So, yeah, that's it.

　Serena explained, pointing to a large unfolded diagram in the cafeteria.

"At this point in time, there are very few students who have activated their unique ability, 'Phase 2' as the Red Wing Demon (Red Wing) calls it, that has been confirmed. The only thing I can say for sure is that Utsurogi-san's ability is amplified.

　In the cafeteria, more than a dozen students listened intently to her talk. Some of them were taking notes intently, just like in a school class. Brother Uozumi (Gilman), Kenzaki (Dullahan), and Nekomiya (Ket Shih), many of whom are the head of the search team.
　Serena continued her explanation with a somewhat more vivacious expression than when she had been called useless.

'Lycanthrope's complete beastification and the like are abilities that haven't been confirmed on this world, and it's possible that these are also unique abilities, including Akai-san's Bloodline Corps (Bloody Corpse). Then there's Gokubugawara's item-seeking ability. This is a bit of a tricky one, though. However, in this case, I'm just saying that the inherent ability wouldn't be too far removed from your race's image of power. For example, Uozumi-san won't be able to grow cones (drills) from both hands and dig through the ground, and Kenzaki-san won't be able to grow wings from his back and fly. It's just a hypothesis.

　Kyousuke and the others watched Serena's situation from outside the cafeteria.
　They didn't have much time before they left their base and headed to the kingdom that was said to be to the east. However, Serena decided to use that short time to hold an instructional course on the operation of monster abilities for those who wished to do so. As for her monster knowledge, it was probably where most of the students would have admitted it. Serena said that if she could be recognized so easily, she should have said it earlier.

　Since coming to this world, some of the students had been able to use magic out of instinct. But if Serena was to be believed, they still weren't able to use their own abilities to their fullest.

''Serena-san, what kind of a half-fishman's (Gilman) race ability is that?''
Hmmm....

　Serena raises her hand and asks a question to her fisherman/brother, Serena thinks about it for a bit before answering.

'After all, it's a swimming ability, so I feel it's difficult to make use of it here....... However, the muscles of the whole body to utilize for swimming, especially this area from here on out, are very well developed, so.......

　Serena walked up to Uozumi with a serious look on her face and rubbed her biceps and thighs. Uozumi was doing her best to keep her grimace under control, and the scales were being pinched up from the side by Kenzaki, a member of the Public Safety Committee.

'There's a lean gillman and a white gillman, but Uozumi-san is a lean gillman. His muscle endurance is extremely high and his stamina is long-lasting. The meat is also very firm and tasty.
That last one is a piece of information I don't need...

　Uozumi chuckles and writes down the information in his notebook.
　Serena also explains that Kenzaki, the Dullahan, has the ability to see through "dead lines," but as a rule, he is undead and therefore vulnerable to heat and light, and that Nekomiya, the Ket-Sea, has the ability to move from shadow to shadow, and that the other students and those not here I'll add a few words about the students' abilities, too.

I'll get a full tutorial later.

　Rin says in a cheerful voice while looking at Serena like that.

''I feel like Himemizu is making pretty good use of her abilities.
''That's not good. I've been losing my finisher to Hikano-kun for most of my life, so...

　Besides," Rin added.

''In the last battle against the Red Wing Demon, I fainted in the middle of the fight, too.

　She seems to feel, in her own way, that she needs to be strong.

I need to be more helpful to Utsurogi-kun.
Himemizu has already helped me enough.
Oh, oh...!　I don't think I'm used to being praised straight away!

　What is Rin's unique ability? Kyousuke has played a mountain of domestic RPGs with slimes, but it doesn't really make sense to him. Can you take metal and turn it into metal? If his whole body is like a terminator, I feel like that would be strong.
　When Kyousuke glanced at Rin, he also seemed to be thinking about his own unique abilities, just like Kyousuke.

'How about being able to produce electric shocks. The penetrating attribute of........
'It's a nightmare, the slime blitz and all that. I can't tell you how many emperors I've lost because of it...
Because you're taking on the Imperial Cross.

　In the first place, how does the body of a slime generate electricity? If I asked Serena, she would answer surprisingly easily, 'Maybe it uses the potential difference between cells to generate electric shocks' or something like that.
　After Kyousuke's abilities were discovered and the word Phase 2 was uttered by the red-winged demon, the other students have begun to explore their own unique abilities. Kyousuke was fortunate enough to find it easily, but after all, it's apparently not something that's easy to notice.

