HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

"Big Sister..."

Yae Sakura scanned her surroundings but couldn't find Higokumaru. Just as she was about to head towards the site of the Lich's self-destruction, the fox-eared young girl materialized beside her, holding something in her arms.

"Higokumaru, where have you been?" Yae Sakura asked, tousling Higokumaru's hair affectionately.

"I found this!"

Higokumaru handed over a box-like object.

"What's this..."

Yae Sakura curiously accepted the item. It was pitch-black, its purpose unclear, and didn't seem to open easily.

[Recharge item detected. Recharge now?]

"Hm? Recharge item?" Yae Sakura paused, intrigued.

"This must contain the life force energy of that previous Demon Lord," Higokumaru surmised.

"Life force energy... Liches, could it be... a magic life capsule?" When discussing these undead beings, be it in games, movies, or books, they invariably possessed the ability to cheat death.

Every lich relied on a crucial component: a magic life capsule to store their life force energy.

The only way to truly vanquish a lich was by destroying its life capsule. Unless pinpointed and shattered, the lich would resurrect within 1 to 10 days. The previous Demon Lord, being a lich, undoubtedly had such a safeguard.

Fortunately, Higokumaru had found the lich's life capsule. Had he not, the task of completely annihilating the lich—essential for mission completion—would have failed.

Yae Sakura glanced at the race task, noting that the countdown indeed continued. It was clear that only by utterly destroying the creature could the quest be accomplished.

"Well done, Higokumaru!" Yae Sakura commended him.

Higokumaru, well-known for his sharp eye in uncovering junk treasures, had once again proven invaluable. In mere moments, he'd managed to find the lich's life capsule—a testament to his knack for locating just the right item at critical times.

"Heh-heh..." at Yae Sakura's praise, Higokumaru scratched the back of his head, his face splitting into a grin.

"Recharge it!"

Yae Sakura proceeded to directly recharge the Magic Lich's life jar.

[Obtained: 50 Crystals]

"Only 50?"

Yae Sakura froze. That seemed so pitiful. After all, this was supposedly a Demon Lord—last time, even the dragon had yielded several hundred.

"You can't compare," Ai-chan suddenly interjected. "A dragon's body is full of treasures; of course it would be different! The value of recharged items isn't based on their strength, but on their worth to the System."

"I guess so..."

After recharging the Life Casket, they had also completed the speedrun challenge.

Time Stopped: 00:55:23

From slaughtering their way through the entrance to the third underground level, where they vanquished the Demon Lord, the entire operation had taken less than an hour.

Even now, it seemed utterly implausible—yet it was mainly due to Higokumaru's extraordinary abilities. Without her, such a feat would have been impossible within the given timeframe.

Upon claiming their rewards, the account was bolstered with 100 Crystals, 1,000 Ai-chan Exclusive Coins, and a 90% discount voucher.

There were additional rewards to collect from the king, but that could wait for later. More pressing was the matter of locating the core of the underground dungeon.

And so...

"Higokumaru, finding the core of this underground dungeon is a crucial task entrusted to you," Yae Sakura said, gazing intently at Higokumaru.

Tamomo's treasure-seeking prowess was formidable; Yae Sakura knew she wouldn't disappoint.

"Well, I'll give it a go, then..." Higokumaru replied, scratching her small head as she met Yae Sakura's trusting gaze.

-

Half an hour later, Higokumaru led Yae Sakura to a place emitting an intense glow. A spherical core, resembling a miniature sun, appeared before Yae Sakura's eyes.

Simply standing in its presence, Yae Sakura felt the immense energy radiating from it.

It was like a star compressed into a sphere less than a meter in diameter right before her.

"This is the heart of the dungeon, just like the core of a star," Yae Sakura marveled, taking a few steps forward to examine the object ahead.

She had heard that every dungeon had such a core... It was responsible for creating a small underground world and then sustaining its functioning.

[Recharge items detected. Recharge?]

As Yae Sakura approached the Dungeon Core, the recharge prompt appeared before her.

"Recharge, I suppose..."

With anticipation, Yae Sakura tapped through.

[Congratulations! You have obtained: 3280 crystals + 580 crystals bonus]

"..."

"3280 crystals + 580 crystals? That's 3860 crystals!"

Seeing her account balance now at 9100 crystals, just shy of 10,000.

Though far from the 30,000 crystals she'd envisioned, it still wasn't bad at all.

Yae Sakura felt quite satisfied.

-

Once the recharge was complete, the core up ahead vanished from Yae Sakura's sight. Then... the entire underground began to tremble.

According to the book's records, without the core's presence, the underground little world would completely destroy itself within a day at most.

