Jujutsushi Wa Yuusha Ni Narenai

Chapter 107: Thread User's Showdown II

We were moving at almost the same time. The thing we were shooting out was thread.

The Thread was the Arachne, Rem and my main weapon after all. Thus, our fight was a thread's battle. Thus our fight was a battle that hung from a thread.

Our current formation was me in the front, Rem in the back while the Arachne was situated in the middle. We made full use of our advantage of outnumbering the Arachne, two against one, as we simultaneously attacked. I fired 『Spiderweb's Twine』 meanwhile Rem released her acid spray.

「Shit! As expected of an expert thread user.」

Even with us ganging up on the Arachne from both the back and front, it still easily defended itself against our attacks.Moreover, it was able to still counterattack on top of defending itself.

The Arachne didn’t just fire thread from its butt, it could even shoot out its thread from both its mouth and each of its hands. While Rem's thread was entangled with the bundle of thread that it had shot out from its bottom, my『Spiderweb Twine』was warded off with both of its hands, it then attacked me by shooting its sticky thread from its mouth.

. As soon as I fired my spiderweb twine, I ran in the opposite direction and took shelter behind a looming tree. When the Arachne fired thread from its mouth, the thread hit the tree instead, enveloping a majority of the trunk and part of my hand

At that moment, I used my Red Knife to untangle my sealed hands. Fortunately, the bundle of thread wasn’t too big, otherwise, my  body would’ve been completely enveloped by the released lump of thread too.

However, the Red Knife was the only reason I could easily cut the thread, or rather, it melted it, a normal knife would’ve simply stuck due to the thread’s viscosity. What a close call! I mean, depending on the equipment, the Arachne might’ve insta-killed me if I wasn’t using the Red Knife.

「KISHAAA, SHAAAA—! 」

While I was busy trying to escape from the Arachne's thread, Rem was distracting the enemy from me. She kept firing her thread while quickly weaving through the forest’s foliage.. Rather than aiming to attack the Arachne, it seemed more like Rem was solely focused on attracting its attention away from me.

As expected of my Rem, she really understood her role. Even if the both of them have different bodies, their shared soul showed its advantage during times like these since their knowledge and experiences were also shared.

「KISHISHI.」

However, the Arachne saw through Rem's plan and didn't move an inch from its place. Instead, it fired a long, albine thread with the elegance of a thread master.

It fired a lump of thread from its butt which was aimed at Rem, who was currently moving around. When the Arachne stuck out its hands, the thread fired from its fingers entwined between the trees and then formed a huge net, it acted as a makeshift shield. On account of this, none of Rem's acid threads managed to reach the Arachne.

Maybe because it was only for emergency, but the Arachne had ceased to shoot thread from its mouth.

Upon seeing that the thread in its mouth was for emergency use, I could tell that rather than a mere wild demon, the Arachne's combat style was closer to humans. Though imperfect, its deformed upper-half that resembled a human’s figure might have influenced its combat style.

Rem would be in grave danger if I didn't assist her soon.

「Entwine its escape, with weaving hair ―『Black Hair Bind』」

Now that the Arachne’s focus was on Rem, this was my chance to use 『Black Hair Bind』 in a frontal attack. Bundles of black hair that I casted with a mystic chant rose from the ground in front of the Arachne.

Though there was a problem with its durability, it was better to use the maximum output to entangle the Arachne's feet, preventing it from moving it too much

「KISHI, KYOAAAAAAAA! 」

The Arachne raised a startling cry when the hair that suddenly grew from the ground wrapped around its feet. My actions brought the brunt of the Arachne’s focus back on me. It then turned around to face me while raising both of its hands.

「REM, NOW! BITE IT! 」

After saying this, I wielded the Red Knife in my right hand and a normal knife in my left hand. I charged towards Arachne. However, since the Arachne's mouth and hands were still free, I threw my knives which I was originally using for defense, towards it.

It couldn't cope with Rem, who was charging to attack from behind. Since I had sealed both its feet and abdomen with the Black Hair Bind, the Arachne's thread on its bottom was sealed. Thankfully, Rem wasn’t stupid, she was just going to crash if she kept blindly charging forward like that.

