I Became a Beautiful Girl, but I’m still an MMO Junkie

Continuation…

“Wow, you’re even more powerful than before, Fu.”

“Fufufu ♪”

I quickly flew about 8 meters and prepared to attack the enemy.

“Taro! Don’t be reckless! Just guide it down!”

Kouya called out to me with a fierce momentum, so I took a moment to observe the opponent closely before attacking.

As described in the photo, upon closer inspection, there were small creatures inside the white light. Even as I approached, there was no particular reaction… I felt a little guilty, but now my friends were in trouble, so with the momentum of the wind at my back, I swung my small sword towards the Luna Homunculus.

“I’m sorry.”

The blue-white glowing artificial life form Homunculus seemed to scatter without resistance, but–

It had apparently sensed my intentions and dodged the blade I swung at it, then flew down and disappeared, generating an unprecedented amount of light. At the same time, I received a light shock that felt like being electrocuted and was blown upwards.

“Ugh, what was that?”

Taro – HP 12/80

‘Was that… a shockwave? Is it a type of attack that activates when you approach?’

“Taro!? Are you okay!?”

I saw Kouya’s worried face and everyone else’s concerned looks for a moment. Then, the Luna Homunculus approached me from below to attack again, this time from their side.

“Fu! Please!”

“Alrighty♪”

I quickly requested Fu to blow wind to keep the Luna Homunculus away.

Luna Homunculus, the False Soul longing for the Moon was caught off guard by our unexpected counterattack and was severely reduced in altitude by Fu’s wind pressure.

“Alright, I can reach that height!”

Kouya activated his ability, Flying Legs, and performed a jump that could easily beat the height of a world-class high jumper, instantly attacking the Luna Homunculus. Fu and Kouya, attacked from both sides, causing it to be unable to react and was thereby struck with a one-two-three combo by Kouya. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I asked Fu to descend rapidly from above and swung my small sword it.

It seemed that this one blow sealed the deal, as the Luna Homunculus was scattered with a green polygon effect.

“The Fake Soul Longing for the Moon, Luna Homunculus” has been possessed by “Solo White.”

“The Fake Soul Longing for the Moon, Luna Homunculus” has dropped “Baby’s Shedding Skin.”

Kouya landed on the ground with a thud, and I followed behind him, checking the log as we returned to the group.

“We did it, Kou.” I said.

“Yeah. But Taro, you’re being too reckless.” Kouya replied.

“I was saved because Fu and Kou were there.” I said.

“Well, that’s fine. But more importantly, we need to leave here. If the giants keep chasing us, even after defeating that ghostly monster, then we have to fight them…” Kouya said.

So, we retreated from the scene and ran through several streets, continuing to move for a while.

“As I thought, that glowing monster was leading the giants towards us.” Yuuki said as we stopped at a point where the ground rumbling had become quite distant.

“Yeah… here, I want to clarify our future plans and party leader, how about everyone else?” I asked.

“I don’t mind.” Yuuki said, glancing upwards while agreeing with my suggestion.

Since Yuuki was currently the party leader, his nod of agreement caused a chain reaction, and everyone else followed suit.

“First, regarding our plans… we’ve already seen how important Taro’s information is, right?”

“Yes, especially with the ‘Shallow Dream Grave’ ” Fu said.

“Exactly. We’ve never heard of such a phenomenon before, and it was an event that happened because of Taro. Taro’s knowledge is crucial.”

“His Excellency, Taro, knowledge comes first.”

“Thank you for the blessings of the gods.”

“We should base our future plans on Taro’s opinions and thoughts. I think that’s the best thing to do.” Kouya said

I was happy to hear Kouya’s straightforward statement.

“I don’t see any objections.” Yurachi said, and everyone agreed.

“Next, regarding the party leader. Yuu has been doing it as usual, but how about letting Taro do it this time?”

“Me?” I was surprised by the suggestion.

“Yeah. During the fight earlier, Yuu sent Taro to the sky, but I don’t think that was a good idea.”

“But Kou, wasn’t it a bad idea for Mina to use a long-range magic?”

“Of course, I trust Yuu’s judgement. If we had done something flashy in the city, we might have caught the attention of the giants or other monsters swimming in the sky.”

“That’s why Kou suggested going inside a building. In a building, we might have been able to use flashy magic without being noticed.”

‘Oh, so that was it. During the fight, Yuu instructed Mina not to use magic while considering that.’

“But it was not a good idea to send Taro alone to charge at that ghost, right?”

“Yeah, that was a failure.”

“Then, is it okay for Taro to be our party leader?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” Yuuki readily agreed and made me the leader.

“Wait, wait a minute. I can’t give sudden orders like Yuu does in the middle of a fight. Please let Yuu continue as the party leader like before.”

“No, Taro, you can do it.”

“But, but I don’t have the confidence to lead everyone while considering everyone’s safety and making good judgment in the situation.”

“Hmm, Kou. Should we change our plans then?”

As I panicked, Yuuki pointed his finger at me and gave a gentle smile. Kouya also smiled mischievously in response. As I watched their exchange, I realized I had been played. This conversation had been a prelude to this discussion from the beginning.

“You and Kimi are essential to exploring the dungeon in our current party.” Yuuki said.

“Oh, okay.” I replied, feeling happy but also a little uneasy.

“Your ability to gather information is very useful, and you may pick up knowledge that is necessary for our survival along the way.” Kouya added.

“Ah, I see.” I said.

“So, it would be a problem if you were killed.” Yuuki said.

“In other words, you are the key to our success.” Kouya said.

“Exactly. We rely on you as the most valuable player.” Yuuki said.

“That’s why we don’t want you to take unnecessary risks like you did earlier.” Kouya said.

Yuuki and Kouya took turns scolding me.

“But, what if the monster that attacked us was one that explodes upon death?” I asked.

“That would have been dangerous.” Yuuki said.

“That’s why we wanted to plant the idea in your head that you are the party leader and have a sense of responsibility as a valuable and irreplaceable presence, to increase your chances of survival.” Kouya explained.

“That’s what we meant. I hope you understand and act accordingly as the leader, Taru.” Yuuki said.

The two of them chuckled as if they had planned this all along. I’m sure my friends knew that I would be uncomfortable being appointed as the party leader and were just teasing me. If I tried to retaliate, Kouya would immediately put on a serious face and shut me down.

“Taru, we rely on your survival above all else. Please be aware of that and act accordingly.” Kouya said seriously.

I nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. “I understand. I’ll do my best as the leader.”

Not wanting to become the target of Yuuki and the others’ laughter again. I decided to go along with their requests, even though it made me feel a little bitter.

“But

feel free to be flashy when it’s time to attack.” Kouya said.

“After all, you’ve helped us a lot.” Yuuki added.

“We’re the alchemist trio?” I said, unable to resist teasing them back.

“Hmph.” I said, feeling a sense of satisfaction as I sniffed haughtily. It was nice to be relied on.