but you're an otaku too, right? So, would you be happy if I hadn't done anything with anyone?」

Momoko gives me a playful smile. She's targeting me now. 「...」 I don't know how to respond.

「If you mess with Sousuke, I'll kick you out of the base's barrier.」

「Don't say such scary things! I'm not messing with you! I'm just trying to be friends with Sousuke seriously!」

「Hehehe, your actions have lost my trust, so this is what happens. You're hopeless, Momoko.」 「Stop being so noisy, Nene!」

Honestly, the noisy Momoko is more familiar than she was in class.

That time, because of her behavior that seemed to lead me on, I couldn't tell what she really wanted.

Now, because her emotions are more direct, I find it easier to deal with her.

"We're almost at the first water source."

At Deep's words, everyone becomes more alert. It's the water source closest to our base.

It's fairly spacious, but smaller than a school pool.

"Deep, cut down all the trees near the water source. Trent can fell them, and we can store the wood later."

Trent is a human-faced tree that mimics trees, but it's indistinguishable from a tree when it's mimicking.

So, we'll just chop down every tree we come across. "I understand!"

"Then, as for Arvanc, I'll try to tame as many as possible."

It seems that Trent's taming ability has a limit to the number of creatures it can control at once. Also, there are unique monsters and behemoths that can't be tamed.

However, like other abilities, it can grow with practice.

At first, it could only control three, but now it can control up to a dozen or so.

There are some left to defend the base, so I probably won't be able to control too many, but they're a reliable force.

"Wh-When I find a unique individual, I will attempt to capture or detain them."

Even the sinister 'ability to manipulate shadows' is a powerful skill.

「If you run, I'll chase after you. Trust me.」

Shippuu has the skill ‘Enhanced Leg Strength’. Not only is he faster, but the power of his kicks has also increased, so he's apparently good at fighting.

「I'll support everyone. Go ahead and fight however you like.」

Tokiha is the deputy leader of the Seiou party. She has the ability 'Bow Technique Enhancement' in the archery club.

Her arrows have enhanced penetration power, and come with a tracking function.

Considering only surviving on a desert island, it's a pretty excellent ability, but at the moment it seems insufficient in attack power against powerful monsters.

She probably offered to be a support role because she's aware of this. "Momo isn't doing anything."

"If anything happens, let Seiou know."

Momo says she's not doing anything, but through information sharing among her clones, she's still able to communicate with her teammates even when they're apart.

Besides, the person named Momoko, as far as I've seen, is someone who would use her clones as a decoy or to protect her comrades if necessary.

Chiyu is in charge of healing and strengthening, Sera is responsible for maintaining the barrier and providing support if possible, and Genjuu can transform into a phantom beast in emergencies.

I plan to give orders and contribute by attacking with falling rocks and other methods. "Alright, let's begin." "Arajin!!"

When Shinpo waved her staff, countless blades of wind descended upon the forest below, slicing through the trees.

It didn't stop at mere deforestation; it also elicited muffled screams.

Those were the death throes of the Trents who had been hiding among the trees.

The water source suddenly became noisy, and the Aravanks began to show themselves on the ground.

"Here they are. Which one should I choose?"

When Inugai smiled, three or four Aravanks stopped moving, and in the next instant, their sharp claws pierced their kin. High-pitched animal cries echoed.

Hmm. They're on our side, so they're impressive, but it's quite a vicious ability, taming.

"Wind blades... I see, then let me do this."

A sinister shadow writhed and took the shape of a sword.

They stretched down to the ground and were then swung horizontally.

The bodies of the Arvancs split into upper and lower halves and disappeared after they died.

"Ha, Yumisen. My troops were taken out too."

"Ah...! I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" "I'm just joking. I'm counting on you." "Shut up..."!

Tekuha was riding Highrow while skillfully drawing her bow and shooting an Arvanc in the forehead.

The one who looks restless is Shippuu.

This strategy avoids the risk of going down to the ground, but conversely, it doesn't allow the characters who can shine on the ground to do so.

I'll have to wait for now, but I'll rely on them when the time comes.

I was using the storage function to launch rock attacks on the Arvancs, and I kept collecting the trees that Shinpou was cutting down into my 'Inventory'.

'Wood', 'Wood', 'Wood', 'Trent Branch', 'Wood'—oh, wait.

I shouldn't be celebrating now, but I got monster materials.

Shinpou cut off a Trent branch, and the storage function managed to catch it before the Trent died.

If you defeat them, the monster materials disappear, so in this chaotic situation, getting them is left to chance.

Crafting with monster materials is fun, but I should focus on the battle for now.

Just as I was thinking that,

countless spears shot out from the ground.

"Wait...! This is... roots, isn't it?"

The countless things that were breaking through the ground and stretching towards us were actually sharp-ended tree roots, if you looked closely.

This isn't normal Trent's attack.

"Ugh...! Sousuke, this is bad!"

The tree roots were repelled by Yerina's barrier, but they quickly regained momentum and attacked again.

"Oh, even though we should be invisible, you figured out we're here by the attacks, didn't you?"

As Inugai said, the enemy was targeting us, even though we should be invisible, and attacking.

"Yerina, can you tell how many times you can withstand this?"

「If you hit me with that attack three more times, the barrier will break. But it's okay, this is a world without MP, so I can just keep sticking it back together.」 「Yeah, please do.」 But the real problem is what happens next.

「Sousuke, is this a unique individual?」 「Probably.」

If the barrier gets torn up by three attacks from a unique individual, then the base's defenses can't be considered perfect anymore.

While hoping that Serina's ability will be further strengthened, it seems necessary to quickly deal with any additional unique individuals.

「I can't see it. Trents shouldn't be able to survive unless they're near water.」 Shinbo says with puzzlement.

Indeed, the description of Trents did mention the need for water.

But since Shinbo shaved everything down, one would think that if there were Trents nearby, they'd be noticeable.

No... If it can stretch its roots out, then the main body doesn't necessarily need to be near water to survive.

It can absorb water from far away through its roots.

If that's the case, then it's a hassle to look for it... No, let's try it here.

「Yinmen! Hold one of its roots!」

「Byai! I'll carry out Kouya-kun's order!」

For some reason, she blushed, but she did her job properly.

Forming her shadow into a giant hand, she squeezed the roots tightly to stop their movement. "Deep Magic!" "Yes! 'Wind Blade!'"

She responded without me having to explain anything.

The moment the tip of the roots was severed. "Storage!"

And I put it in my 'Inventory.' --'Needle Demon Tree Trent's Root.'

Good, I can get monster materials even from unique individuals.

Then, should I try to gather as much material as possible before defeating them?

There's also the possibility that I won't be able to get these materials again.

There are a lot of things I'm curious about, but I shouldn't think about them now.

The important thing is that I got the material.

And my ability has a new function.

I can now intuitively understand where I can get the materials I've obtained.

So, I know where to get the 'Needle Demon Tree Trent's Root.' ###

Right here, right now, and also from places far away, I can sense that it 'exists.' "Found it!" "Soo-kun, you look happy." ###

"Yeah, I get it. Sou-suke is so cute when he's doing craft-related stuff." ###

Chiyu and Serina seemed to be getting along well. ###

"I found a unique Trent individual! Mikuron, fly in the direction I tell you to." Black Dragon Mikuron nodded cheerfully. ###

"There don't seem to be any unique Arvank individuals here, so we'll follow you. Is that okay with you, Kite-ha-san?" "Yeah, is that fine with you, Kou-no?" "Yeah, let's go." Unique monster hunting. This is the 3/6 update.

The next regular update is scheduled for 3/31!

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