Chapter 45: Armor Bear part.1


    “… Not a thing in there”


    Was Mei-chan’s impression upon cautiously peeking into the room. And then I looked, and saw nothing there as well. A deste room like that first Skeleton room we saw. Or actually, it’s more of a deserted space than anything. The walls aren’t even in stone blocks but have rough, rocky edges sticking out.


    “Thepass is showing straight through here”


    “So we don’t have to bother with the other paths right?”


    This cave-like room isn’t that big. The square-footing being around that of half a gymnasium, it’s like a circr hall. Since it’s empty and all, we could see from end to end. There’s the passage that thepass is pointing to, the one just opposite of us, and there are two more going into the 3 and 9 o’clock directions. If I also count the way we came in, this ce would be a truly literal cross-roads. Every exit looks exactly the same, and without thepass we’d be impossibly lost.


    “I think we’ll get to a fairy square after this”


    “Yeah, we’ve been walking for a while, so it’s about time”


    But it’s always these kinds of ces that are set up as boss rooms. Though at a nce, it doesn’t look like the Orthrus’ room, since there’s clearly nothing here, and it may as well be a simple vacant room. I don’t see any semnce of a transfer circle either.


    “I guess… there’s no boss here?”


    “Who knows. The floor isn’t stone, so it could evene out from underground”


    I’ve seen movies where some disaster ss monster attacks people by detecting them through sound. Stuff like the Mongolian Death Worm is kind of a staple in fantasy works too.


    “So, what now?”


    “We’ll use Rem to make sure”


    Now came the time where my little decoyes in super handy. Never mind being hesitant, I’m absolutely giddy that I can put the mud doll to some good use.


    Just as proimed in that painfully short description, she has the attribute of absolute obedience. Rem’s more than ready to carry out my scouting order. Showing not a bit of hesitation, she walks into the cave-like room.


    I’m simply watching over Rem who’s only acting on orders, but Mei-chan kinda had a look of pity. Who knows, maybe she’ll snap if I gave out too many harsh orders? No look, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs alright.


    As I was uselessly considering these things, Rem kept walking the span of the room when,


    “GOoaAAAAAAAAAA!!”


    My whole body jumped from that single roar. You think it was simple fear? Nay, even the Orthrus let out this level of volume. The moment I heard this particr cry, I only felt pure terror. The reason? It’s very simple.


    It’s because I know the originator of this voice.


    “A-Armor Bear…”


    It appeared slowly from the 9 o’clock passage, the great, gray form. Shielded by a sharp steel carapace, this is the most powerful monster I know.


    As if announcing the continuation of the nightmare from that day, the Armor Bear had appeared before me once again. It had the same look, even the same intimidating aura as back then.


    “Kotarou-kun, that’s the—”


    “It was literally a miracle I could beat it one time. We need to avoid this fight any way we can”


    I already told her about my struggle with the Armor Bear when we first met. With that peculiar appearance it’s got, Mei-chan must have recognized it instantly.


    So as not to provoke it as much as possible, I suspended Rem’s movements right then and there. Like a puppet with its strings cut, I stopped it dead still in the middle of the room.


    “You aren’t getting her back?”


    “The bear’s got a good nose. I think it knows we’re here too.”


    Simr to when I dropped my lunch, or my gym jacket, the Armor Bear stuck its nose into Rem’spletely still body, and started sniffing. But both visually and in the olfactory sense, Rem being only a collection of metallic bones was quickly judged as not appetizing at all. The Armor Bear lost interest in no time and—


    “Ahh, shit… didn’t work at all”


    It roared after seeing us in the passage.


    Shifting itsrge steel body, the Armor Bear slowly, yeah, just like back then, with the dignity of a ruler, it calmly approached us.


    “I’ll hold it back”


    “No wait, it’s better not to get up close— Rotten Bog“


    Opportuning the fact that the Armor Bear wasn’ting with an all out rush, I make the attempt to try at a defensive battle of deadly acid. I really don’t think it can make a great leap over the bog like a Goar would with the kind of body it has. If I manifest my maximum size, my 5 meter wide bog, it’s gonna have to step in if it wants to get to us.


    As my blood-red swamp takes shape, the Armor Bear is almost here. Seeing a sudden ominous pool appearing in front of it, it stopped as expected. And again as expected, it got close and sniffed. I was hoping it’d identally drink some and go die somewhere but—


    “GooAA!!”


    I guess I can’t expect it to be that dumb.


