In <FoS>, cooperation with companion NPCs is essential, and naturally, managing their affection is extremely important too.
There are various methods.
Giving gifts.
Conversing regularly.
Carrying out the occasional <Bond Event>, and so on.
……Which method did I prefer most?
Naturally, the easiest and most intuitive one in FoS.
Joint combat.
Fighting together, that is.
***
I rushed over to the broken wall.
The wolf bastard, having tumbled noisily through dozens of rotations, got up looking far more intact than I'd expected.
Lick.
The thing was even calmly licking its tousled fur while it looked at me.
Why was that?
It was nothing more than a Magic Beast, yet I could sense mockery in its eyes.
As if it were saying, 'You moron. Did you think I would move according to your will?'……
[With your keen Intuition, you have accurately guessed the Magic Beast's inner thoughts.]
[Hostility of the Beast Type decreases.]
[Information on 'Silver-Mane Wolf' has been added.]
Silver-Mane Wolf
Holds humans in contempt.
That son of a bitch.
Absurdity was on the verge of swallowing my anger, but this was no time to keep leisurely locking eyes.
"M-Mr. Kaindel!"
At the urgent cry, I turned to look back, and a sight straight out of hell was spread before me.
"Fuck."
Blackish tentacles stretched out in every direction, devouring everything around them indiscriminately.
How on earth am I supposed to stop that?
This being the last car, there was nowhere left to retreat.
And jumping off trusting my body, like that wolf bastard, wasn't possible either…….
I gritted my teeth once and shouted.
"Light!"
"P-pardon?"
"When I signal, cast Light! Right in front of the beast's eyes!"
I didn't know whether he'd grasped my intention, but regrettably, there was no more time to explain.
I immediately picked up the key rolling around on the floor and jammed it into the lock of the nearest cage.
Click.
The moment the lock came undone and the iron cage opened, I shut my eyes and shouted.
"Now!"
"L-Light……!"
Along with the mage bastard's voice, I felt light burst right before my face even with my eyes shut.
"GROOOAR!"
At the same time, a Magic Beast let out a howl and escaped its cage.
[Lv.21 'Blood-Red Moon Bear']
With light having burst right in front of its eyes, it would take time for its sight to recover.
In the meantime, the agitated Magic Beast passed me by and, on instinct, charged toward where the loudest sounds were coming from.
KRAAAAAK!
……Toward the Shadow's tentacles, that is.
The Blood-Red Moon Bear swung its enormous forepaw.
The sound of air tearing was crisp and clear.
A grown man taking that squarely would probably be sent flying, torso and all.
Grooar?
But its opponent was a Shadow, and to make matters worse, mucus was flowing over the tentacles, leaving their surfaces slick.
The forepaw slid along a tentacle, and in that gap, the bear's entire body was bound.
CRRRUNCH.
Is this for real?
It was level 20 class, and to think it got wiped out in an instant without lasting even five seconds.
Of course, I had no confidence in lasting even one second, so I kept opening locks as fast as I could.
"Light! Light! Light……!"
Each time a new Magic Beast was released, the mage bastard cast Light in succession.
As various Magic Beasts were freed, most of them charged toward the tentacles, but not all.
Magic Beasts that had lost their sense of direction rammed their heads into the walls, and one even ran straight to the wall the wolf had torn open and fell right out.
Yelp!
Naturally, for a Magic Beast that was low-level and unprepared for the fall, the end was gruesome.
'This is the best I can do for now……!'
But will it be enough?
An unnameable anxiety welled up.
Of course, as the number of freed Magic Beasts increased, the Shadow's offensive was gradually slowing.
KYAAAAAAAAAAK—!
At some point, a sound like a scream burst from the Shadow as well.
A tentacle had been sliced by the forelimb of the mantis Magic Beast.
Black blood spattered from the split tentacle, but as the price, the mantis was burst to death by a tentacle slamming down.
'Fuck.'
That mantis was the most valuable piece I had.
Does that Shadow bastard learn, of all things?
It was prioritizing killing the Magic Beasts that posed a threat to it.
The moment it changed tactics, the precariously maintained balance of the battlefield collapsed in an instant, and the Magic Beasts began dying rapidly.
'The remaining Magic Beasts…….'
Five individuals currently fighting……
Three still in cages.
Only eight in total?
Even mobilizing all of them, it didn't seem I could stall for long, but right now there was no other way.
Just as I was about to open the next cage…….
"M-Mr. Kaindel. W-wait……."
"What now?"
"M-my mana is depleted…… urp!"
The mage bastard said so, then vomited again with a pale face.
