Dragged Into Another World Because of My Otaku Friend

Chapter 31: Massacre in Forest

We finally arrived at the forest. The air was still as chilly as ever, despite the place looking like it had been plucked straight out of a fantasy painting, towering green trees, thick underbrush, and all sorts of chirping.

"Bob, I want to talk about something," I said, the thought lingering in my mind since I got this power.

"What’s up, dude?"

"I think... we’re getting too dependent on the Hero Grace skill," I admitted. "Last time we fought the Black Eagle, we barely got out alive, like very barely."

"But that skill is awesome, man! And it’s Ultra Rare!" Bob argued, clearly offended on behalf of his favorite hissatsu skill.

"I know, Bob. Believe me, I get the appeal. But hear me out." I sighed. "When I used it the first time, I could tell, I handled it better than you. But even then, against that Phoenix girl, I was on the losing side the longer the fight dragged on. What if, in the future, someone figures out how to counter it? That skill isn’t invincible... and when it fails, it’s not going to end in a slap on the wrist. It could spell doom for us."

Bob was in deep thinking.

"So what do you suggest?"

This dude... how can he not think better than me even though he has that sacred checklist or whatever.

I sighed.

"We need a more solid foundation,more classes, more skills. Not just one flashy trick and hope for the best.Today, we will try all our other skills and train with them."

Bob looked off into the woods, then muttered, "Fine. But I’m still using it when things go wild."

"Just don’t go wild every five minutes and we’re good," I said.

We shared a brief nod, maybe the first sign that we were thinking like actual adventurers... or at least less like idiots.

After 10 minutes of walking deep into the forest, we finally stopped in a clearing. The area was quiet, with light seeping through the thick canopy above. It felt peaceful.

Birds chirped in the distance, and small critters rustled. It was as if the forest was holding its breath, watching us prepare.

Alright, let’s put our things here," Bob said, already unpacking with the enthusiasm of a kid on a school trip.

We dropped our bags under a tall tree with broad leaves casting a perfect patch of shade. Bob, being Bob, pulled out a picnic mat like he had this all planned. He spread it out and began arranging the food.

Looking at the spread, there are sandwiches, dried meat, fruit, and way too many snacks, it was hard to tell whether we were monster hunting or just out on a picnic.

"Done!" Bob clapped his hands. "Now, let’s go find some monsters. I hope we bump into an elite or two," he added,sweeping his hand.

We stepped deeper into the forest, eyes scanning the surroundings like kids hunting for beetles in summer. The breeze carried the scent of moss and damp wood.

The hunt was on.

"Hello goblins, where are you..." Bob called out, cupping his hands like a kid playing hide and seek. Mina was perched on his left shoulder, her wings fluttering gently with each step.

"Mina-chan, can you detect any enemies nearby?" he asked.

The tiny green fairy shook her head, her translucent wings glinting in the sunlight.

"Ohh, it’s okay, Mina-chan. You just focus on healing us, okay?" Bob said, gently pressing his right index finger to her cheek. Mina kicked her legs in the air, giggling silently, clearly overjoyed with the attention.

While Bob was having the time of his life pampering his adorable pet, I took the opportunity to check my status screen.

Currently, I had the Mage class equipped. Bob, of course, was sticking to Warrior. He always insisted that ranged classes were for noobs. Whatever. Let him swing his sword around like a maniac.

My eyes drifted toward the four spells Bob had unlocked earlier in this world, the elemental ones. I remembered using them while in Hero Grace form. Flashy, destructive, and utterly chaotic.But now, in normal form, with time and training, maybe I could master them... or even go beyond.

---

1. Advanced Fire Magic: Hellfire Burst

Rarity: Rare

Type: Fire element

A concentrated fire explosion that burns over time.

2. Advanced Water Magic : Aqua Bullet

Rarity: Rare

Type: water Element

Fires pressurized water bullets at high speed, dealing precise damage.

3. Advanced Earth Magic: Stoneguard Ward

Rarity: Rare

Type: earth element

Grants a massive temporary defense buff to self or allies.

4. Advanced Wind Magic : Tempest Fang

Rarity: Rare

Type: Wind element

A crescent wind slash that homes in on enemies

---

All of these spells had evolved from the basic ones Bob received early on. Judging by their descriptions, they looked ridiculously powerful.

I pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from my pocket and unfolded it. It was filled with chants and phrases I’d written down for each spell Bob had taught me. I needed to remember them properly. It was incredibly inconvenient to chant two or three full sentences just to cast a single spell in combat. One wrong word, either nothing happened or I lit myself on fire.

As I quietly reviewed the paper, Bob leaned over and took a glance.

I caught him out of the corner of my eye. "What are you looking at?"

He shrugged.

"Nothing."

I tucked the paper back into my pocket and took a deep breath.

"Indra!" I raised my right hand.

Blue particles start to appear on my hand, then, it materialized, a black gunblade etched with a bright blue line in the middle of it, pulsed faintly with power.

"Showoff," Bob muttered without even glancing.

