[TS] Surviving in a Yuri Visual Novel

The monster was not weak.

On the contrary, this monster was quite strong.

In terms of strength, it was considerably strong for a monster that appears early in a dungeon. It was evident that the level of the dungeon was indeed higher than in the previous ones.

I silently stared at the monster in front of me.

The ground was filled with its blood and corpses. The last remaining monster gasped for breath, losing its sanity as it howled, desperately swinging its front paws in an attack while I flicked my hand. As I did, shadows surged from beneath, piercing through its body.

“Kuh, kheee…?!”

“You still have the strength to scream.”

Normally, monsters die without making a sound, so maybe this one had quite the resilience. Despite being pierced by the shadows, it writhed in a desperate attempt to escape, showing a vitality that seemed superior to most monsters.

But in the end, a monster is still a monster.

It fights relying solely on instinct, unlike the Mazoku, which think while facing their enemies. That’s why monsters are weak. Of course, there are some intelligent monsters that behave like Mazoku, but they are extremely rare.

I looked at the monster with an emotionless gaze before severing its neck.

It was a beast devoid of will, but I wanted to at least grant it a painless end. It would have hurt when its belly was punctured, but there was no reason for me to concern myself with that.

Thud, thud, thud.

[Rebellion Tiger +1 defeated.]

Interestingly, in this dungeon, when you kill a monster, a system notification pops up that feels like a game saying you defeated one. It’s nice to know the name of the slain monster, but it doesn’t exactly feel pleasant.

It feels like I’ve stepped into a game.

…Ah. When you think about it, I’ve become a character in a game, so it’s not far from the truth. I turned my gaze toward Leticia with a wry expression.

“Heh. The skin is tougher than other cat monsters. Quite durable, making it surely strong. Where did they come up with such a monster?”

She seemed to be poking and analyzing the corpse of the Rebellion Tiger she had killed alone with her staff. Just a moment ago, she had been striking its head with the staff to finish it off, and now she was doing the complete opposite.

Thud.

“Ah.”

As Leticia struck the Rebellion Tiger’s neck with her staff, completely severing its vocal cord, I averted my eyes.

It was natural to kill a monster that was showing hostility. I had turned the monster into a skewered piece just moments ago, so I didn’t feel any sense of cruelty toward Leticia’s actions.

It’s only natural.

The reason I turned my gaze wasn’t because Leticia killed the monster.

It was simply because I couldn’t bear to see her like that. A mage is one who handles the mysterious, and she was certainly doing that, smashing heads with a staff.

Are physical mages now considered mages too? There had indeed been rumors of a new type of mage called a battle mage, which I had overlooked as mere rumors since it did not exist in the games I knew.

…Could it be that Leticia is the battle mage of the rumors I hadn’t heard of?

Leticia has always preferred beating enemies with her staff rather than using magic. I looked at her with a suspicious gaze before shifting my attention.

What does it matter if Leticia wants to be a battle mage? She isn’t a bad person like a dark mage, so I had no reason to object if she chose to transition into one.

If she wants to be a battle mage, then let her. If my girlfriend wants to do something, then she should do it. What do my likes and dislikes matter?

“Charlotte.”

“…Yes?”

“Let’s start moving. This dungeon feels different from the ones we know.”

I shot a cheerful smile at Leticia, who was sparkling with curiosity about this dungeon where such creatures emerged in droves.

Sure, if you enjoy it, I enjoy it too.

And I was also interested in exploring the unknown dungeon that had yet to be revealed. If things went wrong, my life could be at stake, but with the great sage of the Heroes’ party beside me, what could possibly go wrong?

If the enemies were strong enough to make Leticia struggle, then I might be in danger too, but there couldn’t possibly be such enemies in this dungeon.

Unless some monsters were as strong as an Archdemon. If that were the case, Leticia alone would likely have a hard time.

I chuckled to myself.

There couldn’t be a monster as strong as an Archdemon; such frivolous thoughts. Even if this world is a sequel to the one I knew, there’s no way they would place something that strong in a dungeon that is likely to just be an introductory one. I erased that thought from my mind.

I followed after Leticia, who was moving forward with a cheerful demeanor.

