When I defeated the Hobgoblin, a message from my HUD appeared in front of me.

[ Congratulations! You and your Valkyries have leveled up! You gained new skills! ]

[

Name: Richard Forster

Class: Valkyrie Tamer

Level: 32

Valkyries: 6/6

Health: 360 points

Mana: 175 points

Strength: 35 points

Defense: 20 points

Magic: 35 points

Agility: 30 points

Status Points: 28 points

]

[ Gather: You can summon one or more of your Valkyries from afar.

Cost: 0 MP ]

[

Name: Diane Stollen

Level: 20

Class: Shadow Assassin

Title: Valkyrie

Master: Richard Forster

Health: 250 points

Mana: 202 points

Strength: 9 points

Defense: 1 point

Magic: 2 points

Agility: 7 points

Status Points: 68 points

]

[ Darkness Walker: Causes the user to be shrouded in darkness and become invisible at night.

Cost: 5 MP ]

[

Name: Erina Ashburn

Level: 20

Class: Marksman

Title: Valkyrie

Master: Richard Forster

Health: 240 points

Mana: 172 points

Strength: 10 points

Defense: 1 point

Magic: 3 points

Agility: 5 points

Status Points: 68 points

]

[ Explosive Bullet: The user’s next bullet will explode upon hitting the target, causing magic damage.

Cost: 10 MP ]

[

Name: Camula

Level: 20

Monster: Demonic Slime

Title: Valkyrie

Master: Richard Forster

Health: 317 points

Mana: 145 points

Strength: 7 points

Defense: 15 point

Magic: 8 points

Agility: 2 points

Status Points: 30 points

]

[ Iron Skin: The user’s defense against physical damage increases.

Cost: 10 MP ]

[ Mystic Veil: The user’s defense against magical damage increases (Low Magic Resistance).

Cost: 10 MP ]

My eyes widened at the results. After all the Goblins had been killed, the level of my Valkyries had increased considerably—not to mention the skills I had gained as rewards.

Gather could be excellent for regrouping in case of an emergency. Diane could now become invisible, and Camula had gained two skills that increased her defense.

"Running into this village really was like stumbling upon a gold mine! In a short period of time, the level gap between my Valkyries was drastically reduced," I said to myself. "But this..."

But the only thing that made my brow furrow was Erina’s skill. I knew that when the situation got serious, Erina acted calmly and logically, but even so, the thought that she possessed a power of that magnitude didn’t let me relax.

I sighed. "Well, forget it. There’s nothing to do but trust Erina’s judgment. Let me organize the Status Points."

[

Name: Richard Forster

Class: Valkyrie Tamer

Level: 32

Valkyries: 6/6

Health: 360 points

Mana: 175 points

Strength: 48 points

Defense: 20 points

Magic: 40 points

Agility: 30 points

Status Points: 0 points

]

[

Name: Diane Stollen

Level: 20

Class: Shadow Assassin

Title: Valkyrie

Master: Richard Forster

Health: 250 points

Mana: 202 points

Strength: 35 points

Defense: 15 point

Magic: 15 points

Agility: 27 points

Status Points: 0 points

]

[

Name: Erina Ashburn

Level: 20

Class: Marksman

Title: Valkyrie

Master: Richard Forster

Health: 240 points

Mana: 172 points

Strength: 45 points

Defense: 10 points

Magic: 27 points

Agility: 5 points

Status Points: 0 points

]

[

Name: Camula

Level: 20

Monster: Demonic Slime

Title: Valkyrie

Master: Richard Forster

Health: 317 points

Mana: 145 points

Strength: 17 points

Defense: 40 points

Magic: 8 points

Agility: 2 points

Status Points: 0 points

]

I distributed their points according to their strongest attributes. For Diane, I split the points between Strength, Magic, and Agility. For Erina, I prioritized Strength and Magic so she could deal more damage, and I put a bit into Defense. Based on Camula’s status and the skills she had gained, it seemed best to make her the team’s tank, so I invested more points in Defense.

I was already quite strong, so I took some of my own points and gave them to Camula and Diane, and with that, I finished upgrading my Valkyries.

"Rick," I heard Diane’s voice behind me. She could already move, and Camula was by her side.

