I love time travel the most!

But in reality, Kobayashi never won a single fight against her either.

Not only is her physical strength ridiculously strong, but her defense is also incredibly exaggerated. Moreover, her unique skill, "Berserk Attack," makes her stronger the more she is injured, making one wonder if a ferocious beast lies beneath her petite black skin.

"I understand the principles, but the most important thing is how to improve the situation, isn't it?"

Kobayashi sighed.

Silk threads are a rare weapon, and most people, lacking sufficient experience, often become flustered and lose the upper hand. However, once their strategy is countered, the user is put on the defensive. Therefore, the strength of the weapon is of paramount importance.

To change the current situation, he needs to wait for the god Guberius to forge a divine artifact, but unfortunately, he can't afford it.

Good news: This amazing tool can solve the problem.

Bad news: I can't afford this amazing gadget.

"Well...that's a problem."

Tiona also began to think.

Suddenly, she saw the weapon of the swordswoman Ais, or more precisely, the green whirlwind wrapped around the longsword.

—Wind Spirit Swift Movement!

Enveloping herself in wind to enhance her attack, defense, speed, and short-range flight ability is the magic that Swordswoman Ais is best at using in battle.

"Have it!"

The dark-skinned Tiona slapped her hand and exclaimed in surprise, immediately attracting the attention of the other two.

"Miss Tiona, do you have a solution?"

"Tiona?"

Kobayashi and Ais looked at her.

I didn't have high expectations for Tiona, who doesn't like to use her brain, but I hope she can gain inspiration from it and find a reason to become stronger.

"The answer is magic!"

Tiona looked smug.

Magic cannot be said to be omnipotent, but with magic, there is the possibility of omnipotence.

If the silk thread is fragile, then we should increase its toughness.

Magic is a great choice.

It must be said that sometimes, a fool who is sharp in combat is actually quite flexible in this regard.

Her words opened the door to a new world.

“Of course, it would be great if Kobayashi knew wind magic like Ais.” Tiona said with a hint of regret, “Wind magic combined with silk threads increases the attack range and sharpness, which would definitely make her a troublesome opponent.”

“…I will.” Kobayashi suddenly said.

"what?"

“I said, I know wind magic.”

To be precise, he secretly learned wind magic.

During her battle with the Fiora, Kobayashi secretly learned her magic. After all, it was the Fiora's specialty, and it would be a shame not to learn it.

"Wake up!"

Kobayashi chanted a super short spell, and suddenly a green whirlwind, the same as that of the Sword Maiden Ais, enveloped her.

"...Huh?" X2

The two, Fiora and the dark-skinned Tiona, were stunned.

They never expected that Kobayashi could use wind magic, and it was the exact same wind magic as the Sword Princess!

Ais tilted her head and asked, "Tiona, are there other kinds of magic that are the same?"

"I do not know."

Without magic, Tiona could only shake her head.

—A poor imitation.

Even after receiving a blessing and changing her profession from adventurer to archmage, Kobayashi still retains her magic. She can learn all spells, but the downside is that their power decreases and their cost increases.

Even so, it is still terrible magic.

With just that, Kobayashi could become the top star in the labyrinth city.

Of course, Kobayashi didn't plan to tell them. After all, no matter how good their relationship was, it wasn't to the point where she could tell each other about her abilities. Even members of the same clan wouldn't do that.

Sword Maiden Ais and Dark-skinned Tiona clearly understood this, so even though they were incredibly curious, they ultimately didn't ask.

"Alright, let's begin the second round."

After finding a way to become stronger, Xiaolin felt like she could do it again.

Then he got beaten up again.

His opponent was Tiona, and it was unclear whether it was because Kobayashi had become stronger than before, but she chose not to hold back.

The level 5 adventurer, unleashing his full power, gave Kobayashi no chance to catch his breath, and he was beaten unconscious after 5 minutes.

When he woke up again, the swordswoman Ais and the dark-skinned Tiona had already left.

Xiaolin lay listlessly on Liu Zi's lap, inhaling the sweet fragrance that kept flooding her nostrils, and began to process the experience she had gained while feeling isolated.

"Lord Kobayashi, even if you are eager to become stronger, it is still embarrassing to get beaten black and blue every time."

Liu Zi's voice was flat and monotone.

Knowing her personality, Kobayashi understood that the servant who was protecting her master was somewhat dissatisfied with her master's desperate attitude.

"But it's necessary."

Kobayashi said.

There are many ways to become stronger, but there are no shortcuts.

...That's impossible.

Thinking of Aqua, who endlessly churns out divine artifacts for transmigrators, Kobayashi felt all his efforts were a joke. If only he hadn't gone to such lengths, and had just tricked Aqua into giving him a few more artifacts—why bother with all this hardship?

The more I think about it, the more frustrated I feel.

This negative emotion persisted for a long time. Only after recovering his strength and healing did Kobayashi return to the hotel with Ryuji's help.

The days that followed were very boring.

Just like in a game where you need to accumulate resources to upgrade your weapons and equipment before you can enter the next chapter, Kobayashi has also entered an endless cycle of grinding monsters.

In short, "stuck at a bottleneck".

Every morning after getting up and quickly washing up, I use the [Dimensional Array] to go to the dungeon to fight, saving time. Then, in the evening, I use the [Dimensional Array] to return to the inn and fight Ryuu.

And just like that, another week passed.

"I can't take it anymore! I need to rest!"

After killing the last minotaur, Kobayashi rolled around on the ground and made a fuss like a child.

Every day is just scrolling, a constant battle from the moment he opens his eyes until he closes them. Even he's so disgusted he's about to vomit.

"Liu Zi, let's go out for a big meal today and treat ourselves!"

"Isn't Lord Kobayashi supposed to be saving money? Is it alright to spend so lavishly?"

"It's alright, it's alright! To grind monsters better, a balance between work and rest is key, so... let's go to the tavern for dinner tonight! To the bountiful hostess!"

evening.

Kobayashi and Ryuu arrived at the tavern and were greeted by Anya before entering the establishment.

"Brother, I miss you so much! You haven't come lately! You look so tired, what happened?"

"actually……"

Having been holding it in for so long, Kobayashi couldn't help but pour out his troubles to Anya.

Of course, he omitted the mention of the divine artifact, instead vaguely stating that he was having a headache over forging an expensive weapon.

"Hmm... but an adventurer's weapon is still very important, isn't it? After all, it's the most reliable companion in the dungeon, so it's necessary, isn't it?"

"That's it!"

Xiaolin never expected to be lectured by Anya instead, and could only eat his food with a heavy heart, feeling both sad and helpless.

The tavern was still busy at night, and Anya was soon called away by other customers.

Kobayashi focused on the food in front of him.

Suddenly, a timid voice came from beside me.

"Um... excuse me, but..."

"Ok?"

Puzzled, Xiaolin looked up and saw a thin, white-haired, red-eyed human boy.

An inexplicable aura of fragility emanated from him, making him appear like a timid rabbit. Although they didn't know each other, Xiaolin still recognized him.

— Bell.

The shy boy scratched his cheek, seemingly unsure how to begin, but encouraged by Hill not far behind him, he closed his eyes and shouted:

"Thank you for your help!"

"……Um?"

The sudden gratitude left Kobayashi completely bewildered, while Hill behind him couldn't help but facepalm.

But soon, the cowardly rabbit Belle explained, "You helped me pay for my meal when I hurriedly ran away, so... thank you so much!"

After speaking, he bowed deeply.

The attitude is quite sincere.

Kobayashi looked at him and said, "Please look up. There's no need to thank me; actually, I was partly to blame for this."

“…What?” Bell was a little confused.