    So you get it right? Coming closer is dangerous, and you should realize there’s nothing you can do about it so just—


    “Eh”


    The Armor Bear just stepped into my poisonous bog. Naturally, the crimson water with its unbelievable acidity was sizzling like crazy, releasing white fumes all around.


    “GAA!!”


    But that’s it. The Armor Bear was like, don’t make me walk this filth, punks, and made a cry of annoyance. It was crossing over my certain-kill Rotten Bog like no big deal.


    “Get inside!“


    “Got it!“


    Me from the right, and Mei-chan from the left, we simultaneously leap out from the entrance. I also call in Rem, who was in suspended animation, so shees back to me.


    There’s a good reason why we didn’t retreat deeper into the passage, but intentionally entered inside the room.


    First of all, since we saw how Rotten Bog won’t work, we can’t avoid closebat. If we ran back into the passage, there’s no telling how persistently this bastard will chase us. With the Armor Bear behind us, if we add in all the Zombies and Goars we’re sure to get along the way, it’ll be the worst case scenario. I can see no way of us living through that kind of deadly pincer.


    So if we’re gonna fight it anyway, I’d rather we concentrate on the Armor Bear alone. And this ce is better for Mei-chan too as she can use the full reach of the long axe. In other words, defeating it here, in this room, is our best and only option for survival.


    Incidentally, if we try running to the supposed fairy square up ahead, it’d be useless. The fairy square is only a location where monsters inherently don’t approach, but if one sees their delicious prey scampering inside, it can step in with no real issue. It’s not a game-like, absolute safe ce, and nor does it conveniently and omnipotently repel monsters and monsters only.


    Anyway, Mei-chan perceived my will to settle it here. I don’t know if she understands all the reasoning behind it, but really, someone like her, believing in me without the slightest hesitation, she’s the sort ally I’d pretty much never find elsewhere.


    We can do this, me and her. Some Armor Bear, we’ll show it who’s boss any day!


    “Entwine its escape— ckhair Bind”


    The Armor Beares back from the bog with nonchnt demeanor as always.


    It looks at Mei-chan, then me, and Mei-chan again, finally choosing her as its target. You really want that meat huh?


    Damn fucking pervert, well I’ll leave the name-calling to the side. The beast is seriously nning to take on Mei-chan, so I’m d I can concentrate on support. That being said, I make no pause in unleashing ckhair Bind at max strength. I can currently do 5 braids tops. Just one has the strength to stop a Zombie dead in its tracks, and each have a length of a whooping 5 meters.


    Me going full-throttle, five ckhair tentacles bind the Armor Bear. Both forelegs, both hindlegs, and finally the neck, I entwine and restrain each part with a braid. The beast’s advancees to a grinding halt.


    “HaaAAAAAAAAaa!!”


    And Mei-chan, fitting the name of Berserker to a T, would never let go of such a perfect chance. As if waiting for my support, just as the restraints looked set, with perfect timing she burst forth with explosive strength and—


    “GAAAA!!”


    As that sharp roar echoed, I was made to realize the utter meaninglessness of my curse. Every one of my ckhairs that were supposed to be holding the Armor Bear were suddenly torn to shreds, and were miserably blown off.


    “Guh!?”


    Fearing not the axe that could possibly destroy its helmeted head, the Armor Bear instead bashed against the de in stark contrast of action. This acted as a counter and tackle at the same time, blowing Mei-chan away.


    No matter how big I usually describe Mei-chan as, against a monster that’s length-wise crossing 4 meters, she’s nothing much. Her whole body danced through the air as if she had suddenly be a frail little girl.


    “Ah, damn… My axe…”


    She flew at quite the momentum, crashed and rolled on the ground, raising dust, but was nheless quick to get back up and, that’s what she said. No talk of getting hurt, and not a single cry of pain, Mei-chan wasn’t concerned about her own well-being or anything, but more about the loss of her weapon.


    “Uaah, n-no way…”


    There’s a lot to say about Mei-chan and the state of her womanliness, but I’m pretty anxious about her loss of the axe just like she is.


    The axe wasing at unfathomable speed, and the Armor Bear voluntarily tackling into it, the collision resulting in the sad destruction of the former. The de had hit a particrly thick spike on the especially bulky shoulder armor. The spike was broken through, and the steel shell was marked with a gash, but that had been the limit for the weapon.


    The axe’s de cracked apart. And what’s worse, its wooden handle had snapped from the middle. It’s clear that it won’t be functioning as a weapon any longer. Mei-chan now only has this stick in her hand that was even worse than a wooden club.


    “Mei-chan! The sword!”


    The weapon switch-up turned out for the worse. The steel sword that is likely the only thing we got that can take on the Armor Bear is currently with me. If Mei-chan still had it, she could’ve counter-attacked right away.


