Ch 109

  As Matt deftly maneuvered around the two stone gorillas, he couldn't help but smile as a sudden thought crossed his mind. Both the mist cats and these gorillas seemed unbalanced, presenting the perfect opportunity for the right people to exploit their weaknesses. The mist cats had a deficiency in HP, while the stone gorillas were simply too sluggish. Unfortunately, Matt's joy was short-lived when Emily's urgent voice rang out, addressing him and the others battling at the front lines.

  "Only Greg is able to deal effective damage!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.

  That single line perfectly explained what would happen if Matt or anyone else attempted to combat one of the stone gorillas. They would simply exhaust themselves until they were on the brink of collapse, and then they would inevitably lose, unless the creatures expended all their energy first. Nevertheless, Matt recognized the opportunity for what it was. He sheathed his knives and called out to everyone with determination.

  “Same as last time, everyone focus on one while I take on the other!” he instructed, his voice firm and clear over the clamor.

  “No way!” shouted Zara, her voice sharp with concern. “You promised you wouldn’t do that during the first fight of anything.”

  “When you all finish off one, feel free to help me,” Matt replied confidently. “Unless one of you wants to keep one engaged without any assistance?”

  “I’ll do it,” retorted Zara, stepping forward with resolve. “I’m just as good at dodging as you are. Just make sure to come save me if I take a hit.”

  With that, Zara swiftly maneuvered to divert one of the gorillas, much to Matt’s astonishment, allowing him to concentrate on the one that remained. Shrugging his shoulders, Matt charged forward, seizing an opportunity to leap and deliver a punch directly to the gorilla's face. To say his attack was effective would be a blatant lie, as he inadvertently inflicted damage on himself, resulting in a broken hand. However, it was only a moment later that his hand was fully healed. Undeterred by the fleeting pain, he launched himself back into the fray with another punch, determined to overcome what he perceived as a fundamental weakness.

  Matt had decided that he needed to completely overcome any aversion to pain. It wasn’t that he particularly struggled with pushing through pain or accepting it when necessary. Rather, he realized that his strongest fighting style would be one where he could take a hit most others wouldn't and then counterattack fiercely. As long as his opponent couldn't regenerate quickly like he could, he saw this as a way to win most one-on-one fights and believed it could also be a crucial strategy when facing large groups. Therefore, Matt wished to eliminate the slight hesitation he experienced when actively controlling himself in a fight.

  That was another thing Matt was still trying to figure out. He realized that when he was alone, allowing his instincts to dictate his actions yielded better results than when he consciously tried to fight. He felt he needed to bridge the gap or find a way to transition smoothly between the two modes he was fighting in, as he sensed there was too much potential being lost. Regardless, as he landed another punch, Matt didn't hesitate to transition into a powerful kick, though he shattered his foot in the process. Wincing in pain, he managed to leap back just in time to avoid the stone gorilla's massive arm, using his good foot to propel himself away.

  By the time he landed, both of his feet were fine, and he couldn't help but smile when he received a notification that his durability had increased. This made him grin even wider as he charged back into the fray, continually trading injuries to keep the stone gorilla focused on him. Meanwhile, Greg unleashed alternating attacks of fire and ice, keeping the creature off balance. The others seized any opportunity to inflict minor damage, gradually wearing down the beast as the intense battle raged on.

  At some point, Zara had been replaced by Rose in the task of keeping the second stone gorilla engaged as the battle dragged on. Emily, constantly calling out updates on the status of the situation, was the only evidence that they were making any progress. Finally, Greg finished off the first gorilla, and their focus shifted to the remaining one. Just as they were about to launch their full assault, Greg called out urgently.

  "I am down to under 20% in my mana pool and need about 20 minutes to recover before trying to take out the second one."

  "Alright, I want everyone to spend at least a minute keeping the monster at bay," shouted Matt authoritatively. "That includes you, Greg."

  "Is that really necessary?" commented Emily skeptically. "Both Greg and I can get the same training by having any of you attack us in a controlled environment."

  "It's about taking the control out of it," stated Greg, smiling slightly. "I'll go now if that's okay, just be ready to step in the moment I take a hit."

  Without waiting for anyone to respond, Greg charged in, striking the gorilla in the face with a blazing fireball as he rescued Rose. Glancing over at Emily, Matt could tell she wasn't pleased, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Meanwhile, Greg managed to hold his ground for a full three minutes before stepping back, just as Eleanor charged in with determination. The grin on his face as he sat down next to Matt, who was standing guard, was so broad that Emily couldn't ignore it as she spoke.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "What has you so happy?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "I gained four base stat points from that fight," Greg replied, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Even though they aren't in the stats I normally focus on, such gains shouldn't be ignored. If I didn't think that exhausting myself would slow down my mana pool recovery, I would have kept going."

  "It's strange that these monsters seem so out of balance," Emily commented thoughtfully. "Still, we shouldn't lower our guard."

  "It's because they never have an opportunity to grow," Yumiko stated, frowning slightly as she pondered the situation. "I think Matt was right in saying that we should focus on growing from these battles, but I believe we are being shown something more than he anticipated."

