Chapter 235: Flying Skills, Dumpling Skills

Chapter 235: Flying Skills, Dumpling Skills

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“Hey.”

“All right... Leon, let’s talk strategy,” Tsutomu greeted Leon as he arrived with Eunice.

As he proceeded to speak, Tsutomu cast <<High Heal>> on Xeno, who had been sent flying by Orbis’ powerful blow. He then directed Amy and Amira toward Orbis while clutching the Black Staff that he had planted into the ground, preparing to discuss their strategy.

“With me being the one providing most of the healing and support, I’ll start pulling too much aggro soon enough. We need to do something about that.”

Tsutomu’s aggressive support and healing, boosted by the power of the Black Staff, as well as Scarlet Devil Squad’s Cecilia and the other Healers, were maintaining the battle’s balance. However, this heavy reliance on Tsutomu’s abilities was becoming a liability. If he continued at this pace, not only would Orbis target him, but the monsters would as well.

Although Leon’s team had grown in number, making their situation less dire, it was still challenging to cast healing skills to those fighting Orbis.

Orbis’ relative familiarity with battling Explorers and ability to absorb support and healing skills made it dangerous for Healers to get too close. If given the opportunity, he would even intercept <<Heals>> sent to Explorers fighting other monsters, using his enhanced muscles to move with explosive speed, making things a nightmare for the Healers in general.

In this situation, Tsutomu, with his mastery of quickshot-type skills, was the only one capable of providing support to Explorers within Orbis’ range. While Christia also had the potential, her focus was better placed on leadership and powerful archery.

Relying solely on Tsutomu for support within Orbis’ range, while perfectly viable in the short term, would eventually draw too much aggro from the monsters, getting him targeted. In turn, their defenses would run the risk of collapsing — as such, another Healer was needed to pick up the slack.

If a skilled Channeler were available, they could replace Tsutomu, but neither the elite Scarlet Devil Squad nor Leon’s Golden Tune family currently had one. While Korinna or some of Ealdred Crow’s top members could provide a substitute, they presently had their hands full controlling the chaos in the Royal Capital and were thus unavailable.

“I’ll make Eunice the secondary healer for Orbis countermeasures,” Tsutomu declared.

Leon looked a bit surprised, while Eunice pressed her lips together and froze.

Had Stephanie been here, Tsutomu might have assigned her the role, but like the Channelers, she was also deployed in the monster-purging operations in the Royal Capital. Given the current battle conditions, Tsutomu judged that Eunice’s abilities were well-suited to the task.

Leon, still wide-eyed, watched as Tsutomu clumsily enveloped a <<Heal>> wisp with a <<Barrier>> and held it out.

“Leon, distribute these... ‘dumplings’ that Eunice makes to everyone. This will allow her to heal the team and reduce the burden on my support. By creating these dumpling skills while holding the Black Staff, their effectiveness will significantly increase, making things much easier.”

“Ah, so that’s why you two are sharing the Black Staff, huh?”

Leon rubbed his chin as he observed the pair holding the Black Staff. Eunice, however, had turned away from Tsutomu, gripping the staff with her fluffy tail, giving no impression of camaraderie.

In Live Dungeon, weapon sharing would be impossible, but in this world, the Black Staff worked just fine with both of them holding it. Thus, while Eunice used it to enhance her dumpling skills, Tsutomu could simultaneously amplify his quickshot skills.

While Eunice molded dumplings with both hands, her golden-furred tail clutching the Black Staff, she shot an irritated glance at Tsutomu before quickly turning to Leon.

“I want to be closer to you, Leon,” she said, looking up at him with a coy expression.

“Well, this is awkward,” Leon replied, scratching his head, though he did not seem entirely displeased as Eunice continued to produce dumpling <<Heals>> and <<Medics>>.

Tsutomu wrinkled his nose at the overly sweet atmosphere between the so-called prince and princess. He then turned to Leon, who had just received a skill dumpling from Eunice.