    The only weapons she has remaining are the fairly dull hatchet and knife, one each. Compared to the sword, the quality is like heaven and earth. And that difference is being demonstrated clearly right now, in this life and death battle.


    So I started running, meaning to get it to her by any means.


    “NO, Kotarou-kun!“


    “I’ll be fine! The Bear’s still set on you!”


    d she’s worried for me, but if I don’t put my life on the line here, we’re both done for. The bog’s poison was ineffective, and my ckhair restraints were easily broken through, putting a definitive end to whatever curses I had in mind for support. So the least I can be useful for is delivering a good weapon to her.


    Clumsily taking out the sword from its scabbard, I shout out my orders.


    “Go, Rem!”


    Forget the body-guarding, and go help Mei-chan. I imagine it impossible for her shabby Goma’s spear to do anything to that tough armor, but just diverting its attention for a bit would be enough.


    “GoaAAAAAAAAAAAA!!“


    As I attempted to move, the Armor Bear furiously chased after Mei-chan. After having mmed her with a tackle, it elerated itsrge frame into a charge, and nned to take her down while she was still half standing.


    “Kuh…”


    Mei-chan had already corrected her posture, and nimbly dodged the rushing Armor Bear like a matador. But without any real weapon, she had no way to follow up with a stab to its defenseless back.


    The Armor Bear swerved around in that posture, and bearing knife-sharp ws extending from its paw, it swung its massive foreleg like a storm. I’d be literally minced faced with that, but Mei-chan who’d since gotten a great grasp of her Knight skill, Foresight, dodged it by a hair’s breadth.


    “Dammit, goddammit… running out of time”


    There’s no telling how long Mei-chan’s god-tier dodging willst. She’s having to concentrate so much on this seemingly never-ending burst of one-sided attacks that she didn’t have any way to counter with her knife of hatchet either.


    Naturally, I can’t just waltz into that sort of war zone, and hand over the sword to her. Even using Rem as a decoy seems iffy. I would fail the mission, and Rem would get destroyed meaninglessly.


    Feels like I’m missing something…


    “I got nothing to lose, so take this— Red Fever”


    I use it on the Armor Bear anyway. But as it hasn’t eaten any redshrooms of the like, I think a little heat won’t bother it the slightest. It’s already fired up and raging around, so a bit of extra body-temperature won’t even be a bother.


    But that’s no biggie. That was only for the heck of it anyway. Here’s the real deal.


    “I’ll distract it for just a bit alright!”


    If it’s Mei-chan, I’m sure she’ll get what I mean. The only good thing about fighting monsters, you can shout out all your ns and there’s no problem.


    That being the case, I fire up my ckhair Bind one more time. This time, I’m not making 5, but putting all that power together, making it bigger, longer, into one huge braid— no, weaving the threads precisely, I make it into a sash. The jet-ck, glossy sash moved nimbly like the usual tentacles, and caught the Armor Bear from behind.[1]


    “Gauh— ”


    Freely moving ording to my thoughts, the tentacle wrapped around the Armor Bear’s head. Winding around over and over and, after just moments, it had made a turban for the beast.


    But this bastard can easily cut up my hairs with the spikes in its armor. The reason my binding on all its limbs were shredded almost simultaneously was because they had caught into those thorns in its shell. Its head that looks like its wearing a helmet also equipped this manner of pointed protrusion, so my current means of restraint will be broken apart soon enough. Even without the spikes, it could use its fangs, its ws, just anything really.


    But this definitely did blind the bastard, and stopped its attacks on Mei-chan.


    “Thanks Kotarou-kun!”


    Mei-chan swiftly takes distance from the Armor Bear, and runs towards me.


    The Armor Bear looked boiling mad, scratching around its face as if it got mites, it quickly tore apart the ckhair belt.


    But when the bear regained its vision, Mei-chan had already arrived. We’repletely out of the Armor Bear’s range. And in one more step, I can hand over the sword I’m holding out.


    “GaAAAAAAAAAAa!!”


    Right as the mad roar beat into my eardrums, a shock ran through my body. A dull pain erupted throughout.


    I didn’t even know, what happened. Like what even. It felt like I was suddenly punched out of thin air.


    “Uu, Aa… Aaa…”


    When I came to, I was on the ground. Shit hurts. Not cause I hit my back falling, my whole body… no, more on my left arm, side, and thigh I guess. My whole left side is stinging like crazy. Like that time I was in a snowball fight in gradeschool, I got hit with a snowball right in the stomach. That ball had a rock inside which I swear was full of murderous intentions, and that’s the sort of pain I’m currently feeling.


