"Weaponsss~!"
"Weaponsss!!"
Making a bizarre sound as if breathing in while vocalizing, Quillrob laughed with a creaking giggle as a fourth arm sprouted from its body, wrapping around the hand of the motionless man gripping his sword.
Above the man's head, blood and flesh from his already dead, dismembered companion poured down with splashing sounds, and with the tearing sounds of armor, skin, and muscle being ripped away, the arm holding the sword was torn out along with the shoulder.
Without even time to scream in agony, four sword blades struck the man down, cutting through him while he stood.
"Ahhh!"
"Mon...monster..."
"It can't be...it can't be...how...how could such a monster..."
The moment they saw their companion's body split before their eyes, Koolt and his two remaining companions stood frozen in place.
Mental paralysis from terror. With pale faces drained of blood and tears welling in their eyes, they stared at the approaching Quillrob. At that moment, Weirara's voice echoed from the distance.
"Get out of the way, you idiots!"
Crackle, crackle. Crackle-snap!
Weirara appeared with purple lightning wrapped around both arms like coils.
The lightning branches wrapped around the arms gathered to form shapes like the front paws of a beast with sharp claws.
As Weirara crouched and continued gathering energy, more and more lightning branches discharged into the surrounding ground.
'This is a strike using all my mana! Lightning Claw!'
With the sound of thunder, Weirara leaped high into the air and fell toward Gravel, leading with the massive lightning claws wrapped around both arms.
"I'll smash that magic armor you're wearing!"
Weirara's descending body seemed to swell greatly as all the fur stood on end, showing bulging eyes and fangs while shouting.
"It's alright."
Facing the charging Weirara, Nia tried to draw a sword, but Gravel placed a hand on Nia's shoulder, saying it was alright and stopping Nia's action. Then, showing his palm toward Weirara, he deployed a magic circle.
"Toktura Kaihari Dutse! (Toktura's Stone Fist)"
As Gravel chanted the spell's name, from within the magic circle glowing with bright yellow light, a rock carved in the shape of a giant fist with a brown color tinged with red light emerged, large enough to obscure Weirara's form.
"Ughh!"
The rock fist flew at such incredible speed that its form appeared blurred and distorted, striking Weirara. The purple lightning wrapped around Weirara's body lost its power, scattering like a candle flame before strong wind, and along with Toktura's stone fist, Weirara disappeared flying toward where tree branches cast deeper shadows.
Subsequently, crunching sounds were heard several times in succession, and finally, the sound of rock breaking like thunder echoed from the distance.
'Too bad... Toktura's earth magic is characterized by delicate and beautiful carved patterns... It was too fast to get a good look...'
"Is the paralysis completely gone?"
"...Hm? Ah! It's completely fine now."
Nia, who had been staring blankly in the direction where Gravel's rock fist had passed, answered Gravel.
"That was a Reru, wasn't it? That black-furred one just now..."
"That's right. A cat-like Reru."
"Yes. In any case, it seems to have been dealt with."
Using the ability of Scopiomiro, a mana vein for enhanced vision, Gravel confirmed Weirara's form lying lifeless among the broken rock fragments and fallen trees in the distance, and spoke to Nia.
"Quillrob is almost finished too."
While Weirara was attacking Gravel, Koolt and his two remaining companions had also responded to Weirara's momentum and charged toward Quillrob.
One who tried to attack from above Quillrob's head by climbing a tree was impaled along with the tree by a sword in Quillrob's hand, staining the tree red with blood as he fell. The man who charged straight at Quillrob in a direct line also collapsed to the ground as his waist was severed by two of Quillrob's swords swung parallel to the ground.
The last one remaining was Koolt. Thinking that Quillrob only targeted those with weapons, Koolt put down his sword and prostrated himself before Quillrob. In this desperate situation, it was the best idea he could come up with by speeding up his thought process.
'Since you want weapons, I offer you my sword.'
'I will not oppose you.'
Koolt lowered his body toward the incomprehensible Quillrob, prostrating himself with his forehead nearly touching the ground.
"Hhuuuu~"
The chilling breathing sound of Quillrob, which made one's whole body break out in goosebumps, reached Koolt's ears.
Then came the sound of Quillrob's eyeballs moving like stirring sticky swamp mud, and it picked up the sword lying in front of the prostrate Koolt.
'It's quiet... Did it work...?'
After seeing the sword lifted before his eyes, he breathed carefully, calmed his trembling jaw, and slowly raised his head.
Before the raised head of Koolt, seven sword blades were approaching.
To Quillrob, Koolt had simply changed from being an enemy holding a weapon to an enemy who had put down his weapon and prostrated himself.