'This defective bastard.'
Just how small is his mana pool?
Light is the spell with the lowest mana cost of all the magic in <FoS>.
Even a freshly classed player character could easily cast it dozens of times.
'What do I do?'
Even as I hesitated, the Magic Beasts were dying one after another.
The pressure of watching the coins that were my lifeline dwindle one by one.
"Whew……."
I forced my overheated head to cool.
Throwing myself in out of impatience would only hasten my end.
At any moment whatsoever, moving the body must come only after establishing at least a minimal guideline.
I looked out past the broken wall.
'We left the lake long ago.'
We were now running through a nameless grassland.
……How far is the <Forest of Eternity>?
If I knew just that much, a rough outline of a plan would come to me.
"The smell of the forest……."
The spirit summoner opened her mouth.
"What?"
When I sent my gaze her way, the spirit summoner flinched, brushed her bangs aside, and said.
"T-ten minutes. We'll reach the forest in ten minutes."
"How do you know that?"
"Sylphie……."
A whisper from the spirit?
Then it can be trusted.
Besides, once we entered the forest, the train wouldn't take long to overturn.
'……Dammit.'
No matter how I looked at it, that was the only means of turning the situation around.
"Kria, was it?"
"Yeah."
"Could I ask you for rear support?"
"……"
I hadn't said it with any great expectation.
At most, one lower-grade spirit helping out wouldn't make any meaningful difference.
That was the moment I felt a faint breeze.
[The whisper of the wind dwells within you.]
[Your body grows a little lighter.]
This effect is <Haste>.
I was a little surprised.
It's a skill a lower-grade spirit would have trouble awakening.
At this rate, could I expect support that actually deserved the name?
'As if.'
I denied the thought that came to mind with a hollow laugh.
An unexpected boon, but this was nowhere near the stage for getting excited or relaxing.
Gripping my spear tight, I read the situation and joined the battlefield at the right moment.
'There should be a weak point.'
I couldn't see it well, but surely there was a main body beyond the writhing tentacles.
It has octopus in its name, after all, so it might look like an octopus head.
Attacking that is probably the key to the fight…….
WHOOSH!
'Fuck.'
There were so many tentacles that I couldn't find any angle of approach.
Even stabbing with the spear from a moderate distance, it slipped off as often as not.
'Damn!'
Is it because my physical ability is lacking?
That too, but this was a jury-rigged weapon to begin with—its sharpness and sturdiness were both dismal.
I don't want to blame my equipment, but with even a slightly more decent weapon, things would have been different.
In the end, I gave up on attacking and responded defensively.
'What if I fight by covering the Magic Beasts?'
In terms of raw attack power, these things were far above me, so it might not be a bad strategy.
"……!"
Then, right after, I twisted my head at a chill I sensed from the left.
It wasn't the direction the tentacles had been lurking, so I was nearly late to respond.
I wondered what it was—the crocodile Magic Beast that had been fighting the tentacles a moment ago had swung its tail at me.
'This fuckhead.'
My temper flared, and at the same time, a chill ran down my spine.
That attack just now. If not for the Haste the spirit summoner had cast, I couldn't have dodged it.
I wanted to stab this crocodile bastard with my spear on the spot, but this was no situation for acting on emotion.
'In the end…….'
In the end, is joint combat with the Magic Beast bastards impossible?
'No.'
I gritted my teeth and denied it.
This is no longer a game—it's reality.
And in reality, nothing is impossible.
With my life on the table as the stake, my options had expanded to nearly infinite.
'I just have to match this crocodile's movements, even by force.'
Fighting an enemy that threatens my life while endlessly keeping another enemy in the corner of my eye.
My limbs were a mess and my head felt about to burst, but if I couldn't do this, I'd die anyway.
[With your keen eye, you have accurately predicted the Magic Beast's movements.]
[Hostility of the Cold-Blooded Type decreases.]
[Information on 'Black-Scale Crocodile' has been added.]
Black-Scale Crocodile
Does not like anyone standing to its right.
Its right?
Taking inspiration from that information, I widened the distance a little.
At that, the crocodile's wariness, which had been so visibly fixed on me, faded.
Not a species-wide trait, but an individual quirk?
Perhaps it had gone through some incident in the past.
'Betrayed by a companion bastard standing to its right, or the like.'
Not something to think about now.
In any case, hope bloomed again.
If I maintain this distance, I can fight alongside the Magic Beasts…….
BOOM!
A tentacle smacked the crocodile.
The crocodile flipped belly-up and was sent flying clean through the wall.
'Fuck.'
I headed to another Magic Beast's side.
