Magic is like a secondary weapon; it's pretty normal for someone to have a skill in using something else.
Some people have strong skills, but their usage conditions are complicated, so magic serves as a substitute when needed.
Additionally, there are things called secondary skills.
Unlike main skills, secondary skills are mainly used to support the main skill, so they aren't very powerful. Secondary skills take up a maximum of three slots, and once you learn them, don't regret it.
But not learning secondary skills is fine too, since they only enhance your main skill, not affect your stats.
"Ohh! Treasure!" One person pointed at a treasure chest and rushed toward it.
Only for the chest to sprout teeth, nearly biting them.
"It's a Mimic!"
"Fire Circle!"
A ring of fire appeared on the ground, bursting up at the Mimic.
Right after, the Mimic dropped a weapon.
"Ohh, nice!" The person picked up the weapon, showing it off to the others.
Kai stood next to Reito and Kanna.
"We've been walking for ten minutes, and this is all I get?"
Kai held arm guards, leg guards, and a sword.
It's… decent? The sword's durability is a bit iffy, but the armor is usable.
"For me…" Reito showed a money pouch.
"And I got this! I love it!" Kanna pulled out a blood-covered golden knuckle.
"…" Kai looked at Kanna's weapon and sighed.
A girl using that weapon is better than a guy. I saw her punch a monster in the face, and it died instantly…
"Hey, why are you standing there? Let's keep moving," Irilia said to us, so we continued.
Honestly, this B-rank dungeon has more traps and treasures than I expected, and the quality is decent too.
Among them, Kanna's knuckle is the best—it punches so hard it dislocates jaws.
Kanna really likes it too, probably because she's actually fighting now instead of just supporting.
I put on the arm and leg guards, feeling more secure.
A few minutes later, Irilia raised her hand to stop everyone.
"Huh?" Hearing that, I looked ahead.
In front of everyone was darkness, almost impossible to see through.
"Try throwing a torch forward," Irilia said, and someone immediately followed the order.
The torch lit up the area ahead, revealing a strange creature staring at them.
It had four legs, an upright back, human-like skin, gaunt, and a completely white face...
"What... what the hell is that?" Kai grimaced, staring at the creature before them.
It was drooling as it looked at us, clearly not friendly in the least.
"...Kill it," Irilia ordered. Reito stepped forward, creating a black hole to take it out as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, the thing charged forward at an unbelievable speed.
"What?!"
Vakoth leaped forward, aiming to stab it.
The creature twisted its joints, dodging the attack instantly.
Vakoth, surprised, watched as it slipped past him and kept running.
It seemed to be targeting Reito!
Reito, sweating, created a small black hole in front of it.
The creature moved gracefully, dodging repeatedly.
"Oi, oi, this doesn't look good," Violet said, pulling out her dual pistols and firing.
With its bizarre movements, like those of your mom, it dodged all the bullets in an unexpected way.
Its four limbs moved incessantly as it charged toward Reito.
Reito tried to create another black hole, but it was too late.
"Damn, no time!!"
...Huh?
Reito felt nothing.
Instead, a scream came from behind.
"Goddamn it, why me?!"
The monster was relentlessly striking Kai with its legs, pinning him to the ground, helpless.
"Kai!"
Kanna, worried, slipped on her knuckle dusters and rushed to punch the monster in the face.
Crack!
The monster's jaw twisted, making Kanna momentarily gleeful.
"Did I get it?"
The creature turned to her, its jaw slowly realigning.
"...Uh oh."
Just as it was about to do something, ice spikes suddenly shot up from the ground.
The ice surrounded the monster, and Irilia charged forward, stomping the ground hard.
*Whoosh!*
Ice spikes pierced the creature from below.
Blood dripped down the ice, splattering onto Kai's face.
"...Ugh, I hate this job."
"A-Are you okay?" Kanna rushed over.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"L-Let me get the healing potion!"
"Hey, don't waste it, I'm still standing."
The ice slowly melted, and the creature's body slumped to the ground. The group gathered to inspect it.
