Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 166
Sorry for the late chapter, no internet on home and I did this in my friend’s house.
166. Mari-nee and the Ruthless Level Grinding
On the way to the “Great Demon Forest” after getting ready, I noticed that it was quieter than usual around us.
“Graham-san and the others aren’t with us, are they?”
“I invited them, but they turned me down, saying they wanted to retrain themselves. It seems that the incident in Liberta hit them pretty hard.”
“Jade-san was really strong, so I hope he’s not too discouraged…”
“Don’t worry about that. They seemed really motivated.”
I felt relieved by Kanna-san’s words.
If Graham-san and the others are doing their best, then I can’t afford to slack off either!
…When they say ‘re-train,’ they mean leveling up and improving skills, right? They don’t mean in some other, uh, weird way, do they?
With a slight sense of unease, we arrived at the “Great Demon Forest.”
However, instead of heading straight to the deeper areas, we decided to fight in a spot slightly further than where we battled last time.
“Considering the level difference, Kanna and Mareus will team up, and Maria-san, you should challenge with Gils and the others.”
“Roulette, what about you?” (probably Gils who said this)
“I’ll be handling the thinning and luring monsters for Maria-san. Once you catch up with Mareus and the others, everyone will join in, excluding myself, of course.”
“Catching up… there’s still quite a gap, though.”
“It’s fine, just manage it.”
Roulette-san gave a sweet smile.
I wonder who will manage the situation?
In any case, it seems that I’m the one who needs to manage… or rather, do my best.
However, at that time, I underestimated the meaning of “doing my best.”
More precisely, I didn’t grasp just how intense “doing my best” meant in Roulette-san’s terms.
The result? The curtain was raised on a battle that could be described as a “deathmatch disguised as doing your best.”
Monsters came at me endlessly, guided by Roulette-san.
While fighting them off with all my might, I had to stave off hunger with simple snacks and use expensive MP potions the moment the cooldown skill was over.
I kept repeating that over and over—how much time had passed?
The sunlight filtering through the dense forest was faint, blurring my sense of time.
When I checked the window, nearly six hours had passed.
My level had skyrocketed by six, making it now 30.
Mareus-san and Kanna-san, who had joined up with me, had leveled up twice, reaching 37.
Although it seemed like there was still a gap, it apparently wasn’t as big as I thought.
According to Roulette-san, even with this level of intensity, our efficiency wouldn’t drop if we fought as a party. She even added the kind remark that with more people, we could handle stronger monsters.
As Roulette-san was about to start moving again, Kanna-san stopped her.
“Let’s… take a little break.”
“We need repairs… too.”
Mareus-san added, both of them barely able to catch their breath.
But Roulette-san just smiled silently.
Oh no, she’s planning to continue without a break…
In my case, the mental exhaustion was greater than the physical. I had been constantly thinking and weaving threads to lessen the burden on Gils, who handled both offense and defense.
Even though I was in better shape than the other two, I would still appreciate it if someone could repair Gils’ parts. For that, I needed the cooperation of the three of them.
To encourage Roulette-san to rest, I took out a special bento I had prepared.
It was a bento packed with various side dishes seasoned with Yamato-style ingredients.
It took some effort to make, but thanks to it, Roulette-san allowed us to take a break.
We moved to a relatively safe spot and handed out the bento. Mareus-san and Kanna-san started eating while crying. The tears weren’t because the food was delicious… but because they were relieved to finally get a break.
After finishing the meal, making repairs, and treating Gils, we resumed leveling up.
With Mareus-san focusing on defense and Gils on offense after joining forces, I think our party’s balance improved.
But Roulette-san anticipated this and lured more monsters our way, so it didn’t get any easier.
The battles became even fiercer, and our party nearly fell apart more than once.
We managed to survive those precarious moments thanks to Roulette-san’s precise interventions, for which I was grateful each time. But then I remembered that she was the one who created this situation in the first place, and my feelings got all mixed up.
Isn’t this some kind of talent?
But that thought gradually faded in the heat of battle, until eventually, I felt nothing…
Time passed, and when I regained some awareness, I found myself back in my room at home.
I had no memory of how I got back.
As I shivered at the eerie feeling, a message arrived.
It was from Roulette-san.
The content was a simple, “Let’s do our best again tomorrow,” but the thought of continuing this tomorrow made me tremble…