I try to observe the man eater from a distance away. It is simply a huge pitcher plant. It is about six meters in total length, and it has many branches. (It is too troublesome, so I call them tentacles.) Yurika’s corpse is hanging from one of those tentacle. The Fang wolf is also hanging in the same manner, like preserved food.s
By the way, Yurika is now stark-naked. I think her clothes were just a hindrance for the man eater. That couldn’t be helped. I can see that because we are going to fight against the man eater. But…
[It is no good.] Mio says. [A beautiful girl being attacked by tentacles is okay, but it isn’t good, at all, if she was killed.]
Mio is right. If I see a lifeless girl being strangled, I only feel pity. I don’t have any erotic feelings, at all. Is that the way it preserves its food, or does it has another use for it?
A : Slightly rotted is the most delicious.
…For real?
My opinion about the man eater has totally changed.
[Phew! I think it was a good idea to come here,] I begin. [Let’s drop our status a little and use this as battle training.]
[Understood,] Sakura says. [How should we fight this time?]
Sakura asks me. Hmmm…
[Let’s do something different from usual and focus on long-range attack.] I begin. [Sakura and Mio will be the main damage dealers, and the rest of us will support them. The man eater’s movement is quite slow, so poison and acid aren’t much of the threat at long range, either. I think we will be safe as long as we stay out of the tentacles’ range.]
Even if the damage is small, I’m not an enthusiast of seeing cute girls suffering from poison or acid on their skin. Acid on their clothes is okay, though.
[I intend to recoverYurika’s body after this.] I say.
[Why?] Maria asks. [Do we actually have a reason to do that?]
You are certainly right. We have no reason to recover Yurika’s body, but the situation has changed.
[It is nothing personal, but I want to stop that man eater.] I reply.
Since that guy’s presence is dangerous, we have to be extremely cautious.
[Understood.] Maria says. [I will try to recover her body.]
Maria volunteers to do that. She is the quickest among us. I think she is suitable for this job.
<<dora can="" fly="" too="">> Dora adds via telepathy.</dora>
That is the case, too. Because Dora’s <flight> skill is LV7, it is unlikely she will be caught by those tentacles.
[It is possible,] I say. [However, Dora doesn’t have much experience in dog fighting yet. It is too dangerous if you don’t have prior experience before. So I will leave this role for Maria this time.]</flight>
[Please leave it to me,] Maria says. [I will complete it without fail.]
<<boo>> says Dora.
Dora becomes sullen. So cute. Since she is so cute, I can’t do anything but pat her. Of course, I do.
<<eh>> Dora groans.</eh></boo>
[Why? Although I was chosen, why do I feel such regret?] Maria asks.
Dora’s mood is already fixed, but Maria looks a little bit sad. I can’t help but pat her, too. Of course, I do. I mean, I just rub her ears.
[fuwa~, hauuu…] – Maria
A good reaction as usual, but this is the middle of a forest with a monster in it. Do you want me to pat it? Why? Ha, ha, ha.
[Maria, you go recover Yurika’s body and then use “Warp” to return to us.] I say.
[Yeah… Uh… No, it’s all right,] Maria begins. [I’m going to cut down any tentacles during my return.]
Maria was certainly in character when she said that. She could, indeed, go there, cut some tentacles and return with just her evasion ability.
[If you are in danger, use “Warp” immediately.] I say.
[Yes, I will.] Maria says.
By the way,everyone has Sakura’s <original magic="">, including “Warp.” It seems she can create the same magic she already did at relatively lower cost, about least than half of usual MP. So… I have copies of it for everyone. I have a feeling it is like development and mass-production costs.
After having a little meeting, our tactic is determined.