“We’ve arrived. Floor 4.”
“Yes... are you holding up okay?”
“I’m fine.”
『Junkie Bro actually ran all the way to Floor 4...!!』
『There isn’t a "Stamina" stat in the status, right? Does that mean that’s just Junkie Bro’s actual physical fitness?!』
『No, it’s an effect of HP. HP doesn’t strictly equal stamina, but it’s been proven that as your HP goes up, your physical endurance increases along with it.』
『Heh, is that so? Thanks, Explainer Bro!』
It had taken about an hour and a half from Floor 2 to finally reach Floor 4.
On the way, I had avoided monsters to save time, but once we hit Floor 3, I couldn't outrun everything while carrying Hinata-san with my base Agility. There were a few moments where I’d had to activate Fighting Spirit.
And as expected, carrying a person does slow down movement. It was still morning, though.
“Takeo-kun, are you really okay on your own? I don’t have any offensive magic skills yet, so I don’t think I’ll be much help in the battles on Floor 4...”
“It’s fine. Hinata-san, all I need you to do is heal me whenever my HP gets low.”
“...Hearing you say that makes me feel like you’re calling me useless, which is a bit complicated.”
“No, no! Seriously, being able to recover HP is a massive help!!”
Hinata-san and I ventured deeper into Floor 4.
Before long, we encountered a group of goblins. There were four in total: one Swordman, one Warrior, one Archer, and one Mage.
“Alright, Hinata-san, please stay about ten meters behind me.”
I gave the instruction as I drew my sword and engaged them.
It would be a pain if a stray long-range attack flew toward Hinata-san. So, following my usual pattern, I kicked off the wall, leaped, and bypassed the lead frontliners to get behind them.
I quickly finished off the Mage and Archer, but—
『JUNKIE BROOOO!! A Warrior is heading for Hinata-chan!!』
“Wha—?!”
When I looked back, the Warrior was somehow charging toward Hinata-san.
I parried an attack from the remaining Swordman, kicked it away, and hurriedly turned toward the Warrior.
It didn't look like I would catch up to the Warrior in time.
I raised my sword right where I stood and swung it through the air.
—Sword Aura.
My longsword was enveloped in a pale blue aura. As I swung, a crescent-shaped slash of energy—as if the line carved through the empty air itself had become a blade—flew forth and tore through the Warrior’s back.
The description for Sword Aura said the damage multiplier for the flying slash was 1x, but that was only if the skill was used by itself. The multipliers from other skills applied normally. In other words, with Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons and Goblin Killer, it dealt four times the damage.
As expected, even the Warrior died in a single hit.
After finishing off the last remaining Swordman, I exhaled a sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry, Hinata-san. I didn't think they’d head your way...”
“No, it’s my fault for not being further away...”
『Actually, that happened because Junkie Bro didn't build any aggro on the Warrior. Even if they block it, as long as you land an attack once, they shouldn't head for Hinata-chan.』
As I was reflecting, Explainer Bro in the comments pointed out the cause.
I nodded, realizing he was right. The Modern Dungeon wasn't a game, but it still had many game-like elements. One of those was the concept of "aggro."
The monsters that appeared in the dungeon chose their targets based on the accumulation of aggro, just like in a game.
Since I had been solo until now, I’d completely forgotten to account for it.
Come to think of it, when I fought the Goblin Knight, it had ignored Hinata-san and focused its attacks entirely on me. That might have been because I was building aggro.
“I see, I understand. I’ll try to fight with that in mind next time.”
With that, we headed toward the next set of monsters.
The next group we encountered had five. I had Hinata-san stay back while I attacked the frontliners like the Warriors and Swordmen to build aggro before annihilating them as usual.
This time, the monsters didn't head toward Hinata-san.
However, having to stop for the frontliners meant the enemy attacks became more intense, which in turn slowed down my own offensive pace. That resulted in the battle taking longer and increasing the HP consumed by Fighting Spirit.
Well, since Hinata-san could heal me, it wasn't a problem per se... but it wasn't efficient.
There was... a way to resolve this.
It was a skill I hadn't originally intended to take, but considering I planned to take Hinata-san "there," it would be necessary.
Since Hinata-san wasn't participating in the attack, even Level 1 should be effective enough... Fine, I’ll take it.
Making a secret vow to myself, we continued our battles on Floor 4.
Even if the combat time was slightly extended, the ability to heal HP was still incredible. There was no need to rest to recover, allowing us to fight one enemy after another as soon as we encountered them.
I think we managed about ten battles in an hour.
At this pace, it seemed Hinata-san’s MP wouldn't run out. So far, she only needed to heal me two or three times an hour, and that level of consumption could be covered by her natural MP regeneration.
We walked around Floor 4 for about two hours, repeating over twenty battles in total.
Even though the experience points earned were halved because we were in a party, I was still getting an average of about 500 points per battle. Given that, it was inevitable—
—Your level has increased.
“F-F-F-FEELS SOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!!!!”
“Eek?!”
I screamed.
Even as Hinata-san stood beside me, completely repulsed and looking at me with genuine terror, I screamed regardless.
I couldn't help it; it felt amazing.
Twitch, twitch!!
『Dammit, lol. That’s right, lol. Junkie Bro really is a madman, lol.』
『Too loud!!』
『My eardrums are gone.』
『I’ve been watching him act like such a polite young man that I can’t wrap my head around that sudden ahegao, lol.』
『Seeing it again, it’s just way too messed up, lol.』
『Wait... I’m suddenly getting worried about Hinata-chan being in a party with Junkie Bro.』
A short while later.
“Phew... Hinata-san, should we head back to the stairs and have some lunch?”
“............”
For some reason, Hinata-san was frozen with a terrified look on her face, as if she had just encountered a ghost.
『Don’t enter Sage Mode so suddenly, lol.』
『He looks so refreshed, lol.』
『His attitude changed way too much, lol. It’s at the level where I’d suspect multiple personalities, lol.』
“Hinata-san? What’s wrong?”
“............ Nothing.”
『You’re what’s wrong!』
『Poor Hinata-chan, lol.』
『This is a traumatic experience for her, lol.』
After a while, the tension seemed to leave Hinata-san’s body as she relaxed. She placed a hand on her chest, took a deep breath, and—
“Um, why... did you scream...?” she asked timidly.
“Well, I just leveled up.”
“............”
“Leveling up feels good, doesn't it?”
“............”
“Well, I guess I’m more sensitive than most... but it feels good for you too, right? When you level up.”
“............ I suppose so.”
『Hinata-chan?!』
『Pull yourself together, Hinata-chan!』
Since Hinata-san seemed to understand, I pulled up my status screen, allocated my points, and acquired the skill I’d urgently decided on—Taunt.
By the way, this was something that had been in my "List of Obtainable Skills" from the start. To be honest, I didn't really know why it was there.
I’ve almost never done anything that would count as taunting someone...
Judging by its position on the list, it seems I met the acquisition requirements around my third year of high school during the exam season... Hmm, a mystery.
I had intended to become an explorer from the start, so exams didn't matter to me, but I’m sure I was cheering on my classmates, saying things like, "Do your best! ♡ Do your best! ♡"
Anyway.
I gathered the magic stones scattered in the passage and prompted Hinata-san.
“Now then, let’s head back to the stairs and take a break.”
“...Yes, alright, Samejima-san.”
“—Wait?”
For some reason, I felt like the emotional distance between me and Hinata-san was even greater than when we’d first met.