Honestly, I was also a bit excited, just like Leticia. Every time I played a new game without knowledge of the strategy, I always felt a thrill.

Well, as I said before, this isn’t a game but a reality where death is the end, but I’m not going to die easily. Furthermore, with Leticia by my side, I’m unlikely to fall.

Most likely.

Surely, there couldn’t be a monster in this dungeon that would give Leticia a tough time. I dismissed such thoughts lightly.

How long had it been since we started walking?

I sensed someone’s presence ahead. A foul, viscous magical energy. Prepared for battle, Leticia and I readied ourselves.

Greee——.

A corpse that was alive yet not alive. A zombie, a common sight in fantasy, approached us slowly with a disturbing scream.

Weak monsters tend to move in groups.

The weaker they are, the more they need to gather to survive longer against the strong, so they instinctively come together.

Thus, when encountering zombies, it’s typical to face dozens or even hundreds of them.

“I… human, a, alive… human… and, maaaaster…?!”

Yet, the zombie we encountered was alone. Moreover, it seemed to have some intelligence, as it awkwardly spoke. This alone was puzzling, but the monster was holding a staff in its hand.

Zombies are typically mindless creatures that wander without conscious thought; how could this one speak and hold a staff like a human? This zombie must have been a wizard in its past life.

I had witnessed a wizard becoming a zombie before.

I had seen the corpse of a former wizard being toyed with by enemies and turning into undead or a zombie, and I personally ended their suffering.

After all, it was only right to let those who had no will go peacefully. That’s what I believed, so I made sure to end them with my own hands.

It was an action that could be deemed cruel to those who had already died.

If I continued to leave them in such a state, suffering in limbo, it would ultimately be they who bore the pain. I believed that it was my duty to see them off into peace, rather than letting them mock the suffering they endured even after death.

Fulfill the responsibilities of the strong. Those born with great power carry great responsibility.

Such proverbs exist for a reason.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at the creature.

However, I could see nothing. If the wizard was turned into a zombie through dark magic, the traces of the dark mage or Mazoku who must have turned this poor wizard should have been visible, but there was nothing at all.

What is that zombie?

It’s natural for a zombie to crave the flesh of living humans, but I had never seen a zombie that could use magic.

Second-tier magic, lightning.

One of the most basic spells.

The power gathered at the tip of the staff that the zombie wizard was holding. With a burst of blue light, thunderous sounds erupted from the staff as it unleashed blue lightning in all directions.

“A zombie using magic…!”

My eyes widened.

I stepped back slightly to avoid the blue lightning spreading around Leticia and me, while Leticia cast a protective magic.

Crackle, crackle.

Could that even be considered basic magic? No, it seemed far from the lightning I knew.

As I looked at the place where the lightning had passed, I saw not just destruction but also deep craters in the ground and walls, as if something had consumed it.

Is this thing some kind of modified zombie?

Glancing up, I noticed the name hovering above the creature’s head and fell silent.

[Zombie Wizard Modified by Mazoku]

…Is this for real?

By the way, what a terrible name.

“Kuh.”

Still, though it feels odd to say, it was indeed modified.

The magical power accumulated at the tip of the staff transformed into a sphere and began firing magical orbs toward me, not Leticia.

“This is insane!”

Seeing that, I desperately raised shadows to shield myself in an attempt to block the zombie wizard’s attack, but it seemed to be insufficient.

Thud, thud, thud.

“Dam… Charlotte.”

“…I’m fine, this much.”

But this creature is strong. As blood dripped from the hole in my palm, I grimaced as I added,

“Ugh.”

I sighed as I watched the skin of my body knit together, grateful for its regenerative capabilities, and glared back at the zombie wizard.

“Leticia. This creature seems pretty strong, so let’s coordinate our attacks… uh…?”

“How dare you, bastard, who knows nothing of ethics!! How dare you spill blood on someone!!”

Bang.

And what I saw was Leticia, wielding her staff wrapped with magic as delicate as any I had seen, roaring as she brought it down upon the head of the zombie wizard. …Huh? This isn’t right.

…Huh? This isn’t right.

---