[Lv.22 'Yellow-Nosed Monkey']
[Lv.19 'Blade Weasel']
[Lv.15 'Giant-Claw Rat']
The Magic Beasts I'd used as shields died one by one.
Beaten by tentacles, mangled, crushed flat.
"Hah, hahh……."
And when my breath had climbed to the very top of my throat, I realized that even the last Magic Beast had died.
Goddamn. No wonder it was so deadly hard.
But I wasn't the only one exhausted.
Kyuuuuuk…….
The Shadow bastard was in a considerably bloodied state too.
It had probably lost more than half of its tentacles, which had numbered over several dozen……
And I'd found something like a weak point.
The part where the tentacles bunched especially thick.
Every few dozen seconds, I saw that spot open and let out something like a breath.
That's probably a blowhole…… dammit. If only I'd noticed sooner.
How much time has passed now?
"Five minutes……!"
Only halfway.
Enough to make me laugh hollowly.
It felt like thirty minutes had gone by.
'Five minutes.'
The road ahead is pitch-black.
……How do I hold out another five minutes from here?
Now that all the Magic Beast bastards have dropped dead too.
If I'd known this would happen, I should have released every Magic Beast whether they attacked us or not.
KIEEEK!
At that moment, a fox creature appeared from the right.
Wasn't that one definitely locked in a cage?
"Mr. Kaindel!"
The mage bastard's voice rang out.
He held the key in his hand, and blood was streaming from his shoulder.
He seemed to have put into action the very thought I'd just had, and gotten hurt in the process.
"Use this!"
But the mage bastard's contribution didn't end there.
Wondering what it was, I looked his way—and what do you know?
In his hand was a scythe that looked fairly sharp.
'Is this……?'
On closer inspection, it wasn't a scythe.
It was the forelimb of the mantis Magic Beast that had been crushed to death by the Shadow bastard.
He attached this to the end of a farming tool that had been rolling around?
In that split second?
"Use it! The binding is weak, but……."
"It's enough!"
Whatever it is, it's better than this worn-out spear.
That said, it'd be a waste to just throw this one away.
I drew a breath, then threw the spear the moment the octopus' blowhole opened.
[Critical!]
KIEEEEEEEEEEEK—!
A piercing scream burst out.
No wonder it felt so satisfying—did a crit land?
It'd have been even better if it had dropped dead from this one blow, but naturally, no such convenient development occurred.
'Still, its health pool must have dropped considerably.'
In the meantime, I quickly checked the state of my new weapon.
'Not bad?'
It seemed the mantis' forelimb had been attached to the end of a pitchfork, and contrary to the mage's warning, the binding didn't seem particularly weak.
No comparison at all to the spear I'd clumsily made.
How he made something like this in such a short time was a mystery.
SPLURCH!
It felt good in the hand, too.
Even swinging it carelessly, the tentacles sliced like tofu and spilled blood—this mantis bastard really was the key to the fight.
"Kria! Time?"
"Three minutes……!"
Three minutes now.
Three Magic Beasts left.
[With your keen Intuition, you have quickly grasped the Magic Beast's movements.]
[Hostility of the Beast Type decreases.]
[Information on 'Blue-Eyed Fox' has been added.]
Blue-Eyed Fox
Hates dirty things
Joint combat with Magic Beasts was gradually becoming familiar.
The thought bloomed that perhaps I could exterminate this Shadow before entering the forest.
'……And after that?'
Exterminating the Shadow isn't the end.
I have to think about what comes after, too.
For instance, my relationship with these Magic Beast bastards I'm currently using.
For safety's sake, I'll have to dispose of them, of course.
But maybe that thought was getting too far ahead of me.
SPURT!
Something shot out from a tentacle's suckers.
"Fu……!"
The moment I shut my eyes on reflex, I felt something sticky and foul cover my face.
Ink, of all things?
I hurriedly stepped back and rubbed my face, but it was viscous and wouldn't wipe off easily, and my eyes stung as if they were being gouged out.
KRAAAAAAK!
Along with wet, slapping sounds came the voices of the Magic Beasts. With me out of position, the front line had collapsed abruptly.
What came to mind in that instant was the glass bottle of water I'd taken from the corpse pile.
I groped inside my clothes, pulled it out, and immediately poured it over my face.
Only then did the ink that had clung so stubbornly mix with the water and run down.
'The situation?'
Squinting ahead, I saw a small tentacle pierce through the fox's torso.
Even while shrieking, the fox clawed at the tentacle with its forepaws, and at that, the octopus bastard swung its tentacles around wildly, as if irritated.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
With its body impaled, its head was rammed into the ceiling and slammed against the floor.