"This thing... Yuck, it's grosser than I thought," Violet said, nudging it with her foot.
"This is the first time I've seen a creature like this. Strange," Vakoth said, glancing at Irilia.
"...Cut off its head. Someone sketch it, and we'll send it to the research team," Irilia ordered.
"Why not take the whole body?" someone asked, confused.
"Idiot, don't you see how big it is? Dragging it would be exhausting, and if we run into more monsters, it'd be a pain," another snapped.
"Good thing no one died," Kai thought, looking at the group and breathing a sigh of relief.
...Since when did I start worrying about others?
Kai was puzzled but pushed the thought aside.
Kanna shivered as she looked at the corpse, as if it had stepped out of a horror movie.
As Vakoth prepared to decapitate it, they suddenly heard a cacophony of rapid footsteps.
"...Everyone, get ready to fight," Irilia said, assuming a combat stance.
The group looked ahead as more creatures, identical to the one Irilia had just killed, appeared in overwhelming numbers.
Kai glanced at them, then at Kanna, who was utterly terrified.
Well, guess I'd better protect her...
The monsters charged at them despite the cramped environment.
Irilia stomped, creating an ice wall to hold them back.
Vakoth leaped over the wall, spinning his spear with a grin.
"Violet and Reito, support Vakoth in killing them! Kanna, buff the three of them! The rest, prepare an escape route in case Vakoth can't hold them off!"
Following orders, the others scanned all directions, planning the group's retreat.
Vakoth skewered one monster, but it ferociously bit into his shoulder.
More followed suit, sinking their teeth into him, wiping the grin off his face.
"Great, I thought this would be fun. Turns out they're tougher than I expected. Annoying."
Suddenly, three black holes appeared, annihilating the monsters biting Vakoth.
A barrage of bullets flew at the creatures, ricocheting off walls and hitting their heads.
Vakoth felt a surge of rune magic enveloping him, boosting his defense and attack power.
"Heh, now I can go all out without losing an arm or leg."
Vakoth charged, swinging his spear hard at a monster.
It was torn apart easily.
He swung again at another, shredding it too, but something felt off...
"It's tougher..."
The more they killed, the worse it got—their bones and skin were growing harder.
The black holes became ineffective as the monsters stopped being sucked in.
Bullets were useless, bouncing off their heads without effect.
"This is bad!" Vakoth squinted, sweating.
"Irilia! Retreat now! These monsters seem to adapt! And it's affecting the whole pack!!"
Without hesitation, Irilia ordered a withdrawal.
Reito, Violet, and Vakoth leaped back over the ice wall. Irilia conjured more ice walls to buy time.
The group followed the escape route planned by the others.
The ice wall cracked and shattered, and the monsters surged forward, chasing them.
"These things are fast!" Kai said, worried.
Huff, huff!
While running, Kanna was panting, drenched in sweat, and exhausted.
It seemed her skill usage and weak stamina were taking their toll.
"Need a piggyback?!" I slowed down, even though I was already slow due to my weak body.
"N-No, I'm fine!"
"Come on! Look at you right now, I can tell you need help!"
My arms slipped under her, lifting her in a princess carry.
"Kyaa! W-What are you doing?!" She yelped, blushing as she looked at me.
...Only to see my face turning red from the strain of her weight.
'HEAVY AS HELL!!!'
Damn it, I should've asked someone else to carry her. I'm weak as hell!
Seeing Kanna and me slowing down, Reito also slowed and glanced at us.
"Hey! Can you keep up?!"
"No!!!"
"Goddamn it, and you're trying to play hero! Hurry, hand her to me!"
"Wait a sec—"
Click!
Reito, Kanna, and I looked down, realizing my foot had just stepped on some kind of trigger.
I looked up at both of them.
"Fuck."
BOOM!!!
"K-Kai!!!" Reito managed to grab onto something, staying safe.
Everything shook violently, the ground crumbled, and Kanna and I fell into a deep pit.
"Goddamn it, I hate this job!!!!"
Both of us vanished without a trace.