「KISHAAAAAAAAAAAAA! 」

Rem dashed on the ground and then leaped while baring her fangs towards Arachne's defenseless back. By the time the Arachne realized that it couldn’t use the thread that came from its bottom, both of its hands were  occupied with catching my throwing knives. The knives which were stuck in the net weaved in between the Arachne's fingertips wouldn't easily come out. Also, I hadalready made sure that my black hair bind couldn't be undone that easily.

This was enough. No matter how I looked at it, the Arachne didn't strike me as the type that excelled in close-combat. It should have a hard time shaking Rem who was about to bite its back. As long as Rem managed to cling on to the Arachne, I would  be able to use Black Hair Bind to seal its movements even further.

Let's do this―or so I thought… My plan failed the very next moment.

「KI-SHAAAAAAAAA」

Rem’s body was suddenly torn in half, as easily as a piece of damp paper. The diagonal cut across her body made it appear as if she was slain by an expert martial artist.

Rem's body was struck the moment the tip of her toes had touched the Arachne's back.

The bluish-purple stream that suddenly spurted out from her cross-section arced through the air before making an awful pool of blood on the forest floor.The drop of purplish blood suddenly fell from where it was suspended in mid-air.

It fell on a line so thin that it was almost invisible to the naked eye, which was connected to the Arachne's bottom.

This single thin line had the durability and sharpness of a steel wire. Despite its appearance, It was strong enough to slice another demon in half.

「Goddamm*t… It lured us in so that it could  make a pincer attack right from the very beginning…」

This was the reason that the Arachne didn't budge at all huh…

「KISHISHI.」

The Arachne was now laughing at our failure. It then fired another wire similar to the one that had split Rem's body in two,  from both of its hands. The wires entwined around my Black Hair Bind which grew from its shadow on the ground. A while later, the snapping sounds of my Black Hair Bind resounded in the vicinity.

「Oh crap, I'm royally screwed now…」

The Arachne's mastery over its thread clearly surpassed my mastery of 『Black Hair Bind』. Whether it was quality, quantity, or ease of use, the only factor that allowed my Black Hair Bind to surpassed it was the fact that my ability could come out the opponent’s shadow.

The only way for me to have an actual chance at victory was to fight the monster head on and finish the battle as soon as possible.

「DAMM*T, 『ROTTEN BOG』! 」

I won’t give up.

In desperation, I tried to activate 『Rotten Bog』 as a distraction to release my 『Reverse Dance Butterfly』. This was the tactic that I had devised, but just when I was about to throw the stone which was smeared with my blood to create the rotten bog, it was seized by a thread. The stone swayed in the air as it swung in arc towards the Arachne.

「KISHISHIKISHIKISHI」

It made a triumphant laugh after it managed to recollect its escaped prey. The thread started to wind around my body again, while it laughed in the same way as when it had captured me before.

「DAMM*T, DAMM*T ALL! 」

It went as far as tangling its thread around my arms and body alternately, making sure that I couldn't move even an inch. Even if both my legs could move, they were just wildly flapping right now. I was pulled along the ground towards the monster as I made an unsightly, desperate struggle for my life.

Finally, I arrived under the Arachne.

「KISHI, SHAAAAAAAAAAAA! 」

「HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! 」

The Arachne opened its mouth that was filled with rows of sharp-jagged teeth slightly above my head. I could smell the hot, rank breath panted on my face..

I was positive that it was going to kill me instead of paralyzing me like last time, probably because of my escapade antics.

I might be able to take this monster along with me to the grave by using the『Pain Return』 technique as long as I'm killed in one hit, but… LIKE HELL I'M GONNA DIE WITH THIS F*CKING SPIDER!

Nevertheless, this was the end for me, I didn't have any tricks left to pla―

「KISHI, GIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

Suddenly, a sharp blade protruded from the Arachne's chest.

Someone had stabbed it from behind.

Who was it? No… I could already tell who my savior was just by a brief glance the make of the blade.The blade that pierced through the Arachne's chest was similar to the Knight Mantis’ scythe.