　After that, as they continued to engage in trivial chatter about Rin's inherent ability, the topic suddenly shifted to another direction.

'Utsurogi-kun. Come to think of it, did you have any side effects of Benii-san's blood?
'No, not so much for now.... If I had to choose, I'd say....
You want to know why?
I'm getting stronger.
.........

　Rin fell silent as Kyousuke said as he posed for the double bye sepsis. If he had eyes, he must be looking quite white eyed.

''No, I'm not kidding. The bones themselves feel like they're harder than before. Also, my body movements are lighter than before.
''Hmm. I guess it's just an overall increase in specs....

　It's a reasonable guess, but it's not necessarily the only one. And this is just a 'good side effect'.
　If the recovery magic can be used to repair non-regenerative parts of the body and also raise the level of the person's ability, it's a perfectly good thing. Even Beni doesn't have to hesitate. He could just use it on the other students with a bang, and that would lead to the power up of the entire class.

　Beni didn't do so because he was concerned about the 'bad side effects'.

''The most likely bad side effects are,''

　Rin said.

'It's about being Beni-san's minion. I don't think it's a good way to call her a servant. 'Servant?'
In this case, the correct word would be "household".

　Not that Kyousuke hadn't thought about it, too. Beni is a vampire. The image of a monster called a vampire is that it sucks blood to increase its companions and then follows those increased companions as its own "subordinate". The ability to repair defective parts of the body and increase physical specs also fits the image of a vampire.
　Did Kyousuke become a vampire as well as a skeleton?

''Are you okay?　Doesn't that make you want to suck blood, Mr. Utsurogi?
'No, not really.... Even your canine teeth haven't gotten any sharper, have they?
Uh-huh. That's right.

　However, even if they did not become vampires, they could still end up as Benii's "household".
　As a general rule, a family member cannot disobey their parent vampire. Kyousuke would have no choice but to follow Benii's orders.

　Beni isn't such a bad boy either. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing. It's not as if the demerit is "becoming a Benii's family member", I feel like it's not such a fatal side effect.

"Utsurogi-kun, do you really think that?

　Perhaps reading Kyousuke's thoughts, Rin said with a force that made her lips (or lack thereof) clench.

''I think Benii-san is a good person too, but he's forced to hold his will in someone else's hands. Wouldn't that normally make you feel good?
Hmmm, well, maybe...
I think I understand your feelings for the first time...

　I don't want that. I can't have two partners with that little mother-in-law kind of nitpicking.
　It seems that Serena's instructional lecture on operations ended just around that time. The students came out of the cafeteria in a trickle, notebook in hand. Serena smiled and waved at them.

''Ah, that was just fine. Are you done?''

　Cock Sugiura peeked out from behind the kitchen.

I've had Hino-kun's help in making some preserves for Utsurogi and his friends. I've been making some preserved food for Utsurogi and his friends.

　With that, Sugiura comes out with some smoked meat on a tray. Rin and Kyousuke also stepped into the dining room.

''I see, it's smoked dungeon alligator.

　Serena nodded, picking up one of the meats and nodding.

'Dungeon crocodiles are reptilian-type monsters that live in the labyrinth. You're in this dungeon too, aren't you?''

　This smoked crocodile meat is also used to trade with the goblins who live in the heavy cruiser. According to the stories of the goblins, those goblins regularly hunted monsters such as the Wildness Worm, Desert Fly and Desert Vulture in groups for food, and the crocodile meat that could be obtained by trading with the second year and four groups was useful because it was a preserved food that could be obtained intact.
　Smoked crocodile meat is not the only food that can be preserved. There were also dried pasta-models and dried potatoes.

'From what Serena and Zekou have told me, I'd say it's about three to five days. Save the important stuff, for ten days. Utsurogi-kun, Hino-kun, Sarurin, Hakuba-kun, and Serena-san, that's the equivalent of five people.
'I forced myself to turn up the heat and thaw out the water. I'm tired...

　Ei seemed to have less firepower than at any other time and flew in a huff.

''Ooh, they all look delicious...''
Don't pick up any food, Sarah.
"I know, I know...

　By the way, there was a problem with transporting this amount of food.