Mina-chan, still perched on his shoulder, stuck her tiny tongue out at me.

This little thing... she’d clearly been corrupted by Bob’s influence.

I turned my attention to the weapon, running my fingers along the hilt. No matter how many times I summoned it, Indra’s design always stunned me. Part of it art, another part destruction.

Bob finally gave it a glance. "So, you using it as a sword or a gun?"

I stared down at the barrel. "I don’t know... I think I’d rather stay as far away from the center of the fight as I can. So maybe more like a gun... and for casting magic."

"Coward," he said.

"Strategist," I corrected.

Bob rolled his eyes.

Rustle rustle.

We halted instantly.

The sound came from the bushes ahead. Without a word, we slipped behind nearby trees, hiding ourselves in the dense underbrush. Peering through the leaves, we spotted them, a group of goblins.

An elite one stood tall among them. The rest, about ten smaller goblins, circled a half-eaten deer carcass, their green hands bloodied and eager.

From our hiding point, I whispered, "Bob, I want to try my new weapon."

I could feel my pulse quicken. My grip tightened on Indra. My eyes sharpened like a hunter about to take down a target. Bob glanced at me, then put out his hand, signaling "Have it your way."

Silently, I crept closer, just enough to line up a clear shot without revealing myself. The weapon in my hand felt alive, thrumming with mana. I drew a slow breath, focused my mind, and pointed the barrel of Indra at the center of the goblin pack.

A whisper under my breath... the chant completed.

Then I shouted, "Hellfire Burst!"

At the tip of my gunblade, a circle of glowing red array appeared, spinning fast. Then, a massive burst of flame erupted, roaring like a wildfire. The fiery wave spread wide and fierce, engulfing the entire goblin group.

The force pushed me back. My legs lost balance and I stumbled, falling onto the soft ground, effect from the recoil.

The goblins screamed in panic, flames licking their skin as they scattered wildly. Some rolled desperately on the ground, trying to smother the fire. The surrounding brush caught fire too, and for a moment I cursed myself, maybe I should be more careful with Hellfire Burst in the forest. Say no to deforestation and greenhouse effect.

When the flames finally died down, all the goblins lay motionless, burnt to charred husks. The elite, however, still in agony, flames crawling over its thick hide.

"Bob, now!" I yelled.

We charged forward. I raised a hand to shield my face from the lingering heat while the other hand slashed fiercely at the elite. The battle dragged on, sweat and ash mixing on my skin, until finally, the elite collapsed.

"Wow... this is really great," I said, staring at my weapon. We just took down a monster that previously needed five of us to kill, in just minutes. This is the true meaning of OP.

Bob pointed at the floating objects above the goblins’ remains. "What is that thing?"

They were shiny. One bronze, square-shaped, hovering over the small goblins, and a silver one above the elite’s remains.

"Is that thing--?" I started, but Bob beat me to it, reaching out and touching one of it.

Immediately, a notification popped up in front of us:

[Obtained Wood Club card]

"-A card?" I finished my sentence, but I already knew the answer.

"Bro... this is so amazing!" Bob screamed.

"We can get loot from monsters! Imagine if we kill a great boss, we could get a high-rarity card!"

Wow. That is stupendous. With a cheat-like, money-grabbing shop with infinite packs stocked with loot drops, we’re clearly on our way to becoming overpowered.

We then collected all the loot. Mina even helped, buzzing happily as she gathered the shiny cards.

From this group, we obtained many common-rank [Wood Club] cards, and from the elite, we got an uncommon [Spiked Club]. Yes the same one I had used before.

We also found a common [Summon Goblin] card, but it was single-use only.

Bob said to just ignore the summon card since goblins are weak tutorial monsters. But I kept it anyway. Maybe it could be useful later, we never know.

We kept hunting monsters.

The next group was just small goblins. I repeated the process. But after I finished casting Hellfire Burst and engulfed all the goblins, my head started spinning. That feeling was all too familiar.

I checked my MP, now down to a single digit.

What the hell? I only cast two Hellfire Bursts, and my mana is already nearly gone?

Bob handed me the MP potion we bought from town.

"I guess that’s why they call it advanced magic," I muttered to myself as the dizzy feeling faded and my MP refilled to more than half. "Or maybe it’s because of Indra’s passive skill amplification? I need to check that later."

"Why don’t you just use the mage class skills? Like Maya’s. We don’t buy many MP potions, they’re so damn expensive," Bob suggested, eyes glancing at the loot cards floating above the goblin remains.

"Yeah... I think I will do that," I agreed.

We then proceeded to collect all the loot, more common [Wood Club] cards and [Summon Goblin] cards.

"Hey, check this out," Bob said, holding up a card. It was an uncommon passive skill card [Nimbleness].

It granted a slight boost to agility and evasion.

"That’s pretty useful," I said. My goal right now was to find as many agility-related cards as possible because my default agility was more like a slug. This skill would definitely help.

We both equipped it, and immediately we felt it, our movements became just a little bit more nimble.

The massacre continued.