In just half an hour, Lulu had surpassed my level, and in another hour Nana had equaled me. I think this is quite serious."
"Agreed."
"We want strong enemies too!"
"To the prey!"
Arisa and Mia who are in seiza with their hands on their laps are having a meeting.
What kind of farce is that?
"Prey~?"
"Meat, better than fish nano desu!"
Huh? Pochi and Tama have come back before I know it. Their buckets are full with caught fish. Looks like they have also properly catch shellfish, shrimps and the likes. I feel like eating Paella when I see the shellfish. Sadly I can't make it since I don't know the recipe.
Pochi seems to be dissatisfied with having fish every day. Maybe I should make some steak from the wolf meats.
Lulu seems to have woken up, but she still looks unwell. I decide to cancel our departure today and let Lulu and Nana rest.
When I tell Arisa and Mia about the insect monsters in the cave, I end up sortieing for the third time while carrying the two on both of my sides. The two hate to have their level behind more than being alone together.
"Uha! R, running on water like this. A water strider!"
"Float walk?"
I've already told about this to Arisa and the others, but they seem to have thought that it's not a skill that could be used for prolonged time.
Mia is probably talking about Float Walk, an intermediate level water magic.
I'll surprise them by flying in the sky next time.
"No wonder Lulu's and Nana's hunts were fast."
"Convenient right?"
"Nn."
The insect hunts in the cave is done by repeatedly having Arisa and Mia attack first with their magic and for me to destroy the monster. Since the two's magic power run out in the middle of the hunt, the pattern changes into me attacking first with Remote Stun, then the two attack with short spear and dagger to give damage, and I finish off with the fairy sword.
An insect monster gives less exp than 10% of the exp gain from the newt monster earlier. From Arisa's observation of the exp during the hunt, it seems that she would level up once after 40-50 monsters.
I can't check my own exp since the counter has stopped with number 9s lined up. Judging from the digits, there's no mistake that it's more than ten millions. There's a gauge that indicate the percentage to the next level, I only know that there are still 80% left until then. I don't want to think the concrete points.
The high-pace efficiency-maniac-like hunt ends after defeating more than a hundred small monsters for two hours, and the result is that both Arisa and Mia level up by 2. In spite of the fact that Arisa's level remain higher (than Mia's), she would level up again after a bit more. The required exp for elves to level up might be around twice of human.
Nevertheless, I wonder what do these many monsters eat to multiply so much?
Mia answers that question.
"Spirits."
We can't see it, but it seems that there's a place underground lake with transparent water inside the cave where spirits gush out, the monsters are predating them. Correctly speaking, it's not predation, but absorption it seems, however since Mia doesn't know the detail, I'll ask the adults in Bornean forest about it.
I try to stare hard at the underground lake, but unfortunately I can't see the spirits.
◇
I'm practicing the fairy sword to master it after the meal to help digest the food.
I raise the sword overhead, stop, put magic into it and swing downward. And then when the sword is down I suck up the magic power from it, and quickly raise the sword that has become lighter.
I'm getting used with the weight-changing characteristic of fairy sword and the swing speed increases little-by-little. In 30 minutes, I've grasped the movement I want after repeating without stopping, I end the practice.
I've got applauses for some reason. Everyone has surrounded, watching me before I know it.
"Real~ly, cheat huh. Do you know what you've been doing?"
"It's just a form practice though?"
Like reaching the second self-taught form or something?
Arisa lays her hand on my nape, draws her face close and whispers.
"You don't seem to understand huh. Normally, one can't pour magic power into a sword that fast. Incidentally, you've even dispersed magic power from the sword, I'll say this again, something like absorption is impossible."
Is that so?
Since it's possible with Liza's magic spear, I've thought that it's obvious though?
"Isn't it because they think they can't that they end up not able to do it?"
"There's no way it's like that right? If people could so easily do it, something like magic potion isn't needed then. When you need to consume MP for magic, you could do something like absorbing magic power from a loaded magic tool, it could become the only battery."
Arisa releases her hands from my nape and takes up a giving-up pose.
I see, it's a good story.
I thank you Arisa. Since it's poor if it's just words, I hug her. Since Arisa is a mysterious creature who's fine with attacking but gets embarrassed when she's attacked by the proactive opponent, it's fun to occasionally do surprise attack.
For the time being, I should check the efficiency by pouring and absorbing magic power on the sword, putting it inside the storage for one night and the absorb the magic power from it; I decide to check how is the decay.
According to my expectation, it should be able to hold the same amount of magic power as I usually put it into.