"Diane, are you all right?" I asked her.

"Yes, I can walk on my own, and my body doesn’t hurt that much."

I smiled and said, "That’s good."

Diane’s eyes widened for a brief moment, and she turned her face away. The girl’s pale skin and white hair only made it more obvious when her cheeks flushed.

Camula didn’t miss the chance to tease her. "How cute."

"Did you say something, Camula?" Diane asked in a threatening tone.

"Nothing. Nothing at all~" Camula said with a big smile on her face.

It was better for me to break them up before they started a fight, so I faked a dry cough to get their attention.

"Anyway, we’ve killed all the Goblins, but our mission isn’t over yet. We still have to rescue the captives and also..." I said, looking at the item on the ground. "I need you to help me carry this."

The Hobgoblin’s body—and even its purple blood—had already turned into black dust and vanished, dissolving into the air. The only proof of its existence in this world was its club, made from a piece of the Yggdrasil tree.

For some reason, this piece of wood that was supposed to be my trophy was quite heavy, even though my stats were higher than its previous owner’s. Even with the help of the two of them, it was difficult to drag.

"It’s really heavy," Diane said.

’It’s probably because it was given as a gift by a goddess, so it must be more compatible with its former owner. That’s why it’s heavier for other people.’ That was how my encyclopedia—also known as Brandish—explained it to me.

"Maybe it’s better if we get help from the others," Camula advised.

It was a good idea, and also an excellent opportunity to test my new skill.

"Gather!" I called upon my new power, focusing on bringing only Sarah this time.

As if by magic, Sarah materialized right in front of us. Gather had proven to be an efficient teleportation skill—at least in one direction, toward me.

"Waah! Rick, what are you doing here? Or rather, what am I doing here?" Sarah asked, bewildered, thinking she should be somewhere else.

Sarah’s confused expression was priceless. I couldn’t resist laughing at her. When I explained the situation, she frowned at me.

"So am I your guinea pig now?" Sarah asked, furrowing her brows.

"Come on. You know that I would never think of you like that," I said, trying to get on her good side.

She was still annoyed with me, but after I gave her a kiss on the cheek, I noticed her serious expression waver.

I called out to the others, and soon our whole group was gathered once again.

"So, Rick? What did you think of my shot at the decisive moment? Pretty good, right?" Erina asked me, her amber eyes begging to be praised.

"I would have thought it even better if you had been shooting throughout the entire fight," I complained, my voice carrying a reproachful tone.

"Don’t be so mean. I noticed his weapon repelled Diane’s blades, and if I had attacked, he probably would have started throwing stones at us too. But there’s something I regret," Erina explained. Her gaze wavered and grew somewhat sad as she looked at Diane. "I’m sorry, Diane. I hesitated to attack when he grabbed you, but if I had..."

Diane shook her head. "You don’t need to apologize, Erina. You did what you thought was best to minimize the team’s losses."

"But if Rick had arrived a second later, I probably would have shot him," Erina said bluntly.

I couldn’t deny it—I was surprised at how much Erina had thought through the possibilities in the heat of battle. Maybe it’s a good thing that the power of explosion ended up in her hands.

"Anyway," I said to my Valkyries, eager to change the subject, "how are we going to move this thing?"

The girls tested the weight of the Yggdrasil staff and came to the conclusion that they needed extra hands to carry it. But Erina didn’t seem worried.

"I think I know where we can find the manpower we need!" she said with a happy smile on her face. "And I’m not talking about going to the next town for that."

"What’s your plan?" I asked her.

"Huh? Isn’t it obvious? We’ve got about ten more people to help us carry it."

I gave her an incredulous look. "You’re not saying we should make the girls who almost got r*ped help us carry it, are you?"

"Of course I am," Erina said with a laid-back expression.

We all stared at her, unable to believe how shameless she could be.

"Hey, don’t look at me like that. If it weren’t for us, they would have become goblins’ mommies, so it can’t be helped. It’s give and take, so it’s only fair that they help us."

Erina’s idea was ridiculous, but I was short on ideas.

I sighed. "Okay, let’s try that. But first, let’s calm the girls down."

"Of course!" Erina said. "I never said we were going to force them to work right away."