Chapter 62
After chasing the bullies away, I had a bad premonition and tried to appraise Nell-kun.
And it hit the mark, his skill composition was like this.
【Punching C】【Hand-to-hand combat C】【Stealthy Steps】【Misfortune】
Isn’t he surprisingly strong? It’s a mystery why Nell-kun gets bullied, but now it’s more regrettable that he has【Misfortune】attached.
That guy was actually using his skill to harass others.
「Stalgia-san, tha-thank you. And your older brother as well…」
「I’m glad that you weren’t injured. Nell-kun, you are pretty strong, right? Why don’t you resist?」
「That’s… I am not good with real combat.」
He looks pretty gentle, and I guess is somewhat timid.
…There, a single girl rushes over to us.
「Nell, are you being bullied again?!」
A girl with a beautiful hair resembling threads of gold stands in front of us shielding Nell-kun and gives us a stern look.
「Si-sis. It’s not like that, it is my classmate Stalgia-san and her brother.」
「They are?! Oh no… What I, I’m sorry.」
My opinion of her improves as she admits her fault right away and apologies.
Even without looking at her properly, she is beautiful, many girls likely long to have such a slender figure. With black as the base color of her clothes and gloves on her hands, I thought that she looks a lot like a fist fighter and appraised her.
Name: Layla Overlock
Age: 16
Race: Human
Level: 148
Occupation: Student
Skills:
Punching A, Kicking A, Hand-to-hand combat B, Shukuchi, Stealthy Steps, Magic Fist.
She, she, she is so strong?!
To have the power of such level even though she is the same age as me…
「Hey, are you Noir-san? You’ve got an amazing score on the entrance exam for the hero school didn’t you?」
「Yes, how did you know?」
「I’m also a student from the hero school. My name is Layla, I transferred from abroad together with my younger brother. I am from A class.」
「Oh, I see, what a coincidence.」
Her strength is undoubtedly is that of S class, but let’s not poke there. As we were getting excited Alice and Nell were looking a little troubled.
I see, they have to head to school already.
「Alice, how about you go together with Nell-kun?」
「Understood. Let’s go, Nell-san.」
「Y-y-yes.」
「Be wary of bullies and other things, Nell.」
Before even a few seconds passed after Layla-san’s warning, Nell-kun stuck one foot into the ditch.
「Didn’t I tell you!」
After we cooperated and saved Nell-kun, Layla-san dejectedly said.
「After we came here Nell-kun is always unlucky… And it seems he is also being bullied. Since we live with only two of us I can’t help but be worried.」
「I’m sorry for causing you to worry…」
It seems that both of them, after all, had no idea about the source of bad luck, so I decided to explain it along with some introduction to my powers.
「——And so one of the bullies had a special skill. But I already destroyed it, I now will nullify the one on Nell as well.」
For 500 LP I destroy this【Misfortune】too.
「Now it’s fine.」
I said that, but there are no changes to the body so it might be hard to grasp the sensation. Both of them tilt their heads. For now, let’s hasten Alice and Nell-kun to school.
When I and Layla-san were left alone she, with a friendly smile, asked for a handshake and I gladly complied.
「I’d like to keep in touch with you. When we meet at school let’s get along.」
「Likewise, please treat me well.」
「I would like to talk some more, but I have work from now. Have a good summer vacation! 」
Probably pressed by time, she gave me a bright smile and ran away. I spent a while gazing at her golden hair and lovely figure from behind.
However, I felt signs of malice from behind me and turned around. There, at the edge of the street was a girl intently looking at me.
「Emma, you were around?」
「…Getting along with another girl again… Noir, Noir wouldn’t notice even if I was stolen by another man. Noir… Bakadon!」
「Wait, Emma?!」
As I immediately called out to her, I was a little surprised when she really stopped and waited. Emma looked back and said with a bit sullen face.
「I will wait this once. I will hear only one phrase. If those words will reach my heart… Maybe I’ll get over it. 」
To choose from an innumerable amount of words the correct answer, how difficult could that be. Moreover, it will have to pierce through Emma’s meaty bosom. But as a childhood friend, I cannot make a mistake here.
「If Emma was kidnapped by someone I will come to your help. Even if it is on the day of father’s funeral!」
「You father will cry… But Noir, what if when you came to help something weird was done to me? Won’t you call me filthy and leave?」
「There is no way Emma can be filthy. Even if you will have some dirt on you I will clean you with my skill so don’t worry.」
「That’s not what I am talking about! I wanted you to say you will accept me even if I was filthy.」
Yelling me not to follow her, Emma runs away from me at full speed. I thought of chasing after her but when Emma is like that it’s pointless to say her anything since she wouldn’t listen, so I gave up on that.
Let’s wait for time to solve it.
I was in a mood excessively craving for exercise so I went into the hidden dungeon.
I already cleared it up to the 7th floor so with【Dungeon Floor Movement】I travel to the 8th floor.
It had the same type of passage as the 5th floor. The straight path that then was turning to the left, yet I could not take the first step.
Because there was a strange sound.
*toom, doom, doom, dooom*
The heavy sound of something clashing that somehow induced a subtle sense of fear.
It wasn’t getting closer and it didn’t seem to be a monster’s footsteps. Go for it Noir, you can do it if you try.
Encouraging myself in my mind, I turn the corner.
「Eeh, so that was the cause.」
It became clear what was the source of the sound.
Part of the corridor had the walls coming forth from both sides clashing in the middle and then retreating again. They were as high as the ceiling with a thickness of about fifty centimeters.
Past the clashing walls was a normal passageway.
Was it a trap to crush those attempting to pass here? I tried shooting a few spells to break it but challenge ended in failure.
Looks like it was quite solid.
Which means there is no other option but to run through it with good timing? As it was going doom and doom it didn’t have that much speed.
「One, two, go.」
I started running aiming for the moment when walls were retracting… But got a bad feeling and stopped. Right answer.
*Don Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong*
The speed of the walls suddenly increased and now they were slamming before me at high-speed.
「I could have died! So close.」
If I wasn’t the owner of a chicken heart I would be minced by now.
It tricks you into dropping your guard by showing that you might pass through it and then squash. Good strategy. It even makes me think that these walls might be alive.
【Suspend】300 LP
【Create】will take only this much but the real question is how much 【Grant】will require.
…200, less than I expected. Well, walls aren’t originally supposed to be moving so that’s natural.
It’s just that there are two walls, so there was a possibility what that number will double. For starters, I will try one of them.
As I use bestow at the timing when the walls have retracted the sound disappears. The other one is still moving without a change but it goes back without hitting anything in the middle.
「Phew, nice, now I can safely pass.」
As if. A bit of acting just in case.
Pretending that I am about to pass normally I get only my toes in the opened passage.
I was concerned that it might be that pattern when first it leads you to the assumption that it cannot advance past the middle but actually turns out it can reach the opposite wall
「Oh, it seems okay. Hop.」
It seems that there are no hidden tricks, so I quickly pass through the wall trap. I still have more than 3000 LP left so let’s keep advancing.
I follow along the pathway. The path wasn’t particularly branching and walking a bit after turning I arrived at a dead end.
What got my attention was a signpost unnaturally posted in front of the wall.
There, was written…