Only the sounds of flesh and bone being cut and Koolt's brief scream spread through the quiet forest.
Shortly after, having completed its given task, Quillrob approached Gravel. After placing the swords it held in front, its body began to shimmer and melt like a candle near hot flames, dissolving into the ground and disappearing.
*****
On the way back to the Grand Market with Gravel and Nia. After emerging from the dim Tolaka tree forest, the sun was setting.
Even after leaving the forest, they had to walk through tall grass for quite a while before reaching the road marked with wagon wheel tracks leading to the Great Market.
"Karka Gravel. I have something I'm curious about."
Nia, who had been walking silently beside Gravel, broke the silence and asked.
"Yes. Please tell me."
"Why did you help me?"
Nia turned to look up at Gravel walking beside on the road.
"Hmm... Partly because I saw you being kidnapped while talking with that person called Koolt... and partly because your appearance reminded me of an old friend. And most decisively, because I overheard their conversation from afar."
Gravel answered while looking up at the setting sky, as if recalling something.
"Does Karka also have a Droko friend?"
"Probably not Droko... Among the dragon-like Saurr races, it's the smallest race called Glecker."
"I've never heard of such a race."
"Yes. It's not a race that exists on the Laviroon continent. The person I know resembles Nia not just in appearance, but also in using a long weapon like that sword at your waist. Except instead of a straight double-edged sword like Nia's, that friend used a curved blade sharpened on only one side."
"Hmm... Then, was that friend as strong as Karka Gravel?"
"Yes. Very strong. When we occasionally went on adventures together, as a mage, I would stay in the back while that friend always stood in front protecting me."
In Grand World Online, the Glecker race was far too disadvantageous for close-combat classes. They were small in stature and lacked the stats that close-combat classes needed compared to other races of the same level. With their agility and small size, they were better suited for scout or rogue classes.
Dororo, the Dragon Blade Emperor(龍刀帝). Despite all the disadvantages of the Glecker race, this player had spent a long time adventuring in the eastern part of the continent, building fame to the point of receiving the title "Dragon Blade Emperor" from the Eastern Emperor, becoming widely known among users and NPCs in Grand World Online for skill and experience.
One of Gravel's few friends who had become close through occasional meetings and correspondence. In Gravel's eyes, that friend's image overlapped with Nia's appearance, climbing back through nostalgic old times and recalling those enjoyable moments.
'Come to think of it, I came to this other world without even being able to boast to Dororo about finally obtaining the Sword of East End. I'm sure we would have celebrated together...'
Gravel smiled bitterly while touching the Sword of East End at his waist.
"Karka. When we return to the Grand Market, I'll treat you to delicious food."
Nia said to Gravel, who was walking with head down looking at the ground. Probably thinking that Gravel's somewhat lonely expression was due to hunger. When hungry, one feels sad. One's steps lack energy.
"Oh? Delicious food. I'm very much looking forward to it."
"It's Kisha's Sheep. I want to let Karka taste Hoomsha too."
"Hoomsha? Is that the name of a dish? Haha. I'll look forward to it. I can't wait to taste it."
Seeing Gravel's brightened expression, Nia was convinced that the guess was right and laughed loudly along with Gravel. Upon reaching the highest hill of the hilly area, the Grand Market could be seen in the distance.
In the gradually darkening grassland, diligent merchants had lit fires here and there. The small lights of different colors scattered across the grassland looked incredibly beautiful.
"Karka. Karka is good with both magic and sword, that's amazing. I want to learn magic someday too."
"Haha. Are you praising me? I haven't been learning the sword for very long. Nia is probably much more familiar with swords than I am. And magic is as difficult to learn as knights training the mana veins of the Steel Path."
"Mana veins? I don't know what that is."
"Hmm? Then, have you heard of the Steel Path?"
"I'm hearing it for the first time."
Hearing completely unfamiliar terms, Nia's eyes widened, stopping mid-step and blinking while staring at Gravel.
Gravel too had thought that with Nia's level seen at the octagonal arena, even if unfamiliar with the Steel Path, knowledge of mana veins and their training methods would be natural. The words he was about to say became tangled in his head, losing direction, and he could only stare blankly at Nia with vacant eyes.
"Hmm... First, we'll need to study about mana veins. And to use magic, the total amount of mana would be small, so that too... I haven't been training mana veins for very long either, so I won't be much help."
"It's fine, Karka. If it's something Karka Gravel teaches, I'll learn anything."
Nia showed clenched fists, displaying a heart of determination.
"Then let's walk to that Kisha's Sheep Nia mentioned in the Grand Market while I teach you the basics... Ah! And I've been curious about this for a while... what does Karka mean?"
"It means lifesaver."
Nia answered Gravel with a bright smile.