  "You mean what will happen if we fail to maintain our balance," responded Greg thoughtfully. "It makes me realize that I really need to focus on increasing my HP, as I'm not sure I would have survived a direct hit from that gorilla. Still, more than that, I wish we had a tank like that on our side."

  "None of us focus on durability," Emily commented, her expression serious. "I'd say Matt is the closest we have to someone filling such a role, but even he isn’t built for taking hits like that thing is."

  "No, but I also land hits, unlike it," retorted Matt with a confident smirk. "If I didn’t think that doing so would create bad habits, I might suggest we keep grinding this fight just for the dodging experience it can give us."

  "True, but I still don’t like seeing us take unnecessary risks," replied Emily, her tone cautious. "Others are counting on us—"

  "To rise to the top," Greg interrupted, looking at Emily with a challenging gaze. "You should go next."

  "What?" Emily questioned, caught off guard.

  "You’re the vice leader. The leader has given a directive, and you should demonstrate that you’ll follow it. Otherwise, a few others might think that you don’t want to, and that’s how divisions start to form in an organization, and we can’t have that," Greg explained, his voice firm.

  Emily appeared as if she wanted to argue for a moment before she sighed and prepared to join in when Eleanor was ready to trade places with someone. Meanwhile, Matt surveyed the group to assess the situation and determine who might struggle. If he had been placing a bet, he would have likely seen Rose as the one most likely to encounter difficulties, given her having the lowest dexterity among them at that point. However, she had already gone. Instead, his gaze settled on Apricity, who appeared as though she was ready to bolt at any moment.

  Matt understood that Apricity was struggling the most with adjusting to the relentless fighting that defined their lives. Initially, she had been willing to endure this in exchange for the nights they spent alone together, but that had abruptly ended with the arrival of the other women. Since then, she had gradually become more irritable, and Matt could feel the tension mounting each day. If it weren't for the undeniable usefulness of her skills in the dungeon, he suspected she would have been criticized for not contributing enough in battles. However, her unique ability to locate safe rooms on her own made her invaluable, as without her, their journey would have been significantly more challenging.

  With these thoughts in mind, Matt stood beside her and began speaking to her in a low voice.

  "What do you see as your future?" he asked gently.

  "What do you mean?" Apricity replied, worry etched in her voice.

  "It seems like fighting isn't something you want to continue doing, and that's what the future holds if you choose to stay by my side," Matt explained.

  "Is there no other path forward where I can act in a supporting role while you face whatever threats arise?" she inquired. "I'm doing well as a scout and guide now, so why must I fight when simply being in your party will allow me to grow?"

  “Because it will get you killed,” Matt replied with conviction in his voice. “Don’t argue that it won’t, because even if that is the role you wish for, you still need to be at least capable of defending yourself against those as strong as I am.”

  “You would hate any woman of yours to be a damsel in distress,” Apricity agreed, her eyes reflecting a mix of understanding and defiance. “Still, I feel like sparring would be enough to—”

  “You need to prove that you can face death and not freeze up like you did against your doppelganger. I know that caution is part of your path, but you can’t let caution lead you to inaction while others take advantage. Sparring won’t show that, and whatever the system is, it rewards taking actual risks over anything we perceive as the safe path, from what I can see. I have a feeling that just like we could have refused to leave the first world we found ourselves in, such options will continue to be presented as we grow in power. If I am right and reaching another threshold of power results in either my leaving or stagnating, are you willing to be left behind for good?”

  “I see, but if that is the case, why would you choose to leave when you know you could live in peace at that point?” Apricity asked, her voice softer now, tinged with curiosity and a hint of hope.

  Matt paused as he realized that Apricity was right. Yet, he could only ask himself when he became committed to always confronting the challenges that moving forward would present. Although he couldn't pinpoint any specific moment, he felt that failing to do so now would only set him up to fall short of reaching whatever point would require him to choose between moving forward or stagnating.

  “Perhaps I would,” Matt responded thoughtfully. “However, I believe that not preparing to be ready will prevent me from ever reaching the point where I could make that choice. So, I will act as though I will, and hope those around me will rise to stand with me when the time comes.”

  “Do you even want me to?” Apricity asked, a hint of worry in her voice. “I mean, I know that I am not your—”

  “Don’t assume anything,” Matt interrupted gently. “What I want and what will happen aren’t necessarily the same thing. Nor is what I want today the same as what I’ll want in ten years. For all I know, I could end up dating all five of you at some point or none at all. There are just too many unknowns in life right now.”

  “The first of which is surviving until we make it back to Earth,” Apricity noted, her voice tinged with a mixture of apprehension and determination.

  As Apricity made this remark, Emily reached her limit and called for someone to switch with her. Apricity moved forward before Matt could respond to her. Still, he smiled, knowing that his goal had been to give her a push without dictating her actions. Unbeknownst to him, his passive ability to lift others' spirits had been activated, making Apricity feel compelled to step up and try.