　Compared to the number of people, there aren't enough members suitable for transporting the luggage. Kyousuke can't exert his strength properly without combining with Rin, and Ei and others can't carry a large amount of luggage no matter how they try. In the end, they agreed to let Hakuba pull the cart, and it was going to be rather difficult for him to do so.

''The scariest thing is that we'll encounter a red-winged demon on our way across the wilderness.......''

　Serena mumbles as she loads the preserved food into the prepared cart.

''Come to think of it, Serena-san's mentor is stronger than that demon?''
I'm not sure.　I can't really imagine my master losing....

　Even as Kyousuke, he couldn't really imagine an existence that was stronger than that red-winged demon. Even the Full Cross that buried that Dead Spirit King couldn't stand up to it. He was overwhelmingly defeated by his physical strength, and his defense by that black armor was robust.
　I feel like I must fight that demon at some point. I have no vision of how I should win in that case.

'Utsurogi-kun, you shouldn't think too hard!
'Yes. It's my role to make you sick to your stomach and you should take it easy.

　Rin and Ei would say something like that. It's not like that, Kyousuke thought. It's certainly not an issue that can be managed by overthinking it, though.

　For now, Rin was about to secretly reach for the smoked meat, so he slapped it away.




　Apparently, the class had already been notified of Kyousuke and the others' departure. Not only Sugiura, but the other students also helped me prepare for the trip. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. If anything, it's just because he's been on the side of the small and cozy in the corner until now.
　After Full Cross's identity was exposed as Kyousuke and the others, there were not a few students who were wary of us, but if anything, many of the reactions were favorable. Well, it's much better than being spurned. Rin was also cheerfully high-fiving the students who came and went, and even after she turned into a slime, she was still having fun conversing with them with the same comic skills as ever, but for Ei, a true communicator, this area seemed to be nothing but painful.

'Utsurogi, send Serena-san home safely........ I'm counting on you........!

　It's Mushroom Man (Matango) Kinogasa, who grabs both of Kyousuke's shoulders with a gusty grip and tells him with a serious look on his face. The way he's getting into Serena feels rather stiff, so Kyousuke decides to nod without saying anything. He's also afraid that if he stimulates her poorly, strange spores might fly out.

''Himemizu, don't be reckless.
Goodbye, Sarin.

　The Uozumi siblings, who belong to the same group as Mushikasa, are happily exchanging conversations with Rin.

　They've already finished making preparations and are about to leave. If all goes well, it won't take more than two weeks, and by the time they return, it's about time that the refurbishment of the heavy cruiser will be more than half done. My only concern is that in the meantime, there will be a second attack by the Red Winged Demon, but that's all I can think about.
　Not that it would be such a long goodbye. There was no such thing as an ostentatious send-off either. The majority of the students were already on their way to refurbishing the heavy-duty vehicles.

　When I went out of the labyrinth, Hakuba was already waiting for me without a place to be.

''Yo, Hakuba. Sorry to keep you waiting.
Oh, oh, oh. Utsurogi...

　Raising one hand in greeting, Hakuba replies with his eyes swimming.

'It's going to be a week or so of travel from now on, but please take care of me.
'Hmm, yeah. Well, yeah....

　He looks somewhat tense. I was wondering if he had a bad stomach, when Hakuba said

"No, I mean, Utsurogi.... I'm sorry about that.
Hmm?
I was taking it out on you, you know. I was having a tantrum.
I don't really care.

　When Kyousuke simply told him without any particular disguise of his feelings, Hakuba looked at us intently with an amused look on his face.

''Is that so...?''
Yeah.
Hakuba, this is the kind of guy Kyousuke is.

　Ei interjects from behind Kyousuke as he floats around in a huff.

''It's not that I'm mending, I don't really care. So you can treat them without worrying too much about that. Though I haven't forgotten the way you and Washio behaved towards Kyousuke.
'Why does Hino care so much about Utsurogi...'
You know, Hino-kun is a homos*xual.

　There was something oddly nostalgic about this exchange as well. Serena crossed her arms and nodded curiously, 'I see, you're a faggot. Even though she says she's not.

'Well, Hakuba-san. It's nice to meet you from now on.'

　Serena chuckled and walked over to Hakuba. Hakuba gulped and spat and bailed lightly.