    Ah, I get it now, it’s a rock. It was rocks. In small pellets like a shotgun.


    Earth attribute magic— I first thought, mostly cause the gamer inside me was fooling around. How fucking stupid. Tasting this humiliation, I thought how I should’ve realized this simple fact much sooner. Along with the iron-like taste of blood, the repulsive taste of dirt spread through my mouth.


    That’s right, the Armor Bear would know it won’t reach us, so it used projectiles. Making a submarine pitch motion, it gouged out the earth and made it fly. For a bear that size, it’d be easy to dig up a decent amount of dirt. It did just that, and sted the rocks found inside straight at me.


    For the bastard, I’d imagine it wasn’t that big deal of an attack, just a small revenge for my actions. But on my end, this kind of physical damage scores hard every time.


    “GOAAAAA!?”


    Seeing the Armor Bear yelling from the surprise pain, it just goes to show how much damage it cause me. Good ol’ Pain Return that likes to show up in thete-game made its appearance, and showed the bear what hurt feels like.


    “Kotarou-kun!?”


    Ah oops, sorry Mei-chan… The pain was a bit too much, I let go of the sword. It’s a bit far to bring back.


    “Ugh, Uuu… Ouch, f’kin hurts…”


    Sure it’sme, I’m trying to stand up as tears blur my eyes. Shut up with the “Ouch”, the least you can do is y tough and do a “I’m all good!” From all the pain, I had sumbed to crying out, but returned back to action somehow.


    But the simple fact that I can do so, only means that the Armor Bear that’s way many times tougher than me can do it much sooner.


    Pain Return is supposed to dish out the same proportion of pain I received, but the Armor Bear got up from its tilted posture, and as if saying its pain was already gone in the wind, it came charging.


    “Kuh… yaAAAAAAa!!”


    In an instant, Mei-chan looked at me, the Armor Bear, grasped the situation fully. Drawing the knife and hatchet from her waist, she took stance. Forgoing the sword, she stood right beside the absolute hindrance that is me, and with those pathetic excuses for weapons, she determined to take the crazed Armor Bear head on.


    “GAAAAa!!”


    The storm ofbat restarts. Right in front of me sh the rusty des against sharp ws. It had be a domain I can’t imagine to invade with my measly curses. And I didn’t have the time to consider it either, their showdown saw its end instantly.


    “—!?”


    Knife cracked apart, hatchet broken midway. Still holding onto the weapons that had lost every part of their purpose, Mei-chan was blown away at terrific speed. The spray of scarlet arcing in the air told of the severity of her wound.


    Their crossing of des was over in a sh, but I could follow it, if slightly. Mei-chan’s des had actually made it past the Armor Bear’s shell, tracing along the joints in its shoulder and leg, but the issue was depth. With the in horrid quality of her weapons, she only prated a slight bit of skin.


    Since she had attempted to make her attack pass through that tempestuous chaos, this time, Mei-chan’s Foresight couldn’t make it in time to dodge. And she got hit. Even while abandoning all defense to make a fearsome Berserker’s attack, she couldn’t ovee the sheer difference in muscle.


    “Mei-chan! Hang in there!!”


    “Uuo, k…”


    After having rolled on the dirt that covered her all over in mud, Mei-chan slightly twitched. But that’s it. It wasn’t likest time where she got up and ready for battle without dy.


    I could see both Mei-chan’s arms deeply wounded. She must’ve used them to block right on the verge of taking those ws.


    But we all know there’s no way you can block razor-charp ws with naked skin. Her arms were torn up sleeves and all, and I could clearly see blood seeping out vividly. Even If she got the sword now, she wouldn’t be able to put it to good use.


    “I’ll buy some time! Just get up somehow!”


    I had Mei-chan keep Ointment A, along with a variety of meds on her person. Both her arms are in a terrible state, but herbo of Ointment A and Blessed Body, she should heal her somewhat.


    It’s our only hope of making aeback. A Shaman like me doesn’t even stand a 1 in a billion chance to beat an Armor Bear. And obviously too, we’re already at the face-to-face stage, and there wasn’t any poisoned food trap triggered beforehand.


    Only Mei-chan can beat it. If we can’t get her back into the game, this won’t be a fight, but simple annihtion, no, from the Armor Bear’s side, we’d simply be dinner.


    So I absolutely need to put myself out there, hopefully buy some time so Mei-chan cane back healed. Strangely, I didn’t think of running away.


    Maybe I can sense it instinctively that I have no chance in surviving if I ran away by myself.


