Unlike Nagumo, who was a loner, Suzuki talked with everyone. While he didn't have close friendships, unbreakable connections like those in the shounen manga, he maintained a good relationship with everyone.
No, even if he didn't approach them, everyone would approach him first—why?
Because he was simply the most influential within their group.
If they didn't get close to him, they wouldn't be able to get any information about the world. He also held the money group, but then again, while he was close with many girls, as they often asked him about how he could always appear clean, there were many people whom he was wary of, especially this young woman in front of him.
"What are you talking about? Let me join!"
Eri's best friend, Suzu Taniguchi, also joined in, as she looked at Eri Nakamura curiously.
"No, I am just wondering whether there are ways so I can use my skills better, and as Tanaka-kun is so smart, I thought he might have an idea."
"That's true!"
No one doubted that Suzuki was smart; yet, as he had been busy with many things, they also focused on adapting to their new life. More importantly, as their jobs were owned by themselves, they should be the ones who understood it better, yet... what if he knew better?
After all, he was a smart one, right?
"Tanacchi! Please tell us!"
"....." Suzuki.
As Suzu and Eri showed him their adorable puppy-like gaze, Suzuki wondered how a tragedy could even happen.
"I don't know whether my advice can help, but Suzu, you are the Barrier Master, right?"
"Yeah."
"It's just my own thoughts, but right now, you're using your shields like a frightened turtle. You wait for a monster to attack, then you throw up a wall to block it."
Suzu nodded vigorously, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well, yeah! That's how shields work, right?"
"Wrong," he said flatly. "That is a waste of mana and leaves you entirely reactive. A barrier isn't just a shield; it is a physical object you can summon instantly into any space. Stop thinking of yourself as a defender. You can shape the battlefield on your own. You control everything."
Suzuki knew that Suzu Taniguchi was necessary for Kaori, as he could protect her, and he had to guide her better to do so.
"If a wolf charges at Kaori, don't put a giant wall in front of Kaori. The wolf will just run around it. Instead, it spawns a two-inch-high, unbreakable barrier directly in front of the wolf's front paws mid-sprint. It will shatter its own legs, and you will use almost zero mana.
"Also, if a monster opens its mouth to bite Amanogawa, don't shield Amanogawa. Spawn a barrier vertically inside the monster's mouth. It will snap its own jaw.
"See? If you think carefully, your skills can be used in many ways."
"...."
Suzu's jaw dropped. Her cheerful, bouncy demeanor was entirely short-circuited by the sheer, brutal practicality of her barrier. She looked at her iron fans, suddenly realizing she wasn't just a support character; she was a walking torture chamber.
So, she tried it.
Crack!
"GAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
The wolf monster had its paws shattered.
"How about making a wall of wolves on the top of it, and press it on the ground?" Suzuki gave one more piece of advice.
"O-Okay."
Suzu nodded and made a barrier wall on the top of the wolf monster and dropped it.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of breaking bones echoed within the space of the dungeon.
"....." Everyone.
All of them who saw it quickly backed away from Suzu Tanuguchi, looking at her dumbfoundedly, as the shortest girl in their group could be so dangerous, imagining themselves to anger Suzu and being smashed by a wall of barrier as they were crushed under it.
Gulp!
At that moment, they knew they shouldn't anger Suzu.
"Stop it. Don't flatten it. The value of the wolf will be reduced if you crush everything about it.
"Okay!"
Yet, Suzu was happy and clung to him. "Thank you, Suzucchi!"
"..." Kaori and Shizuku.
"...." Everyone.
Still, Suzuki didn't think much about Suzu's huge size, since he was in sage mode and much of his precious essence had been taken by Kaori and Shizuku last night.
"Suzucchi, if you hug him so much. You might make him be cut by Shizuku, you know?"
"Hahaha..." Suzu's face reddened as she was apologetic. "I am sorry, Suzucchi. Also, Shizuku-chan, your boyfriend is awesome!"
"....." Shizuku.
What did Suzu mean by those words?
Did Suzu have a taste of Suzuki?
Naturally, Suzuki shook his head furiously, telling Shizuku that he wasn't guilty of whatever.
"Still, what about me, Suzuki-kun? You won't abandon me, right?"
Eri, despite not being the most beautiful, still had fair skin and a cute face. The way she acted, like an innocent and pure girl, would make any man skip a beat, yet when Suzuki thought about her job, which was a Necromancer, even if he didn't know the plot, he knew that Eri definitely wasn't right in the head.
However, since he was here, the plot probably changed, since Eri's past also changed with him. If he was being honest, even though she contained a certain degree of psychopathic nature and a threat level that could cause a lot of mess for everyone, she wasn't a problem for him, especially after he had taken on many jobs within himself; he had evolved, growing even stronger despite not even fighting.
Still, what kind of advice would he give Eri to grow stronger?
"Nakamura. You use spirit strings to manipulate objects and bind enemies, right?"
"Yes." Eri nodded and acted like a pure, gentle girl. "Yes... I'm not very strong, so I try to tie the monsters up so everyone can hit them!"
Suzuki knew that Eri was acting, but he didn't even care. "That's a wasteful way of using a thread, you know?"
"Wasteful way?"
"Instead of treating your strings like handcuffs, you should tie them around their carotid arteries. Spirit strings are infinitely thin and unbreakable. Stop tying them around the monster's waist. If you put them on the carotid arteries, if they pull forward, they decapitate themselves. Let them do the work.
"More importantly..." He leaned forward as he whispered, "And if you use your strings to take control of a monster... remember that a puppet doesn't feel pain. If a controlled puppet's arm gets bitten off, don't panic and drop the spell. Use the jagged bone as a shank. Exploit your tool until it is completely useless. Understand?"
"Suzuki-kun, sorry, can you lend me more potions?"
"Wait a moment, Kaori."
Suzuki was no longer focused on Eri. Instead, he went to Kaori, but as he walked away, Eri kept staring at his back with a cold, yet obsessed, distorted gaze, one she always hid behind a cute smile to be accepted.
Yet in this moment, she knew she did not need to act, and she could be her truthful self since the one that she loved the most could accept her the way she was, and because of that, she wouldn't give him away and would take him away from anyone~!
Shudder!
"What's wrong?" Kaori asked worriedly. "Do you need me to heal you?"
Her healing could also fix an illness, and as long as Suzuki needed it, she would heal him.
"No, it's fine."
Yes, everything was fine, and because of that, when the trouble emerged, it tore away the peace and spirit that they had built till now.