　A tense mood drifts among them all.
　Hakuba is a unicorn. He has a propensity to dislike dirt, and in a perverted form of lore, it is said that he 'only allows his heart to be in the hands of the living girl'. This is not only in Kyousuke's world, but it seems to be the same on this side as well. Hakuba also has a sad past: when he came to this world and tried to get another girl on his back, his body rejected him and he was shocked and fell asleep for three days and three nights.
　The identity of the girl who was not allowed to ride him will be kept under wraps for her honor.

　If Serena couldn't ride a white horse here, not only Hakuba but also Kyousuke would be subtly shocked. No, not really, it might be normal for someone that old. Maybe it wasn't something to overreact to, though.

　Serena thrust her own spear, which she had brought with her when she came to the dungeon, into the ground and used it as a foothold to put her feet on the white horse's back. With a buzz, the white horse's body trembled, but then nothing special happened, and she straddled the unicorn's back.

''Oh, oh........''

　Kyousuke and Rin applauded for now. Hakuba also let out a big sigh of relief.

''Eek!　What is your reaction?　I'm kind of very shocked in both ways!
'No, yeah, I don't have a particularly deep imi. We're all adolescent Seshonen by the looks of it.

　She followed up with a mysterious follow-up as she bounced around Rin and popped her head.
　Serena seems to be a bit familiar with handling horses. The white horse had an impromptu saddle and gag on it, but there was no danger in the motion of holding the reins. A knight's apprentice, you might say. Maybe that means he's a tease in combat, but his horsemanship is so-so. However, the long spear, which is an acquisition, looks hard to wield on horseback.
　As I was checking the luggage on the white horse's cart, another student emerged from inside the base.

''Ah, Utsurogi-kun.''
Hey, Satchan.

　At the sound of Rin's voice, Kyousuke also looks up. It's definitely Sakuma. He had taken off his usual coat today, and there was a lot of skin tone components for a long time. The white horse's horse face stretched further down his nose.

''Ah, Sakuma. You've come to see me off.
Well...... Well, um......... Good luck!

　Gulp, Sakuma gutted, and his chest shook with a plop.

'Oh, yeah. I'll do my best. Thanks.
And, um...
'This is the guy who's been meaning to say something anyway but hasn't really thought about it and is at a loss for words...'

　Rin looks at Sakuma, whose gaze wanders frantically, and gives me a calm commentary.

'Which is tomorrow for Saku-chan, who had a privileged position before the transition and a privileged appearance after the transition, but is beginning to feel threatened by the existence of me and Serena-chan, as well as being mysteriously pursued by Benii-san, but not having a particularly close relationship with Utsurogi-kun?'
"Well, if you're talking about that race, it's Hino who's leading the pack...
Yeah. I'm only a triangular corner, you know...

　Rin continued her conversation with Hakuba as it was, with only Serena nodding her head as if to say she had no idea what they were talking about. Ei calmly floated next to Kyousuke.

'Well, Utsurogi-kun but good luck!
'Oh, yeah. I'll do my best. Thanks.
Well then, I'll... I'm going to explore with Asuka and the others!
I thought we were going to the bottom of the ocean today. Good luck!
Yeah, thanks!

　Sakuma went back to his base again, waving his hand as it was.

''Hey, Utsurugi.......''

　Pt. White Horse speaks the words.

'I just apologized, but can I kick your ass?
Please don't.




　They all set off for the east.

　After advancing for a while, they approached a heavy cruiser that was being refurbished. It seemed that negotiations with the goblin boss had already been done, and many students were already engaged in the refurbishment process under the leadership of Kurumori. According to Serena's story, although the race of goblins can't tinker with machines, they are nimble enough to make primitive weapons, and they also have Gokugawara as their interpreter to help with the refurbishment.

Furthermore, goblins have a tendency to look up to those with more intelligence as their leader, so perhaps Mr. Gokubunawara is being recognized as a leader.

　Serena waved back at the students waving from the refurbished ship and said something to that effect.

'Didn't I tell you that Oga's pecking order is determined by muscle strength?

　Rin asked such a question as she merged with Kyousuke. Serena nodded.

'Oga is muscle power. But they're not a highly social species by nature. When they are fighting for females, food, or territory, they will engage in fisticuffs and decide which of them has the better muscle strength.
We don't have to kill him.
''We were a belligerent race until 20 years ago, but since there was no one to rule over monsters like Oga, we weren't as ferocious as we were.