    “Ghrrrr!!“


    “Hii!?”


    Having that said, there’s no way I’m not scared. It’s great that I jumped out to block its path from getting to Mei-chan, but one re from the Armor Bear, and my voice breaks, my body trembles in fear. With this crazy huge monster staring me down, I feel death looming right above. I’ll be scattered meat any time this bastard chooses.


    “C-c-coe at me, damn bear!! I’ll fuck you up!”


    I stand before the Armor Bear as if trying to defend the fallen Mei-chan behind me. Looking at my tiny little knife, and pitiful excuse of a shaky-voiced taunt, the Armor Bear snorted roughly as if saying, “What’s with this pipsqueak, fuck off”, and continued to re at me.


    But I do have its attention now. Just like the time I encountered those delinquents from Kuro high downtown, at first, me and the Armor Bear are in a fierce stare down. It wouldn’t be strange if those giant paws make my neck fly any time.


    “What’s wrong, you chicken!? If you’re gonna do it, then do it, just don’t kill me ok? Pretty please!!”


    If it doesn’t kill me, then I have Pain Return as myst defense. Those ws can cut me up, but if it’s not fatal, then I can return that damage back. If I can at least get a gash across that shell, Mei-chan’s chances of winning will go up all at once.


    That’s why, the only action I can take is akin to a suicide bomber.


    Look at it Momokawa Kotarou, observe every millimeter of its attack. You avoid a fatality here, and the Armor Bear’s as good as dead. So look at it, and make sure to—


    “Ah”


    I sounded, by which point, those huge ws were right in my face. They looked heavy enough to sever me into multiple sections. Like arge knife, they’d start from the tip of my shoulder, sending my meat, bones and entrails to an all expenses paid trip to dissectionnd.


    It’s totally over-the-top overkill.


    And though I knew all that, I didn’t more an inch. I couldn’t move I should say. Leaving aside curses, it wouldn’t make sense for a weak ass highschooler like me to actually dodge from a real monster.


    My ns were all na?ve.


    “—aAA!”


    Blood sprays. The feeling of something hot grazing my body is the same as back then. Yeah, that feeling of a sharp w slicing into you, it’s more of a heat than pain.


    “AA! AAAAAAAA!!”


    And the excruciationes right after— wait, it’s strange, it looks like I’m kinda alright. My uniform is still on me, and I haven’t dropped my insides either.


    In contrast, there were dregs of ck bone sticking to me.


    “Ah, AAAh… Rem!!”


    And then I finally put it together. Rem had tackled me with all her might, and thanks to that I managed to avoid the Armor Bear’s finisher.


    I was saved. And in return, Rem became a sacrifice. Her skeletal structure left only from the chest up, everything below was scattered here and there.


    Rem wasn’t moving anymore. Still clinging to my fallen body, all her functions had ceased.


    Sorry Rem, and thanks… You really were super useful.


    “GoaaAAAAAAAAAA!!”


    Looking at the roaring Armor Bear, I could see 4 gashes going across its body. It’s thick chest armor shred apart, the lines ran down till its abdomen. Seems like those the tips of it’s ws traced shallowly all along my upper body.


    Me and the bear both shed blood from our wounds, and both cried out from the consequent pain.


    “Tch, it still wasn’t enough, damn…”


    It’s a level of damage where even I can stay conscious. Even if it’s shell is a bit cut up, the Armor Bear is A-OK.


    Looks like, it’s prided armor being broken, its blood being caused to shed by some smallfry really got on its nerves. It was ring at me like no tomorrow.


    It raises its log-like, no, its massive steel pir-like paw. Once thates down, I’m dead for sure. I’m still lying on the ground here, and in no posture to move away.


    Shit, its recovery speed is too damn fast— that’s all I could think as I stared tear-blurred at the paw raised over me, not even ready to ept this stupid death.


    “—GAA!”


    But that death didn’te however long I waited. Before I noticed, its paw was lowered without cutting a thing, and as if it waspletely oblivious of my existence, the Armor Bear was looking elsewhere. I could even tell from down here, those sharp eyes were cautious.


    Just once, that huge Armor Bear, actually shivered.


    Huh, literally what could be there that made this damn monstrosity scared? As I turn myself around with that question in mind, right there was Mei-chan, standing.


    Her arms still dripping in blood, shrouded in a crimson aura, she was there, standing.


    “Mei-chan, don’t tell me… you used Reagent X!?”


    ________________________


    [1] So sash, or obi err… have you seen Tsugumomo? It’s super interesting~ The manga is even better.