After that was repeated three or four times, the fox died, reduced to a bloody pulp.
"T-two minutes……!"
At last, the Magic Beasts were wiped out.
I couldn't hope for help from the mage or the spirit summoner either.
'Alone.'
I alone have to fight that monster bastard.
"……"
There's no choice but to do it.
Holding the scythe, I looked at the Shadow.
The longer the standoff, the better for me, though.
KRAAAAAAAAAK—!
The thing, which looked extremely angry, immediately sent every tentacle it had stretching toward me.
'Seven, eight, nine!'
Tentacles rushing in.
Each tentacle differed in form. Thick tentacles, thin tentacles, pointed tentacles, blunt tentacles…….
Taking in the incoming tentacles with my eyes, I struck some away and dodged others.
I thought while my eyes darted about.
There's no answer as things stand. From the front, there's no way to break through that son of a bitch's tentacles and reach its main body.
In that case, I'd rather…….
CRUNCH!
I took a hit from a tentacle.
"Cough!"
It felt like being hit by a truck.
As my body flew backward, a system message flickered past.
[<Loose Leather Armor> has been destroyed.]
[<Shabby Wrist Guard> has been destroyed.]
If I'd taken that with a bare body, that one blow might have killed me.
The surroundings whipped past, and then, suddenly, there was nothing beneath my feet.
Because the direction the tentacle had shoved me was toward the wall the wolf bastard had torn open.
I was flung out into the hell of 80 kilometers per hour.
"Mr. Kaindel!"
—Exactly as I'd hoped.
The moment the wind rushed in along with a biting chill, I stretched the scythe skyward, then brought it down like an axe.
THUNK!
The scythe bit into the top of the cargo car……
And my body, shoved along by the tentacle's force, traced a counterclockwise circle around the scythe.
As a result, I was able to spin half a turn in midair and complete a landing on top of the cargo car—on the train's roof.
'Fuck.'
My body is trembling.
If my physical ability had been even one grade higher, it would have been far easier.
'If the timing had gone even slightly wrong…….'
I'd have fallen under the train and died on the spot.
Swallowing my curses, I sprinted along the train's roof.
WHOOOOOSH—
With the wind this strong and my body nearing its limit, it wasn't easy, but this was no time for dawdling.
Tap.
At last, I landed in the train's gangway.
Immediately opening the door and entering Car 16 once more, I saw the back of the Shadow bastard's head.
As expected, full of openings.
"……You're dead."
Gritting my teeth, I swung the scythe with wild abandon.
CRRRRRUNCH!
It was pure offense with no thought for the opponent's response, but there was nothing this thing could do anyway.
Its body was so enormous it probably couldn't even turn around.
KRAAAAAAAAAAK—!
A piercing scream burst out.
The octopus bastard shook its body, as if choking on frustration.
Grrrrrrrrk……!
Fuck, just how strong is this thing?
When it twisted its body, the entire train car began to heave. I could feel even the roof rattling.
Having thought I'd taken an absolute advantage, I now began to consider the possibility that this thing might destroy the train outright.
'Now.'
I have to finish it now, without fail.
I swung the scythe with everything I had.
CRRRRRRRRUNCH!
Tentacles, flesh, and blood scattered in every direction.
Filthy fragments of the Shadow's body smeared my skin, spattered my face, even got into my mouth, but I didn't care.
I swung the scythe with a single-minded will to kill my opponent.
[Scythe proficiency has reached a certain level.]
[You have learned the skill, <Scythe Mastery>.]
I couldn't even properly take in the message before my eyes.
Finally, the moment the octopus bastard's movements slowly began to grow sluggish.
"The forest……!"
The moment the spirit summoner's voice rang out, I shouted on instinct.
"Grab onto anything!"
I too braced for impact, my scythe still lodged in the octopus' body.
And then.
KABOOOOOOOM—!
With an enormous explosive roar, the world turned upside down.
[You have exterminated the Shadow, 'Black Octopus That Binds and Crushes'.]
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
[Level u…….]
⁝
[You have accomplished an impossible achievement during the tutorial stage.]
[10,000 Achievement Points are granted.]
[You have earned the Achievement, 「Octopus Hunt」.]
⁝
[You have carried out successful cooperative combat with Magic Beasts—<Beast Type>.]
[Hostility of all Beast Types decreases greatly.]
[There is no further Hostility to decrease.]
[Most Beast Types will now feel affinity toward you.]
⁝
[A certain Beast God takes interest in you.]
[Specific conditions have been met.]
[A hidden class has been unlocked.]