「REM!」

「GUGOGO, GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

Screeching a frightening warcry, Rem continuously stabbed the ArachneIn a fell swoop, she brought the blade down over the Arachne’s head, decapitating it. After receiving such a fatal wound, the monster’s lifeless body stumbled back and forth briefly before staggering to the ground.. Huh, it seemed its blood was also red.

「Ha~… Thanks a lot, Rem, you really saved me there…..」

「GAGA.」

Appearing from behind the Arachne's corpse was Rem Mk I, human type. Even though her kamakiri blade was stored, it didn’t lessen her appeal-I still thought that she was so cool.

「Nice job finding me… No, I bet you found my location from Ashidaka Rem, right?」

It seemed that Rem had increased her pace as soon as she noticed that Ashidaka Rem was defeated, this was how she managed to arrive just in the nick of time.

「Anyway… I guess we’re safe for the time being.」

Not only have I defeated the Arachne who was chasing after me, I also reunited with Rem Mk I, my greatest combat asset. With this change of events, I guess I’ve fulfilled the minimum requirement to solo this dungeon.

「Well, the next thing to do is…」

I would’ve left this place immediately, but I still had something to do before leaving.

Just look! The Arachne's corpse is still here, right? I should recycle it. I'm an eco-friendly person after all.

「Ooo…. I actually pulled it off so easily.」

My fear ultimately ended up as needless anxiety as I easily recycled Arachne's corpse into one of my weapons,『Corpse Doll Resentment』.

Sections of its wasp-like black and yellow stripes had turned purple like the bloated and bruised skin of the undead. Otherwise, there was no notable change in the state of the Arachne’s corpse. It was as if it was kept in a gruesome stasis, it remained as it was. The main difference between the Corpse Doll and the Claydoll was the fact that the corpse doll used the corpse of a living being as the main material for its construction. In the final step of the process, only the outer color differed between the two.

In short, the corpse’s ability and appearance was similar in both cases..

「KISHAAA! 」

As if answering my feelings, Arachne Rem showed off the numerous spider thread skills that the Arachne had exhibited in the last battle. She could spew thread from her mouth, knit the thread that was fired from her fingers into a complex net in the blink of an eye, and of course, use the sharp steel wire that slayed Ashidaka Rem previously.

「Upon observing it more closely, I have to admit- it’s an amazing skill. Could I… replicate that skill?」

It began with me braiding 『Blackhair Bind』. I followed that feat up by inventing  『Redhair Twine』and after that, I created the skill called 『Spiderweb Twine』. 『Blackhair Bind』 was usually my first choice of attack. Until now, it had never let me down. In that case, I might be able to unleash tentacles of steel wires or adhesive thread, depending on my training.

In my opinion the most significant factor that influenced learning a new skill was the availability of a first hand demonstration. As long as I had a strong idea of how the magic appeared, it was the foundation to turn the magic into reality.

Luckily, I had the best sample to study- Arachne Rem. Watching her use all of the spider thread skills would greatly aid my special training. Unfortunately, I would have to wait until I arrived in the next fairy plaza. After all, I couldn’t train in this kind of place.

I needed to depart immediately but a pressing matter emerged in my mind. There was something I needed to confirm.

「Tell me Rem, could it be those are….」

Two weapons were partially visible from their position on Rem’s back. When I expressed my curiosity, Rem readily unsheathed the weapons and showed them to me.

「As I thought, it actually is Nonomiya-san's spear. And this…Yoshizaki-san's axe.」

There was no way I could forget these weapons. They had saved me from the brink of death countless times. Despite only fighting together for a short while, we had gone through a lot together. Memories of helping Randou-san level up and fighting side by side, trying our utmost to survive the underground lake siege flashed through my mind. Indeed, these weapons belonging to my comrades were almost as familiar as my own.

「Was this the farewell gift they left for me?」

「GAGA.」

Rem nodded solemnly. Currently, she couldn’t talk and explain the situation at length but, the gravity behind her gestures conveyed all I needed to know.

In that situation, their decision to consider me dead and not pursue me was the best choice at the time. Although I did feel bad about it, the rational part of me knew I couldn’t blame them. Their logic was clear and faultless.

I was comforted by the fact that everyone tried to help Rem in any way possible when she chose to chase after me. I mean, both Nonomiya-san and Yoshizaki-san went so far as to give their favourite weapon to Rem. It was a big deal and I could clearly sense their attachment to me.