So Yae Sakura didn't dare to linger either, quickly mounting Higokumaru and sprinting back.

After Yae Sakura emerged from the dungeon, adventurers continued to exit the entrance in droves.

The commotion within the dungeon had drawn the adventurers together, sparking animated discussions. This was not an uncommon occurrence.

Similar situations had arisen before, always initiated by a Hero slaying the Demon Lord and subsequently absconding with the Dungeon Core.

-

Yae Sakura didn't join their discussion but instead rode Higokumaru away from the area.

She didn't return to the capital of the Cronis Eagle Kingdom either. Still in her Yae Sakura form, it was inconvenient to see Cellinia and the others, and also awkward to ask the king for her reward.

All of that could wait until tomorrow when she changed back into the Twins. For now, it was time to have some fun with Higokumaru, who had just performed a great service!

-

By the shore of a tranquil lake, secluded and untouched, Yae Sakura and Higokumaru sat together, roasting meat over an open flame. The previous mission had drained their energy, leaving them famished. Initially, Yae Sakura planned to take Higokumaru to the royal capital for a proper meal. However, upon seeing the red dragon meat in her inventory, she decided a barbecue would be the perfect alternative.

For Higokumaru, grilled meat was second only to fried tofu in her culinary preferences. She loved it so much that she enjoyed cooking it herself, although her lack of talent often resulted in charred, unappetizing results. Her fondness for grilled meat also fueled a persistent fear: the dread of someone turning her into a barbecue.

"Charred again... T_T..."

Higokumaru stared at the burnt-black meat on her skewer, her mood turning gloomy.

Two pieces already, and both had ended up overcooked. How disheartening.

"You should quit grilling. This one's done now... go ahead and eat!"

Yae Sakura shook her head, watching the meat in Higokumaru's hand, silently lamenting. It was practically a waste of food. But... Yae Sakura still handed over the perfectly grilled piece she held.

"Thanks, Big Sister."

Higokumaru, eyes lighting up at the sight of the well-done meat, eagerly accepted it with a word of gratitude.

"..."

Yae Sakura remained silent, picking up another piece of grilled meat to savor.

The red dragon's flesh was remarkably tender, even from the belly area. It must be said... Dragon meat had a unique flavor, truly delicious...

But... it felt akin to consuming a powerful stimulant, filling her entire body with a surge of strength.

Such a delightful treat should not be shared merely between two - herself and Higokumaru.

With this thought, Yae Sakura accessed her friend list.

Her roster had grown considerably: Kaede, Kikyō, Natsuki, Rimuru, Shuna, Inky... and from this world, Cellinia and others.

After a moment's contemplation, Yae Sakura selected "Friend Assistance" and chose Kikyō.

-

With a flash of white light, a young girl dressed in a miko's outfit appeared in front of Yae Sakura.

"Kikyō-chan!"

The moment she saw Kikyō, Yae Sakura stood up and embraced her.

"Sakura?" Kikyō seemed a bit bewildered.

"It's been years without seeing you, Kikyō-chan. Did you miss me?" Yae Sakura released Kikyō and looked at her expectantly. After such a long time, has our relationship become distant? She couldn't help but feel a touch of anxiety.

"Years? But I thought we just hadn't seen each other for a day. Oh right, didn't you say something about going far away yesterday? How come you're back so soon?" Kikyō looked at Yae Sakura with confusion.

"Hold on, a day?" Yae Sakura was taken aback. It's clearly been much longer than that, so how can it be only a day?

"That's right, not even a full day," Kikyō confirmed.

"..."

Does this mean time isn't uniform across different worlds?

"Wait..."

A realization hit Yae Sakura. She promptly consulted Ai-chan, who provided a clarification immediately—unlike the previous System Girl.

Every time Yae Sakura experienced a new world, only one day passed in all previously visited worlds.

Each world equaled one day, regardless of how long she spent within it.

-

"Hahaha, this setup isn't half bad! Come on, Kikyō-chan... try some dragon meat."

Yae Sakura thrust the unfinished skewer of grilled meat right at Kikyō.

"Uh..." Kikyō hesitated, eyeing the portion of roast that Yae Sakura had already nibbled on, but eventually accepted it.

-

After finishing their meal, they did a quick cleanup. Then, Yae Sakura took Higokumaru and Kikyō on a stroll through the streets of this other world's royal capital.

The sight of so many unfamiliar things even caused Kikyō to momentarily break her goddess demeanor, expressions of surprise flickering across her face.

The next day...

Kikyō returned to her own world, and the time limit for the Gyakushinn Miko expired as well. With her disappearance went the little fox Higokumaru.

(TL Note: I wonder if the mc can just summon Rimuru and sic them on whoever gives her trouble? ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ)