Only I know that this world will end – 074 | Sousaku – 創作

Lost

"Oh."

Suddenly, Nao raised her voice.

"I leveled up."
"You did it! Congratulations."
"Oh, thank you. Earlier, when we were dealing with a pack of Black Wolves, I had gained quite a few levels, but I didn't think I would be able to gain another level just by killing a few goblins. I guess I accumulated experience right up to just before the next level."

Then Nao laughed with an embarrassed look on her face.
Akira nodded and called out to her.

"What level are you at now? "
"Right now…… at level 20."

Nao said as she stared into the empty air.
Apparently, it was significant that during the attack at the hospital, she had fired her elementary magic against the superior Black Wolves and then finished them off when Akira had weakened them.
Akira smiled at Nao, who had raised her level beyond what he had imagined in this short time.

"Let's keep raising the level like this. If there is a monster out there that you can't deal with, Nao-san, I'll deal with it."

As he said this, Akira took the stone axe from the goblin who had turned into a corpse.
In all those repetitions, it became clear that all the real weapons were inadequate. Perhaps the high Endurance value of the monster was a factor. By now, Akira already understood that it was still easier to take a durable monster's belongings and use them as a weapon than to use a real weapon that could not do much damage and would break down quickly.

"I get it. I'll be in your care."

Nao nodded acknowledging Akira's words, and they immediately set about the leveling process.

Walking around the city at random, Akira and Nao looked for Man-eating Plants as a priority.
During that time, the monsters they encountered were converted into experience and added to their overall leveling.
If it was a goblin, Akira said, Nao alone could handle it, so he followed along with Nao.
As originally planned, the Man-eating Plants were to be attacked one-sidedly by Nao's magic, from outside of their attack range.
As for the Killer Bees and the Boars, Akira weakened them before Nao finished them off, and when it came to the Grey and Black Wolves, Akira took care of all of them.

And so it was when Akira and company were quietly working hard on leveling.

"――――Damn, again?"

At that moment, Akira swung the stone axe in his hand and struck down the Black Wolf, which attacked him as if he were its parent's enemy. The stone axe he had taken from the goblin broke off halfway through with a snap.

(This is the third stone axe I've broken…… I guess since my level and stats have gone up, the goblins' weapons are getting broken pretty quickly too.)

Incidentally, he picked up a metal bat in the city―― probably something someone had used against a monster. The bat was battered and dented with black bloodstains―― he had tried to use it once, but it was no match for a strengthened monster and had broken in half.
Akira took the broken handle of the stone axe in his hand and drove the broken tip into the Black Wolf's throat with all his might, surely suffocating it.
As he stood up after wiping off the splattered blood the monster vomited, Nao, who was watching the battle from a distance, called out to him.

"What? Did it break again? "
"……Yeah. All the weapons are too soft. Even a goblin's stone axe, which used to be decent to wield, is now a useless stick after a few uses."

Having said that, Akira let out a loud sigh.

"I guess hitting them with your hands is the fastest way."
"……Well, I'm sure your strength is too high for those weapons to endure."
"Right…… If only there was a sturdy weapon――――"

It was when Akira muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he remembered the existence of that weapon.

"――――That's right. The axe, of course! I'm sure I can swing that thing around with my strength!! "
"That thing? "

Nao tilted her head at Akira's words.

Akira turned his attention to Nao and told her of the existence of that weapon he remembered.

"The Minotaur's Axe! That guy's strength didn't break it when he swung it around. So that thing shouldn't break so easily when I swing it around! "
"……I see. Yes, I suppose that's true."

Nao nodded to Akira's words.
However, she immediately tilted her head to indicate the question on her face.

"But it's already been three days since then. Will it still be in that place? "
"Probably shouldn't be a problem. That weapon is not something you can lift that easily, and I don't think anyone can take it with them."

That axe was an incredibly heavy object that Akira could barely hold in his hands at the time, when his strength was over 70.
Conversely, anyone could hold it as long as they had that much strength, but there was no way anyone would be able to raise their strength value to that level in these two days.
If it took several people, they might be able to at least carry the axe out, but if they did that, they would be easy targets for the monsters.

"Let's go there first."
"……I guess so. Let's go check it out."

Nao agreed with Akira's words and decided to go to that place immediately.