「GA, GOGO.」

Rem caught my attention after speaking up. She took a round package out from the bag, its covering was coarse cloth.

「There’s more?」

「GAGA.」

「Is this package from Randou-san?」

「GA」

What? No? That would mean…this gift is from Tendou-kun. I looked at the package quizzically. What in the world would he give me?

「Uwaaa! ? 」

I slowly unwrapped the cloth, peeling back layers of wrappings to eventually reveal a human skull. I fumbled around like a failing juggler as I nearly dropped it due to my utter shock.

「T-That surprised me, why did he give me this sku――」

The description was suddenly illuminated, blazing in the air in a bright text. The timing was surprising, as if someone had read my mind.

『Summoner's Skull』：The skull of someone who was gifted with the 『Summoner』 vocation.

「Gasp! ? N-No way, this is….」

I realized at once that wasn't a skeleton's head when I checked it with Pharmacy Intuition. In fact, it was a completely different skull. According to the information from my Pharmacy Intuition, this skull might belong to…one of my classmates.

Since it had stated “Gifted with a summoner vocation”, there wasn’t a shadow of doubt in my mind. Tendou-kun had killed one of our classmates. That was the only way he could have gotten his hands on such an object.

Tendou-kun wouldn’t have sent the skull if it was the only reminder of a fallen comrade. He definitely would have kept it instead. The skull was likely one of his many loots, it was a perfect gift considering the eerie nature of my vocation- Shaman.

「But…how in the world do I use this thing?」

Somehow, I felt that using it as some of Rem’s construction materials was a waste. There was a better, more effective use for the skull. According to my Pharmacy Intuition, the skull could be used for another curse, which I had yet to learn. My skill level was still too low. I grit my teeth in frustration as my nails dug angry crescent shaped indents into the flesh of my palm.

I would reach there eventually, but for now, the human skull was nothing more than a creepy item stocked in my inventory. Although.. Tendou might have had a different idea when he gave the skull to Rem.

Well, seeing that Tendou-kun wasn’t here, it wasn’t as if I could guess his intentions. Doing all I could for now, I kept the skull of my classmate who had become a summoner.

「And, what about Randou-san's?」

「GAG, GO, GUGAGA!」

It seemed that Rem had saved the best for last. I would be a little disappointed- no, I’d be really sad if she didn’t give me any farewell gift, I admitted to myself. Naturally I’d feel this way since I felt the closest with her amongst the members of the entire party. I didn’t care what exactly the gift was-only the thought behind the act of giving it. I would be happy receiving the most trivial of trinkets, like a ballpoint pen or an eraser as long as it came from Randou-san. All that mattered were the feelings behind an action.

「GOGAGAAA!」

She made a noise similar to Dora＊emon as she took the object out from inside her bag. Only to reveal…a cloth?

I received the cloth from Rem, expecting it to be a handkerchief. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I unfurled it to reveal a bold leopard pattern that impressed a wild charm. Moreover, the cloth wasn’t exactly the square handkerchief I had expected… it had more of a triangle shape. What the heck am I going on about ? It’s basically looks like P――

「UWAAH, C-Could it be A-A-A-A PANTIES!! Moreover… WHAT OP PANTIES!」

No matter which angle I observed them from, I was certain. I was 120% sure that it was a PANTY.

Your support is too overwhelming, Randou-san.

Seriously, thank you so much. I’m ecstatic due to  this gift. Truly… I had not expected such a wonderful present, I’m overjoyed.

「Thank you very much, Randou-san…I'll definitely survive with this.」

Randou-san might have realized that I was always eagerly watching her, expecting a panty-shot from under her miniskirt, or maybe she simply thought of me as a man who would feel extremely delighted upon receiving a panty. The thought that she might be going commando right now popped into my head until I stubbornly shook it off. Let’s set that aside for later.

Receiving these panties filled me with an overwhelming vigour. Compared to my sluggish attitude before, now I would surely solo this dungeon with ease.

Thank you very much, Randou-san. Thanks for understanding this male instinct of mine.

I was only a tad depressed since this pair of panties wasn't one that was freshly worn.