Still in her halfling form, Marcille was the first to hear the sound of gargoyles coming from above. Just as she looked up, she saw three snarling gargoyles swooping down at them.
As they descended, the gargoyles locked onto the most conspicuous targets.
Since Laois's party members were still adjusting to their transformed bodies and not ready for battle—the hunters stepped in to intercept the gargoyles head-on.
Marcille was just about to cast a spell when the Shield Hero stopped her. "Hold it. You'll pass out if you cast magic in your halfling state! Get back!"
Naofumi Iwatani hoisted his heavy bowgun, packed with shield components, and opened fire on the gargoyles, blasting one of them backward with high-powered rounds.
"Head inside. We'll handle the gargoyles."
Kairo Retsu blocked Chilchuck's path with his Charge Blade, deflecting a diving gargoyle's powerful strike. Then, with a charged slash, he carved two deep gouges into its stone body.
Seeing these heavily armed and oddly equipped giants fight so fiercely, Chilchuck didn't hesitate. He hoisted the small-framed Marcille and dashed toward the now-open gate.
But Chilchuck noticed someone running even faster than him—one of the hunters, the smallest among them, a young boy carrying a huge longbow on his back.
"Hey! Aren't you going to help your teammates?" Chilchuck shouted while running.
Kazuma didn't even look back as he replied, "Don't be ridiculous! I'm not a frontline fighter! I'm support—logistics and utility! I'm definitely not a combat class!"
"?" Chilchuck was confused. The guy was carrying a bow taller than a halfling and said he wasn't a combat class?
Just then, a flash bomb went off behind them. Chilchuck glanced back and saw the hunters' battle unfold.
The gargoyles, who had previously dominated the airspace, were now grounded and flailing. The hunters showed them no mercy, ganging up to beat them like stone piñatas.
Kairo Retsu's Charge Blade transformed into an axe with spinning blades, and he mercilessly sawed off chunks of stone from one gargoyle.
Joseph Joestar danced around another gargoyle's head, his dual blades slicing furiously until its skull was carved down into a perfect sphere.
Naofumi Iwatani flanked one gargoyle and unleashed a wide-spread shot from his heavy bowgun, blowing apart the lower half of the one Joseph had sculpted.
As for Tanjiro Kamado… he was the most "gentle." He simply smashed the last gargoyle into several large chunks using his massive hammer—less brutal than the others, at least.
Chilchuck suddenly realized why Kazuma had insisted he wasn't a combat class.
Even within the dungeon, there were few with this kind of firepower. Using such weapons on little stone gargoyles felt… excessive.
"Marcille! Chilchuck!" Laois dragged Izutsuzumi and Senshi through the gate. "Good, you're okay. I've experienced it firsthand now—being transformed into a different race really messes with your combat abilities!"
"Where the hell did you find these people?" Chilchuck asked, watching the hunters turn the gargoyles into nothing but rubble. "And… are you planning to stop exploring the dungeon altogether?"
Chilchuck had been thinking it for a while—Laois's behavior made it feel like he was quitting the party to join a new organization, and now he couldn't help but voice it.
"What? No?" Laois looked confused. "Our party is still our party. The hunters are their own thing."
"I really do treasure you guys," he added sincerely, looking at his companions with warmth.
"Hey! The way you're talking—of course they'd think you're leaving them!" Kazuma, who was already out of combat, shouted. "Hunters are like… hobby clubs or something! Don't you guys have anything like that here?"
He pointed to himself. "We've all got our own original parties too! Doesn't interfere with anything!"
Marcille looked toward the gate. "Hobby…"
At that moment, the four hunters—each carrying colossal weapons—walked casually through the gate, laughing and chatting like they hadn't just fought a battle.
"…Club?"
Chilchuck was speechless. "What kind of club has that kind of combat power?"
"A dragon-hunting club?" Kairo Retsu offered as he overheard Chilchuck's muttering. "That herbivorous wyvern egg from before was one of our spoils."
"How curious," Senshi said, clearly intrigued.
"…So what exactly are you all here in the dungeon to do?" Chilchuck still looked wary.
After all, he didn't believe people this strong would offer to help rescue Falin or fight the Mad Sorcerer for free—especially when their current party couldn't offer anything in return.
The hunters noticed Chilchuck's suspicion—but there was no good way to explain the truth.
What were they supposed to say? That the Mad Sorcerer wasn't their final target, and that their ultimate hunt was for a demon capable of destroying the world?
"It's related to the Western Elves," Naofumi Iwatani stepped forward, speaking evenly to Chilchuck. "And it's also connected to this dungeon."
"That's right, that's right," Joseph Joestar chimed in. "We only entered the dungeon after we learned the Western Elves had come here. They're planning to eliminate this place, but we still need it—so we're helping Laois defeat the Mad Sorcerer."
Following their lead, Kazuma deployed his social skills, chatting with Chilchuck and the others about what benefits the hunters might gain from all this. The goal was to put their minds at ease as much as possible.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro—unable to tell a lie—had already turned away, gritting his teeth and staring at the ceiling.
"…Alright, I suppose I can accept your reasons for helping Laois," Chilchuck said, tucking away his doubts for now.
"We hunters are skilled at fighting and skilled at hunting," Kairo Retsu said to Laois's party. "Even if world-ending disasters show up before us—they'll still become our final hunt."
"Ha ha~"
The party thought Kairo Retsu was just cracking a joke to lighten the mood.
But Kairo Retsu cast a glance at the wyvern-lion sword hanging from Laois's waist.
"Dungeons, huh…"
He smiled brightly. "They always draw in people with dreams worth chasing."
Poll: What should replace Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT)?
Hey everyone,
I've decided to put Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT) on hiatus for now. In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to run a poll to see what you'd like me to work on next. Can't wait to see what you all pick!
Options:
A brand new fanfic (picked by me)
Continue a recommended fanfic (suggested by Readers and will be voted on Again)
Two chapters a day for Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World
Two chapters a day for My Game Studio is Full of Valkyries?!
Two chapters a day for Monster Hunter Grand Assembly
📅 Voting will be open on Patreon for one week!
patreon.com/BestElysium