“If Orbis targets us, we’ll be relying on you to carry us away like you did earlier.”

“Got it. Leave it to me!”

“If I have to, I’ll use him as bait and escape, so don’t worry,” Eunice added nonchalantly.

Ignoring her, Tsutomu fired another shot of <<Haste>> at Leleia, who was engaged in battle with Orbis.

Though she likely could not keep track of all eighty skill dumplings, Eunice seemed to have a rough sense of their locations. As Orbis and the monsters attacked, the <<Barriers>> tucked in the Explorers’ pockets and hoods deactivated one by one, releasing their effects.

Tsutomu watched Eunice’s dumpling skill in action, impressed by her ability to heal effectively in real combat. Earlier, when discussing the strategy, Eunice had complained that managing dumpling skills for a large group was impossible. But now, she seemed to be handling it quite well.

[Well, I figured she could manage. She’s got a knack for this.]

Tsutomu had firsthand experience with Eunice’s quick learning ability from her training days. Despite her personality being difficult to handle, she possessed natural talent. Observing Golden Tune’s battles from the Monitors, he noted that Eunice still had untapped potential. That was why he decided she could handle the large-scale use of the dumpling skills to provide support and healing.

While continuously checking on the members of Absolute Helix and sending support to the four of them, Tsutomu monitored the overall battle situation. In addition to him and Eunice, Scarlet Devil Squad’s Cecilia was coordinating the Healers, providing support to the Explorers fighting the monsters.

The Explorers near Orbis, bolstered by Eunice’s dumpling skill, managed to fight with some degree of ease. Though the situation was tough, it was not dire, making their position tenable.

With the reinforcement of Absolute Helix and other Explorers, Orbis found himself on the defensive. Christia’s arrows and Leon’s swift attacks kept him off-balance. However, both sides struggled to land a decisive blow, creating a deadlock.

The most concerning issue was the army of monsters approaching from behind. Ideally, they needed to defeat Orbis and retreat within the city’s Shield to regain their bearings, but that seemed difficult for now. Christia would likely be the one to make the call on that.

“It’s about time we went back down. You gotta make more dumplings.”

“...I know.”

“Well, no need to be so nervous. If you mess up, I’ll take over.”

“Sh-shut up! I can handle this myself!”

Eunice’s bravado did not fool Tsutomu, who could feel the trembling of her tail echoing through the Black Staff. He did not want to bother her, but he knew her nerves could lead to mistakes if left unchecked. To keep her calm, he offered occasional reassurances and instructions.

“Ooh... oof...”

Then, as soon as they landed and Eunice began creating more dumplings, she clutched her chest and collapsed, looking pale and sweating profusely. Her mental energy had clearly been exhausted.

“You got any Blue Potions?”

“......”

Though mental exhaustion would not kill her, it brought a debilitating, almost death-like nausea. Seeing Eunice hunched over and unable to move, Tsutomu sighed. He pulled a vial of Blue Potion from his Magic Bag and brought it to her lips, tilting it gently.

“!!”

Eunice clung her clips to the vial, drinking the potion greedily. Tsutomu intended to give her just a small amount, but she ended up gripping it with both hands, refusing to let go, much like a stubborn toddler with a milk bottle. Tsutomu looked down at her with an exasperated expression.

“Gah...!”

Rejuvenated, Eunice released the vial and stared at Tsutomu with wide, bewildered eyes. He gave a slight nod, signaling her to resume creating the skill dumplings. Scowling, she returned to her work.

Just then, Orbis charged, aiming to cut off the source of the dumpling skills. But Leon, anticipating this, grabbed both of them and whisked them away in an instant. Though carrying two people slowed Leon down, the speed was still impressive, leaving Tsutomu feeling as if they had teleported.

“Everyone, retreat! Fall back within the Shield!”

For about five more minutes, Eunice’s skill dumplings kept the situation under control. But with a massive horde of monsters closing in, Christia finally ordered the retreat.

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