　Well, they still attack humans and eat them," he adds at the end of the day, which is outrageous.

　Beyond the place where the heavy cruiser is located, and further east and further east, the area beyond that is already unknown to them. Rin and Serena's chatter never seemed to end for the men, who weren't the prolific type to begin with.

''Hey Serena, what do you think my unique ability is?''
Is this a unique ability of Lynn's?　Hmm......... Lin-san has brought out most of her tribal abilities, you know........

　According to Serena's defense, Rin has almost perfectly mastered the actions that common slimes can perform, such as deformation, density and weight manipulation. She was honestly saying that since she didn't have the ability to use magic in particular, the image of her unique abilities was not quite right.

'How about a convenient dissolving liquid that only dissolves clothes and armor?

　The white horse interrupted.

''Yeah, yeah......... Let's not do something like that erotic manga........''
''No, wait Himemizu. If you can melt that red-winged demon's sturdy armor, you might as well.
You're a moron?

　It's not an exaggeration to say that that armor was half the reason why Full Cross was defeated by the Red Winged Demon. If you can dissolve that armor with a convenient dissolving solution that only dissolves clothes and armor, it could indeed be powerful. Kyousuke, who was seriously pondering, heard Rin's impatient voice.

''Eh, wait, Utsurogi-kun.... Are you serious?　I'm a slime, but I'm a girl.　You're going to make a girl shoot such a disgusting liquid...?
It wouldn't be disreputable if it wasn't used in a disreputable way.... If you just melt the armor, you can neutralize them without hurting them, and it's easy to get information out of them.
I don't like it. I don't like this...

　Rin's voice is blatantly low on tension.

　After a while of moving through the wilderness, the sun was getting strangely shaded. Looking up at the sky, I saw that clouds were beginning to hang over the once lush sky.

'It looks like it's going to rain,'

　Serena says faintly.

'Rain....'

　Kyousuke also said.
　It's by no means a rare thing, but it's a weather we haven't encountered once since we came to this world. Considering this dry wilderness, I know that this is not a region that thrives on rain, but even so, I feel like it's not a good start to travel and suddenly encounter rain.

I mean, isn't it bad?

　Rin said.

'Hino-kun, aren't you going to disappear?'
'You certainly didn't think much of the rain,'

　In a calm voice, Ei also says.

''Ah, just in case, there was a lantern among the tools. Akira-san is in here.''
'All right. I'll do you a favor.

　Ei fit snugly into the lantern that Serena had opened.
　Nevertheless, as they went further, the black clouds grew thicker and thicker, and eventually water droplets began to wet the dry land.

Oh no..... It's starting to rain.

　Hakuba muttered. Ei nodded in the lantern.

'It's a little early, but we might as well stop and rest. Going on in the rain is going to sap our energy.'
I don't know where we can find a place to stay in the rain.
We should get back. We just found a rocky road. We'll pitch our tents there and rest.

　Kyousuke and the others moved somewhat at a run to the rocky area and stretched their covers along one large rock. It wasn't very wide, but there was still enough room for Hakuba and Serena to get out of the rain and wind. Unlike Kyousuke and Rin, these two could catch a cold if they got their bodies wet poorly, so I made them sit inside.
　He let the fire blow out of Ei's lantern and burn the wood from the wagon. We ate smoked meat and dried potatoes while we warmed up and reunited for a while.

It looks like the rain will continue for a while longer.

　Kyosuke mumbles to himself and they all look out of the hood.

''Let's take turns keeping watch and rest for now. It's a good idea to have a good time. Me, Hakuba and Serena-san.
Okay!　Okay, I'll keep an eye on him, so everyone should get a good night's rest!

　Rin popped out of Kyousuke's body with a whimper and said in a cheerful voice.

'Oh, please, Himemizu.'
I don't feel like I can take a day off even if I'm told to...
'This is what you're going to be doing for the next week. You'll need to get used to it.
I'll take care of it!　We're good at camping!

　The way they chattered about each other reminded me of a forest school camp.
　Kyousuke and his friends lay together in the not-so-wide rain shelter, and then they would take a nap until it was time to take turns.




　A few hours later, Kyousuke woke up after sleeping much more soundly than he thought he would, to find the figure of Himemizu Rin, swollen and swollen to the point of covering his vision with a lot of rain.